Cleveland clinic

Achalasia
#1

Just wondering how many of you fellow A’s have been to Dr. Thomas Rice. I’m scheduled to meet with him on Oct the 12th. They start all the testing on the 10th. I have to pretty much repeat every test known to A pt’s. I will also be seeing a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and pulmonologist while I’m there. My surgeons I work for are saying esophagectomy and when I talked to Rice over the phone ( which i was shocked i was able to do) he said that from the sounds of it that is exactly what I need. How many of you guy’s have had the esophagus removed? I work in surgery and do these procedures occasionaly and I’m scared out of my mind. I think It’s worse knowing exactly what to expect, and what can go wrong. Any advise or help on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

I have found alot of comfort on this site. I wish I would have found this 9 years ago when all of my symptoms started. I have been through the injections, dilitations, and myotomy and still having trouble. mostly due to vagal responses. My advise to all of you is check your surgeon out thoroughly, cause on wrong myotomy can cause alot of heartache.

Sincerely
CVTgirl

#2

You are going to the best doctor there is! Dr Rice performed my Myotomy with a wrap nine weeks ago and I am doing great. I found everyone at the clinic to be very caring and efficient. Sorry you have to go through all of the wonderful test again but Dr Rice insist on himself or his team. If someone wants to shove one more tube up my nose and into my stomach I am going to scream!!! I was at the clinic last week for my 8 week follow up and Dr Rice was very please with my test results and I go back in a year. I am sorry I don’t know much about the E being replaced but he is your man. Do you live in the Cleveland area or are you coming from somewhere else?

Katie in VA

#3

Hi- My son had a myotomy done wrong (caUse of the surgeon NOT BEING A SPECIALIST) and we ended up at Cleveland Clinic with DR Rice for a open redo. Thanks to everyone at yahoo achalasia support group who gave us all the info on Dr Rice and the clinic!!

My son is now 14 and it has been almost 1 year on Oct 27th.He is doing great and eats everything.Gained almost 40 pounds and has grown several inches.this surgery changed his life!!

So as you can tell I highly reccomend DR Rice.I have referred several patients to him and they all as well are doing great.Katie as you read here is just one of them.(HI KATIE-WELL TALK SOON I HOPE).

Cant give you any info on esophectomy but I can tell you he is one of the best.Hes done over 300 mytomies and who knows how many e removals but if you ask him he will let you know how many. If you go on yahoo board Tracy from Newyork had a esophectomy done 6 months ago and is also doing great.Go on there and she will tell you all you want to know shes great! We actually met while my son had his open surgery done.

I dont know if this helps but I hope it does atleast let you know hes great and is a specialist. If you have any questions just let me know.
Best of luck to you!Keep us posted

Tonia in Va

#4

Hi there - I had an esophagectomy by Dr. Rice 6 months ago, nearly to the day!

I am doing very well now - I was so scared before surgery, but Dr. Rice is the BEST and I HIGHLY recommend him. I have no regrets at this point, and I know that for my long term health I made the right choice.

I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you have.
Tracy in NY

#5

Hi CVT girl - I am having an -ectomy on Jan. 9th with Dr. Luketich at Pittsburgh University Med. Center. It is very scary but there are probably about 6-8 people on the Yahoo A site who have had them done in the last year or two and they are all doing wonderfully. Currently there is Isabella in Holland, myself and Susan in Ontario, Canada who are all getting scheduled. You are welcome to become one of our ‘-ectomy sisters’

If you ever go over to the Yahoo site, check out Tracy from NY posts. She had an ectomy with Dr. Rice in March and is doing great. Be happy that you are going to the best of the best and that with your experience, you will know what to ask. Too many people with A just go to who is referred to them and don’t ask the right questions and don’t have the success that we can expect.

Good luck to you and keep me posted. We ‘ectomy sisters’ need to stick together.

It’s much easier when you have someone going through it with you.

Happy Swallowing!
-Michelle in NC