RE: My Dr. appointment

[Guest guest]

Carol,

OK, margarita girl, it's margarita time! Take two and process all the new

wrinkles tomorrow...sounds overwhelming right now, but you will sort it out

soon.

Each case is so truly individualized, it seems to me from reading the posts.

I doubt there will ever be any clear cut protocol, so we all just have to

help each other through our specific considerations.

I hope you can apply some prayer or zen or whatever today - and don't forget

those margaritas. My in-laws just left after a three day stay. Think I

will join you for a margarita myself!! CHEERS!

Blessings,

Martha

My Dr. appointment

> Hubby and I went to see Dr. Gharagozloo,

> Cardiothoracic Surgeon-in-chief and a professor at The

> Washington University Hospital in DC. The good

> news is he can do surgery. The bad news is he can't do

> the lapro.

>

> Dr. G is not certain that I have achalasia. He said

> the only real way to tell was to do a bioposy of E

> tissue. Before he can do that, he needs to redo the

> hiatal hernia repair surgery I had 34 years ago. Seems

> the surgery has put some kinks and knots where they

> shouldn't be. He needs to go in and put everything

> back where it is supposed to be, repair the hiatal

> hernia again, and THEN check for A. And the surgery

> has to be done in the same spot as the original. Which

> means cutting the scar open that runs from my spinal

> cord to my breast bone. To say I'm a little upset is

> putting it mildly.

>

> My E is stretched so he doesn't want to wait a long

> time to do surgery. He did give me some good news. He

> has found in the numerous surgeries that he has done

> that the E CAN shrink back down and while not work

> perfectly 100% the way it used to, it can start

> working like it is supposed to.

>

> I don't know whether I am coming or going. I can still

> remember having the original surgery. I don't know if

> I want to do it all over again.

>

>

> =====

> Carol (aka Carol_in_VA and GrnEyesVA)

> ...If life gives you lemons, make lemonade...

> but if life gives you limes, make margaritas!!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Carol,

How much actual experience does this surgeon have with achalasia?

How many myotomies has he performed?

Perhaps I am wrong, but from what I could find doing a quick search on

this doctor, he doesn't seem to specialize in gastroesophageal surgery.

I think I would get a second opinion with someone with more experience

with achalasia, and someone who can give you a diagnosis without having

to do a biopsy!

Have you had a manometry?

Sandi

My Dr. appointment

Hubby and I went to see Dr. Gharagozloo,

Cardiothoracic Surgeon-in-chief and a professor at The

Washington University Hospital in DC. The good

news is he can do surgery. The bad news is he can't do

the lapro.

Dr. G is not certain that I have achalasia. He said

the only real way to tell was to do a bioposy of E

tissue. Before he can do that, he needs to redo the

hiatal hernia repair surgery I had 34 years ago. Seems

the surgery has put some kinks and knots where they

shouldn't be. He needs to go in and put everything

back where it is supposed to be, repair the hiatal

hernia again, and THEN check for A. And the surgery

has to be done in the same spot as the original. Which

means cutting the scar open that runs from my spinal

cord to my breast bone. To say I'm a little upset is

putting it mildly.

My E is stretched so he doesn't want to wait a long

time to do surgery. He did give me some good news. He

has found in the numerous surgeries that he has done

that the E CAN shrink back down and while not work

perfectly 100% the way it used to, it can start

working like it is supposed to.

I don't know whether I am coming or going. I can still

remember having the original surgery. I don't know if

I want to do it all over again.

=====

Carol (aka Carol_in_VA and GrnEyesVA)

....If life gives you lemons, make lemonade...

but if life gives you limes, make margaritas!!

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandi. I voiced the same concerns to Dr. G when we

talked. He deals with the surgery weekly according to

him and to his chief nurse practioner who very freely

discussed his experience. He has many patients with A.

I have had all the tests and he has looked at them and

at my barim swallow results. He is not ruling out A

BUT sees so many kinks and knots in my x-rays he just

is not sure it is just A. The readings from the

pressure test are consistent with a dilated E as well

as A. I remember when I had the barium swallow the Dr

was asking me about the hiatal hernia surgery. When I

asked why, he " mentioned " there might be a problem

with the way they did it but I would have to talk to

my Dr. Dr. G. feels the wrap that they did years ago -

besides not being done the way it is done now - has

twisted everything gradually - and me putting on 60

pounds in 30 years hasn't helped.

