Raising funds for James' medical & travel support

Hi. My name is James and the photo pictured above is with my wife Lezil from healthier, happier times together.

Here’s my story…..

We've been living in Ecuador since 2016.

Monday 4th October 2021 was the very last ‘proper’ meal I ate. It was the start of, what is, a very challenging and extremely difficult season in my life.

It all began when I choked on some food which was stuck in my throat and I couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. I thought I had just swallowed too fast. So, I continued eating and it happened again. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right.

The next day I went to see an ENT doctor who did a nasal endoscopy and didn’t see anything unusual except that my upper throat was slightly inflamed. I was given some anti-inflammatory medication and sent on my way. Later that day, I tried to eat again and the same thing happened, food got stuck and I had to vomit it out.

I decided to see another ENT specialist who then assigned various tests over two months. The tests were the following:

- MRI Scan (all clear)

- CT scan (all clear)

- X-ray of neck (all clear)

- Barium swallow test (issues were detected each time)

- Full endoscopy (inflammation noted in the upper throat area as the camera went in, but apart from that, no issues seen)

The Initial diagnosis was for Zenker’s diverticulum but both the endoscopy and the barium swallowing tests ruled this out.

The barium swallow test was the only one that showed clearly that as I consumed different types of drink / food (water, fruit juice, shake, mashed potato and crackers), they all seem to get stuck at the top right of the oesophagus and wouldn’t go down the throat normally. I actually did this same test five times over 10 months to see if any improvement had taken place.

During this whole time, I’ve had to make a drastic change to my diet where since October 2021, I have been on a liquid / blended food diet. With the help of my amazing wife, we’ve tried to create as a varied diet as possible but inevitably, consuming food only in liquid form is taking its toll on other physical health areas. I’ve lost a lot of weight, my muscle mass has gone, lack of energy, pain in a lot of my bone joints and I’ve had severe gout in my right foot since December 2022 which hasn’t healed despite seeing two doctors and taking daily medication to control it (and changing my diet, again).

In all, I have seen more than 10 specialists / doctors and three surgeons who all proposed very different procedures. Mid-last year, I then had a 3-D X-ray of my neck area and was diagnosed with ‘Eagle Syndrome’ on the right hyoid bone which, apparently, was causing the issues on the top right of the oesophagus when eating.

I had throat surgery in July 2022 to remove around 1.5 centimetres of both left and right hyoid bones. I was told that recovery would be pretty quick and, in a week or two, I’d be able to consume solid food again. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and the problem still persists today.

I did another barium swallow test in September 2022 to double check if there had been any change from the surgery and the hospital that has my entire medical history, confirmed that sadly there has been no change and that food is still not going down the oesophagus normally as it should be.

The entire hospital team looking after my case is completely baffled by my health situation and in their words “they have never seen anything like it” and feel helpless that they cannot offer me a definitive diagnosis or solution.

Despite detailed checks, they never found a mass, tumour or anything obvious blocking my throat passage. But, they said there is a clear abnormality shown in the barium test causing swallowing issues.

End of 2022, I sent my paperwork and exam results to a leading ENT clinic in London and the initial comments are there could be a muscle issue but I would need to go there in person to do a series of in-depth tests (including neurological) for the diagnosis to be clearer. And then, from there decide what course of action to take.

Not being able to eat solid food has had a profound effect on me mentally. You don’t realise how much of our lives revolve around food (family gatherings, meeting up with friends, work events, etc…). I have not been able to work properly since October 2021 due to the life limitations of my liquid diet. I’ve become extremely introverted and battling with severe anxiety, depression and panic attacks.

My faith in God has kept me going along with incredible family and friends from around the world. I’ve suffered in silence for so long as I don’t like bringing attention to my problems and pain. But a few friends have encouraged me to set up this page to seek financial help as the last 20 months have completely drained our finances and taking this next step to seek specialist private medical help in the UK is going to cost a lot.

The plan is to travel to the UK for the duration of time that is required depending on the diagnosis and the time needed to complete all the medical tests proposed by the private ENT clinic. Then seeing what course of action will be taken to try and treat the swallowing issue before returning back to Ecuador. The amount set for this fundraising campaign is based on all the above medical / travel information.

I thank you for taking the time to read what’s on my heart and in my mind. Both my wife and I desperately want a change in my health situation as it’s a deep struggle living like this. We appreciate the love and support.