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Rare Food Allergies and Disorders


DonRocks

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4 hours ago, NolaCaine said:

Let's call this post "Food Allergy Ballston" to keep it on topic. 

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with food allergies: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach). It occurs when a type of white blood cell, the eosinophil, accumulates in the esophagus and persists despite acid-blocking medicine.

I ignored the dx because it seemed inconvenient to go through a food restriction and illogical to swallow a asthma inhaler. One day I ended up in the ER with an advil stuck in the esophagus and decided to take the condition seriously. Through food challenges I discovered that milk protein and nuts cause an inability to swallow.

And So, I have learned that SER is very easy on the no dairy folks.  Kapnos Taverna depends on the server. Some will ask for the kitchen to alter items, some will just give you a very limited number of items to try. Despite the name, Cheesetique is very nut-free, dairy-free if you ask but I imagine cross contamination would be a problem for some.  Mussel bar too is very friendly as is Bangcock Thai (agian, ask). Super Pollo, however, I am almost positive, uses butter in the rice. I like Smoothie Cafe and again, it depends on the staff.  Sometimes they forget to hold the cheese.

I miss cheese and butter the most. Second, I miss Blondies with nuts in them. The House of Representatives caterer used to serve the best. I really miss chocolate ice cream with walnuts on top but if I could take one food back, just one, it would be butter. Everything is better with butter.

I don't have any (known) food allergies, but I have this "condition" - I guess you'd have to call it a physical defect - where, if I have a mouthful of liquid, and turn my head to the right (only to the right) before swallowing, part of the liquid will go down my air pipe. I just figured this out about five years ago, wondering why, seemingly randomly, I would occasionally (like, once a month) inhale some liquid when I swallowed it - turns out it wasn't random; it only happens when I look to my right, and then swallow, and it happens every time - just a couple of drops, but enough to make me cough for about thirty seconds (it's more annoying than anything).

I have no idea if this is related (I'm just now thinking about it for the first time), but I have a *huge* Torus palatinus. I was in my 20s or 30s before finding out from my dentist that not everyone has these - I always thought it was just the normal human shape, but mine is apparently large enough to make dentists take notice (it's like half a ping-pong ball). Well, at least I have something in common with Patrick Stewart, but why did it have to be a bony protrusion instead of acting ability?

This is all harmless *except* when you do it with honeycomb. About two years ago, at an Ethiopian market, I bought a package of honey that included the honeycomb, took a bite, unwittingly turned my head to the right, swallowed, and I had the worst coughing fit of my life (my friend was considering calling 911). After most of the offending agent was coughed up (or at least I guess it was), I continued to cough, on and off (sorry for the rhyme) for several *days* - honeycomb just does not break down very easily. Ironically, I had dinner last night at Meaza, and considered buying some honeycomb at their market next door for the first time since.

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