I guess what Dr. G is looking at also is I don't have

the classic A symptoms with the exception of the

swallowing problem and the poor motility test. The

only time I have a spasm is when I have eaten fast or

too much and the food doesn't go down. Very very

rarely do I have a severe one like some of you have

daily. I am not losing weight - I have gained almost

15 pounds since I noticed the problem swallowing 18

months ago. I am not regurging at all. But most

importantly, this does not happen on a daily basis. I

have not had a problem easting anything for the past 5

days. Food is emptying directly into my stomach with a

minimum amount of water. My most severe sympthoms onlu

occur when I am stressed.

When I stop to think that I had my hernia surgery when

the procedure was brand new 34 years ago and the

extent technology has come to now, it kinda makes

sense. I don't want to have the surgery but I kinda

knew in the back of my mind that it was going to

happen. There were too many comments made about the

previous hiatal hernia surgery. Even by nurses who

looked at my xrays.

I guess the biggest thing is Chuck and I have

confidence in this doctor. We felt at ease with him as

soon as he started talking. We have checked him out

using local resources we have and hear nothing but good.

=====

Carol (aka Carol_in_VA and GrnEyesVA)

....If life gives you lemons, make lemonade...

but if life gives you limes, make margaritas!!

[Guest guest]

My heart goes out to you Carol,

I am so sorry they will need to open you up again. I would still want to

get a couple more opinions from surgeons who specialize in achalasia,

but I'm glad you have confidence in this surgeon. That is important.

A few thoughts I'd like to share with you in response to some of your

comments:

--Not everyone gets spasms. Even when I had them at my worst, they were

not as severe as many in the group seem to have, and some people with

achalasia don't get them at all.

--Being overweight seems to be a commonality here in the world of

Achalasia. You'd think just the opposite. We become emaciated and

malnourished during our most severe stages when we are unable to get any

food down, but after having surgery and when we are doing well again,

many of us here struggle with a weight problem. This happens from being

in starvation mode for so long and then it seems to be a constant

struggle to keep the weight off.

-- If your E has become so dilated, the food may be just sitting in your

E and I think it becomes more difficult to regurge at this point.

I'm sorry you are going to need the surgery to repair your hiatal hernia

again. Maybe after this is repaired, you'll be much better off and won't

need another surgery. It would be wonderful to find out that you don't

have achalasia after all!!!

I'm glad you've found someone you have so much confidence in! I just

wish they could do it without having to open you up. :-(

Hugs!

Sandi in No CA

RE: My Dr. appointment

Hi Sandi. I voiced the same concerns to Dr. G when we

talked. He deals with the surgery weekly according to

him and to his chief nurse practioner who very freely

discussed his experience. He has many patients with A.

I have had all the tests and he has looked at them and

at my barim swallow results. He is not ruling out A

BUT sees so many kinks and knots in my x-rays he just

is not sure it is just A. The readings from the

pressure test are consistent with a dilated E as well

as A. I remember when I had the barium swallow the Dr

was asking me about the hiatal hernia surgery. When I

asked why, he " mentioned " there might be a problem

with the way they did it but I would have to talk to

my Dr. Dr. G. feels the wrap that they did years ago -

besides not being done the way it is done now - has

twisted everything gradually - and me putting on 60

pounds in 30 years hasn't helped.

I guess what Dr. G is looking at also is I don't have

the classic A symptoms with the exception of the

swallowing problem and the poor motility test. The

only time I have a spasm is when I have eaten fast or

too much and the food doesn't go down. Very very

rarely do I have a severe one like some of you have

daily. I am not losing weight - I have gained almost

15 pounds since I noticed the problem swallowing 18

months ago. I am not regurging at all. But most

importantly, this does not happen on a daily basis. I

have not had a problem easting anything for the past 5

days. Food is emptying directly into my stomach with a

minimum amount of water. My most severe sympthoms onlu

occur when I am stressed.

When I stop to think that I had my hernia surgery when

the procedure was brand new 34 years ago and the

extent technology has come to now, it kinda makes

sense. I don't want to have the surgery but I kinda

knew in the back of my mind that it was going to

happen. There were too many comments made about the

previous hiatal hernia surgery. Even by nurses who

looked at my xrays.

I guess the biggest thing is Chuck and I have

confidence in this doctor. We felt at ease with him as

soon as he started talking. We have checked him out

using local resources we have and hear nothing but good.

=====

Carol (aka Carol_in_VA and GrnEyesVA)

....If life gives you lemons, make lemonade...

but if life gives you limes, make margaritas!!