Re: What I am Thankful for

[Guest guest]

Wondering what an end stager means in terms of eating and symptoms. How do we

know when we are at the end stage?

>

> Just got a call from Dr. L. He looked over my barium tests. He says I am good

to go. Its as good as it gets for a person like me (end stager). I am swallowing

well with no stasis (not much anyway) and I can't ask for better than that.

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> He wants another barium in 1 year.

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> I feel very blessed.

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> Wising all of you a wonderful thanksgiving and good swallowing.

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> Cara

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[Guest guest]

,

Sometimes you can be at end stage and not even know it. That was my case.

There is a list of definitions for each stage. I don't have them memorized but

it goes something like this:

Normal esophagus - 2-3cm wide

Stage 2 - 4-5cm wide

Stage 3 - 6-7cm wide

Stage 4 - anything 8cm or more/or a sigmoid esophagus (twist and turn)

End stager - anything over 8cm and a sigmoid

I am at 10.5cm wide and have a sigmoid loop. I am a perfect candidate for an

esophagectomy. I did not know any of this until I got a barium swallow last

year. I had just been going along 14 years post dilitation thinking nothing was

wrong. I would eat and power chug water to get the food to go down. Some would

and the rest would sit in my esophagus stretching it out.

Thankfully Dr. L was able to perform a successful myotomy on me. I had never had

one prior. I hope to have this myotomy last a very long time. So far its been

one year and I am doing fantastic!

Hope this answers some of your questions. The moral of the story is - get a

barium swallow every year to see how your esophagus is faring and if its

stretching or turning sigmoid. You can't tell any other way.

Cara

> >

> > Just got a call from Dr. L. He looked over my barium tests. He says I am

good to go. Its as good as it gets for a person like me (end stager). I am

swallowing well with no stasis (not much anyway) and I can't ask for better than

that.

> >

> > He wants another barium in 1 year.

> >

> > I feel very blessed.

> >

> > Wising all of you a wonderful thanksgiving and good swallowing.

> >

> > Cara

> >

>

[Guest guest]

is exactly right. Even Dr. L told me that since I was swallowing and

getting food down (pre myotomy) that I could have probably gone on like that for

some time. however, it was in my best interest to preserve my esophagus for as

long as i could. That is why I chose the myotomy. only after the myotomy did I

realize how bad my swallowing had become over those 14 years. i forgot what it

was like to have fluids hit my stomach. I was finally able to drink water

because I was thirsty and not because I needed to push food down. It was

amazing.

So yes, the quality of life is really the big factor, that and any risk factors

like food sitting in the E and stretching it out.

So for some one like me (and end stager) I am doing quite well right now and I

hope and pray every single day that it continues for years to come. I am only

37.

!! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Hoping your

swallowing is just as good as it was when we had lunch.

All the best

Cara

> > >

> > > Just got a call from Dr. L. He looked over my barium tests. He says I am

good to go. Its as good as it gets for a person like me (end stager). I am

swallowing well with no stasis (not much anyway) and I can't ask for better than

that.

> > >

> > > He wants another barium in 1 year.

> > >

> > > I feel very blessed.

> > >

> > > Wising all of you a wonderful thanksgiving and good swallowing.

> > >

> > > Cara

> > >

> >

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[Guest guest]

Going to agree with everybody, lol! But the thing is " end stage " for an

esophagus may or may not be " end stage " for YOU. . . . My esophagus is hardly

dilated at all. But my LES is FIRMLY closed. Three/four months prior to ER, I

don't think more than 5 or 10% of what I was eating was getting past it. I

lost 60 pounds. Almost everything was reverse swallowing. Thing is I was so

used to that, I wasn't thinking how much MORE it was happening. . . . And

irony, NONE of this is painful. I no longer have DES, I swallow easily (this

past year), I hardly cough at night, no heartburn at all. And it *still* came

very close to killing me. This is *not* a condition to mess with, and dat's da

troot!

My turkey and everything else this year is blenderized, but it's working. And

I'm very thankful.

xox

> > > >

> > > > Just got a call from Dr. L. He looked over my barium tests. He says I am

good to go. Its as good as it gets for a person like me (end stager). I am

swallowing well with no stasis (not much anyway) and I can't ask for better than

that.

> > > >

> > > > He wants another barium in 1 year.

> > > >

> > > > I feel very blessed.

> > > >

> > > > Wising all of you a wonderful thanksgiving and good swallowing.

> > > >

> > > > Cara

> > > >

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[Guest guest]

i am so thankful that i can eat some cornbread dressing this year and green

salad. after almost starving to death!!!

[Guest guest]

Omg, Amen to that Kim!!!!

[Guest guest]

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> i am so thankful that i can eat some cornbread dressing this year and green

salad. after almost starving to death!!!

>

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