Re: What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Happy Holidays!

It has been almost 2months since my surgery Lap Heller, so far no

problems and i'm back on my regular diet. I do take one Zantac 150

each night before bed. I'm doing great hope it lasts for a very long

Take care.

Manny

>

> Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been

> now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No

> spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had

the

> illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is

2-

> 3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time

like

> I did before the surgery.

> I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind

> unless its pureed. I'm scared too.

> My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or

> anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I

> am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just

> wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its

> going to sneak up on me and come back.

> I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the

surgery.

> They caught it early before I had really severe problems.

> My surgeon told me that I could benefit from the surgery forever

and

> never have to have another procedure or I might have complications

> about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.

> Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?

> Please share your thoughts.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I just had my HM (first, and nothing else before) on Monday. I had already take Tums for minor heart burn. I am still on clear liquid diet. The heart burn was much worse (unbearable) before surgery.I am concerned I had to take Tums already and scared about trying any other food.I am still not over my surgery pain. I am hoping it gets better. RagR at dot com What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been

now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No

spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had the

illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is 2-

3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time like

I did before the surgery.

I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind

unless its pureed. I'm scared too.

My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or

anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I

am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just

wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its

going to sneak up on me and come back.

I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the surgery.

They caught it early before I had really severe problems.

My surgeon told me that I could benefit from the surgery forever and

never have to have another procedure or I might have complications

about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.

Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?

Please share your thoughts.

Thanks.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I just had the HM in June (so only about 6 months out). Dr. Rice (Cleveland Clinic) did the HM. I am, however, able to eat anything at all. I have had no problems beyond the first few weeks of intensified spasms. Now, even the spasms have considerably lessened to only one or so a month. The HM was my first treatment - no botox, no dilation. I, too, would be interested to hear how long the HM has worked for those on the Board.

Happy Holidays to you and everyone on the Board!

(in Ohio)

From: achalasia [mailto:achalasia ] On Behalf Of Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 4:42 PMachalasia Subject: What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had the illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is 2-3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time like I did before the surgery.I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind unless its pureed. I'm scared too.My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its going to sneak up on me and come back. I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the surgery. They caught it early before I had really severe problems.My surgeon told me that I could benefit from the surgery forever and never have to have another procedure or I might have complications about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?Please share your thoughts.Thanks.

[Guest guest]

, I only made it 13 months, but then only needed a dilatation. I am now 25 months since the dilatation with no further problems. I can eat anything I want, altho sometimes I need to give it some help. Neither meats nor breads cause any major problems. Good Luck!mike in WI __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I found a 2005 article by Constantini et al. entitled " The

laparoscopic Heller-Dor operation remains an effective treatment

for esophageal achalasia at a minimum 6-year follow-up. " They

evaluated 71 patients with a minimum 6 year follow-up. During

the follow-up period, 13 patients suffered symptom recurrence;

seven of them (54%) had already been diagnosed at the 1-year

follow-up. All of these patients were treated with complementary

pneumatic dilations. Overall, at a minimum of 6 years after the

operation, 81.7% of the patients were satisfied with the

treatment and were able to eat normally.

I also found a 2006 article by Csendes et al. entitled " Very Late

Results of Esophagomyotomy for Patients With Achalasia. " They

followed 67 patients after myotomy plus Dor fundoplication in a

study that lasted 30 years. Final clinical results in all 67

patients demonstrated excellent or good results in 73% of the

cases, development of epidermoid carcinoma in 4.5%, and failures

in 22.4% of the patients, mainly due to reflux esophagitis.

Their conclusion: There is a progressive clinical deterioration

of initially good results if a very long follow-up is performed

(mean of 23 years after surgery), mainly due to an increase in

pathologic acid reflux disease and the development of Barrett

esophagus.

I suppose that people who had the myotomy 30 or 40 years ago and

have been doing fine ever since probably will not seek out this

kind of mailing list, so we aren't likely to hear from them.

