So glad to have found you all... Our story

We are delighted that it has gone so well!

That's great news!!

I cannot advocate the Myotomy and Fundoplication enough. Hubby is now nearly two months down the line and eats pretty much anything he wants to. Once or twice he has to drink more to encourage his swallowing, but in the main, it is a vast improvement. If you are considering this course of action, I can highly recommend it.

  

Hi Carol, glad to hear your hubby is doing well, wish I could say the same for myself. I am still getting horrendous chest pain every day. The problem is, I also got an hiatus hernia and A-FIB so got double the trouble.  I have had to call an ambulance quite a few times because of the pain or irregular heart beat but the Dr's always says the same thing, the pain is not coming from my heart, so it must be the food problem. I have been told I may qualify for an operation for the A-FIB but have to wait to see a cardiologist again.

I should be getting a letter soon to see the gastro Dr and hopefuly get sorted. When I get the chest pain I sometimes get breathless as well, did your hubby get this? I think the A-FIB and the eating problem are interfering with each other. The cardiologist told me that a hiatus hernia can cause palpitations.    

It might be that the doctors from different departments will have to get together on this one, plus anaesthetists.   It might be that the Upper GI (gastro intestinal) surgeons could do an operation to address the achalasia / hiatus hernia repair, and the other aspects wait to see what progress that achieves.   Have you tried buscopan for the spams?

Hi Alan, I have tried buscopan but unfortunately it did'nt work for me. When I get the pain it feels like a heart attack each time. I get the pain in the center of my chest and it feels heavy and bruised, it does'nt last long but horrendous all the same. I also get palpitations with the pain quite often, so confused about what's going on.I got no quality of life at the moment because of feeling so unwell. I have'nt seen anyone on this site with the same symptoms as myself. The pain is nothing to do with the acid because the lansoprazole stops that and I don't get burning in my chest or throat.  

Hi Merryl - You are describing my husbands experience here. He was blue lighted to hospital around half a dozen times with severe chest pain and yes... breathlessness - sort of. His breathing became rapid and uncontrolled and as the pain prevented him from breathing in correctly, he did begin to gasp. He also had tighness and pain radiating up to his neck. Due to the pain levels, he would complain of his heart pounding and racing and checking his pulse confirmed this.

Atrial Fibrilation tends not to give rise to sudden acute pain but builds and increases with a tightness in the chest as well as making you feel faint or dizzy when it does come on. What I am saying is that you feel it coming as such... As well as the AF, there may be some indicators of Angina also with this and the Dr should give GTN under the tonouge spray to conteract this. Incidentally, Achalasia has also been documented in the past as responding to this substance also! 

Basically I believe these two conditions are mimicing one another and because they are in the same area, are probably setting one another off.

I have to question the diagnosis of Hiatus Hernia if you have been diagnosed with Achalasia as well. During my husbands testing, suffering and eventual diagnosis of achalasia he was told he had a 'small hiatus hernia' too many times to mention. It was only once he was definately diagnosed with achalasia that the Specialist explained that the two conditions cannot exsist simitaniously in any one patient. This is because hiatus hernias are caused by muscle weakness and loss of tone allowing the top of the stomach to slip through the small opening in the diaphram. The lack of strength in the sphincter then allows acid to travel up to the mouth and oesophagus where it burns and creates problems.

Whereas Achalasia is a tightening and overgrowth of the sphincter not allowing anything to pass downward or upward! Hense no acid or adaqaute swallowing. The diaphram may have become a little weaker with age, but the top of the stomach is too large to slip upward in 99% of cases. He explained that what they were actually seeing on X Rays and Scans was his Oesophagus gradually beginning to stretch and bulge outwards due to food building up and not passing into his stomach. This resembled a hiatus hernia.  

His eureka moment was when he was given IV paracetamol in A and E one night and it was like instant relief! From that moment on, he had dispersible paracetamol to hand at all times. It didn't have immidiate effect but was faster than anything else we tried. However, his pains would last hours... 

Incidentally, at first they thought it was his heart too. An angiogram proved he had no problems in this area at all.

