new member-please talk to me

Hello Sasha,

All of us on here have fallen foul of this terrible condition, and the common thing we share is still the question, why,..? so by no means youre not alone.

I wont go over what Ive previously written because if you have a look further down you can read it at your leisure \"Am I the longest sufferer on here\".

Many have developed the symptoms later on in life, such as you have done,.and there are others who are children or in their late teens who have to struggle through life either with or without medication and hospitalisation.

I know from my own experiences how this condition is making you feel and it is interesting that in a small way you have discovered that very cold water helps you through at meal times. I know too, how distressing it is not to be able to sit in company when you eat for being fearful of starting to choke and wanting to run away from the table. Ive been there and done that so many times Ive lost count and frankly its horrible.

Inevitably when you first had problems the doctors were unable to give you a clear indication of what was wrong,..and its only because achalasia is something they do not commonly come across. But one thing I can confidently tell you is ,..please try and accept that you will find a way of getting through this and,....because you will take control of it and it will not be made to rule your life completely. As you read through the forums you will see a number of treatments that sufferers have subscribed to. The degree of treatment will ultimately be your decision based on what a specialist discovers within your diagnosis.

I hope this comforts you to say that every day I leave for work my most important item without question is my large flask of ice chilled water,!!!..something I can not be without. You will know from your own experience so far that eating a certain amount of food followed by gulps of water is probably how youve been managing to swallow. Ive gone through this routine now in the same fashion for well over 40 years and without any medication at all. Indeed Ive also suffered the bouts of crippling pain too in the early days, in my chest and digestive system, but as time goes on it has in my case virtually gone (apart from the odd twinges now and again).

In many ways perhaps Im just very lucky that Ive been able to deal with the condition myself,.but the odd inconvenience does pop up from time to time (see below) and sure I do panic a little but taking control is truly the order of the day. Try really hard to relax as much as you possibly can when you start to eat. Reassure yourself that yes,...you realise there is something wrong but take things gently in your stride and tell yourself that you wont be put under its control,.and that you will be in control. It does take a long time to get squarely into this frame of mind but for me it worked.

(Today I had a colleague from work with me - ((I usually work alone in a vehicle by myself, which is an ideal situation under my eating circumstances)),...and of course there was no way I could sit there at lunchtime and eat,.....so I had already prepared everything in my backpack and simply excused myself at the appropriate time. I found a nice quite place to sit in the park by the river and there, was able to relax on my own,..Of course I was conscious that someone might see me struggling with my big glass of water,..but I thought yet again,..Im far enough away,..they dont know me,..I dont know them,..I owe them nothing and even if they do see me I dont need to explain myself,....this is my problem and Im dealing with it OK !!)

Youll get through this Sasha,...honestly !

Best wishes.

Mike.

Sasha,...

Also read through the replies I made to Pokey and Sandraw in the section marked \"stomach acid\" Pokey makes points about use of water as well,..his circumstances are as close to my own as is.

Mike

Dear Mike

Thank you so much for replying to me and offering me such useful advice It's good to know there is someone out there who knows exactly what I'm going through.

My difficulty at the moment is that it's got so bad that none of my previous compensatory strategies work anymore. The ice cold water used to work but now I just throw that up aswel.

I've read some of the other posts of here as it sounds as if the condition varies. For example, people have wrote about their oesophagus being dialated. I know from my endoscopy that mine is the opposite and remains tightly shut. This means that I have no pattern in regards to any types of food or drink as it can freeze at any moment. All I know is that I can't eat any type of bread whatsoever.

One person advised on here to \"gulp\" drinks as the oesphagus doesn't have time to freeze. I've tried that and it does work to some degree. However, I can't do that with food and if food is already stuck, gulping water won't shift it.

I really appreciate your words about being in control rather than it controlling me. Somedays I don't let it get to me and will force myself to eat. Other days, i get really downhearted about it and feel miserable every time it happens. The trouble is that I have no appetite anymore. If it wasn't for my baby and my husband I wouldn't bother trying as it's so painful.

I really admire you for being able to cope with this for 40 years. Have your symptoms got worse over the years or about the same? Also, i couldn't work out from your posts whether you actually vomit after eating or not. if so, how do you stop yourself? I just can't stop the sickness anymore as nothing works. Also, can I ask you why you've never persued any medical intervention? Sorry for all the questions, i'm just interested in learning anything I can from others about the condition and how others cope with it.

Thanks for your help

Sasha

Hi Sasha,.

I will try and answer your questions best I can and forgive me if I dont do so in any particular order.

Firstly you are completely correct when you say that achalasia sufferers conditions vary. I read through many of the posts when I first found the website and to be honest I thought that my method of swallowing was fairly unique, until others began to say that they too did so similarly. I have absolutely no idea why the chilled water works but some will tell you that tepid or warmer drinks are better suited to them,..and others fizzy drinks only help. I personally dare not try to swallow with anything other than chilled because I know its an absolute no no.

You will need to practice intensely to get get the balance right. In my case the oesophegus is pretty well closed and this was seen on the barium meal slides which the consultant showed us when I was a child.

I found out early on that the trade off to being able to swallow with air and water was the crippling bouts of indigestion caused by the trapped air, but as time has gone by the condition has remained exactly the same but with virtually no painfulness.

You asked me if I vomited after injesting my food,.and I can only say that this very seldom occurs these days. Indeed some foods do stick and wont go down so yes it does happen but very rarely. You will know in time just what to avoid and again reading through the input you will discover that, like the symptoms, what each can and can eat varies greatly.

Having had this for so long I know that the way I take in my food is the only way I will ever get by without treatment. As a youngster I went through all of the trauma at school of this condition and at lunchtime even had a classroom set aside where I could use it each day without being disturbed,. even though my headmaster made a big fuss of his \"favour\" to me. If anything his belittling made my situation worse and that was why I finally through my parents rejected any help.

Unfortunately youve succumbed to this in early mid life and right now dealing with it is a huge learning curve for you which I know will be quite frightening. Be brave, your body will find a way to deal with it if you keep trying. Dont give up please. Medical help is there if you choose that route and there are drugs out there that can help ease your situation which your doctor should be able to research for you pre op. Dont though go via the internet route for any wonder cures through medication, they are money making scams on the whole which cannot help you on a personal level.

best regards

Mike

Dear Mike

Thank you again for your indepth response. I really admire how well you seem to cope with this. I hope that through experimentation, I will hopefully find something soon that works for me too. I will be brave and will battle on, however like you said, i've got to learn new ways of dealing with it.

I think it's the affect on my life in general that I'm finding hard to bear at the moment. As a said I have a 10 week old son. I'm loving motherhood and he's a great baby, however, i've been grappling with guilt since he was born. My poor baby ended up in hospital a couple of days after he was born due to low blood sugar. The medics thought it was because he was not getting enough nutrition from my breastmilk. Subsequently, Achalasia has not only harmed me but my son also! I had to stop breastfeeding for this reason and subsequently feel extremley angry that the choice was taken away from me.

Yes, I think it's anger that I'm constantly feeling at the moment. I used to be happy, now I'm constantly irritable and snappy. I'm aware that it is the lack of nutrition thats causing this but I don't know how to change it. As I said, i feel a shadow of my former self. Other mothers repeatedly ask me: \"how come your so slim after just giving birth?\" It takes me all my patience to give a reply (I don't go into details, i just avoid the question mainly). if the truth be known, I'd love to be in the position where i'm complaining about my baby weight like most new mums are.

It's also affecting my marriage. My husband gets so depressed about it as he feels powerless to help me. Whilst most happy couples go out together different places, we are unable to and it gets him down. For example whilst most couples have a chat about their day over dinner, he spends it listening to me throwing up and being unable to have a proper converstaion with me. Physically, i'm also very different and I know that i'm less attractive to him (he doesn't like thin women and thats what I've become). I also feel guilty that our entire marriage so far (just over a year) has been spent with me being unwell. Luckily he says that he sticks by the \"for sickness and in health vows\" but I don't think either of us was expecting this to be put to the test so soon.

