While
this article is not intended to be a diagnosis
or any substitute for a medical treatment or
cure, it is comforting to know the author is
also a sufferer of Achalasia. To share with you
what I have learned, this occurrence is
considered to be a rare condition of the
esophagus, it has not been my experience that
this is not as rare as one would be led to
believe. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending
on what context we are speaking, living in a
land of plenty and abundance, in the USA, as a
whole, we tend to over consume our food. That
being said, it may actually play a part in this
medical condition for some suffers.
Achalasia is the medical term for this throat
spasm or constriction problem, if you haven't
already sought medical treatment and want to
appear somewhat knowledgeable when making a
medical appointment. This condition is a very
scary one to say the least. You instantly feel
that you are choking and you cannot breathe.
After a few panicking moments you soon realize
that you are in fact choking but you can still
breathe. This is the unusual part, in a true
choking occurrence, a person cannot breathe and
this can prove fatal without freeing the throat
and blockage of the wind pipe.
Once you have assessed that you are able to
breathe, you immediately want to get your throat
cleared of food and this may prove to be a bit
more difficult than you would think. The problem
is your throat is stuck or it has virtually
slammed shut. Not even a sip of water will prove
to open your throat or wash down the lodged
food. Now what do you do?
Since I have experienced this numerous times
over a few years, as of this article date, I can
say with assurance that I have tried countless
solutions without seeking medical treatment but
only once. My first and only medical treatment
was to the ER to clear the lodged food and the
follow up was to see an ear, nose, and throat
specialist once. He ran a scope down my throat
and determined that my reflux was a contributing
factor to what I had. Needless to say, I was
less than impressed with his diagnosis. After
much research on my own, I have come to realize
there are more suffers of this condition than
are reported and those physicians that are more
aware of the condition still offer few
solutions.
Achalasia tends
to affect us, in majority, in our late 30's and
early 40's, and can continue on once we have
contracted this condition. What appears to be
common contributors of the onset of this throat
closing condition are specific foods such as red
meat, lettuce, certain bean types, and coated
caplets are another instant throat spasm
trigger. It appears to be a chemical component
make up of these certain triggering foods and
pills that initiate the instant throat
constriction. Once these foods suddenly hit the
back of your throat the spasm is triggered and
there is no chance to reverse this spasm once it
is done.
As I have stated earlier, I am not offering
medical advice or a cure, but I would like to
share what I have found to help me personally
and it may benefit other suffers as well. So,
please take this as mere reference material.
That being said, I am now in my 50's and this
throat constriction spasms or acalalsia
condition started with me in my mid 40's. Since
that time I have met several other suffers
locally, and this led me to believe that there
are far more suffers out there than are
reported.
Some feedback
that I have received from a few suffers is they
have been prescribed and given throat stretching
treatments. This in theory sounds good, but in
reality, they have to repeat this process about
every 3 months. Being a non-medical enthusiast,
or in layman terms, I don't like doctors, this
procedure of throat stretching is not a good
remedy, but rather a good repeat customer
solution.
My best immediate
remedy when a throat spasm occurs is to relax as
much as possible,
being tense will only prolong the spasm in my
cases. I alert my wife or whomever is nearby to
please get me a hot cup of water. The water
should be as hot as a cup of coffee, the hotter
the better. I have found any other liquid drink
has sugar, caffeine, carbonation, or other
ingredients that tend to not be completely
natural and accommodating to the throat during
this condition. As much as possible, relax and
try to take a fairly good sip of hot water and
let your throat hold the water as long as
possible. This will often allow your throat to
relax on its own and open back up.
One other key
factor that had an impact with me was when I
chose to lose some weight. I am of average male
build; 6 foot tall and was weighing
approximately 200 pounds. When I lost around 15
pounds and kept that weight for approximately 18
months I did not have any throat constriction or
spasm occurrences during that time. As I began
to regain my weight to the 200 mark again, the
throat issues returned. This led me to believe
that being of a leaner weight actually was a
possible improvement to achalasia possibly. I
offer that as a factual testimony only.
In
closing, I do suggest you seek medical attention
since this throat constriction or spasm
condition will not cure itself, but seek a
specialist that has experience in achalasia or
throat disorders. It is also noteworthy to
suggest that not only do some specific foods act
as triggers to achalasia, but I feel that anxiety
is another key contributor as well. You see, I
came to realize that anticipation of eating at
certain restaurants, eating in public, and
eating with people that I feel uncomfortable
with, tend to increase the onset of my throat
spasms. Why? I can only attribute anxiety. For
this reason alone, I suggest getting medical
help, it is very uncomfortable and embarrassing
to have to anticipate a throat spasm just
because of being around other people. So, use
plain hot water to fix the immediate attack and
seek knowledgeable medical specialists to find a
more long term cure. Please be sure to share
your results and let those of us, less than
receptive to general medical practioners, to
learn more about our condition.
Throat
Constriction Or Spasm
Conditions of the Esophagus and
Reflux on the Increase
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