Hemp Seeds

Thanks, Alan.  Apart from hemp-seeds, which are actually the soft heart of the seed, and not a seed itself, - their being very nutritious, I haven't noticed that there is any 'benefit' to the Achalasia.  I put them in applesauce, and along with anything else that goes down my esophagus, it sticks for awhile, until I flood it with water, and then stuff moves a little. I am only using 1 tablespoon a day, right now.  I have concerns that they might just congeal.  Although very healthy, I shan't overdo it.

Abigail...should I avoid 'all' types of seeds?  The hemp ones are soft and actually go mushy in applesauce.  And yes, they were recommended by a good friend who is very into health-food.  I guess hemp-seeds are a very nutritious food.  It is so hard to know what to eat...frustrating would be the word for this.  I have to drink at least 2-3 glasses [16 oz each] to 'push' the food down.  What else would you suggest for me to 'avoid' eating?  I could use all the advice I can get, thanks.

for what it’s worth. My rule of thumb is if i can eat it and it does not personally make me choke or upchuck then i eat it in small quantities. Although recently diagnosed feb of 2016 and only being symptomatic since sept of 2015 i am already at end stage with the disease something my doctors and surgeons tell me is unheard of. I have not wasted like many people with this if anything my body seems determined to wring every calorie out of anything i eat convert it to fat and save it for later. I had POEM done in apr 2016 and it has failed if anything my symptoms are worse than they ever were. The problem i find in eating and you may be struggling with this is that most of the soft foods we can eat are not low calorie or low carb, of course if you are in the place where you are losing weight then that might not be a bad thing for you. Here are my list of foods i can eat. I recommend small portions eaten frequently throughout the day.

I also recommend plain soda water as the beverage of choice when eating because the carbonation pushes the food down. One other thing before the list. Buy yourself a conmtainer of water soluble fiber that can be added tio water or to mashed potataoes that way if you find yourself struggeling with constipation you can add it to a beverage or to a soft pureed food.

Yogurt – plain or with pureed fruit in it

Mashed potatoes with cheese

Soups that are either pureed or have soft cooked vegetables in them like carrot or peas or even onions or potatoes and soft cooked chicken

Tuna and Salmon soft cooked

Cottage cheese with apple sauce or pureed fruit

Any pureed fruit

Jell-O

Cooked puddings

Mashed cauliflower, it’s like matched potatoes but better because you can get some fiber from it

Pureed Squash – any type

Squash soup – any type

Bean soup any type just make sure the beans are really soft and well-cooked I like a chicken bean soup its hearty and I can eat it. Make sure you don’t overuse the bean as they can cause gas it’s really about knowing if you can do beans and what kind you can do. (Baked beans are not so good)

Eggs did I mention my best friend the egg, I can make fake crepes out of eggs and put pureed fruit in them I can scramble eggs and soft boil them and they always seem to go down with no problem. Look online for the egg crepe recipe and for something called an oopsie roll.

Oatmeal – once in a while and you must overcook it slightly

Ice Cream

Super soft cake

Any soft fruit or vegetable

Things I avoid

I love broccoli but even if I puree it, it cause gas and I have found that is never good with achalasia same goes for cabbage lettuce and tomatoes all things I am in mourning over and still eat now and then even though I know I will suffer for it. NO CABBAGE or Brussels Sprouts

Bread is not a friend although once in a while I can get away with a slice or two

No bread with heavy fiber or lots of seeds if you must indulge in bread as I must now and then stick with white light fluffy soft bread

No Nuts unless you plan on chewing them thoroughly and only having a handful, this is something I do every couple of days but go slowly

As a side note I have no problem with coffee since I have no GERD, with that being said most folks should avoid it and hot tea but you will know best what makes you feel bad and what does not. Even though I have no problem with it I cannot have more than one cup every two to three hours as it will fill the esophagus up until that damn LES decides to spasm and let something go down..

This is what I do and some of this may work for you. My rule of thumb is you can try things and see what works for you but the main thing is small portions lots of chewing and sipping of whatever you wash it down with remember even water and liquids don’t pass easily through the LES and if you fill up on them you are stretching your esophagus even more….

Best of luck to you.

