Statsky's Ring?/Richard

Author: Pam (---.74.228.219.Dial1.Baltimore1.Level3.net)
Date: 10-05-03 13:09

Hi Richard: Thanks for your post. I never had reflux until a very bad auto accident in 1996. The car I was riding in was broadsided by a truck and I had a very bad chest injury with a cardiac contusion and collapsed left lung and broken ribs. The other thing that I think happened was an injury to my esophagus. In the year after the auto accident, I was in the ER twice with severe chest pain that was like spasms that came and went rhythmically. A tightness. Welll after ruling out MI, they decided it was esophageal spasm and ran an IV drip that I can't remember what is was, but it stopped the pain. Then I started having reflux, but worse than that, my esophagus would sometims close off. It always happened in the middle of the night, when I would wake up thirsty and run to the kitchen and pour a big glass of cold water and glug, glug, glug, and would suddenly realize that the water was going nowhere and, in fact would be all the way up into my nasopharynx. So, I'm standing there half asleep and can't breathe until the spasm opens up and the water goes down. A few times I was loosing the battle for time and had to breathe or suffocate, and then had to bend way over and try to let as much water as I could run out by gravity. You can't cough it out if you can't take a breath in. Well, I could never expell all the water that way and had to breathe, and then would pull in a big breath of air and water and cough for about an hour. This happens when I haven't eaten or drank anything for many hours (usually at night). It's terrifying. I always think I'm going to drown. I was scheduled for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy twice, and after going through the nasty prep, once my aunt died very suddenly. (prepped for nothing). The second time, after the nasty prep my purebred Himalayan feline went into labor with her 1st litter. So I missed it again. My internist put me on Prilosec (which, I think is almost the same as Prevacid), which seems to control the problem. My question is does all that sound like anything you are familiar with? Statsky's Ring. I know there are cartilaginous rings in your esophagus. I'm scared to death to go off the Prilosec.

Thanks Richard
You are always a wealth of knowledge,
Pam
Sorry this is so long.

Pam

You sure have been through some horrible experiences, and my prayers go out to you. I don't know if the accident could have caused your problem, so I certainly wouldn't go off of Prilosec, but I'll give you my account of what happened to me. My indigestion kept getting worse, to where I was living on Tums. It got to where, when I swallowed food, it would get stuck and I couldn't breathe, talk, cough, or anything. I would either have to throw-up or jump up and down, trying to get the food to go down. It was horrible and very scary. I never had problems with water, but I did with any kind of pills. I finally went to a gastroenterologist and he performed an endoscopy and told my that the reflux had caused damage and scar tissue to the sphincter area of the esophagus, which he called Shatsky's Ring. That delicate area isn't designed to take the PH of the stomach acids. Over time scar tissue builds up and causes the flap to not open and shut properly. The doctor then went in and stretched out the area, and that's when he prescribed Prevacid. I then started having other problems, such as two rotator cuffs in my shoulders go out, which I believe now, to be caused from lack of aminos, vitamins, and minerals, due to not digesting my foods properly. But even worse, was when Aflutter began. I still didn't correlate all this until Feb. of this year, when I started researching. The first thing I did was quit Prevacid and go on digestive enzymes. I found some relief, but when I tried the lemon juice and found more relief, I then knew it was lack of acid, not too much. By the end of Feb. 03, I changed my diet, and by the second day, my indigestion was COMPLETELY gone. That was elimination of all dairy, wheat, potatoes, rice, corn, etc. I was only eating organic grass-fed beef, chicken, fish, or eggs, with steamed veggies and good salads, with olive/grapeseed oil and lemon or vinegar. I was truly amazed at my results. I must have had an intolerance to the things I eliminated. I still am on flecainide, and believe me, I don't want to be, but until I get my body back into balance, I must continue. If you didn't have any indigestion problems prior to your accident, then you very well may have sustained injuries, that requires you to stay on Prilosec. But be very aware of what that can do to your body, in regards to absorbtion. What I have read, is it is much more prevalent to have too little acid, than too much, but they both happen. You might want to get your problem fixed first, question your doctor about too much or too little acid and how he can verify that, and then maybe try the lemon juice, and see what results you get. If you have too little acid, hydrochloric acid with pepsin really helps, along with enzymes, such as amylase, protease, bromelain, and lipase. Not only do they serve to help digestion, but they help take the load off the pancreas. I was also told by Bastyrs Naturopath College, that what enzymes aren't used, are stored by the pancreas for future use. I might also add that the liver, as you know, produces bile, and the gallbaldder stores the bile, but when we are constantly putting demands on the liver, by way of medications, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, toxic metals, hydrogenated fats, and who knows what else, then bile may suffer, as well, which can back up the system, as you read before. I still haven't located the article that referred to the bile and mineral issue, but I'm still searching.

Anyway, Pam, I hope this helped. You should just continue on, until you get more information, in regards to your own self. But definitely question you doctor about the acid issue.

Richard

Pam,

You might want to read this link about Prilosec. Just click on #5 and read when you get there.

[www.livethefreelife.com]

Richard

Dear Richard,

I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy yesterday. It was not at all the 'evil' thing I had expected and even the prep wasn't that bad. My doctor gave me Fleet Phoso-something? that you get at the drugstore. Anyway, I have the problem you have only not to such a severe extent as diagnosed by the endoscopy. Many times while driving my truck I would get the 'angina' type pain associated with this. Since I had a heart attack seven years ago this always gave me a fright. However, I found that when this happened (the pain right behind the sternum, breast high) if I sipped a bit of tepid water the pain would go away almost immediately. Thus I always keep a bottle of water with me. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's quite painful.

Don't gulp the water and try and not to drink it too cold, or hot, for that matter.

From what I understand from the brochure the doctor gave me after the procedure yesterday morning, if the ring gets too bad, it can be dilated while you're under the very mild anesthesia and you don't feel a thing. Co-incidently, my mother has had her's dialated three times and she feels no ill affects afterwards at all.

Please don't have any fear of this procedure. I promise you I had no bad side affects and as a matter of fact I am here at the library writing this to you. They gave me Versed and Fantylyl (sp?) and I remember nothing of the procedure .

I hope you feel better and be reassured the procedure is not anything to be fearful of. Try and eat small amounts of food frequently, whcih will help you lose weight if you are overweight, and don't drink anything too hot or cold. Fortunately, it's that simple for me and I'm not on any medication for it at all.

I hope this helps, Sincerely, Marcia

Dear Pam, I'm so sorry, Pam, I thought this was Richard's post. I didn't read it properly. Anyway, I hope the info helps you. Sincerely, Marcia

Hi Pam, it's me again. HAHA. I just read Richard's letter and I must agree with what he has said. Too little acid is more often than not the reason for the reflux. I have heard that taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinagar in a glass of water helps, my mum takes hers in half a glass so that it gets over with more quickly!!! My brochure says that 4 in 10,000 people have this problem. But , of course, yours sounds like injury related. I would also suggest that you don't eat at least four hours prior to going to bed and that ypu raise the head of your bed by eight inches. Put a couple of bricks under the legs of the bed.

Another thing I found out is that if I ate ice cream or had a glass of milk before going to bed, I was going to have trouble no doubt about it.

Bromelin, like Richard says, helps and you know a good place to get bromelin--pineapple! Tastes great too. I hope you find some peace, Pam, I really do. See if you can't get that esophagus dilated.