You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone more upbeat and positive than Matthew Gray Gubler.
He’s the very embodiment of what it means to have a sunny disposition.
You have nothing to complain about.
We’re so lucky.
You’re alive, so enjoy it."
And indeed, throughout his various health challenges, Gubler managed to practice what he preached.
“I had a weird thing called achalasia,” he told Ferguson.
I had to lick butter to just sort of stay alive," he explained.
Gubler wasn’t exaggerating,achalasia makes swallowing food almost impossible.
In both instances patients have trouble or are unable to swallow.
It’s not known whether Gubler has any of these diseases.
Another theory is that achalasia can be brought on by viral and parasitic infections.
The most common symptom patients deal with is having trouble swallowing food.
Choking is also a risk, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Other, less obvious symptoms might also present, including chest pains that are severe enough to disrupt sleep.
Heartburn and coughing are also common symptoms, with the latter usually occurring at night.
“Botox injections can temporarily paralyze the sphincter, though effects are short-lived.
This includes the muscles in the lower stomach, the esophagus, and the esophageal sphincter.
The surgery can be performed using an endoscope or by making small incisions in the abdomen.
The only downside is that the effects are sometimes temporary.
These routine checkups can also help to detect esophageal cancer early, should it develop.
Because achalasia can cause gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), it can affect the vocal cords.
“It was about a seven-month adventure,” he quipped.
“Bad things happen it’s how you deal with it is what makes it what it is.”
“No one knew what the protocol was for rehab.
“It [was] a little hard to focus.
But it made it good, and it was all for the best,” he said.
“I needed 3 surgeries and was told I might never walk without a cane.
“In this picture I was calling myself to remind myself that I will never be beaten.”
“It was funny, they didn’t really seem to believe me.
No one believes I could have done what I did.
