Booked for a balloon dilation. Recommended size?

Digestive health
1

My achalasia started somewhere during late last year. I didn't pick up on it because I'd feel this tightness whenever I swallowed, but it was nothing to pick up on. Then closer to December I noticed I was getting bad chest pains and that I couldn't keep solids down. Liquids was alright. Cut to January, my abaility to swallow liquids disappeared and I would throw up right away. Usually I forced food down with big, painful gulps of water, but after the third or fourth swallow I'd completely throw up.

My doctor already said I had achalasia after I had a test done in December. They booked me to see a doctor through the public system and he promised me a surgery in December... somehow he convinently forgot and went on holidays. He wasted my time because he ended up sending me to a specialist so I just saw him yesterday and he said my case it's getting severe. Mind you, along with trouble swallowing I've developed a really bad cough which makes it hard for me to sleep because I wake up in a fit of coughs and end up vomitting in my sleep and choke. It's affected my work too because I have random coughing fits. I've lost 10 kilos altogether... shocking since I didn't notice it. People don't really understand the discomfort of achalasia.

Anyway, so the specialist recommended ballon dialation and now we wait for 6-8 weeks for a room. That being said, I wanted to know what size should I get the balloon in? He recommended 3mm at first but that sounds so tiny to me, and he also said your throat could tighten again. Should I ask to go sizes bigger? I think it goes up to 20mm? I see no use in getting it done for it to tighten back up. Or to continiously keep doing it between months. What are your recommendations? 

2

I had it done and it only helped a little bit and closed back up in a very short time. Yes, that's very small especially the difficulty your having . I hope you can get a cross reference of people to comment but as far as I'm concerned it's a total waste of time. I was misdiagnosed for almost 6 years before I was told I had Achalasia type 3 . I had POEM 8 months ago and wish I would have gone with the Heller M. Now having severe acid attacks on my vocal cords and can hardly talk. I hope you can get some relief, this is a terrible disease to deal with. I can't tell you how many doctors I went to that had no idea what I had or how to treat it. Good luck in your search and whatever surgery or procedures you have done I'll pray that they help you.

3

I've had several balloon dilations, all different sizes and it always closes back up. I'd start a little bigger, especially with the problems you're having. I also had the HM with dor fundiplication and though it helped some, it didnt help nearly as much as I wS praying it would. Best of luck!