Re: How long before seek IV fluids

[Guest guest]

When I had stretches where I couldn't get anything down, I called Tele-Care

(it's a toll-free number here in Canada that will give you advice about heading

to the ER, going to an after-hours clinic, or waiting to see your primary dr),

and they base your severity on what you're " getting rid of " .  They'd ask when

the last time was that you urinated.  If you're not, then you need to get to

the ER.  I had gone much longer than I should have, even though my body was

doing the same as yours and just didn't seem hungry or thirsty, but my kidneys

weren't liking me at the time, and they ended up squeezing 3 bags of ringers

into me and were quite surprised when I still hadn't urinated almost 16 hours

later

I wouldn't wait, but I certainly don't envy your position of not being able to

ease your medical worries without adding a financial worry onto your plate

kim in canada

From: jennlee_2 <webmail@...>

Subject: How long before seek IV fluids

achalasia

Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 9:48 AM

 

About a month ago I had a flare up where I couldn't eat or drink anything

for several days. My nitro finally seemed to help ease it (or maybe it just

ended on its own), thank goodness! Well, I've gotten another one starting on

Sunday evening (Easter) and so far haven't eaten or drunk anything since then.

I've taken several nitro and so far they haven't eased things.

I'm going to call my GI doc and see if he can prescribe me something else to

try, but at the moment I'm also concerned with getting dehydrated. How long can

I wait before I should go to urgent care or the ER and see if I can get IV

fluids? I really want to avoid the ER because of very high copay cost.

I don't feel thirsty or hungry (when I have the flare ups and can't eat, its

like my body knows and doesn't want food/water). I am regurgitating most of my

saliva I think, because I'm spitting up foam a lot, and having dry heaves a lot.

I weighed myself last night and I weighed 3 pounds less than about a week and a

half ago, and this morning I was down another 3.5 pounds. I'm sure much of this

is water weight (although have been on a diet, so first 3 pounds may be some of

that from before this incident). But I don't feel too bad (other than the

miserable nausea and spitting up foam, and heaviness in the chest).

I'm just not sure how long to try to give it. Today? Wait until tomorrow?

Last time I had a span from Saturday midday until Tuesday evening with no

intake, but I'm wondering if I should let it go that long.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info, Kim -

I did urinate a couple times today so that sounds like it is good.

And luckily I tried the nitro twice again today and finally got some relief and

have been able to drink 4-6 oz of liquids so far. I still don't feel " right "

but at least it seems to be going down (still not feeling the thirst though -

last time I had this, when it was finally over, boy was I feeling thirsty!)

So hopefully will be able to avoid the ER. I was going to try to go to Urgent

Care if possible, for which I think my copay is not so bad (I think it's between

$35 and $75 for Urgent Care, but $500 for the ER).

I've also freaked out the family as my acute onset began during a family Easter

dinner. They normally don't get to experience my Achalasia issues much ;-)

Its annoying that I and my employer pay so much for insurance, but it is still

very cost prohibitive to actually have to use it. By the way, I'm a dual US and

Canadian citizen (born in Canada, but American parents). Maybe I should move to

Canada and then I could actually go to the ER if I needed to!

>

> From: jennlee_2 <webmail@...>

> Subject: How long before seek IV fluids

> achalasia

> Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 9:48 AM

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> About a month ago I had a flare up where I couldn't eat or drink

anything for several days. My nitro finally seemed to help ease it (or maybe it

just ended on its own), thank goodness! Well, I've gotten another one starting

on Sunday evening (Easter) and so far haven't eaten or drunk anything since

then. I've taken several nitro and so far they haven't eased things.

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> I'm going to call my GI doc and see if he can prescribe me something else to

try, but at the moment I'm also concerned with getting dehydrated. How long can

I wait before I should go to urgent care or the ER and see if I can get IV

fluids? I really want to avoid the ER because of very high copay cost.

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> I don't feel thirsty or hungry (when I have the flare ups and can't eat, its

like my body knows and doesn't want food/water). I am regurgitating most of my

saliva I think, because I'm spitting up foam a lot, and having dry heaves a lot.

I weighed myself last night and I weighed 3 pounds less than about a week and a

half ago, and this morning I was down another 3.5 pounds. I'm sure much of this

is water weight (although have been on a diet, so first 3 pounds may be some of

that from before this incident). But I don't feel too bad (other than the

miserable nausea and spitting up foam, and heaviness in the chest).

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> I'm just not sure how long to try to give it. Today? Wait until tomorrow?

Last time I had a span from Saturday midday until Tuesday evening with no

intake, but I'm wondering if I should let it go that long.

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[Guest guest]

Thanks, Fred,

I had the Heller myotomy & partial wrap in 2000, and it did help me a lot for

several years, but now something is definitely going wrong again. Have had two

dilations and been scoped and had the motility testing in the last three years

or so and recently had this total shutdown of swallowing for multiple days.

We are trying some medications now, and I may have them try to have my wrap

loosened surgically, but otherwise I don't think there's much they can do unless

it gets to the point of the esophagectomy.

I'm maybe thinking that this is a wrap problem, as it seems to definitely

constrict my swallowing sometimes (and when I was getting scoped, my LES was not

constricted at all, and was still dilated from my last dilation). Although

there's no getting around the fact that I have basically no motility and a very

dilated esophagus.

Jenn

> >

> > From: jennlee_2 <webmail@>

> > Subject: How long before seek IV fluids

> > achalasia

> > Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 9:48 AM

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> > About a month ago I had a flare up where I couldn't eat or drink anything

for

> >several days. My nitro finally seemed to help ease it (or maybe it just ended

on

> >its own), thank goodness! Well, I've gotten another one starting on Sunday

> >evening (Easter) and so far haven't eaten or drunk anything since then. I've

> >taken several nitro and so far they haven't eased things.

> >

> >

> >

> > I'm going to call my GI doc and see if he can prescribe me something else to

> >try, but at the moment I'm also concerned with getting dehydrated. How long

can

> >I wait before I should go to urgent care or the ER and see if I can get IV

> >fluids? I really want to avoid the ER because of very high copay cost.

> >

> >

> >

> > I don't feel thirsty or hungry (when I have the flare ups and can't eat, its

> >like my body knows and doesn't want food/water). I am regurgitating most of

my

> >saliva I think, because I'm spitting up foam a lot, and having dry heaves a

lot.

> >I weighed myself last night and I weighed 3 pounds less than about a week and

a

> >half ago, and this morning I was down another 3.5 pounds. I'm sure much of

this

> >is water weight (although have been on a diet, so first 3 pounds may be some

of

> >that from before this incident). But I don't feel too bad (other than the

> >miserable nausea and spitting up foam, and heaviness in the chest).

> >

> >

> >

> > I'm just not sure how long to try to give it. Today? Wait until tomorrow?

Last

> >time I had a span from Saturday midday until Tuesday evening with no intake,

but

> >I'm wondering if I should let it go that long.

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