Breadsticks and Milkshakes

It's quite possible I'm going to be naming all of my posts after the food I ate that day. Maybe. We'll see what happens. 

Today was an okay esophagus day. My sphincter is fighting back pretty hard, but I'm still able to keep food down so there's that. 

My wonderful partner and I went to Judd's General Store and consumed soup, breadsticks, and milkshakes. The cheesy potato soup was delectable and went down easy. However, the breadsticks gave me the most trouble. My biggest eating mistake was getting Dr. Pepper with my meal instead of water. Normally I don't drink soda, but today it sounded especially good. If you have Achalasia I highly recommend not drinking soda. The carbonation is irritating and can cause spasms. That is what happened to me today. As soon as I felt the bread getting stuck, I took some big gulps of Dr. Pepper only to escalate the blockage. At one point I was certain I successfully pushed the food into my stomach and went ahead and ate some of my mint chocolate chip shake. The thickness and creaminess of the milkshake were stopped by my sphincter and caused a major spasm. My esophagus radiated uncomfortable pain throughout my body and I discontinued eating. Luckily I was able to finish my soup and breadsticks. 

At dinner time I could still feel my esophagus opening and closing, which forced me to eat an enchilada slower than I would have liked. I think one of the hardest parts about having Achalasia is re-teaching yourself to eat. I am constantly reminding myself to take small bites and chew well, but I only seem to remember when my esophagus is spazzing. I forgot this rule about an hour ago when I attempted to eat a bowl of carrots. Right now I can still feel my esophagus trying to relax. 

I am hoping for a better esophagus day tomorrow. I am scheduled to have an esophageal manometry on Wednesday. That's when I will find out if I need to have another Heller Myotomy. Let's hope for good news!

Here's to optimism and good health.