Serious confessional

scaeagles · 04-06-2005, 01:39 PM

Been debating whether or not to share this, as I'm a pretty private kind of guy, but everyone here's pretty cool.

I'll hopefully be going in for some semi-major surgery on April 14. Last summer, after much medical testing, I was diagnosed with a rare (I've read anywhere from 8 per million in the US to 3000 new cases diagnosed annually), non-fatal, incurable, and completely horrid disease called achalasia. What this means is that the nerves in my esophagus have all died and the valve at the bottom will not relax to allow the passage of food. Eating is virtually impossible and drinking is next to impossible. I've stopped eating almost all together (I've tried to eat twice since a few days before Easter), and i only fight through the pain of drinking because I have to. It is progressive and has gotten significantly worse in the last three months. I've dropped 25 lbs since Christmas, 10 of those in the last month.

All therapies tried thus far have been unsuccessful, leaving surgery as the last option. The surgery doesn't fix the nerves, but basically cuts away the muscles from the valve to allow the passage of food more easily. However, I had an appointment with my surgeon who said I've dropped too much weight too quickly to endure surgery and he won't operate unless I get a feeding tube. So Monday, I got what's called a PICC line (kind of like an IV but in the far upper right inner arm - a Periferally Inserted Central Catheter) and am hooked up to a nutritional supplement 24 hours a day and will be until surgery. I have to at least maintain weight and preferably gain a couple of pounds or he won't operate.

So....not trying to complain, but any here who offer prayers to a higher power, I'd appreciate it. I really, really, really have to have the surgery, as the symptoms have been going on for two years and it has gotten really, really, really old.

04-06-2005, 01:39 PM	#1
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	Serious confessional Been debating whether or not to share this, as I'm a pretty private kind of guy, but everyone here's pretty cool. I'll hopefully be going in for some semi-major surgery on April 14. Last summer, after much medical testing, I was diagnosed with a rare (I've read anywhere from 8 per million in the US to 3000 new cases diagnosed annually), non-fatal, incurable, and completely horrid disease called achalasia. What this means is that the nerves in my esophagus have all died and the valve at the bottom will not relax to allow the passage of food. Eating is virtually impossible and drinking is next to impossible. I've stopped eating almost all together (I've tried to eat twice since a few days before Easter), and i only fight through the pain of drinking because I have to. It is progressive and has gotten significantly worse in the last three months. I've dropped 25 lbs since Christmas, 10 of those in the last month. All therapies tried thus far have been unsuccessful, leaving surgery as the last option. The surgery doesn't fix the nerves, but basically cuts away the muscles from the valve to allow the passage of food more easily. However, I had an appointment with my surgeon who said I've dropped too much weight too quickly to endure surgery and he won't operate unless I get a feeding tube. So Monday, I got what's called a PICC line (kind of like an IV but in the far upper right inner arm - a Periferally Inserted Central Catheter) and am hooked up to a nutritional supplement 24 hours a day and will be until surgery. I have to at least maintain weight and preferably gain a couple of pounds or he won't operate. So....not trying to complain, but any here who offer prayers to a higher power, I'd appreciate it. I really, really, really have to have the surgery, as the symptoms have been going on for two years and it has gotten really, really, really old.
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