Spasms?

[Guest guest]

Cathey and Barbara--

Your " spasms " certainly do mock all the classic symptoms of a

heart attack. In the past couple of years I have also gone to ER

with chest pain. This pain has been in the chest area starting in

the center as a ball, then spreading from side to side up under the

lower ribs. After several days in one case, and several hours the

last time it spread through to my back (but never to shoulder or

jaw). The pain came in waves (but not what I would call spasms).

The last time I was freezing under several blankets and heating pad

(temp of 97), had chills, and was generally ill. Within an hour

after reaching ER (threw-up on the way there) the pain suddenly and

completely left. I felt fine!. About this time the ER doctors

finally turned their attention to me and took many X-rays, several

after injecting a dye. Few other simple tests and then told me I had

probably passed a kidney stone! Husband has these and we both feel

sure this was NOT the case. (My family doctor sent me for a thallium

stress test couple months ago as he wanted to rule out heart problems

for sure. That test and cardiograms were negative.) Spasms?? Did

not feel like anything I would call a spasm. Just PAIN!

Flora Alyce

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi all,

>

> There's been a lot of talk about spasms recently, and I'm curious to see if

I'm on the same page about that.

>

> Occasionally food will hang up before going into my stomach, sometimes with

some pain, sometimes not, very much like my pre-myotomy days. If it's really

hung, I get severe hiccups, most often with a fair amount of discomfort. After

an indeterminate amount of time, the food goes on down, the hiccups and pain

stop, and I'm usually good for the rest of the meal.

>

> This seems to occur mostly when I haven't eaten in a while. Breads tend to

trigger it too, which seems to be pretty common among many of us.

>

> I'm thinking that the hiccup situation is what is being referred to as spasms.

Am I correct, or is there another set of symptoms involved with spasms?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Lee in Atlanta

>

Hi Lee,

I don't have as much problem with bread as I do with rice and apples. My

stomach will only take so much rice and then it starts to back up, sort of, and

it gets really hung up in the esophagus and is really painful. Sometimes, I

have to rush to a sink or the bathroom just to throw it up but I try to wait

until it goes down. It's the worst feeling, but it feels soooo good when it

finally goes down. The reason I don't like regurgitating it is because it tends

to shut down my esophagus for a while. If I just wait (standing by the kitchen

sink, of course), it eventually works its way down. Of course, sometimes the

pain is just too much and I let 'er rip.

I do not get hiccups. How I explain E. spasms to my fortunate friends who are

clueless about the level of pain we suffer with them is that they are like a

Charlie Horse (leg cramp) in your esophagus. Most people have had those or

something similar and you can tell they " get it " when their face kind of screws

up and they say, " Doesn't that hurt?! " Ummmm...yeah...isn't that what I just

said? Then they make me go through the whole explanation of what I have to do

when I get one.

As for your food hanging up and getting hiccups, I would try taking smaller

bites, chewing each mouthful at least 30 times (until it is almost liquified),

and drinking water (not soda or coffee or juice...just water) right after you

swallow. My guess is you are eating too fast. With A., you must eat slowly,

chew thoroughly, and drink lots of water. For me, the spasms do not happen

while I am eating. There is no rhyme nor reason to what trigger my spasms.

Stress doesn't help. NO spicy foods, for sure! Believe it or not, I cannot

have my (decaf) coffee with French Vanilla flavoring or I get an instant spasm.

No ice cream. My GI told me that cream requires more acid in your stomach to

break down. If you've had a myo, then you've got all this acid and a totally

accessible opening into your esophagus for the acid to wash up into.

The other thing that happens to me...and how do I put this delicately?...is that

I get a spasm, take all the necessary steps to try to get rid of it, and then I

have to...ummm...eliminate and it has a very distinctive chemical smell. It's

weird. My friend is a nurse and she said that it makes sense that that happens

because, of course, the whole GI system is connected. But, again, it makes

traveling tricky, especially in third world countries.

The pain you are experiencing from food hanging up is different than spasms.

Like I said, a spasm feels like a Charlie Horse in your calf. It is like no

other pain I've ever had or hope to have.

A word of caution about antacids like Tums, etc. I have read that the aluminum

in them (don't ask me the technical name) has been linked with causing

Alzheimer's to progress more rapidly, if you are prone to it (like, it's in your

family...it can cause the symptoms to come on more rapidly). I use to take all

those things, too, at first, but after reading that, I stopped. That's when I

discovered that water and unsalted top soda crackers do a really good job of

taking the edge off spasms when they first come on. Of course, it doesn't

always work 100% of the time (does anything?), but it helps a good 85% of the

time.

Hope this helps. When is your birthday? I am a Gemini, too. May 29th!

(Michigan)

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,

Like I said I was just curious more than anything else. I do a lot of what you

recommended, and actually don't have much trouble most of the time.

I watch and post to this group partly because of how much it has helped me

achieve a relatively trouble-free life (from an A standpoint, at least), and

partly because I see that it can progress/recur even after a myotomy.

The more I know, and understand about the issues others have, the better

prepared I'll be to deal with my own, should the occasion arise later. It also

reminds me of how easy I've had it relative to many others.

BTW, my birthday is June 9 - a couple of weeks difference.

Take Care,

Lee in Atlanta

[Guest guest]

My hubby's spasms are like heart attacks - that's how he describes it.

It is pain that is not relieved by GTN, nifedine or viagra (which his doc has

prescribed).

After the spasms have gone, sometimes lasting an hour or more, he is knackered,

usually sleeps for hours.

He's just had a myotomy and coming home tomorrow.

I hope everyone's spasms lay off for a while.

[Guest guest]

I find that the people here are the only ones that truly understand what we go

through.  Even the Drs.

 

Thanks goodness for having each other.

 

________________________________

From: " melly.elly@... " <melly.elly@...>

achalasia

Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 4:17:45 PM

Subject: Re: Spasms?

My hubby's spasms are like heart attacks - that's how he describes it.

It is pain that is not relieved by GTN, nifedine or viagra (which his doc has

prescribed).

After the spasms have gone, sometimes lasting an hour or more, he is knackered,

usually sleeps for hours.

He's just had a myotomy and coming home tomorrow.

I hope everyone's spasms lay off for a while.

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[Guest guest]

be sure and let us know how your husband is doing post myotomy. tell him to take

it slow, soft food for 6 weeks to give the e time to heal well. have plenty of

water handy, chew, chew, chew. best to him and you...angela

Re: Spasms?

My hubby's spasms are like heart attacks - that's how he describes it.

It is pain that is not relieved by GTN, nifedine or viagra (which his doc has

prescribed).

After the spasms have gone, sometimes lasting an hour or more, he is

knackered, usually sleeps for hours.

He's just had a myotomy and coming home tomorrow.

I hope everyone's spasms lay off for a while.