Having HM on Monday... trying to avoid cold feet

June 15, 2012

Hi Folks,

I am a new member to the group, 50 year old female, married with two kids.

Although I have had achalasia symptoms since high school, I was not formally

diagnosed until 1998, after I developed aspiration pneumonia and started

coughing up blood. I had a " true " dilation done at that time, and it controlled

my symptoms wonderfully until about six months ago, when I started having

difficulty and pain getting food down again.

I went back to the GI, hoping to get another dilation that would last me another

13 years, only to be told that they would not do a repeat dilation due to the

risks of perforation and recommended Heller myotomy, with a Dor fundiplication,

which I am scheduled to have on Monday unless my cold feet get even colder. ;-)

I was worried about possible risks and complications, and depressed about the

prospect of lifelong bad heartburn... and then I went in for my pre-op office

visit and was told that I should avoid coffee and carbonated beverages, forever,

after my surgery. That SERIOUSLY depressed me, as I am a huge coffee addict and

chain-drink Diet Cokes. I cried, actually. And I came very close to having cold

feet and backing entirely out of the surgery.

So I turned to the internet to see what I could find out from other people who

have had this surgery about coffee and carbonated beverages and was delighted to

discover this group. I've been following the Coke threads with avid interest,

and I'm happy to hear that many of you are still able to drink it after the HM.

I hope the same will be true for me.

I also read the " What if I do nothing? " thread with great interest, as I feel I

could have written it myself. At this point my symptoms are not intolerable, and

if I had to choose between my current difficulties and lifelong terrible

heartburn, I'd be tempted to choose my current symptoms. The only reason I am

going ahead with the surgery is because my surgeon pointed out that achalasia is

progressive and recommended doing the surgery while I was still relatively young

and before my esophagus got so tortured that the surgery would be impossible. I

don't want to have to get my esophagus removed, so I decided to schedule the

surgery, but I still have lingering doubts.

I guess the question I have for the group is this: I've seen lots of posts by

people saying they are glad they went ahead with the HM. Is there anybody here

who regrets doing so, and has found their quality of life to be worse than what

they had before?

Thanks,

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