I can't do any of my hobbies anymore either. i know it's difficult with a young baby anyway, but literally I can't do anything I used to. I used to love exercise classes, ladies lunches and shopping, all which is very difficult (even the latter as I get tired very quickly). I also used to be very much a girly girl, hair, makeup, nails, that sort of thing. Most of the time, i can't even be bothered to make myself look nice anymore. Doesn't help that my previous clothes don't fit.

I am aware Mike that I am letting it get the better of me and I've got to change tactic if I'm going to survive this. Its the lack of control in regards to the weight loss that I find the most frightening. I'm scared about when it will end and how serious it will get. Have you managed to maintain your weight over the years? Were you underweight as a child?

I went to the doctors yesterday who discovered I've lost yet another 2lb. I've been put on Fortisip drinks so lets see if they help.

I imagine for you that the condition has been quite isolating, especially when you was at school. I know your tactics at work but how do you cope in social situations? for example, I went to a holly communion on Saturday and people were constantly offering me food and drink. I had a little bit of food (sick twice). I just wondered how you manage or do you tend to avoid? I'm tempted to go with the latter option but I know that it's not the answer and being isolated from people makes me miserable. Any advice for this?

Sorry to keep asking you questions, I'm finding your input very useful

Sasha

Hi Sasha its fine,.you need to ask as many questions as you can to help you understand what youre going through.

Taking social isolation first, this for all of us as sufferers is the very worst aspect since it alienates you by default. Go back to where I spoke about being allocated a classroom and imagine my horror on the odd dinnertimes where the classroom was still occupied just as I went to go in to be in there on my own. The idiot headmaster didnt bother to inform any of the teachers not to use it so I literally had to sneak up to it every day. It was like trying to break into a prison( getting past the prefects) ! My bottom line is that I cannot sit there at any strange or publicly open table (restaurants etc) away from home and feel comfortable (unless its someones house where through many years they know of my condition), and even then,. I still have to make sure I have a supply of chilled water to take with me to the nearest toilet. Likewise Ive avoided any offers to go to office dinners and the likes and if it has fallen that Im compelled to be there Ive always been very careful to eat before I go and take only one portion, thus excusing myself from the table only once (so it doesnt get noticed).

You asked about my weight. Im relatively stable and have been for many years. Im not heavily built only about 150-155lbs and slightly muscular, but I tend to be \"on the go\" a lot of the time so I use up my food intake totally and tend to get tired if I go too many hours without a meal. My diet isnt terribly restrictive but I do have to be very careful with steak pork and beef because it can stick and the water will not sometimes push it down. Likewise if something is too thin or sloppy I have trouble with it,...I love home made soups but Im not great with them since its liquid against liquid when swallowing and this can be a problem. Dehydration in summer for me is also a bit of a pig to be honest,. Some achalasia sufferers manage reasonable well with liquids on their own but I dont,. so the way I get around it is to take in about the same volume as the food I would eat first then use my normal dose of chilled water to force it down in the same way. It works but Ive had to practice it over the years so it stays down..in most cases it does but it does tend to trap a little excess air which then causes indigestion symptoms minimally.

I can almost say Sasha (all from my own experiences) from what youve written so far youre still very much in \"panic\" stage at the moment and the effect of this panic is,right now causing a worsening of your oesophegus restriction rendering it tightly closed thus youre being sick all the time. You must stay as calm as possible. I will post the exact steps of how to try and swallow with the air and water. You have nothing to loose,. so try it exactly the same way as I do. Dont be scared, take it in your stride.

Mike

Dear Mike

Thanks again for your reply. Yes, i would very much appreciate the exact step by step instruction that you use and will follow it. If you tell me exactly what to do from the moment that the food gets stuck and the pain occurs, that would be useful.

