Newbie

[Guest guest]

Yee Haw another Texan! I'm near Houston m'self, single, 45, with every nameable pet just about. Welcome! :DTruthe <shirah605@...> wrote: Hi Cheryl, I am Terasee and I live in Uvalde, Texas about 75 miles west of San ...<snippage> -Sapphyre Feel Free to Visit: www.geocities.com/asmallersapphyre www.livejournal.com/users/changescomin

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[Guest guest]

Hi and welcome I'm not sure how kg translate into pounds but congrats on the loss of those 10!!! but it looks like you want to lose half your weight - that's where I am too. Now on to the hard part - what are your plans? diet plans? exercise plans? water intake? You've set your goal - but what steps are you taking to reach them? mini goals? I personally choose to think about losing 10 pounds and not 100-150. There are some great tracking sites for free My new favorite is www.sparkpeople.com (tons and tons of stuff including boards - I haven't had time for that yet LOL but nice to know it's there) my old favorite for tracking is www.fitday.com . Others like www.calorieking.com - some free some paid. A few of us are doing the discovery heath fitness challenge or the good america get fit and a few hearty souls are doing the presidents fitness challenge

(just the name sends me back to jr high and terror - @#$@ situps / pull ups LOL) shiver, quake - ok back to business Welcome and jump right in :)styxia@... wrote: Hi group,I'm a newbie (well more coming out of lurkdom) and need to lose a lot of weight. My highest weight was 130 kg, I'm now at 120 kg and need to lose another 60 kg to get to my normal weight. :-( I don't want to be fat anymore. MohiraLive, Love, Laugh

[Guest guest]

Welcome Mohira

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Mohira!

Judging by your use of kg instead of pounds tells me you're not from the

USA. Where do you live?

> I'm a newbie (well more coming out of lurkdom) and need to lose a lot of

> weight.

Well, you came to the right place.

Have you seen your doctor and gottena ny food plan or exercise advice from

him? That's the first place to start.

The second is to start writing a food journal. Just write down everything

that you eat or drink for the next week or so, and mark down not just the

time and amount by why you ate it (hunger, boredom?) and whether it

satisfied you after you finished. When you see patterns emerging, like how

at 3pm every day you're tired so you grab a candy bar, you can then start

changing the behaviors, like planning a healthier snack for that time, or

decide to just have a big drink of water and go for a short walk to pep you

up.

Which brings me to 2 other small changes right now - moving and water. If

you don't already exericse, and your doctor gave the okay, start. If you

have no foot or knee problems, start walking. Take it slow in the beginning,

so if all you can manage to do at first is walk 5 minutes away from home,

turn around and walk 5 minutes back, that's great. Next week walk a bit

further, and each week add a few more minutes. If you prefer to do your

thing indoors, there are many exericse videos out there. Our Links page can

take you to some of them, like , Sansone, even

exercises done from a chair, like Chair Dancing or some of Bliss'

videos. And you an always just pop some music on and dance around your

living room.

Which now brings us to water. Most people don't drink enough, and larger

people need to drink more. Cut down on sodas and other drinks with

artificial sweeteners and drink more water. Slowly work your way up to

drinking a half ounce (15 ml) of liquid (coffee, soups and even gelatin

counts) for ever pound of body weight. For example, I weigh 282 pounds, so

*ideally* I should be drinking 141 ounces (4.2 liters) a day, more in summer

when I get hot and sweaty. Most days I don't get that much in, especially

when I have to be away from home and have no access to a clean restroom, but

I do get in at least 100 ounces.

> My highest weight was 130 kg, I'm now at 120 kg and need to lose another

> 60 kg to get to my normal weight. :-(

130kg = 286 pounds

120kg = 264

60kg = 130

A lot depends on how old you are, your body shape, even your age as to what

an ideal - and realiztic - weight would be. You might expect a 5'5 " 20 - 30

year old to weigh 60kg, but it might not be possible for a middle-aged,

big-boned, peri-menopausal woman. But don't worry about that now. Just

concentrate on maybe 10% of your weight as a goal for now. Start by doing

those things I mentioned above, and make small changes in your diet, like

ading more fruits and vegetables, have a salad before lunch and dinner,

maybe start switching from white flour products to whole grain versions.

