Dealing with Esophageal Spasms BFS?

Highlights Only
M

MarioMasher

Well-known member
Anyone had experience with esophageal spasms associated with BFS? I've been getting them a lot over the past two weeks or so, and it is really getting annoying. My doctor seems to think it is GERD and wants me to go on beta blockers, but I've had bad experiences with beta blockers in the past and I'm a little leery of doing that. Anyone found some other way to deal with a twitchy and jumpy esophagus?
 
Hi Mario - don't know if what I've experienced could be called a spasm but I do get some tightening in my throat. Mine is intermittent though and I don't get it consistently or often. Stuff gets stuck or feels as if it is and I will temporarily have trouble swallowing. It usually goes away if I drink something warm or if I eat something soft. Does yours go away under the same conditions? It always seems that things ebb and flow with pnhe and what is bothering me one week may be gone in a few weeks and then show up again later. As Bill the Cat says, GAACKKK!
 
Yeah I've noticed that the warm water thing works for me as well. At least most of the time. What is really unsettling (which I'm sure you experienced) is when you can feel the food moving slowly down the esophagus. It's like you get to experience every little second of peristalsis, along with mild soreness at different places along the way. And then of course after I swallow or eat anything my entire throat and chest starts twitching like crazy. Very fun.If I hadn't been around the BFS board for so long, I know exactly what conclusion I would be jumping to. But luckily I've been dealing with this long enough that I find myself saying, "Sh*t, more BFS nonsense? So I guess it's going to be in my throat this month? Nice." I'm guessing just about every BFS person has dealt with throat twitching and esophageal wackiness at some point in their experience. Guess it was my time this month.P.S. I love having these conversations with my doctor:Me: Yeah I've got this throat soreness and twitching. It's like my esophagus is just wigging out.Doctor: It sounds like GERD.Me: No, it's not GERD. It's higher. It also seems to go through my entire digestive system. Every food passage in my body is either crampy, twitchy, or spazzy.Doctor: Probably GERD.Me: No, you don't understand. I have something called BFS. Everything gets twitchy. Even my insides sometimes.Doctor: Could be GERD.Me: Could it just be that the twitching is making me anxious? And the anxiety is making me constipated?Doctor: Sounds like GERD. I'll start you on Prilosec.Me: Dude, you had me on Prilosec last year. It made me feel bloated. I don't want to go on it again.Doctor: Take one Prilosec before every meal. Drink a full glass of water with it.Me: What about my twitching throat?Doctor: Give the Prilosec some time.Me: Have you ever even heard of BFS?Doctor: Try the Prilosec.
 
Eyiyi! why do you even bother? Like the nutritionist I went to who my GP thought might help - you feel stuck in a not ready for print time SNL skit. In the end after the same old questions and answers she says "you eat better than I do". Or my yoga instructor - trying to explain why a muscle is randomly cramping, yes, the one we're not using in the posture, oh, forget it, I ate something bad. A pnhe something - swallowed it whole. When I move to a higher plane and solve all these physical inconsistencies I will send you a sign. That's about as good as it's going to get.
 
No problem Mario,i know them well. Sometimes they brought me to cough ^^ They are frightening right? But dont worry about it, they are bening ;)regards florian
 
Christian,That is very interesting, how unusual!! Glad your spasm are not anything sinister, which is good to hear because I get them ocassionally too. When I first started getting them I almost thought I was having like an irregular heartbeat or something, because it was kind of lower in my throat (any heart issues were ruled out by a cardiologist who did and EKG and an ECHO). So I guess I am only assuming they are esophageal spasms. They don't happen to often, though they are mighty uncomfortable. Megan
 
It's funny, I actually had noticed that sucking peppermints seemed to help. I had no idea why, I assumed just because I was sucking on something and sucking made my muscles relax. I had no idea it was the pepermint oil itself that was doing it. Hmmm, I'll go buy some peppermints and experiment for a while. Thanks for the tip!
 
Yes, Mario-Peppermint has antispasmodic & anticholinergic properties-In fact many gastroenterologists prescribe for patients with IBS....(Irritable Bowel Syndrome)--an over the counter peppermint capsule called..."Pepogest"....! It's an enterically coated tablet of peppermint oil (taken before each meal 30-60 mins)....so the peppermint oil is not released til it's in the lower tract....& the antispasmodic qualities...."slows down"...the "irritable"...or spasmodic bowel! I've taken it....(I get them at Vitamin Shoppe's)----& they help-! But--for the esophageal spasm...you want the peppermint oil to make contact w the esophagus! (Like i've said....lately...I've crushed up hard peppermints...I put a few in a paper towel & smash them with a hammer,..,...till I get almost just "crushed peppermint"...(easier on the teeth too)---& I add some spring water....just to get it to a "pasty"...consistency---then,....eat it w a spoon-! Feels..sooo smooth going down! I should patent that! :LOL: For ages---peppermint oil....has been known for its carminitive...& anti spasmodic -- qualities-& as a digestive aid!That;s why....often...at Restaurants...you'll see peppermint candies!You've helped me....(& many others)----w this darn....BFS---just returning the favor! Get back--Christian :)
 
I had esophageal spasms and ended up in the hospital, because at 52, if you have chest pain, they want to check it out.I have been twitching for 12 years and that problem continues to worsen and affects my quality of life, but I never thoughtthat the esophageal spasms were related. I have been taking a beta blocker, inderal, for 12 years because of "sinus tachycardia" from an unknown cause that no one has cared to investigate, but the beta blockers help that, but not the stomach stuff. I wasfound to have GERD, which I knew, and I have a hiatal hernia and erosions in my esophagus. I want to protect my esophagus fromfurther damage, so I take 40mg of Famotidine (pepcid) daily and that helps a lot.Shirley
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top