Newbie

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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.