Baby steps.

And welcome to the list.

Sue in NJ

>

> I don't want to be fat anymore.

>

> Mohira

>

>

> 100-Plus Files page 100-plus/files

> 100-Plus Links page 100-plus/links

>

[Guest guest]

<bryefield@...> wrote:

> Hi and welcome I'm not sure how kg translate into pounds but congrats

> on the loss of those 10!!! but it looks like you want to lose half your

> weight - that's where I am too. Now on to the hard part - what are your

> plans? diet plans? exercise plans? water intake?

I'm into vegan eating mostly. Plus I need to increase my water intake.

:-)

Mohira

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/2/2006 4:50:28 A.M. Central Standard Time, jenjoemelville@... writes:

hi my name is jennifer and I just joined this group under the encouragement of my best friend jalyn.I'm currently doing weight watchers for the past 3 weeks.So far I've lost 13 pounds.I'm married with 3 kids 12,7,and 6.I work as a nurse.Hope to alk to you all soon.

welcome to the group. My name is Legina and I just started weight watchers too. Just wanted to say good luck. Just yell if ya every wanna chat

Legina

[Guest guest]

Nice to meet you, Welcome! I am Terasee and I live in South Central Texas. I guess my weight isn't moving but my life style has changed dramatically. I have been exercising more -- at least 10 minutes every day so I feel pretty good about where I am right now. Trying to eat healthier...late nights still get me though. You will love this group... Glad you came Teraseejenjoemelville <jenjoemelville@...> wrote: hi my name is jennifer and I just joined this group under the encouragement of my best friend jalyn.I'm currently doing weight watchers for the past 3 weeks.So far I've lost 13 pounds.I'm married with 3 kids 12,7,and 6.I work as a nurse.Hope to alk to you

all soon. One Day Ata Time, Terasee

Autos. Looking for a sweet ride? Get pricing, reviews, more on new and used cars.

[Guest guest]

Hey Jen!

Woohoo on joining my board. Now I'm on your other one and you're on

mine and we'll lose all this weight in no time. I got your back. And

there will be no cheating coz you know there's no secrets between us.

oh damn, does that mean I have to tell you ever little piece of food I

pop in my mouth. Well, I've done good today SO far. (LYLAS)

Jalyn

265/259/150

[Guest guest]

, that's awesome and welcome to the group! One more step, www.geocities.com/remaking_me jenjoemelville <jenjoemelville@...> wrote: hi my name is jennifer and I just joined this group under the encouragement of my best friend jalyn.I'm currently doing weight watchers for the past 3 weeks.So far I've lost 13 pounds.I'm married with 3 kids 12,7,and 6.I work as a nurse.Hope to alk to you all soon.

Relax. virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!

[Guest guest]

Welcome , This is a great group. They offer lots of support and wonderful ladies here.

[Guest guest]

With acting up I'm not sure if I had a chance to welcome you yet or not, so WELCOME . Sounds like you are doing great on WW, keep up the good work. My daughter has narrowed down to becoming a nurse or a teacher - 2 jobs that are totally undervalued, underpaid and overworked. My sister was applying this semester for nursing school - I don't get why there is such a shortage when nobody can get into these classes - there's so few. I'm a whimp and can't handle all that blood and gut stuff LOL

newbie

hi my name is jennifer and I just joined this group under the encouragement of my best friend jalyn.I'm currently doing weight watchers for the past 3 weeks.So far I've lost 13 pounds.I'm married with 3 kids 12,7,and 6.I work as a nurse.Hope to alk to you all soon.

[Guest guest]

just keep your spirits up and remember ever day is a new start if you mess up today start back up tommorrow it sounds like you have a great family kimberly

[Guest guest]

Welcome Welcome

Suzy )

newbie

Hello all, I have been reading the last couple of digests, I am new to the group, and needing encouragement, and wanting to encourage as well, I have to be honest, I am not to sure about this whole internet group thing, but my life scheduale does not permit me to go anywhere, plus we do not live close to a group or something to join. I am 38, a mother of five, 4 foot 11 in. tall, my weight was 262. I am now 244 as of this a.m. My family is supportive to a point, maybe to much in that they all "love me just the way I am" They want to know, "why anything has to change?"

