Re: My experience with Achalasia

October 8, 2002

Hi , my name is Bev and I had the surgery done in Aug. by laparoscope. I am doing just great. It has been two months and I feel so much better. I am 65 years old. I have had Achalasia for quite a while. Never had any of the other procedures. I went to Emory in Atlanta and it is the best. I eat anything I want now. I still keep water with me at all times. Just have a dry throat when I talk sometimes and in the morning. That is not much to put up with when I can sleep without reflux on two pillows, my food goes down, even though it is slow sometimes, and I don't worry about choking now. What a relief! Good luck to you. Bev.

October 8, 2002

Hi .

I had the full-blown surgery with a gnarly scar from my

back to my front ribs. The surgery in my opinion was a success.. I was eating freely for 5 years. I have not

heard the success rate of the lap surgery.

October 9, 2002

I've never heard of a doctor reccommending the open procedure to start

with (unless there were addtional complications, like on this board).

Of course, you want a doctor experienced in laproscopic surgery.

My son's surgeon did warn that there was a 1 to 2 percent chance that he

would have to convert to open. I know everyone's situation is different

- but 2 1/2 months post laproscopic myotmy, my son is doing great!

Good luck with your decision.

(Kansas, USA)

tar2112 wrote:

I found that i have Achalasia about 5 months

ago. My doctor did the

video scope when i had a piece of food lodged in my E. She

told me

about Achalasia and I have been on a soft food diet for over 5

months

now. I was told about all the treatments and the only one that

souded

good to me was surgury. I have a surgury date on oct 22.

My Surgeon

told me that he is one of the top in the country for this procedure

and he has not had good results with the laposcopic form of surgury.

He said there had been too many time he had to go back in and redo

the procedure. He recommended and I agreed to a full incision

so he

can be more precise. He told me that it comes down to the

millimeter

when cutting the E. There have been several doughts with

my medical

provider throughout this ordeal and now, two weeks away from the

surgury, I am going to get a second opinion. This has been

a bad

move on me by waiting so long.

The main problems I have with my achalasia are

the trouble

swallowing, lots of regergitation, waking up with reflux in the

middle of the night, and a foamy white substance coming up my throat

periodically.

Since I have been on a soft food diet for 5 months now i

have lost

weight (about 20 to 25 pounds) but I feel good. I eat a lot of

soups,

mash potatoes, and drink the suppliment drinks like Ensure several

times a day.

If anyone can give me any advice on my condition, full incision

surgury vs. the laposcopic sugury, or any other information I would

greatly appreciate it.

It feels great to have someone to talk to that understands.

Thank you. ---- (from Los Angeles)

October 9, 2002

Hey my name is I recently underwent the full open. But it was due

to having an inexperienced surgeon the first time to the lap procedure. I

woke up feeling like a truck had run over me. But...I am feeling better

each day. I am regaining some energy now that i don't have to stop eating

after one or two bites due to blockage. I wish i had found this doctor to

do my first surgery and had the lap done by him. I would recommend Dr.

Rice to anyone. He was very careful with me and watched me every day for

any thing abnormal while I was in the hospital. The lap procedure was

much more milder and didn't hurt as bad...I felt good within a few weeks

and was back to doing everything again. As with the open...i am healing

but slowly since my nutrition was not the best to start with. I am on a

soft diet for two months and then i go for a recheck and barium swallow

to see how it all is.....If the disease progresses again...I will face

having my E taken out and remade..Dr. R said that he was sorry that this

hit me at such a young age (18..now 32) but that it was reality and i had

to face the chance. Although we have high hopes this time and the two

hour surgery took 4 instead..said that he didn't want to take any chance

with me and wanted to make sure he got it as close to perfect as

possible. In which this time part of my E and my stomach were removed. At

least Dr Rice said i would have to work really hard to have a weight

problem ever again since some of my stomach is gone and i would have to

work at restreching it. If i was you...sorry i drug this out...I would go

for the lap procedure....if you can get a skilled Dr....mine wasn't and I

went through two surgeries in 9 months. Wanted to let all of you know

that I am still eating a little more each day..now i can get down a whole

bowl of oatmeal in one setting and a glass of milk. 2 weeks post and no

reflux..no foam..no blockages..no nothing..just have to watch the amounts

i eat. And stick to the diet..but other then that doing just great..I

hope all of you have the success that I found and that it lasts for all

of us.

