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How to deal with Esophagus Spasms?

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Posted 7/7/2015 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with esophagus spasms or how to ease its symptoms?? Sometimes if I drink something too cold; that's when it happens. I get some chest and back pain. This pain can last hours; even a full day or two. Sometimes it's hard to cope. Today I am doing okay with them -- trying to be distracted; but I am wondering what you all do?
Posted 7/8/2015 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
Same thing as you - I try to stay distracted! I find if I'm at work, sensibly enough, I don't notice them as much. If I'm at home, I have all the time in the world to think about how gross they are. Once I got so fed up of them that I hit up youtube to watch some relaxing vids and found it helped. But really, anything that keeps me distracted.

Cold drinks or really hot drinks seem to set them off for me, so I just try to keep my water and tea lukewarm - seems to help, as well : )
Posted 7/8/2015 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for your reply. I am glad distractions help you. YouTube is a great idea!

They can certainly cause a lot of grief if you have time to focus on them - but I am trying to put practices into play.

I guess now that they have happened a few times the same way -- it would be best to also avoid the triggers as well...cold drinks! But I have heard it can happen if something is too hot too.

It's too bad because fruit smoothies have been a staple for me since all this GERD stuff started; now it seems I have to let it sit out and warm up before I can consume it. Today, I was impatient. Sigh.
Posted 7/8/2015 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
It took me a lot of trial and error to figure out what caused my spasms (my doctors weren't much of a help in that regard).

  Firstly, I avoid everything with caffeine in it. Secondly, I don't drink any alcohol, not even a sip because my esophagus is that sensitive. Thirdly, I stay away from extreme temperatures so I don't eat ice cream, snow cones, etcs. Even when I make hot homemade tea, I let it sit out until it becomes warm.

Fourthly, I avoid eating too much like the plague. If I eat too much it can trigger a spasm, so I now I eat anywhere from 4 to 6 small meals throughout the day. Fifthly, I chew my food until it's liquefied in my mouth. This is really important because it accomplishes two things:

1). It's easier to digest

2). There's extra saliva in the mixture so when it goes down it continues to digest the food AND it also helps keep the stomach from producing more acid.  

Sixthly, I make sure I have enough magnesium and potassium in my diet. Though supplements are nice I prefer to get mine by eating wild salmon, wild halibut (this fish is rich in magnesium), green vegetables, bananas, etc.    Magnesium and potassium work together to keep your heart beating normally as well as keeping your esophagus from going nuts. 

My esophagus is unnaturally sensitive now because of my erosive esophagitis and am convinced that when it finally heals up, many of these sensitivities will either diminish or disappear altogether.

It really is a pain in the arse in the beginning to do all these things because it's a complete lifestyle change, but after doing it for a few weeks it becomes a habit and I can't put a price on what it means to alleviate my symptoms.

The key for me is to not irritate my esophagus and to also give it enough time to heal, which means adhering to a very strict diet for as long as it takes. One of my mistakes with my first bout of dealing with this was putting a time frame on my healing. I would always think in terms of 2 or 3 months, when I should have been thinking in terms of "just do this until you feel better and then wait an additional 6 months or longer before going back to eating regular foods".

Now that I'm on my 2nd bout of this I've gotten a bit wiser. This may sound drastic to some people, but I only eat organic foods and I only drink filtered water, vegetable smoothies, or coconut water. My GERD symptoms didn't diminish until I did this, which leads me to believe that the pesticides and other chemicals in non-organic foods were causing or exacerbating some of my problems.

Since I can't exactly isolate on which ones were the cause of my problems (not without a lot more trial and error), I decided to just make the switch over to 100% organic. Some items are more expensive and some others are not. Ultimately, I'm starting to feel better for it and I cannot put a price on that.

Lastly, I firmly believe now that meditation has helped with my esophageal spasms.   It helps me stay relaxed.  It lowers my blood pressure.  It helps me with my mindfulness, and a host of other benefits. 

 

Posted 7/9/2015 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Peabs,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out your experiences an tips for me. I appreciate it.

Luckily I don't drink coffee or alcohol. I've cut out dairy, meat and and almost got all of gluten out. My biggest challenge is and will be chocolate. It's tough because I've always been a small girl and the pounds keep coming off. I really need calorie intake.

Some what you have suggested is a little daunting like -- chewing down to nothing before swallowing, but I agree, once it's habit, it'll get easier and the results worth it.

Are you on medication at all? I was on Zantac up until a couple weeks ago and was put on Pantaloc -- that has been a miserable thing for me and almost amplifies everything and makes the acid reflux worse.

