hey there, this is my first time replying to a thread on this site, but this definitely got my attention...
I had my first bout with esophageal spasms back in may of this year. It all started with a piece of 'stuck chicken'. I just could not make it go down! After day 2 of being stuck, and having tried every trick in the book to make it go down to no avail, I got my first spasm. My initial thought was that I was having a heart attack and if it wasn't a heart attack, something was definitely NOT right. However being the stubborn person I am, I figured it would go away. I should have started liquids and called my doc, but that would have been the smart thing to do. Lol
after 3 days of intense, debilitating, crying writhing pain, I called my doc who instructed me to come in immediately. I was in such obvious pain on the phone, his nurse even wanted to call 911 to come get me. I made my way there, he told me what his suspicions were, unfilled my band (4.5 cc's) and I had immediate relief. I was still very sore, and continued to have mild spasms for about 3 days after my unfill, but it was tolerable. He said that when food gets stuck, the esophagus is working so hard to push the food down that it gets inflamed and irritated, causing the spasms. I am currently dealing with this issue again. I'm on vacation and they started 2 days ago. Not as intense as the initial ones, but definitely not pleasant. I have attributed this bout to one of two things... I'm not stuck, but I have eaten more, and different foods since I've been here, or its my daily Vitamin. I've not been able to take a daily vitamin regularly since being banded. After 2 days of taking them, they bind me up and I end up having to take laxatives to get any relief. I feel not taking the daily vitamin is better for me than an addiction to laxatives. I don't know if they have anything to do with each other, or if its just coincidence, but either way, I've stopped the daily vitamin, am doing liquids today (which sucks being on vacation) and waiting to see if they go away. Keep your fingers crossed for me... I'll make an appointment either way when I get back home.
just a side note, neither time did I have any kind of reflux. The first time, I did have some PB'ing but I was stuck, so that makes sense. This time, I have no other symptoms besides the spasms and constipation. Hopefully this adds some insight into what you're dealing with. Let me know if there are any other questions.
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:confused:OK, I've read some other threads here about this, but not much in describing the pain/causes/Band relation, so I'm starting my own.
First, *A Note to Newbies is at the end...please read if you're perusing the 'complications forum'...I was a scared Newbie too and was here reading the Complications Forum.
OK, the short version; tell me what you know about esophageal spasms and does it have any correlation with the Band or Reflux?
The longer version is my story; 3 weeks ago a mild stuck episode (ribs at dinner) and a minor PB...the only thing memorable was that I had my first episode of acid reflux problem at night (which is a RED FLAG that you're too tight...coughing, spewing, acid bubbling into your esophagus or even nose...anything at night). I take daily Nexium and hadn't had a problem up until then. The reflux caused me to take some Tums that night and later I woke up with my esophagus full of acid and barely made it to the bathroom to do a major spew! Next day I had some soreness and it gradually got worse with food (lesson here, should have gone to liquids right away) until by the end of the day I was on liquids. I called the Doc's office the next morning (Monday) and after talking it through with the nurse, she told me to give it another day...I was fine.
Three weeks of no problems, no tightness and one morning after eating my usual oatmeal and it going through with no problems, 1/2 hour later I get a sudden tightness in my chest that quickly ramped up until it felt like a heart attack and went straight through to my back (if I didn't have a Band I would have called the squad). A friend had suggested 'esophageal spasms', so we Googled it...I was surprised it doesn't always come and go like you'd think the word spasm means...my pain was intense and constant (there was NO burning or reflux pain). It was eased some by pain relievers and I eventually took a narcotic to sleep that night (I did have one vomit from the pain making me nauseous, NOT because anything felt stuck). Again I called the Doc on Monday morning and they got me in on Tuesday...I had a 2cc unfill (I was expecting this as I'd gotten very tight after the vomit, which came after the pain) and then, because I asked for it, a UGI/barium x-ray. Even after the partial unfill the thin barium wasn't even going through my esophagus and the thicker barium finally got a very thin line through (she said my esophagus and stoma were swollen perhaps from the vomiting, but there were no spasms going on...I knew that as there was no pain by days later when I was having this done). This morning I could eat my oatmeal with just a tiny bit of soreness (barium barely getting through yesterday afternoon, and now oatmeal can?). Another lesson; I'm wondering if the second incident would have happened if they'd done an unfill after the first.
Got the phone call from my doc this morning NO slip!!! The pain before tightness this weekend is a mystery...and hopefully one that won't return! I'm now wondering if these were esophageal spasms and I had two people comment on my blog just yesterday that they have had them...I'm wondering if it's more common after Banding?
I've read that they can be very intense and people often think they're having a heart attack, they can last for days or a short time, and they're not sure what causes them, but some sites say reflux is a suspect.
It anyone knows anything or has had these, I'd appreciate any information!!!
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*A note to Newbies*
Do NOT let a possible complication or chest pains I had for a day or two make you afraid of getting a Band. We all just post the bad things here to find out more about them...trust me, I don't post a thread for every wonderful thing that's happened (that's why it 'just seems' there are lots of complications...yes, I was a Newbie getting scared too). These things are very rare...my Doc told me in all the years he's been doing these their practice has had one slip...one...that's why he wasn't worried, but he let me go for the x-ray because I asked and he knew I needed the peace of mind (there was NO slip). If they had told me to come in after my first problem I doubt I would have had the second one. Knowledge is power...that's why I share everything (see, you just learned 'night time reflux problems of any kind=get in for a small unfill NOW'). I was WAY more upset about a possible slip because of the possibility of LOSING my Band....I was way more upset about that then the mystery, or even the pain. I'd put up with some unexplained chest pain, an unfill and much more to finally be where I am today...I swear it's SO worth it!!! A day or two of mystery chest pain that did no long-term damage vs. the pain I was in because of the Obesity and getting worse all the time...not to mention a shorter life...it's a no brainer...
I LOVE MY BAND!!!
