Booked for a balloon dilation. Recommended size?
Posted , 4 users are following.
My achalasia started somewhere during late last year. I didn't pick up on it because I'd feel this tightness whenever I swallowed, but it was nothing to pick up on. Then closer to December I noticed I was getting bad chest pains and that I couldn't keep solids down. Liquids was alright. Cut to January, my abaility to swallow liquids disappeared and I would throw up right away. Usually I forced food down with big, painful gulps of water, but after the third or fourth swallow I'd completely throw up.
My doctor already said I had achalasia after I had a test done in December. They booked me to see a doctor through the public system and he promised me a surgery in December... somehow he convinently forgot and went on holidays. He wasted my time because he ended up sending me to a specialist so I just saw him yesterday and he said my case it's getting severe. Mind you, along with trouble swallowing I've developed a really bad cough which makes it hard for me to sleep because I wake up in a fit of coughs and end up vomitting in my sleep and choke. It's affected my work too because I have random coughing fits. I've lost 10 kilos altogether... shocking since I didn't notice it. People don't really understand the discomfort of achalasia.
Anyway, so the specialist recommended ballon dialation and now we wait for 6-8 weeks for a room. That being said, I wanted to know what size should I get the balloon in? He recommended 3mm at first but that sounds so tiny to me, and he also said your throat could tighten again. Should I ask to go sizes bigger? I think it goes up to 20mm? I see no use in getting it done for it to tighten back up. Or to continiously keep doing it between months. What are your recommendations?
0 likes, 2 replies
Robert13450 callmesonia
Posted
I had it done and it only helped a little bit and closed back up in a very short time. Yes, that's very small especially the difficulty your having . I hope you can get a cross reference of people to comment but as far as I'm concerned it's a total waste of time. I was misdiagnosed for almost 6 years before I was told I had Achalasia type 3 . I had POEM 8 months ago and wish I would have gone with the Heller M. Now having severe acid attacks on my vocal cords and can hardly talk. I hope you can get some relief, this is a terrible disease to deal with. I can't tell you how many doctors I went to that had no idea what I had or how to treat it. Good luck in your search and whatever surgery or procedures you have done I'll pray that they help you.
JoyAsh callmesonia
Posted
I've had several balloon dilations, all different sizes and it always closes back up. I'd start a little bigger, especially with the problems you're having. I also had the HM with dor fundiplication and though it helped some, it didnt help nearly as much as I wS praying it would. Best of luck!