I have a friend who has a condition that causes cartilage build-up in her esophagus, so she has to have surgery every year for the rest of her life to keep from suffocating. What sucks also is the scar tissue from the surgeries also creates problems.
She’s on an extremely restricted diet which is supposed to help, but she told me so far it only delayed the surgery by four months.
I only meant to say that I wasn’t posting explicitly seeking advice, but to share this weird and scary experience. Anyone who wants to share their own experiences (or indeed has any advice to offer) is welcome to chime in. Thanks for sharing yours! 
So I guess my problem (if any) could be worse! The connection between the esophagus and ability to breathe is pretty scary!
My tentative conclusion is that the occasional little pains I get are probably due to a somewhat restricted esophagus, and that what happened the other night was a chunk of solid food actually getting stuck in there – the sort of thing that the Heimlich maneuver is supposed to fix. It’s not something I ever want to go through again!
Oh, sorry! I think I meant trachea.
I once had a hernia in my esophagus and it was awful. I could barely eat. When stuff gets messed up there it can cause real problems.
I have eosinophilic esophagitis (or EOE for short). Rings will form in my esophagus, and food gets stuck. I used to have a chronic problem where every once in a while I couldn’t swallow and the food would have to be coughed out (it wasn’t like throwing up, it felt more like burping; not pleasant but not awful, except for the inability to swallow).
It happened on and off for years, and I had no idea why it was happening; I’d even convinced myself it was a mental problem where I was not relaxing enough, or not chewing properly, or something like that.
Then one day I had food stuck and it wouldn’t come out. I wasn’t suffocating because it was down far enough to not block air passage, but it wasn’t clearing on its own like it normally would if I waited long enough. And when I tried to sleep that night I kept waking up because I was literally drowning in my own saliva until I coughed it out. That’s when my wife said I had to go to the ER.
I went in, they checked my vitals, I sat for hours waiting. Eventually a doctor came in and said they were going to do an endoscopy to see what was wrong and clear any blockage. They’d be able to do it in a few days and I’d be fine.
Fortunately, my medical knowledge may be limited but I’m not a total idiot. I told the doctor that at that point I hadn’t had any fluids for 24 hours and I was pretty sure in a few days I’d be dead. She looked confused and asked if I couldn’t swallow any water, and I said no, and reminded her that I kept aspirating in my sleep which is why I came in there in the first place. She gave me a small cup of water and said try to drink this. I did, then ran to the sink in the room to cough it out as it was literally drowning me. She could tell I wasn’t bullshitting her, abd said I needed an emergency procedure, and I got it done later that day. Before that, they hooked me up to an IV so I could hydrate through my arm. (First time I remember ever having an IV for anything in my life, and so far it has been the only time.)
But yeah, if I had just accepted what a doctor told me, I’d probably have died. Kind of scary.
During the endoscopy, that was when they found proof I had EOE, which is apparently very rare. Yay me. It probably came fromy asthma; those who get EOE often have a history of asthma, and in my case I had it my whole life until maybe 10-15 years ago when it finally stopped happening, though that also seems to coincide with my first swallowing issues.
After the procedure, I went to a GI and we figured out my EOE was being triggered by GERD. So I got on a daily dosage of Omeprazole, I no longer eat spicy food, and I haven’t had a serious incident since.
Wow, that sounds like a scary experience!
Your symptoms were not quite the same as mine but apparently the symptoms of EOE vary from person to person. But doing some research, according to hopkinsmedicine.org “The symptoms [of EOE] happen when your immune system makes white blood cells in reaction to an allergen. The white blood cells are called eosinophils”. I might have it, but I’m not prone to allergies and am not aware of any.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
ETA: The quick summary I looked up doesn’t mention GERD, but I don’t believe I have that, either.
I’m now convinced that this is something I should mention to my PCP on my next visit.
Not to correct a medical institute but that’s not totally accurate, or at least it’s not complete. Allergies are one cause of EoE, the other is a reaction to acid reflux. In my case they suspected that it could be an allergy but had me try avoiding spicy food and taking a protein pump inhibitor (the Omeprazole), and when the problem stopped happening they knew that it wasn’t an allergy.
Also, I didn’t think I had GERD. I mean, I very rarely had heartburn enough to even notice, but in the case of EoE I guess it doesn’t take very much. My system is just hypersensitive to it.
EoE hasn’t been studied for that long and there’s not much known about it apparently.
This Harvard health article matches my experience:
There are currently no FDA-approved treatments for EoE. Most people are initially treated with a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) antacid, which resolves EoE in up to half of cases. If this does not work, either a mild topical steroid or identification and elimination of specific dietary triggers is attempted.
