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Is it achalasia?

Posted , 5 users are following.

missiemae
missiemae

Hi,

i am new to this site and i looking for some advice if possible.

I havent yet been diagnosed with achalasia but the symptoms seem to point at it:

-Difficulty eating for the last 9 months

-Regurgitating food

-Severe chest pains, to the point where i actually thought i was having a heart attack!

-Weight loss

-Feeling of food stuck in my throat at times

-Feeling when the food finally passes to my stomach

-Difficulty breathing after more than a few mouthfuls of food

I have had the barium test which showed that the food was sticking in my Oesophagus and was then sent to an endoscopy to rule out any cancers etc. Doc says i have nothing blocking the route to my stomach and no narrowing. I have a manometry tomorrow.

Does this sounds like achalasia or could it be something else?

It's driving me mad now whatever it is. i go on holiday next week and am quite nervous about what i will actually be able to eat and if i choke or something whether they will even know what to treat me with. I probably shouldnt have booked a holiday before knowing results but its been going on so long i cant put my life on hold.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi Missiemae,

    sorry to hear you are suffering. It certainly sounds like some symptoms of achalasia..is the chest pain acid heartburn.do you take antacids.

    unsure about the breathlessness.r u getting anxious now, when you are eating.

    A gastroscopy would almost certainly see achalasia,as far as im aware.

    Have the docs given you any idea what it could be.

    It might be an idea,to keep a food diary, if you arent already to see what foods bother you or stick before you go on holiday and then try to avoid them..if it is achalasia then what you can eat will get worse.(sorry to be blunt but it mite be worth eating a softer diet to give your throat a rest.This would give you a bit peace of mind on hols too.

    Are you being seen in a unit familiar with achalsia.

    Hope you get sorted soon

    Sue

  • missiemae
    missiemae

    Posted

    I'm not really anxious about eating food now because i do tend to stick to a soft or liquid diet. It has progressively got worse and some days are worse than others. I tend to find if i have anything \"acidy\" like a glass of wine or anything with vinegar on it makes me sick almost immediately and then end up with severe chest pains and the eating becomes worse for a few days. I cant eat meats or fruit or bread, in fact pretty much anything apart from soft potato, yoghurt, soups and rice but only if it has a sauce on it to make it softer to go down.

    I am going for a manometry this afternoon, so i am hoping that will clarify what it is.

    Thanks for your reply and wish me luck!

  • sandraw
    sandraw

    Posted

    Hi Missiemae

    Hope your test went okay - it sounds like you have the same symptome I had.

    I have had a dilation - to stretch the tight part of the oesophagus - and so far it seems to have made things a little better. I could only eat liquidised food before - but now I keep fancying something different. I am trying meat that has been minced with potato - and washing it down with sparkling water - I find that helps.

    Let us know how you got on - best Wishes

    Sandra

  • missiemae
    missiemae

    Posted

    Had to return 4 days early from my holiday as i couldnt eat very much and was experiencing very bad chest pain including shortnes of breath. When i returned i took a trip to A&E as i seriously thought something was wrong with my heart. Everything came back fine with my heart and they said it was probably down to my achalasia but they didnt seem to have a clue about it or what they could give to me to help to settle it. I have read up a little bit more and these are symptoms of achalasia, so i guess it must be.

    Has anyone else had these symptoms and do they recommend any medication to help settle it? I have had Gaviscon which helps but still isnt strong enough to get rid of it enough to even sleep.

    The pains are still very bad and its making me exhausted because i cant sleep. The back pain is very bad too.

    Dont have my next apt at hospital for over 1 month but i dont think i can cope with these pains and the lack of sleep until then! i did ask if i could move my apt forward to no avail!

    Thanks for being so supportive. I am trying not to let this thing ruin my life!

    Sarah x

  • sandraw
    sandraw

    Posted

    Hi Missiemae

    Have you tried contacting your GP. Mine was very supportive and put me on Omeprazole which helps. I find I have to eat sitting upright - and wash things down with fizzy water or soda water.

    Milk is very soothing as well.

    Try your GP first - and hope goes well.

    Best Wishes Sandra

  • licklerotti
    licklerotti

    Posted

    Hi there

    Sorry to hear you are having a tough time. I had the same trouble (sometimes still do) with the chest and back pain. I presumed that it was really bad heartburn and kept taking gaviscon and drinking milk which did help at first but then proved pointless. I spoke to my Consultant about this who did an extra endoscopy to check for abrasions or ulcers and this came back clear. He then suggested drinking very cold fizzy pop (nothing fruity as this contains acid so mainly coke or pepsi) very fast as he thought that I was getting acid into my gullet, sticking to any food trapped there and also air trapped with it. I didn't think much of this but the next time it happened I drank half a can of ice cold pepsi in one go and I have to say this worked brilliantly. I could feel the air dispersing and the pain fading as the cold fizz hit my gullet.

    I'm not saying that this will work for everyone however I have found this very useful so it may be worth giving it a try.

    Julie

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