Thank you so much, for giving me such a comprehensive list of foods and information.  In addition to achalasia [diagnosed this past June], I have IBS as well as lactose intolerance.  Broccoli, cauliflower etc., were eliminated from my diet along with beans, a couple of years ago, as well as yoguart.  I hadn't realized that drinking so much water will 'stretch' the esophagus; guess I will reduce that.  I have been drinking ginger-ale, when I felt the food sticking, and it seems to help.  Someone also suggested dark chocolate also helps [don't mind that suggestion at all!].  Again, thank, I shall be writing down some of the information above.

Do you supplement your diet with something like Boost?  Because my husband is Type 2 Diabetis, we always have Glucerna [like Ensure] on hand.

Hi, I've just spent some time really going over your response, and I have a couple of questions.  You refer to 'water soluble fibre,' is this in a powder form; what is it called?  Also, from your experience, do you feel that because the food 'sticks' or moves slowly, very slowly, in the esophagus, that this leads to constipation?  And 'pureed' fruit, is this baby-food?  Being lactose intolerant I can't have yoguart or ice-cream, but I do buy coconut milk [ice-cream] frozen products made by 'Luna & Larry's' [Coconut Bliss].  they have different flavours.  Tonight, taking your advice about not drinking as much liquid, my supper is sticking around in the esophagus.  Time for some ginger-ale!  I hall-walk for 30 minutes after supper, each evening, and that does seem to help a little.

Sorry to be so tardy in my response. I was offline all weekend.

Pureed fruit for me means i buy it fresh and use a blender to turn it into a pureed fruit. Sometimes I cook it sometimes i don’t. Most of the time unless it’s really soft type of peel i will peel it. I add it to yogurt to ice cream i suppose if i were lactose intolerant i would add it to coconut  milk and frozen coconut type "ice creams" AS OPA_AlanM says below its different for every patient. Your ginger ale is like my soda water it will help push the food down. I think the biggest problem I have had it understanding i have to eat often and in really small portions...I just can’t have three meals a day like a used to and i don’t like that. I don’t use boost but I have used protein shakes that are low carb in the last but them again I am that very rare end stage achalasia patient who is not wasting away. I am 45 pounds overweight and because my metabolism has gone to sh*t no matter what I do I can’t seem to lose it. It seems to take three days for any food to clear my stomach so my system is wringing every last calorie out of it and converting it to fat. If I end up having the esophageal resection  then I will lose some weight and I doubt I will put it back on so I suppose the good news is I won’t go into end stage surgery as weak as most do and that is good all things considered. The water soluble fiber I use is equate sugar free fiber powder you can get the equivalent at any drug store. Mix it with water with mashed potatoes with soup or whatever you think will work best for you it has no flavor or texture to it.

I wish you luck i know how hard this can be But i also know there are things tthat make it bearable. I also walk after meals and that can help, i also sometimes eat standing up and that helps. I never eat later than two hours before a nap or bedtime. 

Thank you for all this information; I shall be adding it to my booklet that I am putting together.  It is very helpful to me to hear what works, or doesn't for others.  and what to eat, and how to prepare.  I am lactose-intolerant, and even yoguart is out for me.  I also have IBS.  So eating has become very complicated.  I'm going to get some of the water-soluble fibre that you suggest.  I too, am not 'skinny';  I find that we almost need some 'fat' in our diet, for the food to move down.  dark chocolate has been a help, as well as soda-water, although my 'brain' thinks these are not good things to eat calorie-wise; guess we have to get beyond worrying about 'gaining' weight.  thank you, thank you again

I get it its hard. One thing i will also mention if you can get one there is an appliance out there called a Soda Stream, you can use it to make your own soda water and then get something like Stevia Cola drops to add to it. That way you get a cola flavored sweetend soda water with no calories and because the soda stream had three carbonation settings on it you can control how fizzy the water is. Let me know how things go.

Best

a

Thank you, Abigail.  You are a 'wealth' of good information.  I will see if I can find the appliance and the drops....

Can you share with me, what you mean by 'end stage' achalasia?

End stage achalasia normally means that the oesophagus has got so big and baggy that there is starting to be no realistic chance of success of a myotomy or other surgical procedure working other than removing the oesophagus.   People do have oesophagectomies because of achalasia, and can have a relatively good quality of life afterwards, but it is very major surgery.

Thank you, for this information, Alan.  Very much appreciate your continual information, sharing, and advice.