Question:
Hi, Julie: If your throat/swallowing problems continue, you should probably see a GI specialist. They do sound quite similar to the esophageal symptoms experienced by SD people . . . but I think we autoimmune types have a lot of crossover symptoms. For instance, I have a good friend who was originally diagnosed with MCTD (multiple connective tissue disorder) and now is considered to have "pure" lupus. She also has swallowing problems from time to time. They come and go. She does well with simple measures like not eating at night, elevating the head of her bed and never lying down right after she eats . . . Good for you for dumping the doctor who said it was impossible to have both lupus and scleroderma. Too bad you weren’t able to refer him to Daniel Wallace’s "The Lupus Book" which has a section specifically devoted to "Lupoderma" and the "crossover syndrome." Good luck to you . . . AC Julie Doughty <jdoug…@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:36F66948.A9C7E502@earthlink.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello all. I have been lurking about your ng off and on for several > months trying to decide if it is right for me. I am a 29 yr old female > who was diagnosed with morphea by a dermatologist when I was 13. He > monitored me for a few years and prescribed Plaquenil for 1-2 years. At > my visits, the dr. always asked me if I had problems swallowing, and > always listened to my lungs and made that funny "hmm.." when they hear > something but don’t know what it is. (Every dr. since then has done the > same thing.) Never had any problems and morphea never got worse. I > never worried about it. Fast forward to 3 years ago. In Jan. 96 I was > diagnosed with SLE (lupus). I have been dealing with that ever since. > I have been to two rheumatologists, and neither has been too concerned > about the morphea, but one told me that it was impossible to have lupus > and scleroderma. I never darkened his door again. > Anyway, I thought maybe someone could answer a question I have. Last > night my throat started bothering me. I felt as if there was something > stuck in it, and that I couldn’t swallow. My husband said it was > probably just phlegm (he’s excellent at making sure I don’t hit the > panic button) Anyway, this morning I felt fine, ate breakfast, brushed > my teeth, then threw up several times. I don’t feel bad, its just like > everything "bounced" . Should I be worried? > Thanks! > Julie
Response:
Thanks for the advice. I was able to eat chicken soup for lunch, but I still feel like my throat is closing. As for the Wallace book, I don’t think it had been published when I saw him. Julie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -AC900434 wrote: > Hi, Julie: > If your throat/swallowing problems continue, you should probably see a GI > specialist. They do sound quite similar to the esophageal symptoms > experienced by SD people . . . but I think we autoimmune types have a lot of > crossover symptoms. For instance, I have a good friend who was originally > diagnosed with MCTD (multiple connective tissue disorder) and now is > considered to have "pure" lupus. She also has swallowing problems from > time to time. They come and go. She does well with simple measures like > not eating at night, elevating the head of her bed and never lying down > right after she eats . . . > Good for you for dumping the doctor who said it was impossible to have both > lupus and scleroderma. Too bad you weren’t able to refer him to Daniel > Wallace’s "The Lupus Book" which has a section specifically devoted to > "Lupoderma" and the "crossover syndrome." > Good luck to you . . . > AC > Julie Doughty <jdoug…@earthlink.net> wrote in message > news:36F66948.A9C7E502@earthlink.net… > > Hello all. I have been lurking about your ng off and on for several > > months trying to decide if it is right for me. I am a 29 yr old female > > who was diagnosed with morphea by a dermatologist when I was 13. He > > monitored me for a few years and prescribed Plaquenil for 1-2 years. At > > my visits, the dr. always asked me if I had problems swallowing, and > > always listened to my lungs and made that funny "hmm.." when they hear > > something but don’t know what it is. (Every dr. since then has done the > > same thing.) Never had any problems and morphea never got worse. I > > never worried about it. Fast forward to 3 years ago. In Jan. 96 I was > > diagnosed with SLE (lupus). I have been dealing with that ever since. > > I have been to two rheumatologists, and neither has been too concerned > > about the morphea, but one told me that it was impossible to have lupus > > and scleroderma. I never darkened his door again. > > Anyway, I thought maybe someone could answer a question I have. Last > > night my throat started bothering me. I felt as if there was something > > stuck in it, and that I couldn’t swallow. My husband said it was > > probably just phlegm (he’s excellent at making sure I don’t hit the > > panic button) Anyway, this morning I felt fine, ate breakfast, brushed > > my teeth, then threw up several times. I don’t feel bad, its just like > > everything "bounced" . Should I be worried? > > Thanks! > > Julie
