15th January 2007
After my last scoping, my GI wanted me to take bentyl along with the xanax during a moderate attack. I filled the scrip, but have not had what I considered a serious enough episode to warrant both meds yet. I do not take any PPI's. I don't tolerate them at all. So I've learned the foods to avoid, that are known esoph antagonists, and also cause excessive acid reflux.
I've lived with these for going on 17 years now, so the mild ones...the one's when I notice it being alittle hard to swallow, with the mild tightness in my chest....I just deal with. Stretching my chest muscles, middle back muscles, etc. I'll take a longer stretching class that day, relaxation breathing, etc.
The moderate ones....basically brought on by me being a bad girl(eating pizza, or something spicey) causes me to get more serious minded. These spells give me mild chest pain, sometimes mild pain in my left arm, my pulse quickens. For these, I get more agressive in trying to break the spasm.
Like singing.......LOL....I know it sounds stupid, but it works for me. Nothing like a rowdy rendition of your favorite song to force your throat and diaphram to work differently. I'll also start stretching my chest and mid back, if my neck starts tightening up, I'll start stretching those muscles as well. Many many times over the years, this will break the spasm and it's gone almost as quickly as it starts. If it continues to hang on, and the tightness and feeling of heaviness just won't subside, I'll take 1/2 of a .5mg xanax. If I'm refluxing, I just chew a couple of maalox max tablets to neutrialize the acid.
The full blown attack that comes close to freaking me out, the one that resembles a heart attack in every symptomatic way, thank goodness these don't happen alot, but for these I take a full xanax, tell myself it's not a heart attack, try to slow my breathing and get as quiet as I can as quickly as I can.
The medication starts working within a max of 10 minutes. I can feel my diaphram and chest muscles relaxing, my pulse starts slowing and the nausea and sweating subsides. When it's over, I'm basically left with feeling weak. Sometimes the xanax makes me sleepy and I end up snoozing for a couple of hours though. :)
I have only had 3 episodes in almost 17 years that sent me to the ER. I have not had one of these since the one that lasted 12 hours last June and ended up causing a 24 hour hospitial workup. With the 3rd one (last June), my Dr sent me home with my very own little mixture of the GI cocktail, to use in combo with the xanax for the killer of all spasms. Xanax alone will not stop these attacks.
I do not have GERD. My condition is esophageal spasms, brought on by nerve ending sensitivity/damage. This is the primary reason for spastic esophageal motility disorder. For different reasons, people end up with the mylen coating over the nerves lining their esoph damaged or hypersensitized.
When acid by refluxing splashes up, or eating spicey, or hard to swallow foods like some breads, and meats, irritate the lining of the esoph while swallowing the attack happens.
Oh and thanks..we had a wonderful vacation.