However, based on these two papers, it appears that 81% are still

doing well after 6 years, and 73% are still doing well after 23

years.

in Lancaster, PA

[Guest guest]

My daughter has gone 3 1/2 years - but I did read a couple of years back who had gone 25 years after his HM without any problemsmike in WI <dtfanx@...> wrote: , I only made it 13 months, but then only needed a dilatation. I am now 25 months since the dilatation with no further problems. I can eat anything I want, altho sometimes I need to give it some help. Neither meats nor breads cause any major problems. Good Luck!mike in WI

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Cameron is 9 months and ZERO problems Carolyn.. mom of Cameron.. in Northern CA Dixon <wendixon@...> wrote: My daughter has gone 3 1/2 years - but I did read a couple of years back who had gone 25 years after his HM without any problemsmike in WI <dtfanx > wrote: , I only

made it 13 months, but then only needed a dilatation. I am now 25 months since the dilatation with no further problems. I can eat anything I want, altho sometimes I need to give it some help. Neither meats nor breads cause any major problems. Good Luck!mike in WI __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Cameron is 19 months and ZERO problems so far!!! Carolyn.. mom of Cameron.. in Northern CA Dixon <wendixon@...> wrote: My daughter has gone 3 1/2 years - but I did read a couple of years back who had gone 25 years after his HM without any problemsmike in WI <dtfanx > wrote: , I only made it 13 months, but then only needed a dilatation. I am now 25 months since the dilatation with no further problems. I can eat anything I want, altho sometimes I need to give it some help. Neither meats nor breads cause any major problems. Good Luck!mike in WI __________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I had dilatations before my Hellers but they were not great. But my Hellers lasted 13 years without any problems.

STEVE

What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had the illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is 2-3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time like I did before the surgery.I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind unless its pureed. I'm scared too.My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its going to sneak up on me and come back. I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the surgery. They caught it early before I had really severe problems.My surgeon told me that I could

benefit from the surgery forever and never have to have another procedure or I might have complications about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?Please share your thoughts.Thanks.

Try the all-new . "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have had achalasia for over 20 years. The first and only procedure

I ever had done was a HM and that was in 1987. It will be 20 years

ago next month. I go for periodic checkups (endoscopies) and it's

always been fine.

I can eat most anything, but I still have to eat slowly, and drink

plenty of water. And, for the most part, I avoid " bulky " foods

(e.g., bagels, french fries, etc.). I find the amount of liquid

needed to get those kinds of food down isn't worth it (e.g., I get

filled up on water before I've finished half the bagel).

I do get heartburn from time to time, and take an antacid (gaviscon)

when needed. I find, as long as I eat right, balanced diet, fiber,

etc., and drink lots, things continue to work just fine.

[Guest guest]

Thats brilliant news, that gives me a great sense of optimism that I could face a long future with no further problems

Thank you for letting us all know

Pippa x (England)

-- [Norton AntiSpam] Re: What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

Hi ,I have had achalasia for over 20 years. The first and only procedure I ever had done was a HM and that was in 1987. It will be 20 years ago next month. I go for periodic checkups (endoscopies) and it's always been fine.I can eat most anything, but I still have to eat slowly, and drink plenty of water. And, for the most part, I avoid "bulky" foods (e.g., bagels, french fries, etc.). I find the amount of liquid needed to get those kinds of food down isn't worth it (e.g., I get filled up on water before I've finished half the bagel).I do get heartburn from time to time, and take an antacid (gaviscon) when needed. I find, as long as I eat right, balanced diet, fiber, etc., and drink lots, things continue to work just fine.

[Guest guest]

there appears to be quite a few people within these groups who have

had the op & are happy.

I have not had the op but am thinking that I might have to soon or in

the future.

One question do you have to continue taking medication/drugs for the

future.

This might be a deciding factor as to how I approach this dilemma, to

look at the alternatives to the op or not.

I think the body has a good ability to adjust to physical damage i.e.

medical invasion via surgery or injury, but some of the drugs our

modern medicine people have concocted over the years have turned out

to be pretty bad.

cheers Dermot

>

> Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been

> now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No

> spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had

the

> illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is

2-

> 3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time

like

> I did before the surgery.

> I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind

> unless its pureed. I'm scared too.

> My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or

> anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I

> am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just

> wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its

> going to sneak up on me and come back.

> I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the

surgery.

> They caught it early before I had really severe problems.

> My surgeon told me that I could benefit from the surgery forever

and

> never have to have another procedure or I might have complications

> about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.

> Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?

> Please share your thoughts.

