After the deluge. . . . Post Heller, almost four days. . . .

[Guest guest]

Sorry, this is going to be a bit long, but I figure the detail may help the

newbies. . . . Please remember, this is just one lady's experience, and we are

all going to be different. But we are also more like each other than we are

like the " rest of the population; " i.e., we just AIN'T normal no mo, lol! Here

ya go:

Day one:

Arrived at Five a.m. Got up to pre-op room immediately, and into the warmest

paper gown I've ever worn! (warm air pumped into the gown itself) Blood work,

and IV inserted. Got to talk to all the docs and nurses about who I was, and

what they were going to be doing. About seven, the escort escorted my kid to

the waiting room for thoracic/heart patients, and I got escorted to the

operating room, which seemed like a big office (without desks). Lots of busy

peeps scuffling around, opening drawers, extracting stuff, checking and counter

checking with each other. Big soft ostershell shaped lights positioned over me.

Pretty much flat on my back (slight head elevation). At that point, about 10 or

15 people in the room. They started the IV pain stuff, and I just faded. They

did all the rest of the tubey stuff (nasal tubes, Foley, etc) *after* I was

under. Woke to a big library type room with lots of beds, and lots of people

murmuring/moving. Kept falling asleep again. After quite a while there, moved

me to my room, and got me into bed, I don't remember how. Met my nurse, who I

got to keep till I left as far as day shifts went. Around two, they let the kid

in. He'd been met and talked to by the surgeon, , around 11.

Surgeon's report went something like this: no extra blood needed, no surprises.

The hernia was bigger than anyone had mentioned, and a good part of ma tummy was

up in the thoracic cavity. They pulled it back down, did the Heller, did a Dor,

and added a couple of stitches to close up the hernia. He said the LES was VERY

thickened and tight. He felt all had gone very well.

They started me on liquids by mouth. But the second pair of Tylenol gave me

*massive* heartburn, and they put me back on IV liquids only. And switched me

from plain Tylenol to roxicet, liquid. So in first twenty four hours, I had

1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/2 glass of water. Then at lunch, end of day

one/beginning of day two, got clear: jello, chicken broth, apple juice. Dinner,

same. Breakfast, Thursday was strawberry yogurt, cream of wheat, and apple

juice. AND coffee!! Left before lunch. So had some soda crackers when I got

home, with butter slices; and Ritz crackers for dinner with butter slices. Had

half a glass of eggnog. But my body doesn't seem to be wanting milk products

(cept for the butter) -- phlegm making is my guess. Had about half a cup of

chicken puree late night. Late night being 8 o'clock. Today, breakfast was

soda crackers/cheese. Lunch was herbed smashed potatoes/butter. And dinner

soda crackers/avocado. I'm not hungry. Drinking coffee/chocolate and flat

Mountain Dew.

Pain isn't being much of a problem if I catch right when the shoulders begin to

hurt. Right above the collar bone on the right. If I get otherwise involved,

and don't attend to it, it progresses across and out on both shoulders, and the

up the neck to the jaw and tongue. About then, the muscle sheet of the tummy

goes into spasm (*not* the esophagus), and then the itching starts. And then

I'm a cool mess. Only happened twice. It *will* not happen again, lol! I set

my alarm for four this morning, took the roxicet which was waiting right there,

and went right back to sleep.

Am trying to pay a LOT of attention to what my body is telling me.

Can only say that three days out, I'm feeling more normal than I have in *years

and years* and am very glad I had it done.

Since surgery, I've had heartburn twice. That now equals the two other times

I've had heartburn in my life. I have NOT regurgitated at all, though I've

" backswallowed/reswallowed " maybe half a dozen times. I suspected this might be

a tiny problem since my body is SO well trained. But given that it was

forty/fifty/sixty times a day before, with full gurging, I am not going to see

this as any problem at all, even if it doesn't resolve. And I'm thinking it

will. Have had several periods of brief, intense nausea, but no vomiting, and

no actual attempt to vomit. Drs wouldn't promise one way or the other: simply

have to wait and see. Took one PPI (Nexium) on leaving the hospital, and one

toms in the evening. Haven't taken any more, nor needed to. Been getting

brief periods of hiccups which resolve on their own, and kind of make me laugh

-- haven't had hiccups in years. Suspect it's surgery related.

That was written last night. This is the addendum for today, so far.