I've been feeling much more positive today. I've managed to consume 2 fortisips, 2 complans, a small piece of battered fish and a few chips (i was feeling very optimistic at the time and ordered myself a full portion). I wasn't sick at all until the fish and chips and even then I managed to suppress 2 urges and work through the pain. I therefore believe that I've kept a bit down which is good news.

oh, i even had a cup of tea- my favourite drink but one thats played havoc with my achalasia so far.

My friend who I've known for 9 years also came to see me today. I haven't seen him in over a year and it cheered me up no end. Also helps thats he's a clinical psychologist and he reassurred me that I'm strong enough to deal with this. he advised that I try to continue my life as if I don't have the condition and make adjustments along the way. So I've agreed to go with my husband around his house for lunch in a couple of weeks. If I'm sick, i'm sick and will just have to accept it. It's the worst that can happen and i'm confident i will cope.

Your right about the \"panic\" stage and the fact I need to relax. It doesn't help that the people who care about me are also panicking. My parents ring me constantly and their way of dealing with it is by trying to force feed me whenever I see them (I'm talking HUGE quantities of food). They then get upset when I can't eat it or am sick. Obviously, they know about the condition but they are trying to fix it which they can't.

Other family and friends see me and display some kind of panic reaction. Typical responses are \"ring the doctors, get something done quick, you can't go on like this\" etc. Of course, my friend today made no comment about my appearance nor did he display any panic reaction. he merely just told me that I will get better and can cope with it. I really appreciated that.

Mike, you are also helping by your vote of confidence and for telling me your story. My husband was concerned that by coming on here I would be upsetting myself further. Actually, i'm finding it very therapeutic. To know that you live a normal life despite this condition helps me.

I'm sorry to read that you have never been out for a public meal however. Maybe I place more emphasis on this as this was something that I used to do all the time, therefore I miss it, especially the social aspect of it.

I look forward to your response. I have my manometry on Tuesday. Have you had this? What it is like? Got to admit that I found the endoscopy a most unpleasant procedure. Not painful, just a very uncomfortable, peculiar sensation.

Sasha

Hello Sasha,. Its really good to see that youve made several very important points in your last posting.

The clinical psychologist understands and will put you at ease which is of course part of his professionalism and quite correct,.however I know from very personal experience (and Im so glad you raised this point) that parents can make you feel terribly un-nerved because they panic (because of a blameless misunderstanding of the situation) and this will immediately worsen your condition because it intensifies your panic because of the distress you see in them from their reactions. I cannot stress enough you must limit these confrontational situations because you will not be able to relax properly. You have a lot to deal with right now and its a slow learning curve for you to learn what you need to do to get by. I remember so clearly the first time, as a child at junior school when the headmistress called my mother because of her concerns over me running off to the toilet to be sick every school dinnertime. The effect of that definitely did nothing to help when my mother stood over me in a state of panic.

Regarding your parents and husband. At all costs your mum and dad must NEVER under any circumstances try and force food on you. I know theyre only seeing it as a way of helping and undoubtedly going through hell seeing the weight loss but this is the very worst thing that can happen to any of us who suffer the condition. We can only deal with this ourselves or through medical intervention.

You husband will be having a tough time too with all of this and he will feel very helpless and perhaps isolated. You need to reassure him that you understand how he is feeling and that you know he would do more for you if he could, so tell him this is something you will get through whichever way you deal with it.

In respect of the other things right now, if my own condition is anything to go by Im sorry but fish and chips really are not a great idea unless you sincerely believe you might be able to cope with their consistency. I can deal with this type of meal during the day at lunchtime but towards the evening its totally out for me. Right now, also, no matter how much you may want to do so, please for the time being forego the dining out in public places. The pressure on you to keep things together is far too much for you to handle at this time since your eating ability confidence is at an all time low and you need to restrict, at all costs, the likelihood you are to panic. Remember you dont have to justify anything to anyone. You are dealing with something which you can beat, but you also have to take every route you can to do so without undue interference or influence.

