Re: What is recovery time for heller myotomy? How is the pain afterwards?

[Guest guest]

if you would like to talk over the phone I would be willing to do so. I

live in Georgia and I have had every thing done up to having most of my

esophagus removed. You can contact me at 478-919-8813.

in Georgia

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 9, 2012, at 2:16, " lesleco " <lesleco@...> wrote:

> Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> gastroenterologists:

> * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> months!

> Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> as the next course of treatment.

> Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, ! Boy, you've been through a bunch since you last posted! Glad you

escaped the fella with the 90mm balloon!

The *surgical* pain after a lap Heller is really minimal. I got pain meds for a

month, and still have half of it. Got PPIs for three months, and three and a

half months later, still have 95%. . . . There *does* seem to be a possible

" kick-up " on the spasms for a while after surgery, but spams were not an issue

for me in the first place, so definitely not my area of expertise. Some people

on this board with serious spasm issues have found that a quarter dose of Paxil

(about 5mg) taken prophylactically is a life saver. They're easier to *prevent*

than to cope with once they show up. . . .

Be prepared for the shoulder pain (it's referred pain from the solar plexus

caused by the CO2 used during the operation) and hit it with the pain meds

early! Mine was virtually gone at the two week mark. As for the scars? Only

residual achiness. I wouldn't be trying to move households within a month, but

I fetch my own water in five gallon buckets, and was doing that within two

weeks.

At four weeks I was most certainly on my own: doing my own water hauling,

shopping, cooking and cleaning, and drove myself 160 miles (rt) for the post op

checkup -- hospital garages, long walks to get x-rayed, etc. . . . And I'm 71. I

delayed mine for two weeks so ma kid could spend Christmas with his kids -- but

five weeks? Could *not* have lived that long.

As for the wedding itself, if you have a Bridezilla daughter or are are yourself

a Momzilla, you might not be up to that. If you're more of the copacetic style,

you'll do fine.

Thing about Achalasia: is that it is NOT a good child -- the more you need it to

just sit still and be quiet, the LESS it does so.

Two WEEKS of clear liquids? Krezzy! I was on 'em for three days, then a week

of plain/soft liquids. IF you have a really good surgeon (and he sounds like he

is) AND you are very lucky, eating by the wedding should be NO issue. In the

interim: chicken noodle soup/mushroom soup, ramen noodles (overcooked) with

butter. And crockpotted chicken cooked til it falls off the bones. And

chocolate. And Butter! And a Really Good Multiple Vitamin. And butter/soda

crackers. . . . Ice cream (very good stuff!).

And check the archives here for " post surgery " and " post Heller " ~~

Do NOT make your surgeon's job more difficult for him --> YOUR whole future life

depends on his ability to do a good job. If you're thinking you won't make it

through to the wedding without more Botox, go ahead and do the surgery ASAP.

Good luck, and everyone here is pulling for ya!

in Wild and Very Wonderful West Virginia

>

> Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> gastroenterologists:

> * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> months!

> Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> as the next course of treatment.

> Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

 

Glad to hear that you found a great surgeon.  I suffered with A for many years

and finally had my HM done in 2010.  The Lapro surgery is not a big deal, the

worst part is the liquid diet for a couple weeks and you should be good to go. 

I highly recommend it.  I went back to work within 2 weeks, you do have to

avoid lifting for the first month.  My hospital stay was overnight and went

home the next afternoon.  It's important to rest and follow your doctors orders

for those couple of weeks, and probably you will have follow up appt with your

doctor at about 2 weeks.  At that point I was allowed to start eating, but

avoiding hard things like chips for 30 days. 

 

This group is a great source of information about achalasa.  Wishing you all

the best.

 

Julee in Oregon

________________________________

From: lesleco <lesleco@...>

achalasia

Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 11:16 PM

Subject: What is recovery time for heller myotomy? How is the pain

afterwards?

 

Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

" list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

gastroenterologists:

* E. dialation...lasted 2 days

* Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

months!

Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

as the next course of treatment.

Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

- I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

[Guest guest]

Thank you, . I really needed to hear that. Another poster said it wasn't

too bad and after the 2 weeks you get better every day....unless there are

complications. I think I will have to keep my surgery schedules as is (and not

cancel it because of the upcoming wedding). I thought I had the symptoms under

control, but today was a bad day and it reminded me how much I want to get it

over with! Thanks for your reply...much appreciated...

>

> Hi ,

>  

> Glad to hear that you found a great surgeon.  I suffered with A for many

years and finally had my HM done in 2010.  The Lapro surgery is not a big deal,

the worst part is the liquid diet for a couple weeks and you should be good to

go.  I highly recommend it.  I went back to work within 2 weeks, you do have

to avoid lifting for the first month.  My hospital stay was overnight and went

home the next afternoon.  It's important to rest and follow your doctors orders

for those couple of weeks, and probably you will have follow up appt with your

doctor at about 2 weeks.  At that point I was allowed to start eating, but

avoiding hard things like chips for 30 days. 

>  

> This group is a great source of information about achalasa.  Wishing you all

the best.

>  

> Julee in Oregon

>

>

> ________________________________

> From: lesleco <lesleco@...>

> achalasia

> Sent: Sunday, April 8, 2012 11:16 PM

> Subject: What is recovery time for heller myotomy? How is the pain

afterwards?

>

>

>

>  

>

> Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> gastroenterologists:

> * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> months!

> Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> as the next course of treatment.

> Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

>

>

[Guest guest]

LOL...... Yes, I escaped the Dr. with the 90mm balloon!

Thanks for sharing your myotomy experience and all of the other advice,

too.....very, very, helpful to me! Two people have responded with similar

results. I will check in the archive posts for more.

I was seriously considering calling tomorrow and canceling the surgery because

of the wedding, and " then " today the return of the Achalasia symptoms reminded

me that I had better keep it scheduled! I would definitely be uncomfortable with

the A. by June 8th. This way, I " might " be uncomfortable. Either way, I'm going

to force myself to " be tough " (which i am not!)and put on my best attitude for

my daughter at her wedding....it is about her, not me.

You're funny....My daughter and I *were* Bridezilla and Momzilla *last* year

when she was *supposed* to get married. We have been through so much this past

year that we just don't care about any catastrophes that may happen this time

around. We agreed to " go with the flow " this time. We are both the nervous-type,

but we gotta make all this work out.My daughter is also a fairly new nurse, so

she wants to be at Ochsner the day of the surgery on May 2.

By the way, what is PPI's?

from Louisiana - (Way south in Cajun Country)

> >

> > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > gastroenterologists:

> > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> > months!

> > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > as the next course of treatment.

> > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

PPIs are Proton Pump Inhibitors -- AKA Nexium (etc). One possible side effect

of opening up the LES is not only will food go DOWN, but the possibility that

acid may come back UP. With the balloon dilation, that happens about 40% of the

time; with NO WRAP, ditto. Much smaller percentage (5% - 10%? Have forgotten

the exact number)if some kind of wrap is done. The wrap (mine's a Dor) is done

with the upper part of the stomach which retains some sensitivity to acid, and

thus partially replaces the non-working LES. But I seem to have " lucked out "

with that one: I only very occasionally get an achy tummy, so I only only take

'em WHEN it happens. They ARE better than GERD, but can cause their own set of

problems (we *need* acid to digest food properly, alas. . . .).

Good on you AND your daughter for eschewing Zilla-hood! You might (both) want

to try Calm, mentioned by Faith just above this: magnesium evidently helps with

mood, as well as being very good for relaxing the LES.

Glad you're going to go ahead with the Heller! Almost everyone here has

regretted not doing it sooner! I only regret I couldn't find someone to DO it

sooner (GIs seem to be the slowest to act medical specialty I've evah come

across, lol!)

Keep us posted!!

xox

> > >

> > > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > > gastroenterologists:

> > > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> > > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> > > months!

> > > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > > as the next course of treatment.

> > > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> > > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> > > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> > > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> > > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

I regret having mine! It was a total waste of time and money...it didn't work!

Went through all that pain for nothing and 5 months later am still living on

soup and Sustagen!

> > > >

> > > > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > > > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > > > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > > > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > > > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > > > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > > > gastroenterologists:

> > > > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > > > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > > > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> > > > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > > > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> > > > months!

> > > > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > > > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > > > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > > > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > > > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > > > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > > > as the next course of treatment.

> > > > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > > > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > > > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > > > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> > > > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> > > > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> > > > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > > > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> > > > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > > > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > > > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > > > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

[Guest guest]

An odd Q but how much does a HM cost? Being in Canada I never see how much

things cost....

Jenn

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 10, 2012, at 8:33, " lindsayaus " <lindsay_kite@...> wrote:

> I regret having mine! It was a total waste of time and money...it didn't work!

Went through all that pain for nothing and 5 months later am still living on

soup and Sustagen!

>

>

>

>

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > > > > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > > > > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > > > > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > > > > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > > > > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > > > > gastroenterologists:

> > > > > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > > > > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > > > > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but

not

> > > > > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > > > > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in

6

> > > > > months!

> > > > > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > > > > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > > > > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > > > > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > > > > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > > > > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > > > > as the next course of treatment.

> > > > > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > > > > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > > > > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > > > > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the

surgery

> > > > > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery

so

> > > > > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and

what

> > > > > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > > > > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only

if

> > > > > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > > > > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > > > > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > > > > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

[Guest guest]

Well, I don't know about the present cost for an HM, but my 3 days in the

hospital including 3 units of blood and 3 upper gi endoscopies cost about 32,000

USD.

Re: Re: What is recovery time for heller myotomy? How is

the pain afterwards?

An odd Q but how much does a HM cost? Being in Canada I never see how much

things cost....

Jenn

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 10, 2012, at 8:33, " lindsayaus " <lindsay_kite@...> wrote:

> I regret having mine! It was a total waste of time and money...it didn't work!

Went through all that pain for nothing and 5 months later am still living on

soup and Sustagen!

>

>

>

>

> > > > >

> > > > > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > > > > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > > > > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > > > > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > > > > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > > > > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > > > > gastroenterologists:

> > > > > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > > > > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > > > > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but

not

> > > > > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > > > > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in

6

> > > > > months!

> > > > > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > > > > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > > > > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > > > > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > > > > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > > > > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > > > > as the next course of treatment.

> > > > > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > > > > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > > > > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > > > > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the

surgery

> > > > > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery

so

> > > > > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and

what

> > > > > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > > > > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only

if

> > > > > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > > > > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > > > > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > > > > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

> > > > >

[Guest guest]

Everyone is different. For me everything went well and I was back at work (desk

job) full time in less than a week, and on a treadmill in 10 days, and

snowboarding in less than 2 months. I was lucky.

However, I had to plan for the worse case since there was the possibility they

would switch to an open procedure.

If the wedding is in 8 wks, when can surgery be scheduled ? How much time will

you really have to recover ? And I'm not talking about just the wedding, what

about all the weeks prep like shopping, trying on clothes, bachelor/ette party,

etc ?

I would look at the down side if something goes wrong. And I don't mean

serioulsy wrong, just a minor hiccup that may delay recovery for a couple weeks.

All the weddings I've been involved with take a lot of time and stress for the

family; do you want to subject yourself & family to some additional uncertanty ?

And what about your recovery, do you want to potentially delay it because you

can't properly rest afterwords ?

You need to make your own decision, but these are the things I would consider if

I were in your situation. I went through a similar thought process when i

discovered I needed an HM. I was fortunate enough to be able to delayed surgery

for about 5 months as not to interfere with prior comittments. I was able to

live with A for years, a few more months wouldn't matter.

>

> Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> gastroenterologists:

> * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> months!

> Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> as the next course of treatment.

> Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, you're right: each of us are very different. I may have lived with it

" for years " but IT was not allowing me to do so any longer. Put simply -- it

came very close to killing me because I delayed. Nothing like sitting in the ER

waiting room for ten hours wondering if you'll actually live long enough for a

doctor to see you. . . . And wearing a heart monitor for five days before they

release you is also mighty sobering. We *tend* to act as if this were simply a

matter of swallowing. It was for me for years. Until it became a matter of

sheer survival. And that switch happened VERY quickly.

I didn't know I had Achalasia, but I DID know that *something* was very wrong

with my esophagus. Three months before the ER experience, I remember one

morning thinking: Just take it out: GIVE ME A DAMNED FEEDING TUBE!! And then

" it got better " -- only we know it doesn't, EVER get better on its own, eh? The

pain went away, that awful constricted feeling went away, it was simply that

everything I ate came back up. Irony, was I was *grateful* for the change, and

it caused me to delay some more. . . . But by the time I was losing a pound a

day, and was dizzy all the time, and clearly not thinking clearly ~~ my doctor

had been out on maternity leave, and I wanted to see *her* before I did

anything. My apt. was Friday: on Tuesday night, it became VERY clear to me that

I would not make it to Friday. Called the office Wednesday morning, and got

back a very strong: GO TO ER. NOW!!!! I did. It was very nearly too late. And

it *was* too late to keep my hair from falling out.

As I said: this is NOT a disease to play around with. It is NOT a good child

who will reliably sit still while you do more important things. And if stress

can delay healing, it most certainly WILL create more problems leading up to the

emergency.

You're right: weddings by their nature can be stressful. So I'd like to mention

the most beautiful wedding I ever attended: The bride wore a borrowed dress,

her teacher played Ode to Joy on the organ. The flowers were gathered from a

road-side field that morning, and the reception was in their cleaned out double

garage. The bride made the food earlier that week, and a friend with no

experience (me) made the wedding cake. The bride and groom glowed, as did every

member of the congregation. And the marriage is still going strong 25 years

later.

Peace.

> >

> > Hi,This is from Louisiana. This is my second post. (My previous

> > post was about finding an expert Dr. at Ochsner in New Orleans.)

> > An update....after going through ALL the tests (endoscopy, barium

> > swallow, mynometry)...I was diagnosed with " Achalasia with diffuse

> > esophageal spasms " in February, 2012. I have been through the protocol

> > " list " of treatments that were " suggested " by several

> > gastroenterologists:

> > * E. dialation...lasted 2 days

> > * Botox injections (I didn't want to do this because of what I read

> > about the scar tissue difficulties)....I am better after Botox, but not

> > always. Some of the symptoms come and go after only 2 weeks of the

> > Botox. The Dr. told me I would be back for another Botox endoscopy in 6

> > months!

> > Finally, on my own, I went to a surgeon, Dr. ...also at

> > Ochsner. He is licensed by the SSAT (?) for specializing in the

> > laparoscopic heller myotomy. He would NOT have recommended the Botox

> > because of the scar tissue. Botox does not last very long and you have

> > to keep getting it 2 or 3 times a year. This would make it more

> > difficult for him to do the Heller Myotomy (HM). He recommended the HM

> > as the next course of treatment.

> > Here's my dilemma; my daughter is getting married on June 8th this

> > summer - 8 weeks away. I asked the surgeon if I should go for another

> > Botox to get me through the wedding or do the surgery. He would not

> > recommend more Botox unless I were not a good candidate for the surgery

> > - I am 49 years old. I need to know what to expect after the surgery so

> > I can decide if I am going to do it 5 weeks before the wedding and what

> > will I be feeling like. I know there is a 2 week clear liquid diet! I

> > asked the Dr. if I could wait until after the wedding. He said " only if

> > you don't want to eat at the wedding! " But I'm not worried about the

> > eating as much as I am about feeling " well " for the wedding.

> > Please tell me about your experience with the laparoscopic heller

> > myotomy. Thanks SO much for your help.....

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >