Achalasia - two years after the POEM surgery

Time is passing quickly, this week I had my second check-up, more than two years passed since Prof. Dr. Inoue and Prof. Dr. Seewald did the POEM surgery. As always for this check-up I was not allowed to eat or drink for 10 hours before the check-up. The doctor asked me how I feel and if I have still some problems. Happily I was able to answer all questions negative and only about the chest pains I had to say, that in the past year I felt them four times, but rather weak and not able to compare with the pains before the surgery. So in my point of view I feel 100% fine and very happy.
Anyway I have to be careful, that’s about my wight, I’m still 88kg and this is around 3-4 kg too much for my hight (1.77m). Also this helps to press some acid liquid from the stomach to the esophagus, so when the doctor did some examination of the esophagus, he saw some red spots, a sign of acid which irritate the esophagus, in other words it's reflux. So I have to continue to take Esomep 40mg every morning before the breakfast. Personally I feel that Esomep 40mg are helping better than other products I had in the past. The reflux I only feel sometimes, when I eat a lot in the evening and I go to early to bed, so it can happen that I have some reflux, but it does not feel acid only some liquid coming up from the stomach. So I like to change my habit and not eat a lot at night, maybe some salad, fruit or joghurt.
After one hour I left the hospital very happy. So see you again in one year …

Achalasia - one year after the POEM surgery

I just returned from the hospital where I had to be for an one year after check-up from my POEM surgery. My doctor was very glad to see me and also to know that I feel absolutely fine. He asked me if I have any problems for swallowing, pains in the chest or regurgitation, none of this in my case. Only when I eat a lot at the evening and the upper part of the bed is not a bit elevated, so it can happen that a bit of reflux goes up the esophagus and disturb me a bit. He asked also about my wight, and as I have now 4 kg additional, it would be better to get rid of them. Sometimes it can happen, that when the stomach grows it will do some pressure on the lower esophagus and then one can feel some small pain or just a sensation of burning. So I will take this advise seriously.

After that he did some esophagus examination for looking if there are any signs of reflux in my lower esophagus. After sleeping nicely (I'm really addicted to this procedure, it's a nice sensation how the medicament put you to sleep within such a short time) I awoke and I got some cafe and dry bread, well after 10 hours not eating and drinking I was very thankful to get something tommy stomach. I had again a final speech with my doctor about what he saw, nothing to be worry about, some little signs of reflux but using the acid blocker, this can be controlled easily. So I was very happy that everything is okay. So until next year, ....

Achalasia - Five month after surgery

The month are passing so quick, we are in August, 5 month to Christmas and 5 month passed since my surgery. As I wrote in my last blogs I feel better and better, now I can say that the few chest pains I still had went away. Since 7 weeks I do not feel any burning in my chest or other strange things, I would say I’m to 99% absolutely normal.

I still take every day mostly before going to bed one pill of 40mg Pantoprazol, just for safety that no acid liquids will go up my esophagus during I sleep. Around in 8 month I will go to a check up to my doctor and then we will see, if I do have a problem of reflux or not. As far as I can feel, I do not have acid reflux.

By the way, I found a link which does explain very well the method of POEM by the Prof. Dr. Inoue himself and there are a lot of videos just showing the procedure in detail:

achalasia-poem.net

Achalasia - Five weeks after the surgery

Since my last blog entry I have been on holidays. I just had time to relax, to take my life a bit more easy and to do things I wanted to do, but I had no time. I even went on a cruise to the meditarean sea, I just had a great time. But it was also a time where I was able to eat normally and to observe if I have some troubles with some kind of food. Just to say it short, I felt great, I had no problems at all and I was able to eat and drink everything I liked, so I should not wondering why my weight went up for 3 kilos!  The bed on the ship was big and rather plane, so I was a bit afraid that I could get problems with reflux or coughing in the night because some liquids are coming up the esophagus, but this was not at all the case. Only twice I felt around 6 o'clock in the morning a bit acid down there on the stomach, it was not really burning, just a bit strange. So I went for drinking water and the strange feeling went away. All other 9 days I hadn't at all problems.  I was able to eat all kind of food, fruits, salad, fish, meat, bread and even pizza! All went straight down and I never had a feeling that some food is stuck and I have to drink something. Now I am drinking less while I am eating than before the operation. So I have to say that I am very happy about the surgery and that I feel so fine and can do again my normal life. POEM is just a great surgery method and really very soft intervention for the body. I still take twice a day 40 mg of  Pantoprazol and on 28th of may I will have a control of my esophagus, so for then I will tell what my doctor thinks about all the development and if the clips have already gone.

