These Boots

The big event in my life at present, aside from the backlog of student debts, is the waiting game that is surgery.  I have a condition known as Achalasia and had suffered for five years without the correct diagnosis.  Now that I finally have, I am waiting for surgery to correct the problem.

So, what is Achalasia?  Well, basically the ring of muscle between my oesophagus and my stomach doesn’t relax when I eat.  This means that quite often food can not pass into my stomach and has to come back up.  As you can imagine, this is not pleasant.  Over the years I have managed to eat by forcing the food down with pints of water, but even this does not always work.  The surgery I am waiting for involves cutting the muscle and then half wrapping my stomach around the bottom of my oesophagus to prevent reflux.  This is fairly major surgery and I have been informed is only performed about 3 times a year at St James hospital.  I am also told that the condition is an ‘old lady’ condition and strictly speaking I shouldn’t have it.

So, how did it develop and manifest?  As for the development, no one can tell me why, science hasn’t yet found a reason though there are many theories.  It began with feeling food getting stuck on its way down which gradually got worse until it started coming back up.  I then also started getting indigestion, trapped wind and pain in my chest.  For five years I was told it was simply acid reflux and I was given every possible medication for this problem.  But here I am now an endoscopy, barium swallow, traumatic hospital stay and pressure test down the line and I finally have the correct diagnosis.

I eagerly await my operation, though my recovery will be slow and I will have to eat mushed up food for a month, I can not wait to enjoy my first meal without any problems.  Perhaps I will go to a restaurant and eat comfortably without first having to locate the nearest bathroom.  It will be bliss.  The end of my embarrassment.