Re: Achalasia and Teeth

[Guest guest]

I wouldn't worry about her teeth unless a dentist has told you there is an

issue.

The food likely hasn't made it to the stomach, so it doesn't have acid.

Technically it isn't vomiting, it is regurgitating. It is the same food that is

in your mouth when you chew. it usually doesn't hurt, it is much like a burp,

sometimes involuntary, more often we can use our muscles and push out the food.

To us, usually vomiting means throwing up from your stomach, much more gross.

This is difficult to understand, but when we regurgitate, often we just rechew

and swallow again. It tastes the same.

I would be much more concerned about why she is still regurgitating. After the

myotomy, if it is as successful as possible, the food should be going down,

especially after a drink of water. If it isn't going down, then possibly the

wrap is too tight or there is another issue. I would suggest a barium swallow

followup to see if they food is trapped. You do not want her stretching out her

esophagus with trapped food.

Often we eat and know it will come back up, but we just crave it. I

regurgitated probably 20 times a day at the worst. Nothing bad happened to my

teeth. It just builds up, even the saliva and you can aspirate if you don't get

it out. After surgery, I've only regurged about once a year. That was because

I ate too many pancakes without water.

It is very hard to understand the process, my heart goes out to a teenager, but

I wouldn't worry about her teeth. Maybe you can meet or talk to one of us that

is close to you. As an adult it was really annoying to have suggestions from

outsiders, so as a mother of teens, I can only imagine how she may be rolling

her eyes if you are making suggestions. Even close family members don't get it

because the whole thing seems like we can control it or just chew more, but that

doesn't help and we just shut down and isolate ourselves socially.

If her les has tightened, then a dialation may help, you really don't want her

esophagus to stretch. Don't wait until it gets worse.

It would really help her to meet another person, if you can find another

teenager or even an adult. It is worth a year's visit to a therapist just to

see someone else.

Again.. as a mother of teens, she may be just hiding things from you because you

are making suggestions. No one understands, so we just learn to live with it.

But you want to monitor her esophagus carefully, we can't really feel that part

of our body, so many here are surprised when they have followup tests and their

esophagus has stretched.

If she is regurging, then there is an issue. It almost becomes an involuntary

reflex, kind of like a burp, if it gets bad, we can't control it. The saliva

and white foam will come up.

Again, as a mother of teens, it is really really hard not to make suggestions,

or try to second guess what they are saying. If she wants to eat certain food,

let her, if I can be so bold. She has a sense of how long it takes to come back

up, and is mentally calculating when and how much she can eat before she is out

in public again. We become very private about it and really any suggestions

just annoy us. So for a teenager, seems like it would be 10x worse.

Sandy.

>

>

> As I have mentioned b4 my dd is 14 and has achalasia for 2 yrs now. She has

had a myotomy and is learning to manage her issues. Being that she sometimes

wants to eat something that doesnt really go down smoothly she still vomits

occasionally. I was wondering on what I should address about her teeth. Has

anyone had more problems with teeth with the acids coming up? Any info would be

great...thanks much

> Maureen

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Sandy....it all makes sense. My dd wanted another surgery as she said she

said it was still coming up but...she has been gaining weight steadily (if not

too much)..we did see a surgeon just to keep it all in my back pocket if we

needed one but I feel its a matter of her learning how to cope. She really hates

me second guessing and asking questions and in reality she just wants to be

normal. My big thing this summer has been no late eating....that in it self is a

project. So far I am winning most of the time though. Its nice being able to

talk to someone who understands kids....thank you!Maureen

From: Sandy <sandycarroll@...>

Subject: Re: Achalasia and Teeth

achalasia

Date: Sunday, August 21, 2011, 12:27 PM

 

I wouldn't worry about her teeth unless a dentist has told you there is an

issue.

The food likely hasn't made it to the stomach, so it doesn't have acid.

Technically it isn't vomiting, it is regurgitating. It is the same food that is

in your mouth when you chew. it usually doesn't hurt, it is much like a burp,

sometimes involuntary, more often we can use our muscles and push out the food.

To us, usually vomiting means throwing up from your stomach, much more gross.

This is difficult to understand, but when we regurgitate, often we just rechew

and swallow again. It tastes the same.

I would be much more concerned about why she is still regurgitating. After the

myotomy, if it is as successful as possible, the food should be going down,

especially after a drink of water. If it isn't going down, then possibly the

wrap is too tight or there is another issue. I would suggest a barium swallow

followup to see if they food is trapped. You do not want her stretching out her

esophagus with trapped food.

Often we eat and know it will come back up, but we just crave it. I

regurgitated probably 20 times a day at the worst. Nothing bad happened to my

teeth. It just builds up, even the saliva and you can aspirate if you don't get

it out. After surgery, I've only regurged about once a year. That was because

I ate too many pancakes without water.

