Re: Newly diagnosed and scared! - Shelia

[Guest guest]

Hi Shelia

Welcome to the group - You will find LOTS of support and

understanding here. There is a wealth of information here.

My husband had surgery for this over a year ago, and he is doing

wonderful now. I am not familiar with botox since he opted not to

try that course of treatment, but I am sure that there will be others

here that will be able to direct you with this.

Where are you located? We are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. There

are people on here from all over the world. You are in good company -

You can talk/vent until your heart is content here.

> Please forgive me as I will have to learn about using this message

> board and all the stuff needed to talk with you all and learn. I

am

> so scared and don't know what to do next. I had Botox injections

> yesterday (2/16/04) It has seemed to help, but I am still starving

> and the chest pain continued throughout the night. If anyone has

> time I would love to talk with someone as soon as possible. My

> family has been a support, but I know they are tired of hearing

about

> my illness. Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope to

hear

> from someone soon. Shelia

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheila,

I'm a newbie too. I was just diagnosed this month. I am currently taking my time to evaluate all the treatment options available. I don't seem to have it too bad right now, but it appears to be progressing very very slowly. This gives me time to consider the options.

Instead of thinking that I have an illness, I just think that God made me a little different from everyone else. I have eating needs that differ from others needs. The condition is not as bad as some conditions that many people are afflicted with. I tell myself this when I see my friends testing their blood sugar levels because they're diabetic, or when co-workers call in sick because of severe migraines. My father-in-law has prostate cancer. He is under going radiation therapy. Our condition is not life threatening. When I'm not eating or lying down, I feel perfectly normal.

I find that feeling good about your body is the first step. I try to stay active and alert and not act like I'm sick. I exercise, I do yoga, I horseback ride. Achalasia has given me a slim and trim body, which I did not have the discipline for before. I have made the decision to be healthy. This makes the times when I feel "challenged" a little easier to swallow.

Pete> Please forgive me as I will have to learn about using this message > board and all the stuff needed to talk with you all and learn. I am > so scared and don't know what to do next. I had Botox injections > yesterday (2/16/04) It has seemed to help, but I am still starving > and the chest pain continued throughout the night. If anyone has > time I would love to talk with someone as soon as possible. My > family has been a support, but I know they are tired of hearing about > my illness. Thank you for your time in reading this. I hope to hear > from someone soon. Shelia

[Guest guest]

That is wonderful news!!!!!!!! And you, I can tell, are a wonderful wife!!!

God Bless you both!! Shelia

[Guest guest]

Shelia

Chet is doing so wonderful - Achalasia is no longer even a thought in

our home. He eats everything with a little help of some extra

water. He does have an occassional spasm, but they are few and far

between. Achalasia took over our lives for about six months, but

since have surgery we now have our lives back.

The Cleveland Clinic is a great place to go - I sure hope that you

get the answers that you are looking for there. Hopefully the botox

is going to take a little time - I don't know anything about this

since we did not choose this route. My husband was just turning 33

when he started with his horrenndous bout - the research that I did

showed a low success rate with Botox in younger patients. I am not

saying that it doesn't work because there are others on here that it

has worked for, so hopefully you will fall in that category.

Take care!

Hugs

> ,

>

> I live in Southern Indiana on the Kentucky line. I have been

receiving

> treatment at the University of Louisville Hospital. I have an

appointment at the

> Cleveland Clinci next week. The Botox so far has offered me little

relief.

> (just had it on Monday the 16th) The MD told me it would take

awhile!! I am

> glad your husband is doing better. I would love to hear exactly

how much

> better. Does he still have spasms? Any difficulty swallowing

now? Thank you for

> replying!! Shelia