I feel some forum members may have wondered why my visits to the site and posts are less frequent than they used to be so I hope this post, which I am finding very clumsy & difficult indeed, will go some way to explain this.
Around late September/early October last year I lost a little weight and then put quite a bit on (or so it felt) as my stomach was a little larger than usual, having always been slimly built it was more noticeable to me than it was to others. Over the next few weeks I frequently felt nauseous and was sick often, I experienced acid build up in my stomach with bouts of my my stomach contents 'backing up' to my throat (not the same as being sick) along with acid reflux. Any food I ate would take up to 10hrs to get through my stomach so my quality of sleep was poor and I was constantly tired as a result. I also experienced several other symptoms which I didn't realise were all connected.
A Doctor's appointment in January resulted in a referral to hospital and several tests to get to the bottom of what was going on. The first test test procedure involved a Endoscopy which was not successful as my gag-reflexes went crazy and, once the surgeon pushed the camera a little further down my throat, I found myself shouting for Ralph: RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!!
at the top of my voice! The additional problem here was the fact that I was a long term smoker until December and this has caused serious damage to my lungs to the point that I now only have a small lung capacity. So...............try shouting RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!! yourself and see how well you can breathe - you can't. So the Endoscopy could not be carried out.
A successful barium swallow series of tests and a scan were carried out and this has revealed I am suffering from Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (S.M.A.S. - link 2) as well as having (non cancerous) polyps or polyps type growth(s) in my throat which may have been caused by acid reflux or my 'gagging' symptoms due to the S.M.A.S..
I have now been very tired, even terribly exhausted, for many months as my body isn't getting the nutrients from foods that my body needs and my sleep patterns have been chaotic, the damp/humid weather we've endured in UK for many months have played absolute havoc with my breathing and all of this has taken it's toll on my health.
My surgeon has told me that Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (S.M.A.S.) is rare, it's serious and it's life threatening. The throat issue needs further investigation prior to surgical intervention but, as I will end up shouting RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!! again, my surgeon is struggling to find a way to fix this. As for the S.M.A.S. problem, there are two options:
1) Insert a stent into the Duodenum using an Endoscopy via my throat - this can not be done due to the gag reflex/'Ralph' issues just as above.
2) Surgery while under general anaesthetic - this also can not be done because my lungs have been so badly damaged by smoking that a general anaesthetic would be too dangerous for me.
My surgeon recommends I eat only 'soft food' and lose weight by going on a diet!!! 
:annoyed: Dear me, I have spent most of my life fighting hard to maintain my weight as putting weight on/maintaining a healthy weight has always been difficult for me. I have never been on a diet in my life as I've never really put weight on!
All the above is why I have been quiet on the forum and in my life over the last few months. This is where I am at today with my health, my surgeon is trying desperately to find a way to operate on me but hasn't found the answers yet so I don't know what the future holds. My atheism will stop any god fearing rubbish affecting me and, so far, I'm keeping nice and calm about all these issues.
As I said earlier, I have found myself being very clumsy at writing this and this is the shortest version with quite a bit of info omitted as there is just to much to explain in full. Most of my life has been an excellent adventure and boomboxes have been a recent part of this. I'll still do what I can and, if my surgeon pulls a rabbit out of a hat, I'll let you know.
*Special thanks to St Nick (nickeccles) for his enduring help through moral support, humour and for being St Nick.
Around late September/early October last year I lost a little weight and then put quite a bit on (or so it felt) as my stomach was a little larger than usual, having always been slimly built it was more noticeable to me than it was to others. Over the next few weeks I frequently felt nauseous and was sick often, I experienced acid build up in my stomach with bouts of my my stomach contents 'backing up' to my throat (not the same as being sick) along with acid reflux. Any food I ate would take up to 10hrs to get through my stomach so my quality of sleep was poor and I was constantly tired as a result. I also experienced several other symptoms which I didn't realise were all connected.
A Doctor's appointment in January resulted in a referral to hospital and several tests to get to the bottom of what was going on. The first test test procedure involved a Endoscopy which was not successful as my gag-reflexes went crazy and, once the surgeon pushed the camera a little further down my throat, I found myself shouting for Ralph: RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!!
at the top of my voice! The additional problem here was the fact that I was a long term smoker until December and this has caused serious damage to my lungs to the point that I now only have a small lung capacity. So...............try shouting RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!! yourself and see how well you can breathe - you can't. So the Endoscopy could not be carried out.A successful barium swallow series of tests and a scan were carried out and this has revealed I am suffering from Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (S.M.A.S. - link 2) as well as having (non cancerous) polyps or polyps type growth(s) in my throat which may have been caused by acid reflux or my 'gagging' symptoms due to the S.M.A.S..
I have now been very tired, even terribly exhausted, for many months as my body isn't getting the nutrients from foods that my body needs and my sleep patterns have been chaotic, the damp/humid weather we've endured in UK for many months have played absolute havoc with my breathing and all of this has taken it's toll on my health.
My surgeon has told me that Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome (S.M.A.S.) is rare, it's serious and it's life threatening. The throat issue needs further investigation prior to surgical intervention but, as I will end up shouting RAAAAAAAAAAALLLPPPHHH!!! again, my surgeon is struggling to find a way to fix this. As for the S.M.A.S. problem, there are two options:
1) Insert a stent into the Duodenum using an Endoscopy via my throat - this can not be done due to the gag reflex/'Ralph' issues just as above.
2) Surgery while under general anaesthetic - this also can not be done because my lungs have been so badly damaged by smoking that a general anaesthetic would be too dangerous for me.
My surgeon recommends I eat only 'soft food' and lose weight by going on a diet!!!
:annoyed: Dear me, I have spent most of my life fighting hard to maintain my weight as putting weight on/maintaining a healthy weight has always been difficult for me. I have never been on a diet in my life as I've never really put weight on!All the above is why I have been quiet on the forum and in my life over the last few months. This is where I am at today with my health, my surgeon is trying desperately to find a way to operate on me but hasn't found the answers yet so I don't know what the future holds. My atheism will stop any god fearing rubbish affecting me and, so far, I'm keeping nice and calm about all these issues.
As I said earlier, I have found myself being very clumsy at writing this and this is the shortest version with quite a bit of info omitted as there is just to much to explain in full. Most of my life has been an excellent adventure and boomboxes have been a recent part of this. I'll still do what I can and, if my surgeon pulls a rabbit out of a hat, I'll let you know.
*Special thanks to St Nick (nickeccles) for his enduring help through moral support, humour and for being St Nick.
:dog: 
my younger brother is a smoker and now has emphysema - has he given up? Nope. His addiction to Nicotine is strong.