Night three: had ham and soda crackers for dinner. Or, *began* to. One cracker

w/ham was too much. I could feel it getting stuck, and made a decision to stop

and deliberately regurge. Spit it out, and ate the rest of the crackers with

avocado, which was fine. I'm very much pushing the envelope here, and don't

feel bad that it was too soon. Will prolly keep testing the limits as that

seems to be my nature, but will do so cautiously.

Had the beginnings of something acid this morning, so took a Nexium. I'm hoping

this doesn't remain a problem, but if it does, it's a problem that I'm very

willing to live with.

NB: I think I hurt the dietitian's feelings when I talked with her. Going over

her recommendations put together with the surgeons, it struck me that the diet

was both for GERD, and for abdominal surgery where cuts had gone through the

mucosa. (Title of the document we were working with was: " Nutrition Guidelines

after a Nissan Surgery " -- since the Nissan fundoplication is done for GERD,

you see my point, lol!) The recommendations were so far off, I suggested that

she might not be very familiar with Achalasia. She hotly denied this, and said

she sees Achalasia patients " all the the time. " Which turned out to be once or

twice a week. So she really has NO excuse. I'm afraid though that by offending

her, I missed my " teachable moment. " Alas.

Hope this helps someone who might be thinking of surgery, now or in the future.

xox

, in the very wilds of WV

[Guest guest]

,

 

I am so happy you finally had this done. I don't get the opportunity to get

online and read my emaisl as much as I would like to but I try and start with

the oldest first. I am sure you probably sent more posts or updates and can't

imagine it could be any worse than what it was. I do hope you are careful with

what you eat so that there are no issues with your healing. I know when you have

starved for so long you almost can't help yourself. I am stubborn too. TYhe day

after my last dilation stupid here ( stupid being me ) ate a piece of beef

jerky!!!! Wasn't too smart.

 

Anyways, take good care of yourself!!!

 

Kim A

________________________________

From: puddleriver13 <puddleriver13@...>

achalasia

Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 6:46 AM

Subject: After the deluge. . . . Post Heller, almost four days. .

.. .

 

Sorry, this is going to be a bit long, but I figure the detail may help the

newbies. . . . Please remember, this is just one lady's experience, and we are

all going to be different. But we are also more like each other than we are

like the " rest of the population; " i.e., we just AIN'T normal no mo, lol! Here

ya go:

Day one:

Arrived at Five a.m. Got up to pre-op room immediately, and into the warmest

paper gown I've ever worn! (warm air pumped into the gown itself) Blood work,

and IV inserted. Got to talk to all the docs and nurses about who I was, and

what they were going to be doing. About seven, the escort escorted my kid to

the waiting room for thoracic/heart patients, and I got escorted to the

operating room, which seemed like a big office (without desks). Lots of busy

peeps scuffling around, opening drawers, extracting stuff, checking and counter

checking with each other. Big soft ostershell shaped lights positioned over me.

Pretty much flat on my back (slight head elevation). At that point, about 10 or

15 people in the room. They started the IV pain stuff, and I just faded. They

did all the rest of the tubey stuff (nasal tubes, Foley, etc) *after* I was

under. Woke to a big library type room with lots of beds, and lots of people

murmuring/moving. Kept

falling asleep again. After quite a while there, moved me to my room, and got

me into bed, I don't remember how. Met my nurse, who I got to keep till I left

as far as day shifts went. Around two, they let the kid in. He'd been met and

talked to by the surgeon, , around 11. Surgeon's report went

something like this: no extra blood needed, no surprises. The hernia was bigger

than anyone had mentioned, and a good part of ma tummy was up in the thoracic

cavity. They pulled it back down, did the Heller, did a Dor, and added a couple

of stitches to close up the hernia. He said the LES was VERY thickened and

tight. He felt all had gone very well.

They started me on liquids by mouth. But the second pair of Tylenol gave me

*massive* heartburn, and they put me back on IV liquids only. And switched me

from plain Tylenol to roxicet, liquid. So in first twenty four hours, I had

1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/2 glass of water. Then at lunch, end of day

one/beginning of day two, got clear: jello, chicken broth, apple juice. Dinner,

same. Breakfast, Thursday was strawberry yogurt, cream of wheat, and apple

juice. AND coffee!! Left before lunch. So had some soda crackers when I got

home, with butter slices; and Ritz crackers for dinner with butter slices. Had

half a glass of eggnog. But my body doesn't seem to be wanting milk products

(cept for the butter) -- phlegm making is my guess. Had about half a cup of

chicken puree late night. Late night being 8 o'clock. Today, breakfast was

soda crackers/cheese. Lunch was herbed smashed potatoes/butter. And dinner

soda crackers/avocado. I'm not

hungry. Drinking coffee/chocolate and flat Mountain Dew.