I am low carbing it, and I want to be a loser.

What started this whole adventure you might ask, well, I took the kids to the fair this last summer, and I went to get on a medium size ride with my youngest son, I had to exit without riding because I was way to large for the ride, embarrassment, and the look on his face was so horrible. I told him I was sorry, he touched my hand and said it was okay mom, I love you, but his face told another story. I have very large people in my family, and have never really stopped to think about it, until the last few months and this has haunted me.

I cannot say I have any confidence in the whole "dieting thing", but I do not share at this time any of the emotional stuff with the family, can they even understand? My husband would laugh it off and remind me to laugh at myself, but I do not feel like laughing about it, anymore.

Having always been the fattest around, both as a child and adult, I just figured my state would give someone else a reason to be glad they were who they are. I do not have lofty goals of being a model, but I would like my feet to touch the floor, (Do you think dieting has anything to do witth being vertically challenged as well?)

So how do you keep your spirits up and your emotional state worthy to be around? I have allot of pounds to go, that just seems way to overwhelming. So there it is, actually out and in writing.

~Talitha

262/244/125

[Guest guest]

Hi Talitha! Welcome to the group.

I, too, started this journey due at least in part because of my kids.

They're two very active little boys and I want to be able to do stuff

with them--ride bikes, play soccer, throw the ball around, etc. Last

summer was rough...I really tried to be active, but it wore me out so

much. And I started to ache, especially my knees. I lost about 15lbs

over the summer, but gained it back at the end, then got serious about

weight loss at the end of Sept. I was back up to 338, and somehow my

mind set was just...different. I've never been patient, especially

about weight loss, but this time I'm in it for the long haul. I can't

explain it any better than that, but something inside me is really

different this time. I'm not beating myself up for my mistakes and

I'm trying to go about things in a very reasonable way that I can keep

up with long term.

As for feeling overwhelmed, I do from time to time, but setting

smaller goals has helped me a lot. I'm not worried about getting down

to a certain number, I'm just taking it one step at a time, aiming for

10 pounds at a time, and seeing what happens.

Hopefully this group will help you stay on track. It's helped me so

much, even in the short amount of time I've been on here. Anyway,

welcome (again) to the group!

-Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Talitha, Glad you have joined the group. To me this internet group is just the thing I have been looking for. I hope you find it is the thing for you too. I havent been here long but I find because it is on the internet and everyone has the same problem as me I don't have to worry about being laughed at, made fun of or feeling all alone in my struggle. And like you I havent got a lot of confidence in my dieting. So how do you keep your spirits up? The best way you can. Take it one day at a time. Do what you can today to live better and worry about tomorrow...tomorrow. If you mess up and overeat today, get up tomorrow and say I can't change yesterday but I can try and do better today. I see by the goal in your signature that you started about 262. I am 260 now. I hope we can all lose together. Let me know if I can help you in any way.

~:~The Personal Touch~:~Tags, Stats, or anything else personalized with your name.Everything here is personalized!http://free.hostdepartment.com/t/thepersonaltouchMy Personal Web Site

newbie

Hello all, I have been reading the last couple of digests, I am new to the group, and needing encouragement, and wanting to encourage as well, I have to be honest, I am not to sure about this whole internet group thing, but my life scheduale does not permit me to go anywhere, plus we do not live close to a group or something to join. I am 38, a mother of five, 4 foot 11 in. tall, my weight was 262. I am now 244 as of this a.m. My family is supportive to a point, maybe to much in that they all "love me just the way I am" They want to know, "why anything has to change?"

I am low carbing it, and I want to be a loser.

What started this whole adventure you might ask, well, I took the kids to the fair this last summer, and I went to get on a medium size ride with my youngest son, I had to exit without riding because I was way to large for the ride, embarrassment, and the look on his face was so horrible. I told him I was sorry, he touched my hand and said it was okay mom, I love you, but his face told another story. I have very large people in my family, and have never really stopped to think about it, until the last few months and this has haunted me.

