Surgery plus 2 months

I couldn't be more satisfied with the results of my POEM surgery!!  Two months after surgery.  Zero symptoms of heartburn which is the most common side effect of the surgery.  I did have some gas in my stomach a few weeks ago that led to some burping for a week or so but that went away.  The only time I have had any sensation is after I eat lentils.  I think they produce a lot of gas that feels funny in my chest.  I had that sensation twice and both times were after eating lentils so no more lentils.

My swallowing is 99.9% perfect.  Large bread bites are still slow to pass into my stomach but that's easy enough to fix by chewing those bites a little longer.  That's it!!!  Perfecto, FIXED.

I would add this piece of advise if you have this surgery.  DO NOT swallow any water to try and get food that is being stubborn to go into your stomach after surgery.  Dr. Swanstrom says that in his post operation instructions.  It was not a large problem for me but a couple of times in the first 3 weeks or so I had some bites that were being a little slow so I drank a little water to help them go down.  Nothing major happened but I did feel a little tender for a day or so.  I would think it could be possible to do a little damage to the surgery site if you really forced a large piece of steak through or something like that.

I have gained about 9 lbs. in 2 months.  Tipping the scales at 147 lbs. Not a bad weight for my frame.  It would be interesting to see how much weight Achalasia patients gain back on average after surgery.  I think it would be very easy to get fat.  I prepared myself for the fact that I would be able to eat much more than I had been for the last couple of years and took this opportunity to eat much much more fruits and veges.  Mt. biking a lot this spring (we are off to Utah for 2 weeks, leaving Sat.).  It sounds crazy but there have been so many positives that have come from having Achalasia.

Totally Fantastic trip to France
Becoming friends with Joelle and Claude
Artisan Cheese making (worthy of it's own blog, it definitely started in France)
Healthier diet
Which led to more Mt. biking

Amazing.

1) Emmental (swiss), 1)Tomme (alpine style) 1) Cheddar 1) Blue 2) Gouda's
That's approximately 17 lbs. of cheese aging.  It's so fun.

I will post in a month or two unless something changes.  I have all my follow up tests at the end of August.  I am still waiting for copies of my post operation swallowing X-rays.