#381 Keep Breathing

My esophagus taking a selfie.

Life and its adventures never end around the Gooze household.  Case in point...

  Last night I had what I would call an "episode" with eating and breathing and a malfunction of everything that has to do with the upper part of my body. I won't bore you with the details but it involved an ambulance ride--without the siren which translates into--she's still breathing so go slowly; and a procedure at the ER to open my esophagus.  It was painless because they sedated me with a drug that sends you to la la land and the entire scoping and fiddling around down my throat was over in 10 minutes--according to that lovable husband of mine.  He was fretting but the capable medical staff knew what to do to relieve my oxygen situation-- or lack of.

As it turns out I have what is called Schatzki ring which is a narrowing of the lower esophagus that can cause difficulty swallowing.  This ring is named after a German-American physician and saying his name is enough to choke someone in mid sentence.  My delicious piece of tuna from dinner was the culprit blocking the opening and making me feel like I was drowning in ten feet of water.

Presently I am good to go and according to Wikipedia: "The duration of the benefit of dilation varies, but may be from months to years"  before it acts up again.  Rob now feels it is his job to cut up my food and remind me to chew twenty times before swallowing.  Not sure which is worse, struggling to breath or having Rob breathing down my neck as I chomp down on each bite. One, two, three... Don't be surprised if old Schatzki's ring gets wrapped around his head if I hear him tallying my nibbles one more time.

Thanks for reading #381 of 7777.