Re: Can Achalasia go away?

[Guest guest]

Hi Biljana,

As far as has ever been proven, no,

achalasia will not go away. There are different ways of getting rid of

the symptoms, but you will always have it. Even with the myotomy, it is

only a fix for symptoms, but the A is still there.

Can Achalasia

go away?

I know this might sound naive but I have to ask it

anyway. Does

anybody believe that Achalasia can go away, I am

trying to keep

positive but I dont want to be fooling myself.

Biljana

[Guest guest]

No I don't think it can go away!!!! We can have surgery or botox or dilatation Or diet or medicate it {Have I left anything out} But it will not go away Hey am I wrong?????????????? from NJ

-- Can Achalasia go away?

I know this might sound naive but I have to ask it anyway. Does anybody believe that Achalasia can go away, I am trying to keep positive but I dont want to be fooling myself. Biljana

[Guest guest]

I agree that there has never been any proof that Achalasia can go away. We all

have it and will always have it. HOWEVER, I am coming up on 3 years post

myotemy and for all practical purposes, I feel normal for ME. I eat anything,

drink water after eating it, and feel good. I encourage anyone who has this

diagnosis to deal with it EARLY. Don't just sit there and pretend it will go

away, as it won't. Get treatment and face it head on. Get the best possible

treatment that you can find. Be picky. Demand a specialist and check their

records. Our fate is as much in our hands as it is in the hands of the

excellent doctors that we find to treat us. They are out there. But there are

just as many bad doctors as there are good ones. Make sure that you find out

about your doctors before you consider letting them treat you. There are so

many of us in different parts of the world in this group now. When I joined it

there were half as many members of this " rare " disease group. I remember being

scared to death when I first got my diagnosis, but it was even scarier knowing I

had something really wrong for 8 years and getting only one GERD medicine after

another and a handful of antidepressants and anxiety meds to make me " go away "

from doctors who did not know enough to know how to diagnose me. We can all

help each other now. If you are in a situation where you need a good doctor,

rely on the advice of people in your area in this group who have found a doctor

with a good track record to recommend now. Aggressive treatment is the only way

to really conquer the symptoms, and the earlier the better. My life changed and

belonged to me again after I had my surgery. Even people who have needed to

have their Es removed have counterparts in this group who can tell them that

life went on and for the better. It's all scary, but to do nothing or be in

denial is scarier. Rely on the experience and hope that others have to offer

you if you are afraid now. There is plenty of hope within this group, no matter

what stage of the disease you are in. Achalasia is not a death sentence. It's

a problem to deal with, yes. It's ok to be afraid, but there are so many people

in here who can give hope to you if you are newly diagnosed and afraid. I don't

post as often anymore as there are so many newly operated on folks who are in

the limelight. That is the way it should be. I do read the posts, though, and

every now and then, like now, I feel compelled to try to offer a voice of hope

to those who want it and need it. Yes, I have no peristalsis. Yes, I have

Achalasia. But I feel normal and happy for ME. There are many worse things

that could be wrong with me as I look around. I went to an excellent doctor who

took excellent care of me and gave me back my life. I pray for everyone in this

group on a regular basis. We are family, and no one ever needs to feel " alone "

with this disease with the help of this group. Love to all,

> No I don't think it can go away!!!! We can have surgery or botox or

> dilatation Or diet or medicate it {Have I left anything out} But it will

> not go away Hey am I wrong?????????????? from NJ

>

> -- Can Achalasia go away?

>

>

> I know this might sound naive but I have to ask it anyway. Does

> anybody believe that Achalasia can go away, I am trying to keep

> positive but I dont want to be fooling myself.

>

> Biljana

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks to everybody who replied to my post. I guess I have been

fooling myself into believing that my A might miraculously

disappear. I at the moment am playing the waiting game. Apparently

my GI is going to contact another doctor who will then contact me. I

am getting really frustrated as I know that the longer I wait the

worse everything becomes but I know I will get there eventually.