Mike

Hi Mike

Thanks again for your informative post.

As you know, i had a very positive frame of mind yesterday and something very strange happened:

I haven't had a alcoholic drink in months. Obviously, i was pregnant which ruled alcohol out anyway but I also hadn't touched a drop since my son was born (i didn't wnat to waste my efforts on anything that wouldn't be nutritionally benefical to me) Anyway, for some reason I really fancied a bottle of lager last night. i hesitated of course before I opened it but I thought \"lets try and see how it goes\".

I had no problem whatsover! I was not sick, nor did I feel any sort of restriction. I can't understand it! Fizzy drinks are a nightmare for me yet this small bottle of lager went down fine. i think thats whats so frustrating about our condition. It often doesn't make any logical sense. Are you able to drink alcohol just out of interest?

It's interesting about what you said about fish and chips. I've experimented with different foods and find none easier than others. for example, sometimes soups will stick, othertimes they won't (same brand and flavour). Sometimes water will go down (on it's own), sometimes it will stick. I've probably also mentioned before that i'm consuming a lot of complans. Any flavours can ge stuck but I've noticed that some flavours stick more frequently than others. Bread is the only thing that I find consistently difficult. I find this condition very perplexing, due to the inconsistency but like you said, i'm still learning.

Thanks for your advice about the parents. I do explain but often their reaction is \"yes, but there must be something you can eat\". For example, i made the mistake of buying my mother a smoothie maker for xmas. She likes to experiment with the recipes and will often have 3 types of smoothie ready for me to try when I arrive at her house. She then patiently waits for me to try it and looks so delighted when I manage to consume a little. I've now had to hide (when physically possible) the vomiting from them as the less they know, the easier is is for them.

Please can you post your exact instruction of what you do as i'm very eager to try this. I realise that I'm asking a lot from you Mike. it's just that your so knowledgable of this condition and us sufferers are a rare breed (i read over the internet that we're only one in every 100,000 people - scary thought). Do you talk to any other sufferers on here? I've noticed that there hasn't been many recent posts.

Sasha

Hi Sasha,.. once again you make some interesting points, the obvious one being that there are periods you go through where you intake your food or drink almost normally. I'll be honest,.Ive not come across this situation either personally or in the forums.

To answer your questions and in no particular order, it wouldnt be possible for me to get through either a bottle of beer or larger, it simply wouldnt go down at all on its own, and definitely not without water,...remember the liquid/liquid scenario I explained earlier. But in this case it doesnt matter since I dont drink beers anyway, since Im not good with gassy anything !

Before I explain the situation about my own swallowing procedure I need to remind you that this (according to the input from myself and only one or two others on here) is not guaranteed to work. The process of what you are doing can be likened to filling a funnel (with a stretchy rubber nozzle instead of a hard plastic one) up with food and water closing the top and using air to push the lot through as the rubber end expands. You may very well trap air as you carry out this action which will then cause you some discomfort similar to indigestion, so please be aware.

1 First of all dont overload your plate with food, only choose an average meal size. Calmly start your meal and take gentle mouthfuls ignoring your condition. Dont rush.

2 You will start to reach a point where you feel that the food is starting to build up in your throat. Try and establish the point where you can just about still hold a conversation without panicking and at same time realising that another couple of forkfulls is going to make you dash off to be sick. You should feel the food approximately at the top of your chest/ breastbone and you should be at a point where you are having to decide what you can do next.

3. When you realise that youve got to this stage, make your way to the loo, and stand by the sink where you should already have some chilled water waiting in either a bottle or glass. I prefer fresh chilled Volvic straight out of the fridge still in the bottle Try not to panic ,.....