> Thanks.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am 7 months post surgery and take no medications. Dr. Rice did do a 24 hour pH monitor test about 2 months after the surgery to see if I was having an reflux issues. I was not and, therefore, did not need any medication. I imagine that some - those who do have reflux issues - may need to take something.

From: achalasia [mailto:achalasia ] On Behalf Of dermot_meaneySent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 6:16 PMachalasia Subject: Re: What's The Longest Anyone has gone w/o problems since HM?

there appears to be quite a few people within these groups who have had the op & are happy.I have not had the op but am thinking that I might have to soon or in the future.One question do you have to continue taking medication/drugs for the future.This might be a deciding factor as to how I approach this dilemma, to look at the alternatives to the op or not.I think the body has a good ability to adjust to physical damage i.e. medical invasion via surgery or injury, but some of the drugs our modern medicine people have concocted over the years have turned out to be pretty bad.cheers Dermot >> Merry Christmas Everyone! I dont get on here much anymore. Its been > now about 1 year and 8 months since my HM. So far so good. No > spasms, no throwing up, no nothing. I feel like I never even had the > illness. But I do get break-thru heartburn once in awhile which is 2-> 3 hours of pure hell but its better than having it all the time like > I did before the surgery.> I can eat most foods except I haven't attempted meat of any kind > unless its pureed. I'm scared too.> My question is this. Who on here had 1 surgery without Botox or > anything else and has gone the longest without any complications? I > am just curious. Years? 10 or 20 years +? Longer? Shorter? Just > wanting to know. Becuz every once in awhile I still get scared its > going to sneak up on me and come back. > I had Achalasia with DES for about 2 years and then had the surgery. > They caught it early before I had really severe problems.> My surgeon told me that I could benefit from the surgery forever and > never have to have another procedure or I might have complications > about 10-20 years from now. He couldn't say.> Is there anyone on here now that can eat WHATEVER they want?> Please share your thoughts.> Thanks.> > >

[Guest guest]

Hello, Fellow Achalasians, You've posed a question to which I hope a lot of post-op people will answer because I'm very interested in the spectrum, too. My surgery was last year, at the end of January, at Cedars-Sinai, Beverly Hills, CA., with Dr. Fuller. I was able to swallow pretty well after two weeks of a soft diet. That soft diet is just fine with me and whenever I think I'm having a spasm or any other sort of clogged or stuck feeling, I drink more liquids and return to the soft food diet for a few days; things are always better after wards. My first few days post-op went from

major painful to sore (nasty pain period was the first day home only) and then just sore and major fatigue for about two weeks. I felt sweaty and nasty (but then, I've been described that way before...) and I was prone to crying a bit, which is very unusual for me. I just don't cry very much. I'm more likely to just be depressed anyway, so I sat around, drank sodas and watched old movies on television. The lying down bit was hard to do. I got into a good routine with pillows propped up and to this day I've got two substantial pillows, one propped up against the wall and the other under my head. If I feel liquids or stomach acid coming up my E., I take a very small sip of water, prop up the pillows so that my head and upper chest are slightly elevated, and I am fine all night---usually. Sometimes I have what feels like heart burn/acid reflux and it tends to stay with me most of the night, even if I am propped up. But those nights are few and far between. I currently can swallow well. My basic problem is that I've got loads of saliva pooling in my mouth. I assume that my upper sphincter is having trouble. I'll be going in for a check up soon, with another barium swallow. I'm glad I will be doing this soon because I've had some sharp throat pains recently and I'd like to know what that's all about. Foods still stick from time to time, and I have to pound them down with water, and sometimes I just feel tired after a bad night. But I can deal with it all. It sure beats having the foams, the

regurgitations (and I had some doo-zees!, for example: had some Chinese noodles, they got stuck, I drank some cola to shove it down and the entire mess shot right out of my snout... it's pretty disgusting to see long noodles hanging from my nose, dripping with cola and chopped vegetables! yuck!...I also thought it was funny at the time it happened...although I DID feel sorry for the other diners), and the sticking of food, especially when it blocked my throat completely...it was a bit scary sometimes.... I had some trouble post-op with the feeling that food, after I swallowed it, just HIT my stomach lining fast and hard. It hurt and it took time to get over it. But that trouble seems to have passed. I hope

others put in their comments on this question. And, best of swallows to everyone, Deborah