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Post dilatation coughing at night

Posted , 8 users are following.

meg5511
meg5511

My husband is 53 & has recently list 1.5 stones due to Achilasia. He was diagnosed 2 weeks ago & had a balloon dilation a few days ago. Thankfully he is now able to eat again which is a major relief & one which is perhaps of some comfort to those reading who may be constantly losing weight. However he still cannot lie down at night without coughing constantly. The bed head has been raised in case you are wondering. Us this acid reflux? Has anyone experienced this & can anyone offer any advice?? Thanks in advance.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • AlanJM
    AlanJM meg5511

    Posted

    It could well be acid reflux, caused by the lower oesophageal sphincter now being looser.   Keeping the head of the bed raised is a good thing, but gaviscon (over the counter) may offer some relief, and it may be that the doctors might prescribe something like omeprazole if things persist.
  • janski
    janski meg5511

    Posted

    Hi there,

    Thank goodness your husband is now able to eat again and will regain weight now.

    Regarding coughing at night i find that drinking lots of water before bed really flushes all the excess food etc that may be lingering in my gullet causing the coughing. 

    Obviously if he can avoid eating late at night that helps and as you say having a bed wedge.    For me the coughing can be a major problem but would not expect this straight after a dilatation!?

    if it continues obviously go back for further  investigation 

    regards

    Jan

  • meg5511
    meg5511

    Posted

    Hi - thanks for the replies folks. He is on omeprazole twice a day at a dose of 30 mg. I was worried that he would then suffer more acid reflux as a consequence of the dilatation. I will talk to him about trying the water. However he had his dilatation on Friday & eating that night was good. However yesterday & today was much more awkward. Plus he is also on domperidon (I think that's it?) to help the food go down. I guess it's a trial & error situation & I'm thinking that many good folks on here have had more than one dilatation? 
  • jacarr1
    jacarr1 meg5511

    Posted

    Hi meg5511,

    It may take a little time for the effects to settle down with your Husbands dilatation i can recall feeling the same way after several dilatations, the last two have been the most successful to date and that was done with fluroscopy( not a camera down the throat) but the coughing has been there on every occasion, ( over a week ) the pain may be from the stretch not reflux, strangely enough plain old canned spaggetti in tomato sauce seems to calm it down for me.

    Have you checked out "tips for coping" further down this page it can sometimes help

    Best Wishes

    Jim

    • meg5511
      meg5511 jacarr1

      Posted

      Hi Jim

      Thanks for your reply. I suppose myself and more importantly my husband was looking for an instant solution. He ate fine on Friday night, but over the weekend he has now been in the same situation regarding fluid and solids and is struggling greatly. Did you cough for about a week when you lay down, but then got better? I will look at the tips. I'm actually so grateful to find this page as it does seem that you're not alone with so many others having this awful condition. Thanks again for replying.

      Meg 

    • jacarr1
      jacarr1 meg5511

      Posted

      Meg, your husbands situation sounds very similiar to my first dilatation, my Wife reminds me of how i thought i was going to die after the procedure , I'm still here obviously but it when on for more than a week she reminds me, she also reminded me of the creamed soups she made for me in the weeks after the upper endoscopy/ balloon blowup!, i think they missed the muscle and blew up the Oesophagus

      I vowed to never have one done again but i did sometime later and it was a little easer but it still didn't fix it fully and it started to return, and once again the weight started to come off, but i still didn't want the operation choosing to struggle on.

      I'm glad i chose not to have the operation, I think its been maybe two years since the first dilatation with fluroscopy and its going really well with only a small amount of discomfort, I'd go again with fluroscopy anytime, beats camera down the throat method I believe handsdown.

      Warm milk and milo or warm puree food worked for me as well.

      Be patient and hope to here more positive things from you on your husbands condition in the coming weeks and months.

      Jim

  • meg5511
    meg5511

    Posted

    Hi folks,haven't been on for a while as things haven't been good at all. My husband's dilatation was not successful. In fact, his eating has probably been worse since. He is now unable to lie down in bed - despite having the bed raised and several pillows to prop him up. For the last week, he has been surviving on a few cat naps on the couch, plus the odd bowl of porridge and Complan - when he can manage it. He was booked in for a second dilatation at the end of May. However, through his work he was covered by Private medical insurance, so I researched a consultant (I know I'm not allowed to name him!) who is a real expert in Achalasia. We saw him a week ago, and he immediately referred my hubby - Alan - for a mannometry - something which probably the NHS should have done to highlight the definite issue. This was done on Monday and the results were definitely in line with Achalasia. He is now due to go in to Private care on Monday to have the Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy with partial Fundoplication. We are both really pleased as his consultant has given us real hope. I will post with the results as I think it is good to give other sufferers different news of treatments - surgical or otherwise. 
    • AlanJM
      AlanJM meg5511

      Posted

      Going through all the proper tests to reach a definitive diagnosis really is a very important thing to do before the treatment is done.   It means that there is a much better prospect of getting the right treatment done straight off.   It is such a shame that these things were not done more quickly and comprehensively by the NHS in your case.   We'll look forward to a successful improvement in Alan's condition.
    • janski
      janski meg5511

      Posted

      Well done you!  So relief is coming and not before time.   Do let us know the results, i would be interested as i've only had a Dilatation.

      All the best.... Jan 

       

    • Arif57
      Arif57 meg5511

      Posted

      I had laprscopic myotomy (surgery) at the Mayo clinic in the US on the 9th of May and was discharged in 24 hours! Great experience and though i am still on a liquid diet (7 days), i can already feel that my swallowing has improved. Also, my esophagus has reduced in diameter from over 50mm to about 27mm as shown by my post operation barium swallow test. The operation itself and the recovery was extremely well managed. I recommend this surgery to anyone considering it if it is the right way forward.
    • ricky1367
      ricky1367 meg5511

      Posted

      Hi if possaible could you text me his name the specialist 5877079663..
    • amreen85989
      amreen85989 Arif57

      Posted

      Hi Arif,

      Hope you're in good health and doing much better post your surgery. The past couple of years, precisely 2.5 - 3 years have been tumultuous for me. My mother is suffering from Alchalasia Cardia and was under wrong treatment for quite sometime. As they say, it's a rare syndrome for the doctors to identify with! However, she underwent a balloon dilatation in the month of November last year. She is doing better post that but not completely fine. The night coughing and regurgitation are still prevalent and she also hasn't put on much weight as expected to.

      I wanted to understand, how are you coping up, post the Heller's Myotomy? Is it a safe procedure to opt for? Her physicians are suggesting on for the same. But I have been apprehensive to go about it in the first go, without further research.

       

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