I cannot say I have any confidence in the whole "dieting thing", but I do not share at this time any of the emotional stuff with the family, can they even understand? My husband would laugh it off and remind me to laugh at myself, but I do not feel like laughing about it, anymore.

Having always been the fattest around, both as a child and adult, I just figured my state would give someone else a reason to be glad they were who they are. I do not have lofty goals of being a model, but I would like my feet to touch the floor, (Do you think dieting has anything to do witth being vertically challenged as well?)

So how do you keep your spirits up and your emotional state worthy to be around? I have allot of pounds to go, that just seems way to overwhelming. So there it is, actually out and in writing.

~Talitha

262/244/125

[Guest guest]

Welcome Talitha! Would you believe that you are the second Talitha that I have met? We have some friends who named their only daughter Talitha. Her father is an Air Force chaplain in our church's denomination & their family is now stationed over in Japan. Dacia <>< For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians

2:8-9

[Guest guest]

Welcome Talitha This group is great and I am sure you will find lots of support here. My hubby was not nearly as supportive as I had hoped in the begining however he has really come around. This group has been wonderful. I dont think I could have picked a better group.

[Guest guest]

Welcome Talitha, This is a great place for support and encouragment. It's a great bunch of ladies who understand. 18 pounds gone - awesome! 5 kids - wow you must stay busy TBromley <bromley@...> wrote: Hello all, I have been reading the last couple of digests, I am new to the group, and needing encouragement, and wanting to encourage as well, I have to be honest, I am not to sure about this whole internet group thing, but my life scheduale does not permit me to go anywhere, plus we do not live close to a group or something to join. I am 38, a mother of five, 4 foot 11 in. tall, my weight was 262. I am now 244 as of this a.m. My family is supportive to a point, maybe to much in that they all "love me just the

way I am" They want to know, "why anything has to change?" I am low carbing it, and I want to be a loser.What started this whole adventure you might ask, well, I took the kids to the fair this last summer, and I went to get on a medium size ride with my youngest son, I had to exit without riding because I was way to large for the ride, embarrassment, and the look on his face was so horrible. I told him I was sorry, he touched my hand and said it was okay mom, I love you, but his face told another story. I have very large people in my family, and have never really stopped to think about it, until the last few months and this has haunted me. I cannot say I have any confidence in the whole "dieting thing", but I do not share at this time any of the emotional stuff with the family, can they even understand? My husband would laugh it off and remind me to laugh at myself, but I do

not feel like laughing about it, anymore. Having always been the fattest around, both as a child and adult, I just figured my state would give someone else a reason to be glad they were who they are. I do not have lofty goals of being a model, but I would like my feet to touch the floor, (Do you think dieting has anything to do witth being vertically challenged as well?) So how do you keep your spirits up and your emotional state worthy to be around? I have allot of pounds to go, that just seems way to overwhelming. So there it is, actually out and in writing.~Talitha 262/244/125Live, Love, Laugh

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/8/06 1:18:12 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, bromley@... writes:

Talitha

Take it in baby steps. Set a goal. Every 25 lbs. OR 10% of what you way. Think of it as a life style change. I use the group to vent and focus myself.

NH... Mom to Abby Liz 10/94 Anne 7/99

[Guest guest]

Talitha! Welcome welcome! Your stats are exactly like mine. I am 4'11" and I am at 257 right now. I started at 295 so I am well on my way, but... it is NOT easy. As for the feet touching the floor....unfortunately I don't think dieting will help...bummer right!? heheehe. I have found, for me, it is mostly about exercise. I have tried all the diets out there and frankly I am STUFFED most of the day. I have had to just eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full. That means I usually eat about 2 to 21/2 meals a day. Anything more and I am overloaded and can feel it. And my largest meal is at night. That is okay...that is when I am hungry! I am in South Central Texas... I have no children and I am 51 years old. I work with kids all day and sometimes they can be cool, about what

really bugs them. Jump on the band wagon...and let's ride this thing outa here! Terasee P. S. I love your name!TBromley <bromley@...> wrote: Hello all, I have been reading the last couple of digests, I am new to the group, and needing encouragement, and wanting to encourage as well, I have to be honest, I am not to sure about this whole internet group thing, but my life scheduale does not permit me to go anywhere, plus we do not live close to a group or something to join. I am 38, a mother of five, 4 foot 11 in. tall, my weight was 262. I am now 244 as of this a.m. My family is supportive to a point, maybe to much in that