Most recently I’ve seen Dupixent advertised as a treatment for EoE, and interestingly enough it also is used to treat asthma, which to me is another sign of the link between both conditions.
(And Eczema too, which is also common for people with asthma. I will occasionally get small patches of it but it usually clears up quickly with an OTC cream.)
I am currently in Florida. My Mom collapsed while visiting a friend at the hospital. Mom had emergency surgery and spent a few days on a respirator, if Mom had stayed home that night, by the time her aide found her the next morning it would have been too late.
My employer has been wonderfully understanding. They have told me repeatedly and in writing that my job will be there for me when I get back home.
Mom will very soon be discharged to a rehab facility. After that it is almost certain that she will not be able to return to her condo but will have to move in to an assisted living facility. Her condo is in Coconut Creek. My sister and sister in law live in Jacksonville- a four hour drive north from Coconut Creek. I live in Philadelphia . We have told Mom that Philly and Jacksonville are her two choices. She doesn’t want to lose her independence or all the friends who live in her development.
Everything is very tense. My sister is constantly on edge and angry. I am anxious all the time. For a few days, the chances were very good that I was flying down to say goodbye and help plan the memorial ceremony.
Also, my mental health provider wanted to charge me over $300 for two missed appointments. I couldn’t cancel the therapy appointment in time because my sister called less than 24 hours before the appointment. I probably should’ve called to explain anyway. By the time I thought of that, it was too late and I was on a plane in the air. I kept my psychiatrist appointment the next day. I informed her that I would need the prescriptions sent to a pharmacy in Florida. She expressed sympathy and concern, said she was not licensed in Florida and couldn’t prescribe anything, and ended the session.
They would have been within their rights to charge me for the first appointment.
I was on time and ready for the second. I would never have paid for that one.
I called and calmly explained things. Both charges were waived. Then I got an email reminding me to pay the charges. I just got off the phone with billing and I can ignore that email and the text I just got.
I still don’t know when it will be safe to go home. I was told I would only be here four days. I only packed for four days.
I have switched to a different psychiatrist at the same company. They are licensed in Pennsylvania and Florida. I got my medication.
Nobody is getting my mail. The friends I have known for about 30 years are not responding to my messages.
I could go on but I am finished lunch and want to go back to Mom’s room.
Wow. Sorry to hear all that. Best wishes for your mom.
I hope everything gets sorted to your satisfaction asap.
Just wanted to say thanks for all the info. I now feel that I can have a better informed conversation with my doctor. At this point everything is back to normal, but I do want to discuss this next time I have an appointment.
You’re welcome. I’m hoping it’s nothing like EoE, and that condition is rare anyway, so I’m sure it’s not. I hope whatever happened to you was one-and-done.
Just don’t be stupid like me and ignore it for years, if it does reoccur. (Honestly, a good rule of thumb is to not use me as a good example for a lot of things.)
I often say
Everyone is good for something. Me? I’m a good bad example.
As usual, my sister is assuming that I am incompetent, ignorant and do everything the wrong way.
I finally yelled at her while we were in the car and I was calling CVS about a prescription. As I was leaving a voicemail, she said that she always talks to a live person. I barely controlled myself. I said it was vary very very annoying when she did that. Rather than apologizing and being silent, she explained why she always talked to a live person. I interrupted with “I don’t give a fuck what way you do this. I do it my way.” Again, she has known me all my life and should have known to at least stop talking. Instead, she kept explaining. I lost it and began shouting. This upset my sister in law. Things eventually calmed down. As my sister had interrupted me In the middle of leaving a message, I made a second call. There is no option to speak to a live person. The options are a self service menu or voicemail,
My sister and sister in law wanted to share their calendars with me. This was a good idea. It didn’t work because I don’t have iCloud. I said I didn’t want it. My sister in law, who generally treats me like a capable adult, explained what iCloud did. I told her I knew all that and didn’t want it. She kept listing benefits and I kept repeating that I didn’t want iCloud. At one point she asked “Can I finish what I am saying?” I answered no. She flew off the handle. She accused me of not being “calm”. I said that I was calm. One could argue I was rude or even insulting. But I was perfectly calm when I said no. She eventually calmed down.
BTW- it is possible to copy data from your iPhone directly to a Windows PC if you download iTunes onto the computer. I did. Every thing is backed up on devices I own and that I and I alone have access to
OMG, cats. Why must you gang up on my wallet?