Response:
On Mon, 22 Mar 1999 11:01:13 -0500, Julie Doughty – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<jdoug…@earthlink.net> wrote: >Hello all. I have been lurking about your ng off and on for several >months trying to decide if it is right for me. I am a 29 yr old female >who was diagnosed with morphea by a dermatologist when I was 13. He >monitored me for a few years and prescribed Plaquenil for 1-2 years. At >my visits, the dr. always asked me if I had problems swallowing, and >always listened to my lungs and made that funny "hmm.." when they hear >something but don’t know what it is. (Every dr. since then has done the >same thing.) Never had any problems and morphea never got worse. I >never worried about it. Fast forward to 3 years ago. In Jan. 96 I was >diagnosed with SLE (lupus). I have been dealing with that ever since. >I have been to two rheumatologists, and neither has been too concerned >about the morphea, but one told me that it was impossible to have lupus >and scleroderma. I never darkened his door again. >Anyway, I thought maybe someone could answer a question I have. Last >night my throat started bothering me. I felt as if there was something >stuck in it, and that I couldn’t swallow. My husband said it was >probably just phlegm (he’s excellent at making sure I don’t hit the >panic button) Anyway, this morning I felt fine, ate breakfast, brushed >my teeth, then threw up several times. I don’t feel bad, its just like >everything "bounced" . Should I be worried? >Thanks! >Julie
I had the self same problem with swallowing. It started as a minor difficulty and progressed to severe. There were certain foods that normally I’d kill for, but was unable to swallow them. Needless to say, I ate a lot of oatmeal with water for a chaser. To make a long story short, out of desperation, I went to a GI specialist who is an associate of my Rheumy. He told me that this is a common thing with people with SD and CREST, whereas the valve that keeps stomach acids and such, tends to be inefficient. Because of this, the acid rolls back up into the esophagus and causes inflammation. In other words, REFLUX. What he did was to have me come in on an outpatient basis and he did a ‘dilation’. Essentially, this is done with a scope with a balloon type device at the end. When the doctor sees the area in question, he inflates the balloon and this will stretch the esophagus opening. It was a piece of cake, because there was no pain or discomfort, as they put me under. I was home within three hours, and lo and behold, I had a steak for lunch. This is a first in two years! Because of this condition, my weight went down to next to nothing. However, since December when I had this done, I gained 18 pounds and can and will eat everything in sight. He put me on a daily 30M dose of Prevacid to halt the production of acid. Raising the head of the bed is a good idea, because it defies what acid relies on to roll up to the esophagus — gravity. Even though I have my bad days with CREST, since I’ve had this done, I feel like a million dollars! You can’t feel good if you starve yourself, and I was before the dilation. Feel free to write. You have a friend in me. Bob alle…@tiac.net
Response:
Hello all. I have been lurking about your ng off and on for several months trying to decide if it is right for me. I am a 29 yr old female who was diagnosed with morphea by a dermatologist when I was 13. He monitored me for a few years and prescribed Plaquenil for 1-2 years. At my visits, the dr. always asked me if I had problems swallowing, and always listened to my lungs and made that funny "hmm.." when they hear something but don’t know what it is. (Every dr. since then has done the same thing.) Never had any problems and morphea never got worse. I never worried about it. Fast forward to 3 years ago. In Jan. 96 I was diagnosed with SLE (lupus). I have been dealing with that ever since. I have been to two rheumatologists, and neither has been too concerned about the morphea, but one told me that it was impossible to have lupus and scleroderma. I never darkened his door again. Anyway, I thought maybe someone could answer a question I have. Last night my throat started bothering me. I felt as if there was something stuck in it, and that I couldn’t swallow. My husband said it was probably just phlegm (he’s excellent at making sure I don’t hit the panic button) Anyway, this morning I felt fine, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, then threw up several times. I don’t feel bad, its just like everything "bounced" . Should I be worried? Thanks! Julie
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