>

> I know this might sound naive but I have to ask it anyway. Does

> anybody believe that Achalasia can go away, I am trying to keep

> positive but I dont want to be fooling myself.

>

> Biljana

[Guest guest]

Dear Biljana,

Where do you live? I remember being in the state that you are currently in

as I came to grips with my Achalasia. I got so bad that I had to jump up and

down to get water to go down my throat. I was bad for a long time as I had to

take care of moving my mom out of her house, finding her a new place to live,

having a giant garage sale, and eventually selling her house before I could

begin to think about taking care of myself. That memory is " my summer in hell. "

I was scared to death all summer that I had cancer or something. I know the

stress did not help. Once school started, I was still in the same position and

was trying to teach art to kids as I dealt with my horrible A. One day I

instinctively, or intuitively, or perhaps through divine intervention, picked up

the phone and called a receptionist at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston's top

Medical teaching facility. I had no idea who to ask for, but my own doctors

were not helping me at the last time I had seen them, so I decided to take

matters into my own hands. I asked the receptionist if they had someone who

specialized in swallowing disorders. I still remember the shakiness of my

voice, the tears in my eyes as I made that call. I was choking in my sleep

every night. I was unable to eat most of the time. I was so depressed and

scared. She referred me to the head of the department, a woman named Gulchin

Ergun, who she said specialized in swallowing disorders, and she found me a

cancellation within that week. I remember the first time I went to see Dr.

Ergun. She's a scandinavian woman with crystal blue eyes. She looked right at

me, REALLY listened to me, touched my arm, and said, " We're going to find out

what is wrong with you. Don't you worry. " She could clearly see how scared I

was. She ordered the tests that week. I was scared to death of the tests, but

I knew I had to do them to find out what was wrong, and somehow I got through

all of them ok. I had very kind technicians the whole time. By the end of the

week I had my diagnosis. By this time, I had read everything on the internet

about my symptoms. When she told me that I had achalasia, I was not at all

surprised. Relieved, actually. I had read about all of the treatments and I

just knew that I did not want to keep going through tests and repeat treatments.

I saw my best option in the myotemy. I remember I was terrified that my husband

would want me to take the conservative approach and do dilations first, and I

really wanted the surgery to get this over with. I was SO relieved when he

said, " don't you think surgery is the best option? " I was referred to a surgeon

who is the uncle of kids I had taught art to. I knew about his reptutation as a

surgeon. I felt like all of this was finally going my way. I decided then and

there to put away the fear and just look forward. The whole thing felt like I

had just landed on a conveyor belt going in the right direction. I felt safe,

oddly enough. I read the statistics, and I knew I had a good doctor. I put my

trust in my doctors, and also in God. What else can you do? I felt such relief

when I let go. Worrying won't do you any good, anyway. When I think back about

all of the things I have worried about in my life and how FEW of those worries

ever materialized, I know worry is pointless. If you KNOW you are going the

right direction, let go. You will feel so much better. You will be moving in a

positive direction. I had my surgery a week after diagnosis. Like I said, I

was bouncing water down my throat, I was that bad. I walked out of the hospital

the next day. My surgery went beautifully and here I am. I would never be where

I am without taking that risk. The statistics are good. I think 90 or 95

percent of myotemies work. Look it up. Notan will undoubtedly know the latest

stats. Bless his heart. Or Debbie! I have to go to work now, but don't be

afraid. Trust in the positive, do your research, make sure you have landed with

a GREAT doctor, and if you don't think so, look further until you get the best.

Life IS good again. Hang in there. I know you need to go through various

stages of acceptance with this disease, but once you accept it and just look for

your best options, life is much easier. Fear is so difficult to live with.

Caution is better.

Email me privately if you wish, Biljana. I remember being so afraid. I CAN

relate to the way you are feeling. Blessings,

> >

> > I know this might sound naive but I have to ask it anyway. Does

> > anybody believe that Achalasia can go away, I am trying to keep

> > positive but I dont want to be fooling myself.

> >

> > Biljana