Indiana

August 22, 2005

Hello ,

thank you very much for sharing your story. I find it very

encouraging to read how you have managed achalasia for 20 years

without surgery. I sometimes wonder what will become of us as the

years go on and I worry about ending up with a feeding tube someday so

I love to see stories like yours.

thanks again and please post more often. I think you have a lot to

offer to others on this board.

Liz

August 22, 2005

:

I agree with Liz. You experiences were very helpful to read. Thanks for

sharing them.

When I did my own research in favor of surgery, I leaned toward dilation

myself until I read several recent articles that presented outcomes for surgery

as an initial intervention for an otherwise healthy patient to be the most

lasting

before other treatment is needed. When I consulted Dr. Ippoliti from Cedars-

Sinai (formerly UCLA), he presented all three treatment options, but certainly

steered me toward surgery (VATS without a wrap) as the most problem-free

and lasting approach he has seen work for people in my circumstances. I am

sure that no one path is necessarily the right path -- each person has to look

at the risks, possible outcomes and consequences in making a decision. The

important thing is, to be evaluated and make the decisions toward treatment

in the most informed way possible.

Peggy

> Hello ,

> thank you very much for sharing your story. I find it very

> encouraging to read how you have managed achalasia for 20 years

> without surgery. I sometimes wonder what will become of us as the

> years go on and I worry about ending up with a feeding tube someday so

> I love to see stories like yours.

> thanks again and please post more often. I think you have a lot to

> offer to others on this board.

> Liz

August 23, 2005

Hello - Welcome to the Achalasia Group. Now we have three 75 year

old young ladies in our group as far as I know...Maggie, you and me!! Your

story is very interesting and it just goes to show how we are all truly

different when it comes to this crazy disease.

It would appear you have handled it very well for 20 years with no

surgery. I am curious if surgery was ever suggested to you. You certainly

seem able to handle a variety of food with very fews problems.

I am sure it will be encouraging for the young people in our group to read

your story and to realize that one can live a long life with achalasia.

I was diagnosed in 1999 and had the surgery within 8 months as I had lost

so much weight and I virtually lived on " Ensure " as the opening in the

esophagus was the size of a pin head according to the Doctor. I opted not

to have the surgery when first diagnosed, but eventually really had no other

choice. It turned out to be a very good choice in my case and have really

been problem free for almost 6 years now and very grateful for that.

Keep us posted because there is one thing about this rare group that is

constant, and that is " we are all truly interested in everyone's story and

progess. "

All the best.................., Vancouver, B.C. Canada

My experience with achalasia

> My experience with achalasia.

>

> First of all I would like to say even tho I do not post too often

> anymore, I have been a member of this group from the very beginning.

> When opened up this site, I was the first person to sign up In

> Nov. of 1999. I have stayed with it and up till now have read every

> single message.

>

> A little about me: I am now 75 years old, live in New Bedford Ma.

> retired, widowed 2 1/2 years, mother of 5, grandmother of 1. I have

> not had a myotomy but have had 9 dilations up till now. My first

> symptoms: it would hurt when I was swallowing water and if I was

> having trouble swallowing food, I just can't remember. At the time I

> was going through a very stressful time where My mind was sort of

> blank, but I did mention it to my gynocologist and he suggested I be

> checked by a gastroenterologist. He gave me a couple of names and the

> one I chose Dr. Levin knew enough to give me a barium swallow and

> suspected achalasia.

>

> This was in 1986. Back then there was not too much information on

> achalasia or myotomies and manometries and such. I was sent to

> Providence Hospital for a manometry (motility) test which confirmed

> that I had achalasia. I can remember gagging durind the test and

> tears coming to my eyes. It was unpleasent but I didn't find it " too "

> bad. The nurse who did it was very gentle. I was told I had a

> stricture.