4, With your head initially tilted back slightly, take 3 - 4 reasonable gulps of water in succession, steadying yourself with your left hand (on the sink edge) gradually looking more towards the sink as you start to take the air in. (you may feel that your body is curving as you lean towards the sink,. ie your feet inclined to move backwards so your body \"arcs\" in shape. It is very important that you dont stop your swallowing movement until you feel your food starting to move and at the same time you will physically start to feel your stomach pull in as if its flattening. You should naturally feel your tounge curve upwards towards the roof of your mouth as you bring in air through your mouth NOT your nose with each gulp. Simultaneously you should feel your rib cage lift (chest expand) which is part of the whole action. Hopefully with the mass of the water which you have trapped and the action of the air you should feel the food move reasonably gently and the water gurgle as it (the water excess) makes its way back to your mouth,. (this can happen almost immediately)at which point you can simply spit it out. Hopefully your food will have now passed the restriction and be staying put and you will very likely feel the sensation of the air/water rumble around (gurgling noise same as if you were hungry) which you may easily dispell instantly with a slight belch !! Better this than indigestion !!! I know that my oesophegus closes pretty quickly just after this action is completed (within 3 or 4 seconds) and if I have extra liquid on standby I can just about down it before the \"gate\" closes !! (its the only time on its own).

On a cautionary note : If for any reason you should start to feel faint or light headed during this time abandon the process (eject the food) and do not repeat this method of swallowing

Hi Mike

Thank you so much for this detailed instruction. I've asked my husband to read this too so he can remind me exactly what to do next meal time. Lets hope it works for me. Thanks also for the cautionary notes, however, I think I'd rather go through a bit of lightheadedness than suffer the pain when the food gets stuck.

One thing I've noticed about what you said is that I probably don't intervene as early as I should. I always tackle meals now with the view: \"lets try and get as much down as possible\" Subsequently, I'll carry on eating if the restriction isn't too unbearable. Thats probably where I've been going wrong.

I had my manometry on Tues (not as bad as an endoscopy i thought). Anyway, it just confirmed what we already know. Apperently they test the oesophagus for 3 functions (don't know what they are) and found dysfunction in 2 of the areas.

I discussed with the lady the lager incident (I haven't had any relief since). She said that she's known some people to experience days where they are symptom free as the oesophagus decides to work, followed by days where they can't consume much at all. Sounds like its individual to each and every one of us.

The bad news is that I can't be seen for another consultation to discuss the treatment options until the end of June. I've very disappointed about this but like I said to my husband, another month isn't going to kill me.

So how are you Mike? I hope you haven't experienced a lot of trouble with this since out last correspondance.

I'll let you know how the technique goes and whether it works for me.

Thanks again

Sasha

Hi Sasha

Unfortunately it is common for GPs to be of very little use to new unwitting Achalasia sufferers. As with your case, they put symptoms down to conditions they come across regularly. My own GP when I was diagnosed twenty odd years ago, was unable to even pronounce Achalsia properly and gave me a completely inaccurate description of the disability.

From what you tell us, you have yet to receive any treatment for your condition. As you have said, at this point it is panic inducing and very frightening. I think most people experience it at its worst before receiving treatment and while its very rare for the condition to be completely alleviated or 'cured', continued treatment should bring you to a point at which you can manage the condition and learn to claw back some of your quality of life.

Social isolation is a significant factor of Achalasia. It is a disability, but it's one that is invisible and hidden. There are so many side effects and it affects my presentation and behaviour in many ways that don't appear to have an explanation to people I meet or work with. The biggest side effect fior me is a constant risk of acid reflux (as a result of so many balloon dilitation procedures). I can lose my voice quickly as a result of the heavy reflux and it has become very hushed anyway, so i have a tendancy to keep quiet and can come across as anti-social, shy and reserved, which is not the case (well... maybe a little anti-social). I do go out for meals, but will only go outside peak times to places I'm comfortable with and with people I'm comfortable with. Each meal involves several trips to the car park to use my carbonated water to force the food down, which gets me some strange looks from other people, but I have got used to that, and would happily explain everything to them if they were to ask.

