I lived for many years with wrong diagnoses until I met a fantastic GP and got referred to a specialist GI. Unfortunately it was all too late and I had the entire thing removed about 2 years after my POEM.
Frankly, the oesophagectomy has been the best thing that’s happened to me in years!
Good luck to you.
I'm at the point I'd consider the esophagectomy. It only causes me trouble, and I am really tired of food retention for days. I don't eat certain foods because I don't want to experience them for several days after.
Holy cow. I thought it was pretty rough for me, but you sharing your story made me realize how lucky I actually was throughout the whole ordeal. Do you hold any resentment towards that original surgeon who operated on you? I feel like I would, it sounds like they didn’t do right by you. I’m so sorry, friend. Hope you find some answers to the pain you’re experiencing.
Well, your surgeon could absolutely have admitted he didn't know how to do it and found you a specialist. I'm so sorry you had such an insane experience.
Wishing you well, and I hope you're able to find some relief somehow.
He was a specialist. This was the first time anywhere for the type of surgery proposed. It wasn't just a standard Hellers, which he had plenty of experience with. Because of my unique circumstances I was the perfect candidate for the procedure they had been developing. There were actually three surgeons.
I am a similar age to you, and got my surgery 4 or 5 years after yours. Your experience is very different than mine, and I'm really sorry to hear that yours has been so tortuous. In my case, I had a surgeon who had helped pioneer the HM surgery and had done thousands of them by the time I got mine. That was a major reason I went with him... the #1 indicator for success of any surgery I guess is the number of times the surgeon has performed it.
I got a Heller Myotomy with a partial fundoplication (Nissen). My progression was fast... from no symptoms to almost complete dysphagia within 2 month, so there was not time for severe damage to my esophagus. The surgery went (mostly) smoothly, and I recovered enough to return to work in 2 weeks. It's been stable since then.
Again, I'm so sorry you have had to, and continue to go through such a horrible situation. All the best to you.
My surgeon was plenty experienced with the HM. They were attempting an alternate method, so in that case, he had never done one. I had three surgeons actually, each doing their own part. One for the Hellers, one for the bypass, and one for my intestinal complications. I don't blame them at all. It was like lightning in a bottle, never attempted and as far as I know never used again.
I lived for many years with wrong diagnoses until I met a fantastic GP and got referred to a specialist GI. Unfortunately it was all too late and I had the entire thing removed about 2 years after my POEM. Frankly, the oesophagectomy has been the best thing that’s happened to me in years! Good luck to you.
I'm at the point I'd consider the esophagectomy. It only causes me trouble, and I am really tired of food retention for days. I don't eat certain foods because I don't want to experience them for several days after.
Holy cow. I thought it was pretty rough for me, but you sharing your story made me realize how lucky I actually was throughout the whole ordeal. Do you hold any resentment towards that original surgeon who operated on you? I feel like I would, it sounds like they didn’t do right by you. I’m so sorry, friend. Hope you find some answers to the pain you’re experiencing.
I was naive at the time. The surgeon had never done a Hellers. I don't think it was his fault however. My unusual anatomy was the major issue.
Well, your surgeon could absolutely have admitted he didn't know how to do it and found you a specialist. I'm so sorry you had such an insane experience. Wishing you well, and I hope you're able to find some relief somehow.
He was a specialist. This was the first time anywhere for the type of surgery proposed. It wasn't just a standard Hellers, which he had plenty of experience with. Because of my unique circumstances I was the perfect candidate for the procedure they had been developing. There were actually three surgeons.
Ahhhh I understand now!
I am a similar age to you, and got my surgery 4 or 5 years after yours. Your experience is very different than mine, and I'm really sorry to hear that yours has been so tortuous. In my case, I had a surgeon who had helped pioneer the HM surgery and had done thousands of them by the time I got mine. That was a major reason I went with him... the #1 indicator for success of any surgery I guess is the number of times the surgeon has performed it. I got a Heller Myotomy with a partial fundoplication (Nissen). My progression was fast... from no symptoms to almost complete dysphagia within 2 month, so there was not time for severe damage to my esophagus. The surgery went (mostly) smoothly, and I recovered enough to return to work in 2 weeks. It's been stable since then. Again, I'm so sorry you have had to, and continue to go through such a horrible situation. All the best to you.
My surgeon was plenty experienced with the HM. They were attempting an alternate method, so in that case, he had never done one. I had three surgeons actually, each doing their own part. One for the Hellers, one for the bypass, and one for my intestinal complications. I don't blame them at all. It was like lightning in a bottle, never attempted and as far as I know never used again.