Hi Melissa, how are you doing?
My name is Iole and I suffer of Acalasia since 8 years. Well 8 years since my illness is got a name, but to be honest I'm been suffering of chocking on the hard and dry food ( like bread, cookies, crackers, seeds, nuts, sandwiches, cake sponge, sandwishes, ect...) since 20 years, if I can remember.
Your symptoms in good part are typical from Acalasia suffers, like stacking food, bad swallowing, food back to the mouth, chest infection, hardness at the top of the oesophagus, frustration to be unable to push the food inside stomach, metal taste in the mouth, anxiety.
Actually, anxiety, rising heart beating, nausea, dizziness, getting worse the problem because are the result of the mess you do when you straggle and force the food to go down by oesophagus.
I will explain you : Probably you don't chew the food enough and you swallow it down too quickly. With Acalasia you can not do it, because your Peristalsis (it is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down a muscular tube, the oesophagus so ..) does not coordinate any more. The nerves along oesophagus wall get mad and give hardness to the tissues,
with 7 bad results : Food boomerang effect, inflammation and bleeding along the walls of the oesophagus (metal taste in the mouth), further oesophagus wall deforming, pain in the chest (heartburning), the formation of bags at the base of the oesophagus, further deformation of the sphincter ( the valve which regulate the passage of food in the stomach) because it does not close completely any more, and it does not open at the right time to leave the food go through into the stomach ( that's why it come back up), and the least but not the last : chest infection.
The chest infection, hoarseness, and all the throat problems are because the opened sphincter let
some stomach acid come back up together with the food, so the acid burn the oesophagus wall, the throat wall, the larynx, the mouth wall and soon will start with gums too. In this movement back just because
your peristalsis does not coordinate the movements more properly, leave some stomach acid
and small pieces of food end up in the channels of breathing, with the result of igniting and develop chest infection, which never get better because foreign bodies get into the channels at every meal.
Because of this continue invasion your immune system is probably very stressed, and the skin
itchiness could be a the result of that.
On one side your GP is right to say that your anxiety amplifies the problem but this is not the source of the problem. Stress, hasty and disorderly life, meals not well distributed along time (you should do very light meals with intervals of 3 hours at the most and follow a specific diet that reduces the amount of acid and reduce the permanence of the food in the stomach at the minimum) usually accelerate Acalasia develop.
You should make the last evening meal minimum 3 hours before going to bed!!
Abolish all substances from the diet that accelerates the metabolism and stress the nervous system.
Usually these foods produce more acidity in the body and into the stomach. So eliminate from your diet:
coffee, black tea and red, alcohol, beer, citrus and acid fruits, fried foods, sugars, sweets, saturated fats,
sauces and spices.
Instead drink green tea which helps to soothe inflammation in the oesophagus and reduce the risk of cancer in the oesophagus and stomach, but always drink it at mild temperature, never hot, never cold, (this will relax the oesophagus wall a little ), and with little sip, slowly. As well all the other food which probably you already need to blend ( like baby food ) and make very liquid. When swallow the food keep your back and neck straight and sit on the chair at 90 degrees angle, this will help to stretch the lowest par of the
oesophagus and the sphincter.
Do some deep breath before start to put food in the mouth, keep calm and relax while you eating, and swallow with calm. should do it slowly and without rash, not get nervous, focus on the food which is going down and follow it mentally so you are able to realize what you are doing at the moment.
This should give the sphincter enough time to coordinate the opening and closing by the thrust of
the food.
Into the while do it all the test and specialistic visits, you will need to decide which it would be your better next step. It could be a simple dilatation or maybe you will already need a Heller's myotomy, all depend from how much the oesophagus is strangled on the bottom.
If you can please help your self with yoga lessons and/or meditation. It helps to control anxiety a lot, especially in the worst moment when your heart beat rate crazy up and you feel that one could be your last
breath of life. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. I know what you are living now because
unfortunately I did before you.
Even after myotomy I needed 4 long years to get rid of the pain and troubles at the meal time,
with patience and calm.
I now also stopped to use pain killers and antacids which is the greatest result ( don't feel slave of them any more!!)
I use to sleep on a wedge to prevent night time reflux. I follow a well balanced diet which give strength to my immune system, and reduces inflammation risks in the stomach and along oesophagus too.
These are my tips, I wish they will help you too, for a better life.
Don't give up and good luck!
Iole