Introduction to My son with Multiple Allergies and EE

Hello, my name is Jennifer. I have a son with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, multiple food and outdoor allergies, sinus problems, and a low immune system. We found out that my son, Hunter, had milk and soy protein proctocolitis when he was three months old. He was always projectile vomiting, and has severe diarrhea with blood in it. After we took him off soy and milk, at the time I was breast feeding, which meant, that I could not have this in my diet also, he did a little better, but was still vomiting on a regular basis. When he was four months old, I called the allergy doctor in the town in which we live, and asked him to do some allergy testing. It was a long shot, since most children are not tested until the age of 2. He tested Hunter, and he was allergic to eggs. So at the age of 4 months, we were off eggs, milk, and soy, and he thought it would be a good idea for me to stay off the regular foods that are most commonly allergic for people with food allergies.

These included, egg, milk, soy, peanuts, fish, tree nuts, honey, and wheat. As a breast feeding mother, this was very hard. I managed to stick to this diet until he reached the age of 1, when he was allowed to start eating food. During that first year, he had developed pneumonia twice, and was in the hospital. That next spring, when he was turning one, he was in the hospital again for severe vomiting and diarrhea. Hunter is a very sensitive child, and when he starts vomiting or has watery diarrhea, he will lose 5 lbs or more over night. He will not eat or drink anything, so he has to be admitted to have an IV. Hunter has been in the hospital every March and October at least since he was born.

My son is now 4, as of March, and he struggles with all the allergies, and a condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I want to share our experiences with other mothers with children out there with these conditions. He was breast fed until the age of 3, because he could not tolerate any of the milk replacers and due to his allergies. I hope people will post similar experiences and allow all of us that struggle through this battle to learn from each other. I know it is hard for me to explain this condition to other people who have never heard of EE. But it is a newer found condition, and research still remains to find a cure.

I will post more of our experiences during the past 4 years, and I would like to help any parents with children with food allergies or EE that have or going through the same experiences that I have encountered.

Jennifer