HELP! My dad cant swallow food and cant eat for years now !!

+side node

the doctor tried going in with a camera scope but said the opening was to small to even fit the camera to get into his stomach but said he saw no signs of cancer. This was 2 balloon procedures ago. Still no explanation to all this phlemy clear bubble spit. I mean like he drinks a few sips of water and hes already spit back up like 2-3 Kleenexs worth of bubble spit. This is every meal and every liquid.

Hi Mikey,

It certainly rings signs of possible achalasia. Frothy saliva is quite common. You desperately need a second opinion to include a manometery test. This involves a tube down the nose to measure swallowing pressures. If your dad has had dilations that are not working then this needs to discussed also - ideally with a DR that is known for treating Achalasia. There is a new charity forming achalasia-action dot (.) org that has a guide and can support. I assist with this charity, so can vouch for its integrity...

warmest,

Neil

Some of your father's weakness may be that he is not receiving enough nutrition, so it would be worth trying to concentrate on liquid food eg soups, ice cream-based food, smoothies and so on, if he can manage those.

A barium swallow is a good idea, and indeed an analysis of the phlegm and whether it is acid or bile, but it sounds like the doctors must have had some insight; otherwise they would not have been dilating his oesophagus. Did these procedures not make a temporary difference?

I think I would ask for a second opinion from a gastroenterologist.

I had the bubbly spit 2 summers ago. I could not keep any food down or even liquids. I lost 22 pounds in 11 days!

I went to my specialist that had dilated my eosphagus a couple times previous. This time he went in and stretched it, he said there was alot of food stuck in there. Maybe this is what your dad has. I have been told that I have a narrow eosphagus. If you go to the Achalasia website I believe the clear bubbly spit has something to do with lack of oxygen to the lungs. I still live with this everyday. Take Gaviscon everyday. have bad reflux at night alot. I take apple cider vinegar with water everyday. have to really watch what I eat as I still have trouble swallowing every single day. It sucks so bad. : (

I bought a wedge and body pillow for sleeping, it helps alot of the time but if I even try to sleep just on my back for even the shortest amount of time... I get such terrible reflux. I have soups and lean chicken and alot of oatmeal. Like I said it SUCKS!

Hopefully your dad can get the help he needs. Keep me posted on how he is doing. P.S. how old is he if I may ask?

I can help you. My husband John almost died of starvation over a year ago.His esophagus closed. Nothing could go down to his stomach. We live in the UP of Michigan. 1st went to UPHealth in Marquette, MI. Began with Dr. Anne Silverman. She picked stuck foods out if his esophagus. Gave him a botox injection which allowed some food to go down. He was near organ failure. She referred us to the POEM surgery. Ann Arbor UofM. Dr. Andrew Chang, surgeon and Dr. Law, Gastro. You can read about this incredibly successful, not intrusuve surgery at UofMHealth/JohnWils.Anyway. . Dr. Law inflated Johns esophagus with CO2, then Surgeon Dr. Chang Cut incisions at the bottom of his esophagus in the muscle area to relax it. Then cauterized them. It opened it up immediately and food could go now go down to his stomach. John had 0 pain. No incisions. . 1 day after surgery, ripped up Moms linoleum. . 2 days later. . ate a huge meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It was in Feb.2018. John are steaks, porks chops and other hearty meals within a week. He is still doing phenominal. We had to drive 8 hours to get there. These 3 incredible doctors saved his life. We are so blessed. Call me if you need to. 906-399-5931. Pam Wils. God Bless!

HEY guys first things first i want to thank you all for your timely responses and appreciate all the concern! God bless you all. Life can be a hard hitter i dont think anyone derserves to live with this! My father is 65 yrs old and im going to look into the food stuck in the esophogus thing also the bubbly spit is interesting you said uts from the lungs because the doctor just set him up for an xray tommorow ! I will keep everyone posted lots of love and please do share anything that helps from diet or medication let me know ! I will do the same if he finds any relief !! Stay strong all!

The story about the organ failure is really scary! I am happy to hear he is ok and eating its amazing what we as humans take for granted and how something like not being able to eat foods you love can be so depressing! Especially when it seems hopeless, i hope all you sufferers of this can get relief too!

No one has mentioned strictures or narrowing in the esophagus around the sphincter muscle to the stomach. That turned out to be my problem and it was improved by dilation of the esophagus (6 times) and injections of a corticosteroid to stop the growth of the strictures and heal them. I still don't have motility of the esophagus, but that's not going to change. It's important to find a GI who specializes in motility issues because quite frankly the others don't know what they're doing. I also resolved my acid reflux problem on my own by drinking lemon water every day and chewing fennel seeds. That acid reflux medication is bad news on many levels. Do some research on that. Good luck. I understand your distress.