Pain isn't being much of a problem if I catch right when the shoulders begin to

hurt. Right above the collar bone on the right. If I get otherwise involved,

and don't attend to it, it progresses across and out on both shoulders, and the

up the neck to the jaw and tongue. About then, the muscle sheet of the tummy

goes into spasm (*not* the esophagus), and then the itching starts. And then

I'm a cool mess. Only happened twice. It *will* not happen again, lol! I set

my alarm for four this morning, took the roxicet which was waiting right there,

and went right back to sleep.

Am trying to pay a LOT of attention to what my body is telling me.

Can only say that three days out, I'm feeling more normal than I have in *years

and years* and am very glad I had it done.

Since surgery, I've had heartburn twice. That now equals the two other times

I've had heartburn in my life. I have NOT regurgitated at all, though I've

" backswallowed/reswallowed " maybe half a dozen times. I suspected this might be

a tiny problem since my body is SO well trained. But given that it was

forty/fifty/sixty times a day before, with full gurging, I am not going to see

this as any problem at all, even if it doesn't resolve. And I'm thinking it

will. Have had several periods of brief, intense nausea, but no vomiting, and

no actual attempt to vomit. Drs wouldn't promise one way or the other: simply

have to wait and see. Took one PPI (Nexium) on leaving the hospital, and one

toms in the evening. Haven't taken any more, nor needed to. Been getting

brief periods of hiccups which resolve on their own, and kind of make me laugh

-- haven't had hiccups in years. Suspect it's surgery related.

That was written last night. This is the addendum for today, so far.

Night three: had ham and soda crackers for dinner. Or, *began* to. One cracker

w/ham was too much. I could feel it getting stuck, and made a decision to stop

and deliberately regurge. Spit it out, and ate the rest of the crackers with

avocado, which was fine. I'm very much pushing the envelope here, and don't

feel bad that it was too soon. Will prolly keep testing the limits as that

seems to be my nature, but will do so cautiously.

Had the beginnings of something acid this morning, so took a Nexium. I'm hoping

this doesn't remain a problem, but if it does, it's a problem that I'm very

willing to live with.

NB: I think I hurt the dietitian's feelings when I talked with her. Going over

her recommendations put together with the surgeons, it struck me that the diet

was both for GERD, and for abdominal surgery where cuts had gone through the

mucosa. (Title of the document we were working with was: " Nutrition Guidelines

after a Nissan Surgery " -- since the Nissan fundoplication is done for GERD,

you see my point, lol!) The recommendations were so far off, I suggested that

she might not be very familiar with Achalasia. She hotly denied this, and said

she sees Achalasia patients " all the the time. " Which turned out to be once or

twice a week. So she really has NO excuse. I'm afraid though that by offending

her, I missed my " teachable moment. " Alas.

Hope this helps someone who might be thinking of surgery, now or in the future.

xox

, in the very wilds of WV

[Guest guest]

Kim, thanks for the well wishes! Doing pretty good! Starting tonight, only

doing the Roxicet at bedtime. Acetaminophen if needed during the day -- so I

can DRIVE! And I'mma gonna! Go to town tomorrow. No more hiccups and no acid

reflux for more than a week. As I was hand scrubbing the last of my spit up

upon pillow cases, thinking how wonderful it would be even if that were *the

only* result. But so much more! Nope, prolly never *really* normal again, but

so close that I'm not going to argue. But I'm really enjoying eating again.

How *basic* is that?

xox, (WV)

>

> ,

>  

> I am so happy you finally had this done. I don't get the opportunity to get

online and read my emaisl as much as I would like to but I try and start with

the oldest first. I am sure you probably sent more posts or updates and can't

imagine it could be any worse than what it was. I do hope you are careful with

what you eat so that there are no issues with your healing. I know when you have

starved for so long you almost can't help yourself. I am stubborn too. TYhe day

after my last dilation stupid here ( stupid being me ) ate a piece of beef

jerky!!!! Wasn't too smart.

>  

> Anyways, take good care of yourself!!!

>  

> Kim A

>

>

> ________________________________

> From: puddleriver13 <puddleriver13@...>

> achalasia

> Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 6:46 AM

> Subject: After the deluge. . . . Post Heller, almost four days.

.. . .

