Recommended behaviour for achalasia sufferers from achalasia sufferers
It must be said that this is a collection of experiences from various affected individuals. However, some people find cold water helps, whilst others benefit from warm water. Therefore, please consider these recommendations as suggestions and try them out to discover what helps.
Nutrition
· Eat several small portions daily, chew thoroughly.
· Replace normal food with baby food and infant food when necessary
· Do not eat food with long fibres, or cut up very small.
· (e.g. sauerkraut, asparagus, leek)
· Cooked food is more easily digestible than spicy fried or uncooked vegetables.
· When seasoning with pepper, paprika, garlic, curry, chilli, etc., reduce the quantities. Fresh and dried herbs can be used liberally. Just be careful with chives, these adhere to the wall of the oesophagus.
· Try fresh fruit, in particular bananas, apples, pears, grapes, cherries, plums; opt for fruit that is low in fruit acid and is soft
· Drink plenty of fluids: Tea, still water, apple spritzer and beer are generally well tolerated.
· Caution: Supplementary food (high-calorie nutritional supplements) can cause intestinal cramps and diarrhoea
· Aniseed and ginger help to prevent nausea. They are also available in form of candies.
· All this helps to reduce, eliminate or prevent malnutrition.
A balanced diet should primarily include basic (alkaline) and neutral foods. Because you are restricted in your food intake to a greater or lesser degree, you should try to eat a balanced and calorie-conscious diet and avoid acidification of the body. You can achieve this by eating predominantly alkaline and neutral foods. In addition to ensuring balanced acid levels in your body, a balanced diet also contributes to your personal well-being! Base and neutral foods largely balance out the excess acidity that you get from certain foods.
Further tips from us
· Do not eat for four hours before going to bed
· Cola calms the gastrointestinal tract
· Keep the torso upright (15-30°) when sleeping
· Hobbies induce relaxation
· Sport promotes well-being
· Do not be a guinea pig
What you can try to deal with chest cramps
Medication
· Centramine / liquid
· Nitrospray (during hospitalisation)
· Schüssler salts “Hot Seven” - 10 tablets dissolved in hot water
· Buscopan spasmolytic suppositories
· Tromcardin complex, 2x 1 tbl.
· Novaminsulfon oral drops
· Magnesium
· PPI (Pantoprazole, Omeprazole etc.)
· DILTIAZEM AL 60 for severe pain
Food
· Still water
· Drink hot or cold water
· White bread
· Water with peppermint oil
· Real liquorice
· Cola
· Nettle tea for heartburn
· Gruel/porrige
· Cold water, cold milk
· Banana
· Cold quark, yoghurt
· Ice
· Rusk
· Dark chocolate
· Manuka honey
Miscellaneous
· Osteopathy
· Trigger massage
· Reiki
· Hot water bottle
· Holistic healing practitioners/homeopathic practicioner
· The vibration caused by a purring cat when it is lying on your chest
· Take an inflatable (vein) cushion with you when you travel to raise the sleeping position
Medical rehabilitation
· Rehab after hospitalisation
· At the latest 2 weeks after surgery
· Hospital welfare service applies for follow-up treatment
· Serves to build up nutrition, muscle development and mental stability
· Costs are covered by the pension insurance or statutory health insurance
· Includes intensive medical and physiotherapeutic treatment
Objective
· The restoration of physical functions, nutrition, mental stability and social reintegration
Recognition as a disability
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Application to the healthcare agency responsible
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Joining the Sozialverband Deutschland VdK welfare organisation is expedient
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Contact: www.vdk.de
Tips for coping with achalasia from
patients for patients
These advices have proved useful.
When spasms occur, you could try “Zentramin sprint”. This is a recommendation from an achalasia patient in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Nutrition
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reduce malnutrition
-
eat a good amount of calories
-
eat several small meals per day, chew properly
-
when needed, eat baby food
-
no food with long fibres or cut it into very small pieces (e.g. asparagus, leek, sauerkraut)
-
cooked food is easier to digest than fried one or raw vegetables
-
when spicing the food, take care with pepper of any kind, garlic, curry, chilli etc.. Fresh herbs (or dried) can be used lavishly. Though chives may be a problem as these herbs may stick to the sides of the gullet.
-
try fresh fruit, especially bananas, apples, pears, grapes, cherries and plums. Fruit with less fruit acid is preferable.
-
Do drink enough: tea, still water, apple spritzer (apple juice mixed with water) and bear is usually well tolerated
-
Watch out: high calorie sip feed (food supplement) can cause intestinal spasms and diarrhoea
-
Aniseed and ginger help when suffering from nausea (available as candy)
A balanced diet should mostly contain alkaline and neutral food. As you have limitations regarding the intake of food to a greater or lesser extent, it is sensible to try to stick to a balanced diet and to avoid hyperacidity. This is possible by mostly eating alkaline and neutral food. Additional to achieving a good acid-base balance, a balanced diet improves your own personal wellbeing! Alkaline and neutral foodstuffs virtually equalize the excess of acid you obtain from certain kinds of food. You may find examples of such food under “food”.
Follow-up treatment
Rehab after a stay in hospital
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2 weeks after the surgery at the latest
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In Germany the hospitals’ social services apply for the follow-up treatment
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It is necessary in order to normalize the food intake, to improve the muscle constitution and to stabilise the psyche.
Medical rehabilitation
The aim is to restore bodily functions, the function of the organs and the social reintegration.
-
In Germany the pension insurance or the statutory health bear the costs
Includes an intensive medical and therapeutic treatment