>

> In Jan. of 87 I had my first endoscopy with a mosher bag dilation at

> Rhode Island hospital by Dr. Behar. I did ask him if he had

> successful experiences with dilations and he assured me he did. Don't

> know how many non successful ones he had as I don't remember too much

> about what we talked about. This was too long ago for me to remember

> too much about all this. I am trying to recollect for my story here.

> I know it was snowing when my husband and son brought me to the

> hospital and when we got there, they had to page the doctor at his

> home. He didn't think we would show up because of the snow which was

> beginning to come down quite hard. But I had the appoinment and

> wanted to get it over with. What was supposed to be an in and out

> procedure turned into a 5 day stay as I received a small perforation.

> (Maybe the doctor was tired and didn't expect to be called in and got

> a little careless, I don't know. You know how we think of all kinds

> of things when something goes wrong. I like to think it was just

> meant to be.) I can remember very faintly waking up and saying " WHY

> AM I HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME BREATHING? " where I was then quickly

> wheeled away and not able to remember anything more. When I woke up

> the next day I had a breathing tube up my nose and different machines

> around me. It healed itself but I now have barium trapped there which

> I was told would not bother me through the years and it hasn't.

> Whenever I have an x-ray taken and the person is not familiar with

> it, I am asked about it. When I went for my follow up visit with Dr.

> Behar He seemed a little uneasy and said he would not do me again.

> However this dilation lasted 8 years before I started having problems

> again.

>

> I went back to my gastro doc who is also my primary care doctor and

> he said he would take care of my next dilation. Why I was sent to RI,

> I don't know. Back 20 years ago I hadn't been to too many doctors and

> we didn't question doctors the way we do today. Believe me, I do now.

> I was a little apprehensive when it came time for me to have a

> dilation but this doctor has other achalasia patients and I have

> confidence in him. In Aug.95 I had an endoscopy and dilation and two

> meeks later another dilation. Two years later in July 97 had another

> one. Two more years Aug 99and Sept 99 another one. This was good for

> 3 years. Oct. 02, another one, Oct. 03 and Dec.03 I had my last one.

> Don't know now when I'll need more but so far I'm doing fine with an

> occasional

> stuckhage, wait a few minutes for it to go down and if it doesn't,

> run for the bathroom (and stick my finger down my throat) when I

> neglect to pay attention to what I'm doing and don't chew enough and

> swallow small bites,especially the first bite or two.( This happens

> only occasionally.) If I can remember to pay attention to these two

> bites with a sip of some liquid, the rest of my meal goes fine. I

> asked the doctor how many times could I safely be dilated and He said

> as many times as needed. This surprised me, but someone I correspond

> with says she has been dilated 100 times in 10 years. I know this is

> hard to believe but---it's her story.

>

> I hesitated to give my experiences because it seems there is more

> talk about myotomies but I concluded that since we are all similar

> yet different in how things work for us, I would give it a shot and

> maybe someone else can relate to what I say. For instance, I notice

> that some (not all) who have myotomies still have some problems with

> food feeling stuck and having to drink water with their meals, same

> as I do, and in message nos. 25050 and 25076 Debbi has a very good

> description on dilations. When I get these dilations, I don't feel

> them, get no pain, do not " wake up " and I do get Versed.

>

> How I cope with my achalasia:

>

> First of all, I can eat most anything except raw carrots and steak

> unless it's very tender. I cannot eat just one item by itself. For

> instance while typing this " short story " I'm having an omelet with

> red and green peppers and onions which my daughter just made for me.

