Re: esophageal spasms related to Achalasia

[Guest guest]

> Hi, my name is . I'm a 48 year old male. I was diagnosed with

>

Achalasia 2 years ago. I,ve had one balloon dilation and I am

> getting my second botox injetcions in January 2003. Since the

> dilation and botox injections, my condition has improved quite a

> bit. The other malady that I suffer from as a result of this

> condition are infrequent but painful esophageal spasms (chest pains)

> (they usually wake me from my sleep although, they do happen during

> waking hours)My doctor has suggested channel blockers(hypertension

> medicine, which I am reluctant to take) and nitroglycerin ( which

> makes me feel even worse) My question is: Is there anybody out there

> that suffers from these same maladies (they are not that common

> among " Achalasians " ) But, if there is someone out there who gets

> these spasms I would seriously like to connect with them, maybe

> share our experiences, see how they cope and tips on how to get thru

> them as best as they can. Or, maybe discover some kind of treatment

> that I haven't yet heard of to reduce these attacks. I look forward

> to a response from somebody in similar circumstances. Thanks. .

[Guest guest]

Hi -- Like said, I think you'll be surprised to find out

just how many of us Achalasians *DO* suffer from esophageal spasms!

I'm curious why you're reluctant to take the nifedipine or other

calcium channel blockers? Have you tried it and had problems with

it? Do you have a philosophical objection to hypertension meds?

Just wondering, since you didn't give much reason for not wanting to

take it.

You can read about my experiences with nifedipine here:

achalasia/message/6052

Also, if you want to see more about spasms, use the search box at the

top of the message board on the website. Try SPASM and SPASMS and

you will literally get *hundreds* of posts that mention spasms!

Feel free to email me if you want to talk about my experiences with

nifedipine.

Debbi in Michigan

[Guest guest]

,

I too have had some spasms prior to my Myotomy surgery on Dec 2, 2002

and beleive it or not Alka Seltzer used to help me within 5 minutes.

Since surgery Ive only had minor spasms and drinking a glass of water

usually reduces the problem. Hope this helps.

Rich

> Hi, my name is . I'm a 48 year old male. I was diagnosed with

> Achalasia 2 years ago. I,ve had one balloon dilation and I am

> getting my second botox injetcions in January 2003. Since the

> dilation and botox injections, my condition has improved quite a

> bit. The other malady that I suffer from as a result of this

> condition are infrequent but painful esophageal spasms (chest

pains)

> (they usually wake me from my sleep although, they do happen during

> waking hours)My doctor has suggested channel blockers(hypertension

> medicine, which I am reluctant to take) and nitroglycerin ( which

> makes me feel even worse) My question is: Is there anybody out

there

> that suffers from these same maladies (they are not that common

> among " Achalasians " ) But, if there is someone out there who gets

> these spasms I would seriously like to connect with them, maybe

> share our experiences, see how they cope and tips on how to get

thru

> them as best as they can. Or, maybe discover some kind of treatment

> that I haven't yet heard of to reduce these attacks. I look forward

> to a response from somebody in similar circumstances. Thanks. .