My 80+ year old wife, Carole underwent an endoscopy 3 years ago, was diagnosed with a corkscrew esophagus and has struggled with it every day since. As others have shared here, chest pains that mimic a heart attack are a regular occurrence if she tries to swallow anything other than soup or yogurt. Her gastroenterologist 3 years ago prescribed Hyoscyamin before meals to make swallowing easier. We can't say it has helped very much at all. Seeking perhaps some new pill to do a better job we arranged to visit another gastroenterologist. Sadly, he lacked bedside manner, and summed up Carole's situation like this : " Here are the facts:
You will find no pill to resolve your corkscrew esophagus, and no medical surgery will correct the problem either, and beyond that, the hyoscyamine is probably causing you more harm than good. It likely contributes to constipation!" Gee thanks, Doc !
He offered no counsel as alternatives to cope with this problem. HUGE disappointment ! If anybody has discovered how to cope with this condition, we would so welcome hearing from you. Short of prayer, we know not what to do....and living with no improvement day after day alas, is fertile soil for despair to set in. What has YOUR doctor shared with you ? What pill have you had success with? Are you familiar with surgery to stretch the esophagus ? Any success stories? Any horror stories ? H E L P !!!