It is very hard to understand the process, my heart goes out to a teenager, but

I wouldn't worry about her teeth. Maybe you can meet or talk to one of us that

is close to you. As an adult it was really annoying to have suggestions from

outsiders, so as a mother of teens, I can only imagine how she may be rolling

her eyes if you are making suggestions. Even close family members don't get it

because the whole thing seems like we can control it or just chew more, but that

doesn't help and we just shut down and isolate ourselves socially.

If her les has tightened, then a dialation may help, you really don't want her

esophagus to stretch. Don't wait until it gets worse.

It would really help her to meet another person, if you can find another

teenager or even an adult. It is worth a year's visit to a therapist just to

see someone else.

Again.. as a mother of teens, she may be just hiding things from you because you

are making suggestions. No one understands, so we just learn to live with it.

But you want to monitor her esophagus carefully, we can't really feel that part

of our body, so many here are surprised when they have followup tests and their

esophagus has stretched.

If she is regurging, then there is an issue. It almost becomes an involuntary

reflex, kind of like a burp, if it gets bad, we can't control it. The saliva

and white foam will come up.

Again, as a mother of teens, it is really really hard not to make suggestions,

or try to second guess what they are saying. If she wants to eat certain food,

let her, if I can be so bold. She has a sense of how long it takes to come back

up, and is mentally calculating when and how much she can eat before she is out

in public again. We become very private about it and really any suggestions

just annoy us. So for a teenager, seems like it would be 10x worse.

Sandy.

>

>

> As I have mentioned b4 my dd is 14 and has achalasia for 2 yrs now. She has

had a myotomy and is learning to manage her issues. Being that she sometimes

wants to eat something that doesnt really go down smoothly she still vomits

occasionally. I was wondering on what I should address about her teeth. Has

anyone had more problems with teeth with the acids coming up? Any info would be

great...thanks much

> Maureen

>

[Guest guest]

When was the last time she had a barium swallow? It is hard to tell online and

I don't want to step on your toes, but if she asked for a 2nd surgery, then I'm

guessing she is having enough issues to want a surgery. Of course, teens are a

whole 'nother issue. She might be worried about the inconvenience or cost and

disruption to your family, but the food should be going down, if she is

regurging more than once or twice a week then her les is probably tight. Then

her esophagus will stretch and she will have serious problems.

Our esophagus is just a sock without elastic. If it stretches it doesn't bounce

back and then it loops and droops and the treatments are less likely to be

successful. If the les is too tight now, a dilation may fix her up for a very

long time.

The weight.... even gi's tell us we must not be sick if we are heavy and many of

us are overweight. We eat higher fat foods because they go down easier and

don't stick. Don't look at the weight. I bet over half of us have had a gi say

losing weight wouldn't hurt us. We CRAVE food and if the food doesn't get to

our stomach we keep trying to feel full.

The doctors don't get the overweight issue but still can't eat thing at all.

Even the achalasia doctors who should know better. With achalasia her hunger

triggers may not be working because the food isn't getting to her stomach.

Achalasia is often much more of a psychological issue than many think.

There are members here with severe achalasia that need to lose weight before

their surgeons will operate, even at least one that had gastric bypass at the

same time as a HM.

I guess what I'm really saying, is that if she is regurgitating at all, I would

recommend a barium swallow. Then you can see it with her and visualize the

problem. You want to save her esophagus from stretching. Most of us are in our

40's plus, it is a long way from teens to 40's to manage an ineffective

esophagus. Keeping it straight is a high priority.

With achalasia that is not totally treated, it is very difficult to have a well

balanced diet, we eat bad things for a really healthy diet. Even though my

surgery is very successul, I still don't jump at the chance to eat apples and

strawberries. For some of us ice cream makes an odd texture and isn't nearly as

good as it was pre-achalasia. I can eat carrots for a while, but pancakes cause

issues if I don't drink, there is not a lot of logic, but in this group many of

us share the same issues and aha moments that our families and closest friends

never understand. I have only regurgitated or even had the urge to regurgitate

about once a year.

I'm not trying to lecture you, your thoughts are totally normal, hope you

understand. My heart just breaks at the idea of a teen having gone through this

and trying to juggle all the other changes in their lives. Especially a girl at

14 when weight and diet can be such issues anyway. Sandy

>

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>

> > As I have mentioned b4 my dd is 14 and has achalasia for 2 yrs now. She has

had a myotomy and is learning to manage her issues. Being that she sometimes

wants to eat something that doesnt really go down smoothly she still vomits

occasionally. I was wondering on what I should address about her teeth. Has

anyone had more problems with teeth with the acids coming up? Any info would be

great...thanks much

>

> > Maureen

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