> It's not so much how big a bite I take, but how much I chew it to a

> pulp and how little of it I swallow at a time with a sip of water

> after most every bite. I'm sure you guys know what I'm describing. Of

> course all this chewing can be tiring for the jaw and my food tends

> to get cold too soon so I have a kind of a hot plate which can be

> warmed up in the microwave for a few minutes then put under my plate

> of food and that keeps it warm for a while longer. I do the same

> thing with my breakfast. I usually have toast or a bagle with cream

> cheese, a fruit that I cut into bite size pieces and I take a bite of

> each chew to a pulp, swallow a little at a time, then a sip of my

> coffee. The fruit is moist and helps the food go down easier. If I

> have an apple with my toast I peel it. I need to take 2 calcium pills

> in the morning which are quite big, I send for softgels snip a little

> off one end and sqeeze the contents onto my toast voila! no problem.

> Preparing and eating my meals take time and I make sure I am not

> stressed and have all the time I need to eat. Therefor I prefer to

> eat my meals at home where I'm not distracted. Since I'm retired, I

> can do this. I know lots of you cannot. I do get mild spasms sometime

> which I get relief from with cold water. I can eat salads and if I

> have carrots in it, it is shredded. I find I can eat bread if it

> slightly toasted, even for sandwiches.

>

> I know this is a long story, but it is my experience and hope it can

> help someone. Some one can put it in the files. I don't know how.

>

> Ma

>

August 23, 2005

On 8/22/2005 at 10:38:06 A.M. Central Standard Time you wrote:

First of all I would like to say even tho I do not post too often anymore, I have been a member of this group from the very beginning. When opened up this site, I was the first person to sign up In Nov. of 1999.

Wow, you are the charter member. I knew you had been around for awhile, but good to know that the first is still with us and posting.

Thanks for writing your story.

Maggie

AL

August 25, 2005

I have found that the Viactiv vitamen chews work well as I

have a hard time swallowing also. The carmel tastes great and comes

with the calcium, sort of like a caramel brach's candy. Sonet

> My experience with achalasia.

>

> First of all I would like to say even tho I do not post too often

> anymore, I have been a member of this group from the very

beginning.

> When opened up this site, I was the first person to sign up

In

> Nov. of 1999. I have stayed with it and up till now have read

every

> single message.

>

> A little about me: I am now 75 years old, live in New Bedford Ma.

> retired, widowed 2 1/2 years, mother of 5, grandmother of 1. I

have

> not had a myotomy but have had 9 dilations up till now. My first

> symptoms: it would hurt when I was swallowing water and if I was

> having trouble swallowing food, I just can't remember. At the time

I

> was going through a very stressful time where My mind was sort of

> blank, but I did mention it to my gynocologist and he suggested I

be

> checked by a gastroenterologist. He gave me a couple of names and

the

> one I chose Dr. Levin knew enough to give me a barium swallow and

> suspected achalasia.

>

> This was in 1986. Back then there was not too much information on

> achalasia or myotomies and manometries and such. I was sent to

> Providence Hospital for a manometry (motility) test which

confirmed

> that I had achalasia. I can remember gagging durind the test and

> tears coming to my eyes. It was unpleasent but I didn't find

it " too "

> bad. The nurse who did it was very gentle. I was told I had a

> stricture.

>

> In Jan. of 87 I had my first endoscopy with a mosher bag dilation

at

> Rhode Island hospital by Dr. Behar. I did ask him if he had

> successful experiences with dilations and he assured me he did.

Don't

> know how many non successful ones he had as I don't remember too

much

> about what we talked about. This was too long ago for me to

remember

> too much about all this. I am trying to recollect for my story

here.

> I know it was snowing when my husband and son brought me to the

> hospital and when we got there, they had to page the doctor at his

> home. He didn't think we would show up because of the snow which

was

> beginning to come down quite hard. But I had the appoinment and

> wanted to get it over with. What was supposed to be an in and out

> procedure turned into a 5 day stay as I received a small

perforation.

> (Maybe the doctor was tired and didn't expect to be called in and

got

> a little careless, I don't know. You know how we think of all

kinds

> of things when something goes wrong. I like to think it was just

> meant to be.) I can remember very faintly waking up and

saying " WHY

> AM I HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME BREATHING? " where I was then quickly

> wheeled away and not able to remember anything more. When I woke

up

> the next day I had a breathing tube up my nose and different

machines

> around me. It healed itself but I now have barium trapped there

which

> I was told would not bother me through the years and it hasn't.

