At long last, my dry cake blockage feels better. For the most part, things have regressed back to minor regurgitation during and after meals. My heartbeat no longer feels as intense, though my BPM still reaches 80 at times when performing mundane non-physical tasks like watching TV. It’s hard to say what helped the most, because I tried so many things at once:
- Friday morning = started being extra cautious about the chest water level
- Friday afternoon = went through the “force regurgitation” approach
- Friday evening = began taking 20mg esomeprazole magnesium 2x a day
I also tried fasting, but failed to make it through all 24 hours on both attempts. If I had to guess, I’d wager that being cautious about the chest water level was what helped the most. In the future, if dry cake blockage ever shows up again, I’ll try that approach first. What exactly does it entail? …the answer is simple:
- Keep the water level low. Don’t be afraid to skip / abandon meals once the chest water feels high.
- If regurgitation comes up, allow it out, but don’t try to induce it. Don’t try to stop it either; halfway regurgitated food can block the throat even more.
- Be extra careful about not eating food that causes dry cakes or is too stiff / firm
- Sitting when liquids are going down could be a bad position; try to be standing when the chest water level is high after a meal
Other tips for dry cake blockage are to cut back on caffeine and to do cardio exercise. In the evening, when the blockage dries up, it causes a burst of energy. Combined with caffeine, it can be very hard to sleep. Cardio exercise is helpful because it seems to help keep the chest water levels down.
