How can someone have Achalaysia and GERD at the same time. The are opposites. I Have had 2 monometries, 2 barium swallows, and an upper endoscopy. I have been forced to take either aciphex, prevacid, or nexium since my pregnancy with my son in 2002. I am now 25 and it has gotten o bad that my doctor thinks it has contributed to my developing mild asthma. I am inelligible for surgery due to the fact that if they do the surgery to cure the GERD, the Achalaysia will make my life unbearable. I must admit that I have suffered from bulemia on and off for 12 years and I wonder if that has contributed to the achalaysia developing. My surgeon sent me to a specialist to review my test results and both doctors were completely puzzled. I have bee experiencing severe fatigue full time for close to 2 years now and am not sure if that may be related, but every doctor I have seen is puzzled. I simply want to feel normal. I want to be vibrant and alive like I used to be.
Q: How can someone have Achalaysia and GERD at the same time
Did they tell you about having a heller myotomy? This is an incision on the LES valve so the food will get to the stomach. It must be followed up with a Fundoplication, either a full or half wrap. This wrap keeps acid out of the esophagus. People with achalasia have an LES (lower esophageal valve) that usually will not open when you swallow. This causes food to stick and ferment and a different kind of acid to develope. The esophagus regurgitates the foul stuff and it mimics acid reflux. Find a surgeon that specializes in this area only. They are far and few but have the experience.
No. the heller myotomy allows the food to pass - no matter what amplitude of pressure waves u have in your esophagus. But, it causes another problem. Food and acid now travels the opposite direction into the esophagus from the stomach. A toupet fundoplication (half wrap fixes this). Years of purging acidic contentent could have damaged the nerve cells and halted peristolsis. Some reports indicate the pressure waves return after the contact with the acid is stopped, other reports indicate they don't. My own experience indicates your esophagus' amplitude pressure waves get stronger over the years, after the surgery. Only the most experienced Specialized surgical doc should handle your case.
Are you a doctor? How do I find a doctor who specializes in this? I appreciate your insight. It's more than I have gotten from any doctor I have seen, and I have seen many doctors.
I don't know what state u live in? This is where I went. Dr. Bell is where other people go when their surgeon screws up and he also will start from scratch. This is his website
http://www.regbellmd.com/ or call him and I bet he can hook you up with a specialist in your state. He also teaches other surgeons.
401 West Hampden Place, Suite 230
Englewood CO 80110
303-788-8989
Fax 303-788-8982
Actually, I see a clear relationship between the achalaysia and the GERD, and, in fact, have seen them together in my son. After years of G.I. specialists, hospitals, and frustrating treatments that didn't work, all while watching him get sicker and sicker, we finally discovered that it was all being caused by sensitivities to certain food and chemical additives!
When we eliminate the culprit foods and chemicals, he is 100% cured. Now, when he strays and eats something he shouldn't, we can trace it directly to the problem substance and know how long the effects will last.
Once we found the Mediator Response blood test -- which measures the histamine/cytokine reaction to common foods and chemicals -- we learned that he was sensitive to more than three dozen foods, herbs, and additives. There was no way we could have discovered this information through trial and error with any hope of accuracy.
Within two months of eliminating the problem foods, my son the runt grew 2" and gained 15 lbs. to meet up with his classmates. His GERD and vomiting have disappeared -- all without any drugs, invasive procedures/surgeries, or unwanted side effects.
You can read more about the Mediator Response Test here: http://budurl.com/4asa
It changed his life, and ours too.
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It's not just my LES muscle that isn't functioning properly. I have been diagnosed with Absent Peristolsis. Would this hinder the effectiveness of a heller myotomy?