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Overcoming Swallowing Challenges: Greg's Journey




 

Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to share with you an update on Greg's health situation.


As some of you may know, about a year ago Greg started having trouble swallowing food and drinks. He went to see a doctor and they did some tests on him. They found out that he had a tumor in his throat that was blocking his esophagus. He had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, which was thankfully not cancerous. However, he still has to go back every three months for check-ups and scans to make sure it doesn't come back.


At that time, they also found that Greg has a condition called Cricopharyngeal Bar, or CP Bar, which is a narrowing of the lower part of his esophagus. This makes it hard for him to swallow certain foods, especially solid ones. He has to chew very well and drink lots of water with his meals. Sometimes he gets food stuck in his throat and has to cough it up or spit it out. He also has to avoid spicy, acidic, or hot foods that can irritate his esophagus.


At his last appointment Greg and the doctor discussed increased issues he has been having eating and breathing lately because of JHD affecting his nervous system. Dr. Cohn referred him to UAMS who specializes in Neurogenic Dysphasia, a common occurrence with HD patients.


On Friday, we took Greg to UAMS in Little Rock to get some tests done on his swallowing and his throat. The doctor did a video swallow study, where they gave him some food and drink with contrast dye and watched how it went down his esophagus in real time. They also did a scope, where they inserted a thin tube with a camera through his nose and down his throat to look at the inside of his esophagus.



The results were not good. The doctor said that Greg's esophagus was getting narrower because of complications related to his JHD and the CP Bar. She also said that he had signs of sleep apnea, which means that he stops breathing for short periods of time when he sleeps. This can cause low oxygen levels in his blood and damage his brain and heart. A plan was put in place to do a sleep study and another surgery to stretch his esophagus. Hopefully they will be able to fix the issues so he can eat and drink like normal.


Thank you for taking the time out of your day to keep up with Greg and his journey. Please leave a comment down below if you have any questions.


God bless!








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