Achalasia, the horrible cough, swallow disease

[sherbet0102]

Acalasia, the loud noisy coughing disease, over the last 20 years until I was finally diagnosed I called it cough swallow disease. As we never had a name for it.

I have never lost any weight as I have been coughing and eating my food through my coughing for so many years I don't even think about it. My family and staff are so used to me coughing, even they don't take any notice. I have warned them all if my coughing goes really quiet then start worrying, come and bash me on the back. As I have now been told that is a nutcracker and I can choke to death, happy days!!

I am never worried about my condition as I have had it so many years and don't even think about it now, but I have now tried gluten free, PPI drugs, uncle tom cobbly but the best thing that I have found in years is peppermint oil in hot water ( from Health Food shops only ) not the chemist. I can eat bread again, I am happily eating a packet of crisps whilst typing, this has been the best thing in years !!

So if you have this embarrassing, stupid coughing disease don't worry, life is too short, just warn everyone that you have coughing disease and enjoy your life !!!

Don't worry be happy !!

[glennon]

Hi sherbet0102

I am glad you posted this. My wife had I L just short of two years ago. Since then she has had a few problems not least of which is the cough mainly when she eats. I can now pursue this. Do you by any chance have a problem with your mouth? She has what is referred to as Dry Mouth. She complains that everything she eats is feels slimy. Sometimes she wakes up in the morning and complains her mouth feels like S**t (sorry for the expletive).

[Hidden in reply to glennon]

I am sure others have suffered from the sliminess in the mouth. I am sure that there are things that can help at least for some, and I suggest you ring the specialist nurse. As far as I can remember, the advice is to concentrate on keeping the mouth well hydrated, make sure dental health is OK, and try sipping something like liquid honey. It might be to do with the saliva glands being affected, and this can affect taste buds.

It might also be worth checking on reflux, especially at night and perhaps an extra shot of Gaviscon Advance because reflux can cause coughing.

[sherbet0102 in reply to Hidden]

I have to think about everything that I eat. Since using peppermint oil it has given me a new lease. My coughing has improved enormously, I wish I was offered this long ago.

[Hidden in reply to sherbet0102]

It is interesting about peppermint oil. I have not any experience of it, but looked it up and there are references to it calming the smooth muscles of the digestive system and reducing spasms, so I think this is a useful bit of information that others with achalasia would find helpful.

[sherbet0102 in reply to Hidden]

I have had 1 cup so far in hot water and I have only had 1 coughing fit which is nothing compared to my usual 20 coughing fits.

[sherbet0102 in reply to glennon]

No sorry, I don't have any problems with my mouth at all. It just opens and talks far to much ! If I am on the telephone I always have a coughing fit ! Does she monitor what she eats ? What sort of foods does she eat ? I was told that with this problem the worst thing to eat was salads, but for me it is the best, but you just don't want to eat them in the cold weather. Does she eat little and often ?

[Hidden]

I am sure that relaxing, around food consumption especially, does help you to cope with it. The spasms that cause a nutcracker oesophagus can create very high pressure and severe chest pain. It would be interesting to know exactly why your cough occurs. Sometimes this can be from reflux; but I wonder whether fermented food hanging around in your oesophagus might contribute?

[sherbet0102 in reply to Hidden]

Yes to all of these above, I do relax when I am eating, we even put a film and we don't talk, if I talk when I am eating doesn't work as I choke like crazy. So I have to concentrate on every mouth full, chew it fully as any large lump get stuck. I always have a drink of water when eating, this also helps. I was advised by a dietitian to eat curry's and toast, silly woman, I think she needed to go back to college. The 2 worse foods possible.

[sherbet0102]

I would like to add to everyone out there who coughs all night, please try Vics sinex spray up the nose before you go to bed. It works well, you will have a small coughing fit afterwards when you first settle down to sleep, do not blow your nose, just wait a while and it will be a much better nights sleep.

I highly recommend this to any people who struggle to sleep at night. I do also use it during the day if I have a big coughing fit.

The time my coughing gets really bad is when I have come into contact with someone with a flu cough, then you have a cough on top of your cough. That is my worst nightmare.

After 20 years plus of having this cough swallow disease, it is finding the best ways to cope on a day to day basis, to continue to work and have a good quality of life.

But hey ho, we are all here and have to make do with this precious gift of life!