Also, my metabolism does very strange things. when I was really ill it slowed to almost stop as I lost so much weight and if I don't make efforts to eat properly it will do so again. This actually causes me to put on a lot of weight. However, I am usually very active and I workout regularly; this speeds up my metabolism incredibly and I can lose weight fast enough to break a few Weight Watchers records probably.

It's so difficult for people close to you to understand the condition. There's no way they can know how it feels, the daily experience of it. Even twenty years on my parents still say stupid things and ask dumb questions, but they've learned to leave me to it and stop pressuring me to go to my doctors to find a 'cure'. Don't hide the symptoms from them. They have to learn that their expectations are not grounded in reality. If you mother's smoothies make you vomit, tell her straight. Don't try to appease people. Your family of course loves you and want you to be OK, but it takes time and patience and what you need from them is care of your self-esteem and confidence, not undermining. I've found you have to be very assertive with people. For examples, people in new work places have often found me strange for refusing drink upon drink of tea, coffee, water or juice... so I tell them straight. Everything about the condition except for the weight loss is invisible, or like vomiting, you want to keep private. Therefore good and assertive communication, with family, friends and health professionals, is absolutely vital.

I use a strategy similar to Mike's, except that I use carbonated water at room temperature rather than ice cold still water. For me it works superbly. I usually eat standing up, or at least whenever possible. I eat until I feel that the pressure has reached tipping point, where one more mouthful would end in trouble (I actually don't vomit, but my body will react with the loudest, most extreme and violent but quite brief attack of hiccups you've ever witnessed. Often very funny and actually effective). Once I've reached this point, I reach for the carbonated water (Tesco's own brand is simply aw

Sasha,

Pokey has just given you the very best explanation indeed ! He is totally right,. his, and my own symptoms, what he/me go through, how people react around us, how we have to react in company etc etc,. are virtually identical, apart from the carbonated/chilled water. We have both learned to deal with this in our own way and arrived very much on common ground.

You are not alone as he says, and you will win your battle with this. We did., and you will too !!

Mike

Dear Pokey

Thank you for your post (it took me a moment to realise i was talking to someone different), you gave me some good advice.

However, i can't help being a little bit disappointed knowing that the ballon dialations didn't work for you. Do you know why they haven't? is your oesophagus still closing when it shouldn't? sorry for all the questions. I believe this is what they are going to offer me but I could be wrong.

I'm glad you can find some humour in this. Likewise, I'm trying to see the funny side of it. For example, my husband suggests that we should change our surname to \"Vomit\". I vomit, my son vomits (coz he's a baby) and my cat enjoys vomiting all over the kitchen floor after eating grass :lol:

So have your considered or been offfered the hellers myotomy Pokey?

Funny that fizzy water works for you. Like Mike, Fizzy drinks are not good for me. If it's going to be water, it has to be still.

The swallowing air at the same time as water is proving sucessfull (thanks so much Mike). It hasn't stopped me being sick completely but I'm getting more down than normal.

Sasha

Hello Sasha

I'm a new contributor to your conversations but I would just like to say that I had the Hellers myotomy (without fundoplication which my surgeon doesn't agree with) 15 months ago, after 2 years of being told by doctors at all levels that at least I didn't have anything serious. It took 2 years to finally get a diagnosis and suddenly they all showed an interest, as though I was a sideshow exhibition!

The operation was completely successful and, even to my surgeon's amazement, I have been able to drink and eat anything since without problems. I am aware, however, that things could change as my surgeon also told me there is no known permanent cure. Before the operation I had been reduced to one fortysip juice per day and it took me all day to drink this.

This was all in the space of two years from the first symptoms I became aware of. I cannot believe how well I am now and just keeping fingers crossed it lasts.

If you choose surgery, take my advice, and research the surgeons in your area qualified for these procedures. It's the old adage I'm afraid, there are good and bad.

Hope your outcome is as successful as mine has been.

Good luck!

Jean