Bless our heart Merryl. Don't give up and if you are not getting relief, it is important to see your GP again and again if nessesary so they can offer support or hopefully speed the process up a bit for you x

 

Hi  Carol, I also take dispersible paracetamol and I find them better than anything else. I ended up in hospital on Sunday night with irregular heart beat but after tests was told my heart was okay. I was told I could go home at 4 oclock in the morning and was told to wait in the waiting room until my son picked me up. About 10/15 mins later I was sweating and realised I was passing out. I was in this room on my own and just before I fainted I saw a nurse and managed to tell her I felt faint and  then passed out. My son came just after and was told by a nurse I can't go home now because I had to see the medical team because my blood pressure was down to my boots (his words) I also passed out in the same hospital last October in the waiting room and my blood pressure was 80/40 I was diagnosed with postural hypotension about 4 months ago. I don't know if this is connected to my problems. The Dr said it was caused by AFIB. I will have to see my GP to see what he says. I feel so unwell that I have'nt got the energy to go up there,  especially when I get the pain which stops me in my tracks and the palpitations.   

As you said they could be mimicing each other, I have been thinking this for a while. 

Thank you        

Postural hypertension causes blood pressure to fall rapidly on standing. AF would certainly add to this problem as the heart isn't working consistently enough to regulate the BP. Sounds like two conditions at once. Hope the hospital can support you x

It is a horrible feeling when passing out. I don't think the dr's at the hospital are taking me seriously enough. It is a dangerous thing to have. I can't go out on my own so don't go far now. I am still awake now due to palpitations for hours. I will have to see my GP for different meds. It is bad enough with the dismotility problem and now got AF as well.

Thank you for your replies and advice. x        

They seem to want to feed him up but as soon as possible that's what we intend

Hi Graeme, Sorry to hear you have problems eating again, It must be so frustrating for you. Hope the next op goes well.  

So sorry to hear that Graeme but as you say, you know what's coming x

It might be that it is the rice that caused the problem and you ought to stay from it.

As I understand it, a dilatation does not close off the option of a future myotomy, and vice versa, but fibrous tissue does make things more difficult for the surgery.

Hi, Carol just wondered how is your husband after his operation?  Does he still have chest pain or has it improved. My pain is getting worse every day.

Hi Merryl, well he is one week post op today and he is greatly improved. He used to experience spasm in the top of the stomach (cardiac sphincter) at least once a week. However, he has said curiously that as the oesophagus lost it's motility, so his spasms lessened... In fact, just prior to the surgery, he was only having one every ten days or so, but each one would last over an hour each time.

One week post op he has described them as a 'twinge' which responds to a cup of coffee and two paracetamol and its done. However, it is very early days and this may eventually go all together who knows!

14 days post op and now onto small soft meals. No pain 😊

Hi Carol, can you tell me if your husband had dry heaving /gagging choking before his operation. Mine seem to be getting worse this past 2 weeks. I am afraid to eat much incase it makes the gagging worse. I am having chest pain every day now, it feels as if I swallowed a ball and it is stuck in my chest. The pain gets worse when I bend over. Did your husband get this? Sorry for all the questions, I am at the end of my tether now. I have been on the waiting list to see a gastro Dr for 4 months. I am going to ring the hospital tomorrow to see how long I have to wait. I am losing weight again now.

Hope your husband is still doing well.

    

Hi Merryl. Addressed this directly to my other half and his answer in short is, yes... All of the above. He still suggests his 'cure all' two paracetamol, two ranatadine (or what you have for this problem) plus a generous slug of Gaviscon. Wait and be calm... Bless you x

Hi Carol, Thank you for taking the time to reply. The only thing I take is paracetamol, because I get the pain on and off all day every day, I have to be careful not to take too many.

Is the ranatadine prescribed by your GP or can it be bought over the counter. I have'nt heard of this before, is it just a pain killer? x

 

Ranitadine (Trade name Zantac) is both prescribed in higher doses or you can purchase it from most supermarkets these days. 

It is a histamine-2 blocker and given specifically for the control of acid, gastric reflux etc but also acts directly on the gut to calm it down. The Gaviscon does essentially the same but there is something about the combination of the above three which seemed to help my husband! Sips of warm water seems to help on days when he has less pain