Oesophageal Dysmotility, or esophageal dysmotility describes motility disorders of the food pipe, where the oesophagus has difficulty pushing food from mouth to stomach. This difficulty can vary from mild to severe. For some people, symptoms and their severity can fluctuate.
Symptoms can include:
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
- Chest pain
- Feeling like there’s something stuck in your throat
- Weight loss
- Heartburn
There are a number of different causes for oesophageal dysmotility, including:
- Muscle spasms or uncoordinated muscle contractions
- Weakened muscles
- Neurological conditions
- Neuromuscular conditions
- Infection
- Inflammation
It’s important to seek diagnosis to access proper management. Tests can include:
- Barrium Swallow Test
- Physiology tests (including PH testing and oesophageal manometry)
- Endoscopy
- Endoscopic ultrasound
- Gastroscopy.
Oesphoageal dysmotility can be secondary to other medical conditions. For example, my oesophageal dysmotility is caused my hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. Because my body is more stretchy, my muscles have to work harder than most peoples and fatigue quickly.
For me, the severity of my oesophageal dysmotility varies. At it’s worst, it’s excruciatingly painful and lasts for 7 hours. I can feel where food is in it’s process to my stomach. And I’m hungry as well as in pain, because the little I’m able to eat takes such a long time to reach my stomach. It’s a horrible feeling. I’ve had to have build up drinks to get the nutrients I need because even something as smooth and soft as mashed potato is difficult to eat. And even the build up drinks are difficult. Thankfully, it hasn’t been this bad in a while.
I’ve noticed that extreme stress can exacerbate my oesophageal dysmotility – I suspect linked to my temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) and how my jaw tenses. Which happens a lot, as someone with complex PTSD and a brain that gets stressed easily.
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