My name is Angie and I was just diagnosed with achalasia. Symptoms of throat clearing and coughing started almost three years ago. Difficulty swallowing and some choking started up with the other symptoms six months or so ago. I have noticed past few weeks lots of periods of chest pressure while eating and my blood pressure goes up after I eat. Do all these symptoms fit achalasia? Diagnosed via manometry. Thanks for all help
No estoy seguro sobre la presión arterial, pero todo lo demás coincide con algunos de los síntomas de la Acalasia. También tengo la presión en el pecho, a veces la siento en la espalda. Este es un buen sitio para formar parte; muy solidario y con mucha 'compartición' de información y experiencias con este trastorno raro.
Thanks for the quick reply😊 Is throat clearing a symptom?
No estoy muy seguro de eso, aunque hay veces en que parece que hay un "tapón" de algo, de moco, atascado en la parte posterior de la garganta, bueno, en realidad un poco más abajo. Quizás Alan tenga alguna idea sobre esto.
If you have had a manometry test, and perhaps a barium swallow as well, then the doctors should have the infomation available to diagnose achalasia, and it sounds like this is exactly what has happened. The food may well be getting stuck in your oesophagus (between throat and diaphragm) and regurgitate upwards becaus eof the pressure. The food can ferment there anbd this will make you feel nauseous. I imagibe that it would also affect the saliva and general hygiene of your mouth and throat, so your other symptoms may be consistent.
You may also be getting acid reflux that might cause heartburn.
The manometry test should indicate exactly where the problems are occurring.
This is something that is often caused by the nerve endings not operating the swallowing muscles in your oesophagus (called peristalsis) so there may also be quite a lot of tension and anxiety around eating and swallowing food, so it would not be surprising if your blood pressure were affected.
There is a booklet called A Patient's Guide to Achalasia that you can dowload from the website of the Oesophageal Patients Association under the Oesophagus and then Achalasia, towards the bottom of the page.
It is best not to take another mouthful of food until the previous one has passed below diaphragm level; otherwise it creates extra pressure and swells your oesophagus. Some food, like rice and bread will congeal and cause problems, and you will probably have to avoid food with a stringy texture or things like tomatoes with hard skins that might cause a blockage.