Post by pumpkin on Dec 20, 2011 10:59:16 GMT -5
What is an esophageal spasm?
Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus camera and into the stomach.
There are two main types of esophageal spasm:
* Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
* THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND because many banded people think that their food is stuck due to not chewing well or they think they ate too fast.
*
* Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.
* Again, this is often explained away by band surgeons and banded patients as eating to fast and/or not chewing well enough.
You can have both types of esophageal spasm.
After many ER visits, doctor visits, specialists, procedures and hospital admissions still being wrongly diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with Dysphagia ( difficulty in swallowing ), and Esophageal Motility Disorder ( difficulty in swallowing,regurgitation of food and esophageal spasms ), and erosion of the esophagus.
Many lap band patients will have a secondary surgery done to fix a flipped port, a slipped band , eroded band and/or esophagus, and any other number of complications within the first 5 years of their original band surgery. There are lap band vets here who will tell you that they have had secondary surgeries done.
There is nothing " Minimally invasive " about being banded. Between my daughter and myself we have now had 6 minimally invasive surgeries due to the band.
Esophageal spasms are irregular, uncoordinated, and sometimes powerful contractions of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, contractions of the esophagus are coordinated, moving the food through the esophagus camera and into the stomach.
There are two main types of esophageal spasm:
* Diffuse esophageal spasm. This type of spasm is an irregular, uncoordinated squeezing of the muscles of the esophagus. This can prevent food from reaching the stomach, leaving it stuck in the esophagus.
* THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND because many banded people think that their food is stuck due to not chewing well or they think they ate too fast.
*
* Nutcracker esophagus. This type of spasm squeezes the esophagus in a coordinated way, the same way food is moved down the esophagus normally. But the squeezing is very strong. These contractions move food through the esophagus but can cause severe pain.
* Again, this is often explained away by band surgeons and banded patients as eating to fast and/or not chewing well enough.
You can have both types of esophageal spasm.
After many ER visits, doctor visits, specialists, procedures and hospital admissions still being wrongly diagnosed. I was finally diagnosed with Dysphagia ( difficulty in swallowing ), and Esophageal Motility Disorder ( difficulty in swallowing,regurgitation of food and esophageal spasms ), and erosion of the esophagus.
Many lap band patients will have a secondary surgery done to fix a flipped port, a slipped band , eroded band and/or esophagus, and any other number of complications within the first 5 years of their original band surgery. There are lap band vets here who will tell you that they have had secondary surgeries done.
There is nothing " Minimally invasive " about being banded. Between my daughter and myself we have now had 6 minimally invasive surgeries due to the band.