For Achalasia Awareness month, Joanne is sharing her Achalasia journey, in hope that it can help others. Joanne also raises awareness of the difficulties in finding peer support for achalasia in Malta.
“I was admitted to hospital and had a surgery called Heller Myotomy. It was a very complicated surgery but since I was still young, I recovered very well and I was finally managing to start to eat and drink without any difficulty. After the surgery I was living an almost normal life.
My original consultant is also now retired and I’ve had difficulty finding another one to replace him, since the new consultants are not very well informed on Achalasia in Malta. In fact he used to tell me, if anything happened, to go straight to him, because in hospital they wouldn’t know what to do with my condition. Now that he’s retired, the condition is even worse for me. This is why I wanted to raise awareness and to share my story, and maybe I’ll be able to help others with the same condition.”
Apart from occasional chest pains and heartburn I must say I am living a normal life. I guess I’ve gotten used to these symptoms. I have full support from my husband and son. Other than that, I don’t have access to a support group as we don’t have any in Malta.“
Please comment on and re-share Joanne’s story to increase awareness of this rare condition and unite for a rare swallowing condition. You can find out more information about getting achalasia diagnosed and about different forms of Treatment Options on Achalasia Action’s Website, Achalasia Action. If you need support on living with Achalasia, contact us on info@achalasia-action.org or on 0300 772 7795. You can also join our Achalasia Facebook Page, and follow us on instagram and X (formally Twitter)
Joanne’s Achalasia Story
I’m Joanne Mifsud from Malta and I have been diagnosed with Achalasia since 1998. It all started in 1997, when I started having difficulty in swallowing foods and liquids. I was literally throwing up every time I tried to eat or drink something. When visiting doctors, they told me that stress was likely causing the difficulty in swallowing.
I visited the UK for a checkup for a kidney problem that I had previously developed. When my consultant asked me how my general health was, I mentioned that I was now experiencing swallowing problems and that it was all related to stress, according to the Maltese doctors. He suggested that I do some tests in the UK. I had a barium swallow/meal (which I had previously done in Malta) and was then told that I have Achalasia.
The doctor then told me that this is a rare condition. Once I was back in Malta, I was referred to a consultant who was familiar with Achalasia. At that time, I weighed 43.7 kg as I was having severe problems with my swallowing. I was admitted to hospital and had a surgery called a Heller Myotomy. It was a complicated surgery but since I was still young, I recovered very well and I finally managed to eat and drink without any difficulty. After the surgery I was living an almost normal life.
In 2000 I had a baby and it was about 2002 when I started experiencing heavy chest pains (spasms) which were all related to Achalasia. I was told by my consultant that my Achalasia was vigorous but at least I had gained some weight again and didn’t have any more difficulty in swallowing. These chest pains were occasional and without any pattern to them. Sometimes the pain would wake me up even during the night whilst I was sleeping. My consultant prescribed me nitrolingual spray to help ease the pain. I was also prescribed Adalat La (Nifedipine) to take daily which I still take today; when I tried stopping this medication, the pain came back and was unbearable.
I have never met anyone who has been diagnosed with Achalasia in Malta. I tried to search online and found a forum group that suggested sipping cold water when I get these chest pains. I find that this helps me and I’d rather take water than the nitrolingual spray. However, I always keep this spray handy just in case.
I occasionally have a gastroscopy procedure and I’ve also had a procedure called Pneumatic Dilatation to help stretch my lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS). In 2013 I was experiencing heartburn due to reflux and was also prescribed Omeprazol to take twice daily. During the night I feel more comfortable sleeping with two pillows.
Apart from occasional chest pains and heartburn I must say I am living a normal life, I guess I’ve gotten used to these symptoms. I have full support from my husband and son. Other than that, I don’t have access to a support group as we don’t have any in Malta. My original consultant is also now retired and I’ve had difficulty finding another one to replace him, since the new ones are not very well informed on Achalasia in Malta. In fact he used to tell me, if anything happened, to go straight to him, because in hospital they wouldn’t know what to do with my condition. Now that he’s retired, the condition is even worse for me. This is why I wanted to raise awareness and to share my story, and maybe I’ll be able to help others with the same condition.