they all "love me just the way I am" They want to know, "why anything has to change?" I am low carbing it, and I want to be a loser. What started this whole adventure you might ask, well, I took the kids to the fair this last summer, and I went to get on a medium size ride with my youngest son, I had to exit without riding because I was way to large for the ride, embarrassment, and the look on his face was so horrible. I told him I was sorry, he touched my hand and said it was okay mom, I love you, but his face told another story. I have very large people in my family, and have never really stopped to think about it, until the last few months and this has haunted me. I cannot say I have any confidence in the whole "dieting thing", but I do not share at this time any of the emotional stuff with the family, can they even understand? My

husband would laugh it off and remind me to laugh at myself, but I do not feel like laughing about it, anymore. Having always been the fattest around, both as a child and adult, I just figured my state would give someone else a reason to be glad they were who they are. I do not have lofty goals of being a model, but I would like my feet to touch the floor, (Do you think dieting has anything to do witth being vertically challenged as well?) So how do you keep your spirits up and your emotional state worthy to be around? I have allot of pounds to go, that just seems way to overwhelming. So there it is, actually out and in writing. ~Talitha 262/244/125 One Day Ata Time, Terasee

Relax. virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!

[Guest guest]

Hey Karl,

Some very good people in Iraq have got just what you are looking for.....so

you came to the right place...good for you...it seems that, " fortune does

favour the brave " .....now who said that.?

P.

Karl Bergman <para508doc@...> wrote:

I am a new fellow who wandered around and found this group, it had me curious,

so I opted to find out more.

Me: Paramedic

Job: " between bookings " = unemployed

Interests: " long walks on the beach " ,and " sitting around the fireplace talking

about my feelings " .......

My feeble attempt at humor, I truly enjoy the outdoors, the distance from major

cities, the more remote areas the happier I can Be.

---------------------------------

Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

[Guest guest]

> I am a new fellow who wandered around and found this group, it had

me curious, so I opted to find out more.

> Me: Paramedic

> Job: " between bookings " = unemployed

> Interests: " long walks on the beach " ,and " sitting around the

fireplace talking about my feelings " .......

> My feeble attempt at humor, I truly enjoy the outdoors, the distance

from major cities, the more remote areas the happier I can Be.

>

>

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

>

> Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello and welcome to the group. What is your name and where are you from? I have had a similar experience as you. I had my first myotomy in 2003 and I had problems right of the bat. I needed a dilation with in a week of the surgery and then three more in the following two years. Last May I had my second myotomy.

Do you know if you had a wrap with your myotomy? I would go and find a GI doctor and surgeon that deals with this disease and have them see what is going on. Many doctors have not heard of this disease let alone work with a patient that has it. There are a few really good doctors around that know what is going on with us and are very willing to help.

Again welcome to the group and take a good look over the site there is a lot of information there.

in Suffolk

In a message dated 4/30/2006 5:02:44 AM GMT Standard Time, thenewzmom@... writes:

I just joined this site. I have had achalasia for about nine years now. I had a heller myotomy six years ago. I felt an improvement for a short itme but within a year I had to go back for a Balloon dilitation. The Doctor said I had scar tissue. Shortly after the Balloon procedure I was right back where I started, nothing went down. So i just figured I would have to live with it. And I have, but it seems to be getting worse. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I always have to drink alot of liquid to get anything down. I cough alot, especially in the morning. I am a morning news anchor, and every morning at some point I sound like Kermit the frog, and then I cough up a bit of yellowish phleghm. Then it passes. When I lay down especially soon after eating I feel pressure on my chest, and my heart pounds. Also when I first begin to eat a meal, after the first few bites, I take a drink, and as I feel the food go down it seems like my heart stops for a moment, then all the blood drains from my head, I feel faint and it feels like a headrush. It seems like my esophagus is pressing on my heart. And at times it is hard to get a deep breath, especially if laying down after eating. Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone else have problems with congestion? Over the years Doctors have suggested I am simply stressed out. Or I have allergies. I have taken allegra, claritin, zyrtec, and singulair, and nothing stops the congestion. I wonder if it is related to the achalasia?I would love to hear from others with achalasia, I hate Doctors brushing me off with the "oh you're just stressed out" line. I do a morning news show and I teach news writing at a university. So it's easy for my Doctor say "stress" but I am not having panic attacks. I simply can't gety food down easily.