The other day I noticed one of my elderlies pawing at her face while eating. She’s at least 17, so a bad tooth is not unexpected and I knew I was going to have to make an appointment for her after the holiday. Last night as I was watching tv she was sitting on the side table beside me, and the way the light fell on her face made it obvious there’s a lump on her lower jaw. I explored it carefully (she has very small tolerance for such things) and it’s a hard lump, and apparently not super-sensitive to outside pressure. I made a vet appointment for Tues then and there (I love that my vet has online appointments!) Crossing everything that a round of abx and maybe a tooth out is all she’ll need to continue her cantankerous ways for a while yet.
This morning I thought I’d probably better trim claws, as this cat is a challenge to handle when she’s upset. Her name is Rose for a good reason - both sweet AND prickly! I did her claws and then started scouting the house for other sleeping felines as pretty much all of them are due for a trim. Next cat was Bunny, a favorite. Sat her in my lap and did her fronts, and the as I did her hinds I noticed something on one hind leg. After a squirming session I finally got a look. She has a hole in the back of her thigh, sort of, that’s the size of a nickel! So, off to my vet who has limited Saturday hours but squeezed me in, bless them. Hole is old enough to have granulation starting, so my Bun is home in a cone, with meds and scrubbie pads and a syringe for irrigating the wound, and I’m out $145. Which I gotta say ain’t too bad! It sure beats the vet ER where walking in the door is $120 or so.
Cats, my dear sweet cat-friends, I love you all but you’re giving me stress I don’t need!
Stingy-ass college graduation seating.
I know of two graduations this month. One school gave the students 3 tickets, with an option for a fourth while the other gave two tix & a lottery for a third. Now I’m not saying you need to invite your third cousin, twice-removed, but parents, a couple of siblings, maybe step-parent(s) &/or step/half siblings. You know, just the people the student lives with, to say nothing of a SO or grandparent(s)
If they can’t do it on campus then rent somewhere large enough.
The annoying Saga of the non-red Swingline Stapler. …
Some time in the early 1980s I bought a Swingline staple gun from the local hardware store. Made of all bright chromed steel, it was durable and heavy. And the strong spring drove heavy duty staples into damn near anything short of steel. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime purchase; my hypothetical grandkids could still be driving staples with this thing in the year 2100.
Over the years I slowly consumed the assortment of staples that came with it. The last of which ran out a couple weeks ago while I had a small stapling project half done. Of course.
Off to the hardware store. The don’t sell Swingline-branded staples. Surprise! They don’t sell staples with a 1/2" span across the tines either. Double surprise.
Home to the internet. Swingline doesn’t now make staple guns, nor staples for them. None of the usual amatuer sources have 1/2" span staples. Even the mighty industrial powerhouse McMaster-Carr doesn’t have appropriate staples. Seems there are new standards for staple widths, and 0.485" between the tines is the widest anyone makes. I Amazon up the smallest box of one thousand 0.485" staples hoping they’ll work. The 0.15" delta just might be within tolerance. Eight dollars and three days later they’re here. Nope; too narrow - the gun won’t take 'em. Crap.
So now I order up a 0.485 width stapler. Twenty dollars and 3 more days later I’m the proud owner of a shiny new Surebonder 5650. Which will take all widths of staples up to and including the 0.485s. But, unsurprisingly, not the obsolete nonexistent 0.500s.
So 28 dollars poorer and 8 days older I drive in those last couple of staples. Decent bet I’ll still own 900 of those one thousand new staples the day they bury my cold carcass.
Anyone want a very nice vintage Swingline staple gun? No rust, low mileage. Honest!
Those Swingline staple guns actually make for a useful weapon. My aunt once dented a guy’s forehead with one when he wouldn’t relent from mashing her. They really can serve more than one purpose.
Is your aunt a potato?
No, but apparently she’s a real pistol.
I commiserate with your plight in being unable to get supplies for some very useful item that you dearly love. It’s happened to me several times in my life though I don’t recall any of the specific instances. One might even have involved a staple gun. I have two – unbeknownst to me, a staple gun that drives flat staples is not the same as a staple gun that drives rounded staples for securing cables. They are not compatible. With my luck, staples are no longer made for either of them. 
But it does remind me that I should get out to Home Depot and buy a couple of filters – at least one of the regular and one of the fine-dust type – for my Ridgid brand shop-vac. It’s a compact model that, ominously, I don’t think is made any more. I sure as hell would be pissed off if they didn’t make compatible filters for it any more.
P.S.- Just checked. Phew! They still do. Local store has 10. But for how much longer?
My aunt worked in a construction trailer and the guy actually complained to her boss about her. Her boss said to him “should have been wearing a helmet - it’s a construction site.”