how to relax after severe spasm that leaves you stiff as a boad unable to move

[aintalion]

I was just in the hospital due to an esophageal spasm so bad it felt like my esophagus split in four and I could feel my cough vibrating in four places in my esophagus. Right after my whole body started shaking.

In the hospital waiting room I passed out 8 times in 45 minutes. My chest pain was so bad that I could not breathe. The pain went across my chest down my arm across my back and up my neck, it felt like an alien was trying to escape my chest buy King Kong is stepping on it. Perhaps the scariest was when my whole body went stiff as a board and I was unable to call for help. I remember sitting there as my stiff body slowly slid off the wheel chair. In my head I was calling out for help. I thought I was calling out as loud as I could. Nobody even knew something was wrong until by body hit the floor and I did not get up. As the Chest pain worsened I started passing out. This stiff as a board thing happened 3 times while in E.R What can be done to help the chest/esophagus relax after an severe spasm.

[052517]

The spasms are real and can be quite painful. At first sign of them stop eating/drinking it will only make spasms worse. Sit in a recliner type chair and do something peaceful...knit, read, meditate...A few hours after they subside eat a lot of super soft high nutrition food, poached eggs/avocado/pureed soups. Learn to eat smaller amounts of foods and chew slow enough that you will always be the last one done their meal. Hopefully you will get a dilation done soon

[Alan_M Partner]

There are some details about spasms that can be found on our website achalasia-action.org Info Hub where we discussed them in some detail on 9 November. The pain travels through your nerve system, sometimes to different places as you describe. It does tale a lot 'to relax' and is easier said than done. Medication might help, but it is also important to try and identify what triggers it off. Sometimes this is reflux, for instance; sometimes small pieces of food getting stuck. Don't discount complementary therapies like acupuncture and various relaxation techniques. It is also no doubt complicated by other conditions you may have, but it will be a matter of trying to soothe the oesophagus. Some medication like Sildenafil can improve blood flow to the nerve endings but you really need a specialist doctor on board for this. I am not medically qualified and so you also need to talk to a specialist.