Achalasia - Three weeks after the surgery

Three weeks passed since my POEM surgery. To say it short, I feel great! During the first two weeks I still felt some chest pains from time to time, not  more than 30 minutes in duration. With drinking orange juice I'm able to reduce the pain or even to stop the pain. Few times I feel a strange feeling behind the chest, like a bit burning, it's not strong but just enough for feeling me uncomfortable. But now since last week I'm free of all the pains. I'm eating normal, means I can eat salad, pasta, fish, potatoes, vegetables, chicken and even meat in slices. I do not have pains while eating and the food goes well to the stomach. Even I tried pizza and bread, no problem at all. Wine, beer and coffee are not harming me at all. The only thing I have to be careful is not eating to much at night else I get some strange feelings on my esophagus near the stomach.    During the night I'm not awaking for coughing liquid out of my lungs, all normal. I only still have my head a bit higher, this helps surely.  The only medicament I take is Pantazol 40 mg twice a day, just for security reasons. I have no signs of reflux. When coughing before the surgery I was able to produce the chest pains, this is now not happening anymore! Amazing!   So until now I just can say, that the POEM surgery the way Dr. Inoue does helped me a lot. I'm very optimistic that my state will continue like this and I can do absolutely a normal life.

Achalasia - Back at home

My last night at the hospital passed through. I took another 0.5 mg Temesta to sleep really well. The nurses were ordered by the doctor not to bother me at night. Without the written consent of the doctor, they would have continued to monitor me. I put the upper part of the bed not as high as the other nights. Just in this night I woke up at 3 clock with a light burning behind the breastbone. I took orange juice which I have been reserved for such cases, but it has not really helped me.Then I drank water then the burn went away. I could go back to sleep and then had a good rest.

At 7 o'clock I then got up, made the morning ablutions and dressed me, I wanted to as quickly as possible to leave the hospital. Prof. Seewald visited me for the last time. He  asked me for an appointment in around 2 months for a short follow-up. I also asked him what can I now eat and drink. He told me that I should still wait for another 2 weeks before eating meat, chicken, bread, cheese, etc. I could drink again everything, including beer and wine. Only the strong spirits, I should rather leave, anyway I have no problem with this.

And so after the breakfast, which was served at 08:30, I made my way back home, I was very happy. Everything went well during the last 6 days, no pain, I felt again strong enough and with the lovely day, pure sunshine, I even felt better.

From Zurich to my home, I took the train and then bus. The last 25 minutes I was walking uphill. When I got home I was a little sweaty, but I felt very well again and very happy!

My wife had been cooked a soup with carrots, potatoes, onions, milk, broth and chopped meat. Then everything in the blender and done. I digested the meal very well.

The afternoon I enjoyed outside in the sun, total relax.

Now let's see how I will feel during the first night at home, my upper part of the bed is not so high as in the hospital. What will happen? Will I have problems with swallowing?

to be continued ....

Achalasia - My last day at the hospital

Now there passed six days since I've joined the hospital, today is the last day. Tomorrow I will go home at 9 o'clock. But first what happened to me last night.

I have again taken a Temesta, but this time only 0.5 mg and slept like a bear. In the morning I felt a bit dizzi.

Sometimes in the evening I feel a slight pull to the right side of my body which goes up to my chin. Nothing unpleasant, but it did occur to me after the surgery. Before I never felt something like this. Otherwise I have no pain, nothing at all. The bowel is now behaving quite normal.

For breakfast I had received a  Pantoprazol  40 mg, 1 multi-vitamin juice, yogurt and two servings of chocolate. The morning went smoothly. I had  a look to my blogs and answered the comments which my followers have written. It now seems that there are some people following my story, I am very pleased. Only I do not know if my blog meets the expectations of the people and how I could improve it.

The day before my blood was examined, the results were fine, no infections, everything fine, I'm happy.

For lunch I had mashed potatoes, ground meat, mashed vegetables and multivitamin juice. I could eat everything without problems.

I spent the afternoon outside the hospital. I walked a little bit up the hill to see how about my condition. Well, I guess because of the surgery and not walking a lot I'm more slowly walking. So I'm at least able to pay off my bike at home again.

At 18:10 was dinner time, they served me perch fillet with risotto and spinach. Everything went down without problems. Dessert was a pineapple. Sometimes I forget that I still have this clip in me, I just trust that they already hold.

Now I'll stop reporting from the hospital and no longer report every day, but only from time to time, or if something special happen to me.