>

>

>

>  

>

> Sorry, this is going to be a bit long, but I figure the detail may help the

newbies. . . . Please remember, this is just one lady's experience, and we are

all going to be different. But we are also more like each other than we are

like the " rest of the population; " i.e., we just AIN'T normal no mo, lol! Here

ya go:

>

> Day one:

> Arrived at Five a.m. Got up to pre-op room immediately, and into the warmest

paper gown I've ever worn! (warm air pumped into the gown itself) Blood work,

and IV inserted. Got to talk to all the docs and nurses about who I was, and

what they were going to be doing. About seven, the escort escorted my kid to

the waiting room for thoracic/heart patients, and I got escorted to the

operating room, which seemed like a big office (without desks). Lots of busy

peeps scuffling around, opening drawers, extracting stuff, checking and counter

checking with each other. Big soft ostershell shaped lights positioned over me.

Pretty much flat on my back (slight head elevation). At that point, about 10 or

15 people in the room. They started the IV pain stuff, and I just faded. They

did all the rest of the tubey stuff (nasal tubes, Foley, etc) *after* I was

under. Woke to a big library type room with lots of beds, and lots of people

murmuring/moving. Kept

> falling asleep again. After quite a while there, moved me to my room, and

got me into bed, I don't remember how. Met my nurse, who I got to keep till I

left as far as day shifts went. Around two, they let the kid in. He'd been met

and talked to by the surgeon, , around 11. Surgeon's report went

something like this: no extra blood needed, no surprises. The hernia was bigger

than anyone had mentioned, and a good part of ma tummy was up in the thoracic

cavity. They pulled it back down, did the Heller, did a Dor, and added a couple

of stitches to close up the hernia. He said the LES was VERY thickened and

tight. He felt all had gone very well.

>

> They started me on liquids by mouth. But the second pair of Tylenol gave me

*massive* heartburn, and they put me back on IV liquids only. And switched me

from plain Tylenol to roxicet, liquid. So in first twenty four hours, I had

1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/2 glass of water. Then at lunch, end of day

one/beginning of day two, got clear: jello, chicken broth, apple juice. Dinner,

same. Breakfast, Thursday was strawberry yogurt, cream of wheat, and apple

juice. AND coffee!! Left before lunch. So had some soda crackers when I got

home, with butter slices; and Ritz crackers for dinner with butter slices. Had

half a glass of eggnog. But my body doesn't seem to be wanting milk products

(cept for the butter) -- phlegm making is my guess. Had about half a cup of

chicken puree late night. Late night being 8 o'clock. Today, breakfast was

soda crackers/cheese. Lunch was herbed smashed potatoes/butter. And dinner

soda crackers/avocado. I'm not

> hungry. Drinking coffee/chocolate and flat Mountain Dew.

>

> Pain isn't being much of a problem if I catch right when the shoulders begin

to hurt. Right above the collar bone on the right. If I get otherwise

involved, and don't attend to it, it progresses across and out on both

shoulders, and the up the neck to the jaw and tongue. About then, the muscle

sheet of the tummy goes into spasm (*not* the esophagus), and then the itching

starts. And then I'm a cool mess. Only happened twice. It *will* not happen

again, lol! I set my alarm for four this morning, took the roxicet which was

waiting right there, and went right back to sleep.

>

> Am trying to pay a LOT of attention to what my body is telling me.

>

> Can only say that three days out, I'm feeling more normal than I have in

*years and years* and am very glad I had it done.

>

> Since surgery, I've had heartburn twice. That now equals the two other times

I've had heartburn in my life. I have NOT regurgitated at all, though I've

" backswallowed/reswallowed " maybe half a dozen times. I suspected this might be

a tiny problem since my body is SO well trained. But given that it was

forty/fifty/sixty times a day before, with full gurging, I am not going to see

this as any problem at all, even if it doesn't resolve. And I'm thinking it

will. Have had several periods of brief, intense nausea, but no vomiting, and

no actual attempt to vomit. Drs wouldn't promise one way or the other: simply

have to wait and see. Took one PPI (Nexium) on leaving the hospital, and one

toms in the evening. Haven't taken any more, nor needed to. Been getting

brief periods of hiccups which resolve on their own, and kind of make me laugh

-- haven't had hiccups in years. Suspect it's surgery related.

>

> That was written last night. This is the addendum for today, so far.

>

> Night three: had ham and soda crackers for dinner. Or, *began* to. One

cracker w/ham was too much. I could feel it getting stuck, and made a decision

to stop and deliberately regurge. Spit it out, and ate the rest of the crackers

with avocado, which was fine. I'm very much pushing the envelope here, and

don't feel bad that it was too soon. Will prolly keep testing the limits as

that seems to be my nature, but will do so cautiously.