[Guest guest]

Hi newsmom,

I would like to welcome you to the site and hope that between us we can help you to help yourself. There is a lot of love and care here and it helps to be able to share experiences with people who genuinely understand.

I personally am not one of the more knowledgable ones, but there is part of your problem that I can help you with. It set strong alarm bells ringing when you said "when I lie down especially soon after eating". This is a big no-no for the majority of us I would say. I suppose that with this disease there are certain things that we just have to accept if we are going to be successful in coming to terms with it and getting on with our ordinary lives as best we can. Eating, then lying down is something you really ought not to try to do. Being vertical is a great help, horizontal can be a crazy thing to do.

You need to not eat for at least a few hours before you go to bed and then make sure you are well propped up. The coughing is due to aspiration, food left in the gullet migrating to the lungs and causing you to wake up and cough it up. Don't ever try to suppress this reflex action with sedative cough medicine, it's your defence mechanism. The yellow phlegm indicates that you have a chest infection, no doubt caused by these bits of food. If it continues it will need treatment, but you may find that it stops if you will follow the "rules".

I thoroughly sympathise with you over the "stress" excuse. We all know that stress causes bad health but it is too easily used as a reason for everything nowadays. Stress does make this condition worse, but the lack or reduction of stress doesn't make it go away. I don't think one single person in this Group would disagree with that statement.

Over to the others to help you with other points. Let us know how you are regularly. We are very supportive and full of great tricks and ideas.

With love from Ann in England xxx>> I just joined this site. I have had achalasia for about nine years now. I had a > heller myotomy six years ago. I felt an improvement for a short itme but within > a year I had to go back for a Balloon dilitation. The Doctor said I had scar > tissue. Shortly after the Balloon procedure I was right back where I started, > nothing went down. So i just figured I would have to live with it. And I have, > but it seems to be getting worse. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar > experience. I always have to drink alot of liquid to get anything down. I cough > alot, especially in the morning. I am a morning news anchor, and every > morning at some point I sound like Kermit the frog, and then I cough up a bit of > yellowish phleghm. Then it passes. When I lay down especially soon after > eating I feel pressure on my chest, and my heart pounds. Also when I first > begin to eat a meal, after the first few bites, I take a drink, and as I feel the food > go down it seems like my heart stops for a moment, then all the blood drains > from my head, I feel faint and it feels like a headrush. It seems like my > esophagus is pressing on my heart. And at times it is hard to get a deep > breath, especially if laying down after eating. Has anyone else experienced > this? Does anyone else have problems with congestion? Over the years > Doctors have suggested I am simply stressed out. Or I have allergies. I have > taken allegra, claritin, zyrtec, and singulair, and nothing stops the congestion. > I wonder if it is related to the achalasia?> > I would love to hear from others with achalasia, I hate Doctors brushing me off > with the "oh you're just stressed out" line. I do a morning news show and I > teach news writing at a university. So it's easy for my Doctor say "stress" but I > am not having panic attacks. I simply can't gety food down easily.>

[Guest guest]

Stress does effect how the body. I have noticed that the more stressed I get the more problems I have with how I swallow. So I try and balance out those periods of stress with something that I really like and relaxes me.

There are a couple of really good doctors in California that you might want to consider trying to talk to. There names were just mentioned a few posts ago. Yes, you might need to run the gambit of your doctors to get to them but they probably can get you some relief.

We all in this group really under and have been through what you have and are going through.