> Whenever I have an x-ray taken and the person is not familiar with

> it, I am asked about it. When I went for my follow up visit with

Dr.

> Behar He seemed a little uneasy and said he would not do me again.

> However this dilation lasted 8 years before I started having

problems

> again.

>

> I went back to my gastro doc who is also my primary care doctor

and

> he said he would take care of my next dilation. Why I was sent to

RI,

> I don't know. Back 20 years ago I hadn't been to too many doctors

and

> we didn't question doctors the way we do today. Believe me, I do

now.

> I was a little apprehensive when it came time for me to have a

> dilation but this doctor has other achalasia patients and I have

> confidence in him. In Aug.95 I had an endoscopy and dilation and

two

> meeks later another dilation. Two years later in July 97 had

another

> one. Two more years Aug 99and Sept 99 another one. This was good

for

> 3 years. Oct. 02, another one, Oct. 03 and Dec.03 I had my last

one.

> Don't know now when I'll need more but so far I'm doing fine with

an

> occasional

> stuckhage, wait a few minutes for it to go down and if it doesn't,

> run for the bathroom (and stick my finger down my throat) when I

> neglect to pay attention to what I'm doing and don't chew enough

and

> swallow small bites,especially the first bite or two.( This

happens

> only occasionally.) If I can remember to pay attention to these

two

> bites with a sip of some liquid, the rest of my meal goes fine. I

> asked the doctor how many times could I safely be dilated and He

said

> as many times as needed. This surprised me, but someone I

correspond

> with says she has been dilated 100 times in 10 years. I know this

is

> hard to believe but---it's her story.

>

> I hesitated to give my experiences because it seems there is more

> talk about myotomies but I concluded that since we are all similar

> yet different in how things work for us, I would give it a shot

and

> maybe someone else can relate to what I say. For instance, I

notice

> that some (not all) who have myotomies still have some problems

with

> food feeling stuck and having to drink water with their meals,

same

> as I do, and in message nos. 25050 and 25076 Debbi has a very good

> description on dilations. When I get these dilations, I don't feel

> them, get no pain, do not " wake up " and I do get Versed.

>

> How I cope with my achalasia:

>

> First of all, I can eat most anything except raw carrots and steak

> unless it's very tender. I cannot eat just one item by itself. For

> instance while typing this " short story " I'm having an omelet with

> red and green peppers and onions which my daughter just made for

me.

> It's not so much how big a bite I take, but how much I chew it to

a

> pulp and how little of it I swallow at a time with a sip of water

> after most every bite. I'm sure you guys know what I'm describing.

Of

> course all this chewing can be tiring for the jaw and my food

tends

> to get cold too soon so I have a kind of a hot plate which can be

> warmed up in the microwave for a few minutes then put under my

plate

> of food and that keeps it warm for a while longer. I do the same

> thing with my breakfast. I usually have toast or a bagle with

cream

> cheese, a fruit that I cut into bite size pieces and I take a bite

of

> each chew to a pulp, swallow a little at a time, then a sip of my

> coffee. The fruit is moist and helps the food go down easier. If I

> have an apple with my toast I peel it. I need to take 2 calcium

pills

> in the morning which are quite big, I send for softgels snip a

little

> off one end and sqeeze the contents onto my toast voila! no

problem.

> Preparing and eating my meals take time and I make sure I am not

> stressed and have all the time I need to eat. Therefor I prefer to

> eat my meals at home where I'm not distracted. Since I'm retired,

I

> can do this. I know lots of you cannot. I do get mild spasms

sometime

> which I get relief from with cold water. I can eat salads and if I

> have carrots in it, it is shredded. I find I can eat bread if it

> slightly toasted, even for sandwiches.

>

> I know this is a long story, but it is my experience and hope it

can

> help someone. Some one can put it in the files. I don't know how.