>

> Had the beginnings of something acid this morning, so took a Nexium. I'm

hoping this doesn't remain a problem, but if it does, it's a problem that I'm

very willing to live with.

>

> NB: I think I hurt the dietitian's feelings when I talked with her. Going

over her recommendations put together with the surgeons, it struck me that the

diet was both for GERD, and for abdominal surgery where cuts had gone through

the mucosa. (Title of the document we were working with was: " Nutrition

Guidelines after a Nissan Surgery " -- since the Nissan fundoplication is done

for GERD, you see my point, lol!) The recommendations were so far off, I

suggested that she might not be very familiar with Achalasia. She hotly denied

this, and said she sees Achalasia patients " all the the time. " Which turned out

to be once or twice a week. So she really has NO excuse. I'm afraid though that

by offending her, I missed my " teachable moment. " Alas.

>

> Hope this helps someone who might be thinking of surgery, now or in the

future.

>

> xox

> , in the very wilds of WV

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

It is great to hear you are doing better. After loosing allt hat weight it will

take you some time to get better. I only lost 35 pounds in four months but still

feel the effects of that. Just started losing my hair too about 6 weeks ago.

Can't wait until that stops!!!  Lol..........   It takes a long time to get

real sick and I think even longer to recover.

Anyways, keep me posted on your progress. My last dilation helped but am

starting to spit up again which as you know is no fun. I am only 42 so not sure

how ready I am for myotomy either.

 

Anyways,

 

Best

 

Kim A

________________________________

From: puddleriver13 <puddleriver13@...>

achalasia

Sent: Monday, January 9, 2012 4:49 PM

Subject: Re: After the deluge. . . . Post Heller, almost four

days. . . .

 

Kim, thanks for the well wishes! Doing pretty good! Starting tonight, only

doing the Roxicet at bedtime. Acetaminophen if needed during the day -- so I

can DRIVE! And I'mma gonna! Go to town tomorrow. No more hiccups and no acid

reflux for more than a week. As I was hand scrubbing the last of my spit up

upon pillow cases, thinking how wonderful it would be even if that were *the

only* result. But so much more! Nope, prolly never *really* normal again, but

so close that I'm not going to argue. But I'm really enjoying eating again.

How *basic* is that?

xox, (WV)

>

> ,

>  

> I am so happy you finally had this done. I don't get the opportunity to get

online and read my emaisl as much as I would like to but I try and start with

the oldest first. I am sure you probably sent more posts or updates and can't

imagine it could be any worse than what it was. I do hope you are careful with

what you eat so that there are no issues with your healing. I know when you have

starved for so long you almost can't help yourself. I am stubborn too. TYhe day

after my last dilation stupid here ( stupid being me ) ate a piece of beef

jerky!!!! Wasn't too smart.

>  

> Anyways, take good care of yourself!!!

>  

> Kim A

>

>

> ________________________________

> From: puddleriver13 <puddleriver13@...>

> achalasia

> Sent: Saturday, December 31, 2011 6:46 AM

> Subject: After the deluge. . . . Post Heller, almost four days.

.. . .

>

>

>

>  

>

> Sorry, this is going to be a bit long, but I figure the detail may help the

newbies. . . . Please remember, this is just one lady's experience, and we are

all going to be different. But we are also more like each other than we are

like the " rest of the population; " i.e., we just AIN'T normal no mo, lol! Here

ya go:

>

> Day one:

> Arrived at Five a.m. Got up to pre-op room immediately, and into the warmest

paper gown I've ever worn! (warm air pumped into the gown itself) Blood work,

and IV inserted. Got to talk to all the docs and nurses about who I was, and

what they were going to be doing. About seven, the escort escorted my kid to

the waiting room for thoracic/heart patients, and I got escorted to the

operating room, which seemed like a big office (without desks). Lots of busy

peeps scuffling around, opening drawers, extracting stuff, checking and counter

checking with each other. Big soft ostershell shaped lights positioned over me.