There is a lot of information on the group site so if you can take some time and look over you might find it useful.

in Suffolk

In a message dated 4/30/2006 5:51:06 PM GMT Standard Time, thenewzmom@... writes:

Being a newbie I am not sure how this works, but I read all the responses this morning, and I gues this is how I respond back. It's a nice feeling just to know that what I've said is understood, at times I feel like I am speaking a foreign language because people who do not have achalasia have a hard time really understanding what it's like. My HM was done at the Mayo clinic in sdale AZ. I had a HM with a fundoplication the Doctor called a Toupet. When my trouble swallowing came back after the surgery I went to a GI who said I was stressed out and should consider drinking wine with meals to calm down, or I should start taking valium. Which I did neither. He reluctantly put me thru all the swallow tests at my insistance. Then said WOW you really can't swallow! So, back to Mayo for the Balloon procedure. The Mayo DR told me I was the first return patient in his career. That the surgery worked for everyone else. As if it were my fault. All information I have learned about the disease I have learned myself from the internet. He told me I was "as good as I could be" and sent me on my way with no follow up, or instruction. As you have mentioned I should not eat and then lay down. I try to avoid this. I have a bizarre schedule which leaves me sleep deprived. Hence at times laying down for a nap. I try to stay propped up, I slept upright thru my entire 2nd pregnancy. These days I get up at 2:30 am, I get to the station at 4 am. After doing the morning and noon news I go to the University to teach for the afternoon. Plus I have a 10 year old son and a 9 year old daughter. It's hard sometimes to accept and stay within the limits this diseased puts on us. I am going to see a DR. My insurance requires a GP refer me to a GI so I have to go thru all that first. But hearing from you reinforces my thinking that I need to go back. It is easy at times to question yourself, or think maybe the DR's right, maybe I am "crazy" You are right, most Dr's have little or no experience with Achlalasia. The first GI I went to ten years ago had no idea what was wrong with me. It took a year and a half to figure it out. And when he finally did, he handed me some photocopies from med books from the library, and said here, I have never heard of this before or treated someone with it, this is what I looked up about achalasia. More recently with the congestion I have asked my DR if it could be related to the Achalasia he said, no, cold or allergies. So I have tried every allergy medication available with no relief. But hearing back from you, I feel my instincts are right, it's the Achalasia. Again thanks for your input. As for who I am, I am Patti, I am firstly a very proud MOM. I live in california, on the Central Coast. I have been in the news business for about 10 years. I recently started teaching, which I love immensely. I am guilty of trying to do it ALL. But it's hard to choose among things you adore, My kids, I love the News, and I find that I love teaching too. So for now I'm sleep deprived! Thank you! Patti > > >> > > I just joined this site. I have had achalasia for about nine years> > now. I had a> > > heller myotomy six years ago. I felt an improvement for a short itme> > but within> > > a year I had to go back for a Balloon dilitation. The Doctor said I> > had scar> > > tissue. Shortly after the Balloon procedure I was right back where I> > started,> > > nothing went down. So i just figured I would have to live with it. And> > I have,> > > but it seems to be getting worse. I was wondering if anyone has had a> > similar> > > experience. I always have to drink alot of liquid to get anything> > down. I cough> > > alot, especially in the morning. I am a morning news anchor, and every> > > morning at some point I sound like Kermit the frog, and then I cough> > up a bit of> > > yellowish phleghm. Then it passes. When I lay down especially soon> > after> > > eating I feel pressure on my chest, and my heart pounds. Also when I> > first> > > begin to eat a meal, after the first few bites, I take a drink, and as> > I feel the food> > > go down it seems like my heart stops for a moment, then all the blood> > drains> > > from my head, I feel faint and it feels like a headrush. It seems like> > my> > > esophagus is pressing on my heart. And at times it is hard to get a> > deep> > > breath, especially if laying down after eating. Has anyone else> > experienced> > > this? Does anyone else have problems with congestion? Over the years> > > Doctors have suggested I am simply stressed out. Or I have allergies.> > I have> > > taken allegra, claritin, zyrtec, and singulair, and nothing stops the> > congestion.> > > I wonder if it is related to the achalasia?> > >> > > I would love to hear from others with achalasia, I hate Doctors> > brushing me off> > > with the "oh you're just stressed out" line. I do a morning news show> > and I> > > teach news writing at a university. So it's easy for my Doctor say> > "stress" but I> > > am not having panic attacks. I simply can't gety food down easily.> > >> >>