>

> Ma

August 26, 2005

Sonet,

Altho I have not heard of this Viactiv, the one I'm using this way is

one suggested by my doctor. I need calcium 1000mg with vitamin D 100iu.

So far this is working fine for me. Thanks.

Ma

In achalasia , " sonet_smutny " <sonet_smutny@y...> wrote:

> I have found that the Viactiv vitamen chews work well as I

> have a hard time swallowing also. The carmel tastes great and comes

> with the calcium, sort of like a caramel brach's candy. Sonet

September 12, 2005

Hi ! I am aishah (i sha) from Malaysia. I am 32 this year and have a since 12 years old with no exp doctors around. A lot of thing happen in my life to the 'unknown' desease. since july 2001 I learn about my body and my mind. I had dilatation once in july 01. I don't feel confident to go back to the endoscopic room so I try traditional treatment. I use water theraphy, honey and last year black seed. I feel much much better now. I am a trainer and I am travelling around the country and I don't really have a problem taking food. because I know which one is good for me. thanks for sharing I wish everyone happy day and happy swallowing.

I CAN WHEN I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I WANT.

i sha

Kuala Lumpur (KL) malaysiaBrent & Bleasdale <abdale@...> wrote:

Hi !

Thank you for introducing yourself to us! Hopefully more lurkers out there will do the same J Please pop in more often – you’d be a great help to people out there!

Hugs,

in BC

From: achalasia [mailto:achalasia ] On Behalf Of bluespirit_02744Sent: August 22, 2005 8:37 AMachalasia Subject: My experience with achalasia

My experience with achalasia.First of all I would like to say even tho I do not post too often anymore, I have been a member of this group from the very beginning. When opened up this site, I was the first person to sign up In Nov. of 1999. I have stayed with it and up till now have read every single message. A little about me: I am now 75 years old, live in New Bedford Ma. retired, widowed 2 1/2 years, mother of 5, grandmother of 1. I have not had a myotomy but have had 9 dilations up till now. My first symptoms: it would hurt when I was swallowing water and if I was having trouble swallowing food, I just can't remember. At the time I was going through a very stressful time where My mind was sort of blank, but I did mention it to my gynocologist and he suggested I be checked by a gastroenterologist. He gave me a couple of names and the one I chose Dr. Levin knew enough to give me a barium swallow and suspected achalasia. This was in 1986. Back then there was not too much information on achalasia or myotomies and

manometries and such. I was sent to Providence Hospital for a manometry (motility) test which confirmed that I had achalasia. I can remember gagging durind the test and tears coming to my eyes. It was unpleasent but I didn't find it "too" bad. The nurse who did it was very gentle. I was told I had a stricture.In Jan. of 87 I had my first endoscopy with a mosher bag dilation at Rhode Island hospital by Dr. Behar. I did ask him if he had successful experiences with dilations and he assured me he did. Don't know how many non successful ones he had as I don't remember too much about what we talked about. This was too long ago for me to remember too much about all this. I am trying to recollect for my story here. I know it was snowing when my husband and son brought me to the hospital and when we got there, they had to page the doctor at his home. He didn't think we would show up because of the snow which was beginning to come down quite hard. But I had the appoinment and wanted to get it over with. What was supposed to be an in and out procedure turned into a 5 day stay as I received a small perforation. (Maybe the doctor was tired and didn't expect to be called in and got a little careless, I don't know. You know how we think of all kinds of things when something goes wrong. I like to think it was just meant to be.) I can remember very faintly waking up and saying "WHY AM I HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME BREATHING?" where I was then quickly wheeled away and not able to remember anything more. When I woke up the next day I had a breathing tube up my nose and different machines around me. It healed itself but I now have barium trapped there which I was told would not bother me through the years and it hasn't. Whenever I have an x-ray taken and the person is not familiar with it, I am asked about it. When I went for my follow up visit with Dr. Behar He seemed a little uneasy and said he would not do me again. However this dilation lasted 8 years before I started having problems again. I went back to my gastro doc who is also my primary care doctor and he said he would