I've had chest pain since yesterday and it feels like I am burning on the inside. This is definitely a new sensation that I am trying not to panic about.

How long have your spasms last. Although mine haven't happened often, I've certainly felt the sensation for about 4 or 5 days before -- but what's going on right now is probably on the more intense side.

Anyway, thanks again for your input. Be well!
Posted 7/9/2015 1:16 PM (GMT 0)
Magnesium is important. Peabs has a lot of good points. Gaviscon helps me if the spasms are reflux related and Ativan has eased them if it's stress and anxiety related. They are terrible.
Posted 7/9/2015 1:46 PM (GMT 0)

spiritspinner said...
Hi Peabs,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write out your experiences an tips for me. I appreciate it.

Luckily I don't drink coffee or alcohol. I've cut out dairy, meat and and almost got all of gluten out. My biggest challenge is and will be chocolate. It's tough because I've always been a small girl and the pounds keep coming off. I really need calorie intake.

Some what you have suggested is a little daunting like -- chewing down to nothing before swallowing, but I agree, once it's habit, it'll get easier and the results worth it.

Are you on medication at all? I was on Zantac up until a couple weeks ago and was put on Pantaloc -- that has been a miserable thing for me and almost amplifies everything and makes the acid reflux worse.

I've had chest pain since yesterday and it feels like I am burning on the inside. This is definitely a new sensation that I am trying not to panic about.

How long have your spasms last. Although mine haven't happened often, I've certainly felt the sensation for about 4 or 5 days before -- but what's going on right now is probably on the more intense side.

Anyway, thanks again for your input. Be well!

Hi Spiritspinner,

I am currently not on any medication because I am waiting to see a new GI doctor.  I want to get her input before I start a new regimen of medication(s).   My current strict diet appears to be alleviating my symptoms, granted it's doing it at a very slow pace, but my symptoms are slowly diminishing.

about 2 weeks ago I took 150 mg of Zantac twice a day for two days and it seemed to help, but then my muscles started tightening and I felt extremely fatigued.  Zantac had never done that to me before.  So I stopped taking it.  OMGoodness......!!  The rebound acid reflux was so bad that I ended up in the emergency room.  I should have known better.  I should have tapered it down to 75 mg and then to once a day over the course of a few days instead of going cold turkey. 

I'm not making that mistake again.

I am only eating low acidic foods as outlined in Dr. Koufman's Low Acid Diet book that I bought a few days ago.  The book recommends staying on a very strict diet for 2 to 4 weeks if one's symptoms are "severe".  I fit that bill so I plan on eating this way for at least 30 days.  Knowing how obsessed I am at getting well this time around I'll probably eat this way for a long time. 

One thing that has really helped calm my stomach lately has been plain sushi in small amounts for dinner.   I notice that when I eat two pieces of salmon sushi and two pieces of tuna sushi (no ginger and no wasabi, traditional style and plain) with a bowl of miso soup with no onions, it really calms down my stomach and my esophagus (Yes, I chew the sushi until it's almost liquid before I swallow).

If I wasn't so concerned about exposing myself to high mercury levels, I would eat this every night.  But I think I've found a workaround.  I'm going to my local Wholefoods supermarket and am going to buy some wild caught salmon (wild fish have lower levels of mercury compared to farm-raised) and I'm going to grill it and see if it has the same results.

My esophageal spasms last anywhere from a few seconds to several hours.  The really bad ones tend to last only a few seconds but they are really strong and irritate my vagus nerve which causes my heart to go into SVT (rapid heartbeat).

I dread those the most because when my heart rate gets to 160 beats per minute or more, it's very uncomfortable and my anxiety level goes up.  

I've never heard of Pantaloc.  Is it a proton pump inhibitor?  How long have you been taking it?

I certainly hope you feel better soon.

Lastly, make sure your bed is elevated.  I see a lot of bad advice all over the internet that advises people to use pillows to prop their body or head up.  The pillow thing does not work because it actually puts more pressure on your stomach and your esophagus.  The bed has to be completely elevated.  I elevate mine 5 to 9 inches depending on how I'm feeling.

At first I used wooden blocks to elevate my bed, but then I went to store and bought actual bed lifters that you can adjust put underneath the legs of your bed.  I have found bed elevation to be very helpful because it helps keep the acid / digestive juices in my stomach where it belongs.