Pretty much flat on my back (slight head elevation). At that point, about 10 or

15 people in the room. They started the IV pain stuff, and I just faded. They

did all the rest of the tubey stuff (nasal tubes, Foley, etc) *after* I was

under. Woke to a big library type room with lots of beds, and lots of people

murmuring/moving. Kept

> falling asleep again. After quite a while there, moved me to my room, and

got me into bed, I don't remember how. Met my nurse, who I got to keep till I

left as far as day shifts went. Around two, they let the kid in. He'd been met

and talked to by the surgeon, , around 11. Surgeon's report went

something like this: no extra blood needed, no surprises. The hernia was bigger

than anyone had mentioned, and a good part of ma tummy was up in the thoracic

cavity. They pulled it back down, did the Heller, did a Dor, and added a couple

of stitches to close up the hernia. He said the LES was VERY thickened and

tight. He felt all had gone very well.

>

> They started me on liquids by mouth. But the second pair of Tylenol gave me

*massive* heartburn, and they put me back on IV liquids only. And switched me

from plain Tylenol to roxicet, liquid. So in first twenty four hours, I had

1/2 cup chicken broth; 1/2 glass of water. Then at lunch, end of day

one/beginning of day two, got clear: jello, chicken broth, apple juice. Dinner,

same. Breakfast, Thursday was strawberry yogurt, cream of wheat, and apple

juice. AND coffee!! Left before lunch. So had some soda crackers when I got

home, with butter slices; and Ritz crackers for dinner with butter slices. Had

half a glass of eggnog. But my body doesn't seem to be wanting milk products

(cept for the butter) -- phlegm making is my guess. Had about half a cup of

chicken puree late night. Late night being 8 o'clock. Today, breakfast was

soda crackers/cheese. Lunch was herbed smashed potatoes/butter. And dinner

soda crackers/avocado. I'm not

> hungry. Drinking coffee/chocolate and flat Mountain Dew.

>

> Pain isn't being much of a problem if I catch right when the shoulders begin

to hurt. Right above the collar bone on the right. If I get otherwise

involved, and don't attend to it, it progresses across and out on both

shoulders, and the up the neck to the jaw and tongue. About then, the muscle

sheet of the tummy goes into spasm (*not* the esophagus), and then the itching

starts. And then I'm a cool mess. Only happened twice. It *will* not happen

again, lol! I set my alarm for four this morning, took the roxicet which was

waiting right there, and went right back to sleep.

>

> Am trying to pay a LOT of attention to what my body is telling me.

>

> Can only say that three days out, I'm feeling more normal than I have in

*years and years* and am very glad I had it done.

>

> Since surgery, I've had heartburn twice. That now equals the two other times

I've had heartburn in my life. I have NOT regurgitated at all, though I've

" backswallowed/reswallowed " maybe half a dozen times. I suspected this might be

a tiny problem since my body is SO well trained. But given that it was

forty/fifty/sixty times a day before, with full gurging, I am not going to see

this as any problem at all, even if it doesn't resolve. And I'm thinking it

will. Have had several periods of brief, intense nausea, but no vomiting, and

no actual attempt to vomit. Drs wouldn't promise one way or the other: simply

have to wait and see. Took one PPI (Nexium) on leaving the hospital, and one

toms in the evening. Haven't taken any more, nor needed to. Been getting

brief periods of hiccups which resolve on their own, and kind of make me laugh

-- haven't had hiccups in years. Suspect it's surgery related.

>

> That was written last night. This is the addendum for today, so far.

>

> Night three: had ham and soda crackers for dinner. Or, *began* to. One

cracker w/ham was too much. I could feel it getting stuck, and made a decision

to stop and deliberately regurge. Spit it out, and ate the rest of the crackers

with avocado, which was fine. I'm very much pushing the envelope here, and

don't feel bad that it was too soon. Will prolly keep testing the limits as

that seems to be my nature, but will do so cautiously.

>

> Had the beginnings of something acid this morning, so took a Nexium. I'm

hoping this doesn't remain a problem, but if it does, it's a problem that I'm

very willing to live with.

>

> NB: I think I hurt the dietitian's feelings when I talked with her. Going

over her recommendations put together with the surgeons, it struck me that the

diet was both for GERD, and for abdominal surgery where cuts had gone through

the mucosa. (Title of the document we were working with was: " Nutrition

Guidelines after a Nissan Surgery " -- since the Nissan fundoplication is done

for GERD, you see my point, lol!) The recommendations were so far off, I

suggested that she might not be very familiar with Achalasia. She hotly denied

this, and said she sees Achalasia patients " all the the time. " Which turned out

to be once or twice a week. So she really has NO excuse. I'm afraid though that

by offending her, I missed my " teachable moment. " Alas.

>

> Hope this helps someone who might be thinking of surgery, now or in the

future.

>

> xox

> , in the very wilds of WV

>

>

>

>

>