Reply #13: A year ago on Christmas I had what I thought was my last party

[yellerpup]

I was on the most powerful antacids for acid reflux and unable to swallow. I also suffered from intractable diarrhea and 'vomited' at least once during every meal. I had lost 35 pounds and was wearing baggy size 0 jeans. I also had to sleep sitting up on the couch because I couldn't lie down without stuff coming up. A friend who came to the party (whom we hadn't seen for over 2 years) is a drug researcher and she was appalled at my appearance. We met in ballroom dance class, so she know that I was usually very fit but also due to my native American heritage that I am allergic to cows milk & all dairy related to cows. She advised me to see a specialist right away (we had just gotten health insurance after 20 years of not having it) and in the meantime she sent over three things to help me through. I stopped taking the antacids and substituted probiotic enzymes, I added a CoQ10 supplement, cut out the vitamin C tablet, and had a jigger of aloe vera juice before bedtime. The enzymes stopped the diarrhea that had plagued me for 10 years within two days. I saw a specialist and ended up having surgery for a rare condition (1/100,000) called achalasia. I had never had acid reflux, as it turns out, it was the lower esophageal sphincter that went haywire and caused me not to be able to swallow. However, being on antacids had inhibited the abiity of my bowel to absorb nutrients and if it hadn't been for the probiotic enzymes I may have starved to death before I could have had surgery. The surgeon actually gasped when I went back for my post-op checkup. She said, "I have never seen anyone heal this fast." I am 58 years old. Next month will be a year since the surgery. I wear size 6 jeans now, live an active life without taking any medication, and have my brain power back. It's worth it to learn the chemistry. Many if not most doctors are completely in the dark when it comes to nutrition.

Edit for typo