take care of my next dilation. Why I was sent to RI, I don't know. Back 20 years ago I hadn't been to too many doctors and we didn't question doctors the way we do today. Believe me, I do now.I was a little apprehensive when it came time for me to have a dilation but this doctor has other achalasia patients and I have confidence in him. In Aug.95 I had an endoscopy and dilation and two meeks later another dilation. Two years later in July 97 had another one. Two more years Aug 99and Sept 99 another one. This was good for 3 years. Oct. 02, another one, Oct. 03 and Dec.03 I had my last one. Don't know now when I'll need more but so far I'm doing fine with an occasional stuckhage, wait a few minutes for it to go down and if it doesn't, run for the bathroom (and stick my finger down my throat) when I neglect to pay attention to what I'm doing and don't chew enough and swallow small bites,especially the first bite or two.( This happens only occasionally.) If I can remember to pay attention to these two bites with a sip of some liquid, the rest of my meal goes fine. I asked the doctor how many times could I safely be dilated and He said as many times as needed. This

surprised me, but someone I correspond with says she has been dilated 100 times in 10 years. I know this is hard to believe but---it's her story.I hesitated to give my experiences because it seems there is more talk about myotomies but I concluded that since we are all similar yet different in how things work for us, I would give it a shot and maybe someone else can relate to what I say. For instance, I notice that some (not all) who have myotomies still have some problems with food feeling stuck and having to drink water with their meals, same as I do, and in message nos. 25050

and 25076 Debbi has a very good description on dilations. When I get these dilations, I don't feel them, get no pain, do not "wake up" and I do get Versed.How I cope with my achalasia:First of all, I can eat most anything except raw carrots and steak unless it's very tender. I cannot eat just one item by itself. For instance while typing this "short story" I'm having an omelet with red and green peppers and onions which my daughter just made for me. It's not so much how big a bite I take, but how much I chew it to a pulp and how little of it I swallow at a time with a sip of

water after most every bite. I'm sure you guys know what I'm describing. Of course all this chewing can be tiring for the jaw and my food tends to get cold too soon so I have a kind of a hot plate which can be warmed up in the microwave for a few minutes then put under my plate of food and that keeps it warm for a while longer. I do the same thing with my breakfast. I usually have toast or a bagle with cream cheese, a fruit that I cut into bite size pieces and I take a bite of each chew to a pulp, swallow a little at a time, then a sip of my coffee. The fruit is moist and helps the

food go down easier. If I have an apple with my toast I peel it. I need to take 2 calcium pills in the morning which are quite big, I send for softgels snip a little off one end and sqeeze the contents onto my toast voila! no problem. Preparing and eating my meals take time and I make sure I am not stressed and have all the time I need to eat. Therefor I prefer to eat my meals at home where I'm not distracted. Since I'm retired, I can do this. I know lots of you cannot. I do get mild spasms sometime which I get relief from with cold water. I can eat salads and if I have carrots in it,

it is shredded. I find I can eat bread if it slightly toasted, even for sandwiches.I know this is a long story, but it is my experience and hope it can help someone. Some one can put it in the files. I don't know how. Ma19icecream

for Good Watch the Hurricane Katrina Shelter From The Storm concert

September 12, 2005

Hi Aishah:

Thanks for joining the discussion. I too, am a trainer who travels for a living

and I have been dealing with A for only two years. Your ideas are interesting.

Best regards

Peggy

> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}w\:*

{behavior:url(#default#VML);}.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}st1\:*

{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }

> Hi !

>

> Thank you for introducing yourself to us! Hopefully more lurkers out there

will do the same J Please pop in more often – you'd be a great help to people

out there!

>

> Hugs,

>

> in BC

>

> ---------------------------------

>

> From: achalasia [mailto:achalasia ]

On Behalf Of bluespirit_02744

> Sent: August 22, 2005 8:37 AM

> achalasia

> Subject: My experience with achalasia