Posted 7/10/2015 1:35 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Peabs,

Pantaloc is another name for Pantoprazole..which is is a proton pump inhibitor. Ive had a miserable time on it, since just starting less than 2 weeks ago (after being on Zantac for about 6 months) but I have been encouraged to stick it out a little further as it can take a couple weeks to feel the benefits. I hope the doctor is right. Once I am healed; I plan to taper off because I don't want to be relying on these pills for years and I have read enough about rebound reflux that it spooks me a bit.

My original diagnosis was mild gastritis from an encdoscopy, but they threw in GERD and esophagitis after a barium swallow test a few months after that.

My biggest concern with all this light eating, is my weight loss. I have been about 125lbs-130lbs all my all my life. This morning I am 112lbs. (And I've lost 5lbs of that in the last 2 weeks since being on Pantaloc) I have not only lost the little fat that I had -- it's now into muscle mass. I Need calories man!!!!!

I am a fitness instructor as a job, and that's tough to do in the state I am in.

You certainly sound like you have a lot of discipline with our diet and GERD lifestyle. Good for yoU!! The bed thing I recently did -- on blocks, but I don't know if it's high enough. It's at 5 inches, but I think it may have to go higher. Its a start anyway.

THank you again and be well.
Posted 7/10/2015 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
I hear you on the weight loss. I've dropped about 40 pounds since the New Year because of my diet. I eat a lot of vegetables (mostly green ones), drink a lot of smoothies, some rice, and some fish, but I cannot maintain my weight with so few calories. I went from 186 pounds and now weigh 146 pounds.

My doctor stated that my idea weight is around 148 to 160 for my body type. So I'm definitely too skinny right now. I've lost a lot of muscle mass too, but I'll pack it back on once I'm able to exercise again. Right now the only exercise I can tolerate is walking.

My nutritionist wants to put me on some protein powder to gain some weight back, but I told her my #1 priority right now is to heal up my esophagus. Right now my main sources of protein are fish, beans, and legumes. I'll be adding egg whites in about 2-3 weeks to see how my digestive tract tolerates it. And I may get back to drinking Spirulina since my stomach seemed to like it the first time around.

Kudos to you for elevating your bed. I have found that the height people prefer is different for everyone. Some people like it at 5 inches, others like it at 6 or 7. I know a guy who suffers from an extremely bad case of esophagitis and his bed is elevated at 9 inches. He shared with me that that height was optimal for him.

Yes, I do have a lot of discipline now, but it took me a long time (and a lot of pain) to get there. I should have been this disciplined back in 2011 when I was first diagnosed, but once I started feeling better I would go back to drinking alcohol and eating bad and then my symptoms would return.

It was a vicious cycle that lasted almost 4 years. Now in 2015 I decided once and for all I not only want to beat this, but I never want it coming back. The pain is just too much to handle.

I'm learning that with erosive esophagitis coupled with gastritis, one needs to allow the body to heal and this could take months, and it could possibly even take years. I've also learned the hard way that at least with my body, if I stray from my diet for even one meal, it can trigger a really bad spasm or really bad reflux and could cause enough damage where it will set me back to square one.

I've lived through that frustration for 4 years. No longer. The pain that I went through and the pain I'm currently going through is my #1 motivation for staying on a very strict diet.

I hate to admit this but if my symptoms were to get better again soon, it would be very difficult for me to stay on this diet, because I'm a total foodie and I love to eat different types of cuisines!

I'm taking it one day at a time.

 

Posted 7/10/2015 9:12 PM (GMT 0)
Have you ever considered adding hemp hearts or hemp protein powder to your diet? Hemp is a plant based and one of the best sources of easily digestible, high-quality protein. It contains all 10 essential amino acids, is high in iron, magnesium, potassium, fiber and many more. It's also a good source of Omega 3s.

Hemp is an absolute staple in my diet and one of the reasons why I was able to maintain 117lbs up until I was put on my new PPI medication 2 weeks ago. I am now starting to add more to what little I can eat right now just to get any extra calories I can get.

You can throw hemp hearts in salads, in smoothies, yogurt (my case almond yogurt), you can blend it up with hemp milk and make icecream out of it -- that's all you need is those 2 ingredients.

Hemp protein is perfect in smoothies or thrown in with your juiced vegetables. Also can be mixed in with yogurt.

Research it.Although everyone is different, I cannot see it being a trigger.
Posted 7/10/2015 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
I will definitely run hemp protein by my nutritionist. It sounds like another great option (and another thing for me to experiment with).

Thank you for the suggestion.

 

Posted 7/11/2015 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
You are welcome. I hope you end up liking it. :-)
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