Zenker's Diverticulum: A Pocket of Trouble

About three years ago my father was rushed to the local hospital in the middle of the night. He was having trouble breathing. A few hours later, we learned that he had pneumonia and they began IV treatment with antibiotics. More troubling though, is what else the doctors found in his X-Ray films. They called it Zenker's Diverticulum, and they said it was the root cause for him contracting pneumonia. My mother and I had never heard of this condition and little did we know at the time, just how much it would impact his health.

Columbia University's Department of Otolaryngology website defines Zenker's Diverticulum as:
"Zenker's diverticula (ZD) are pouches that develop in the pharynx just above the upper esophageal sphincter. Food may become trapped there, causing difficulties in swallowing, bad breath, regurgitation, and irritation. ZD generally are categorized as small, intermediate, or large in size. They extend into the left side of the neck 90% of the time due to a slight convex shape of the esophagus to that side and the presence of a potential space there. "

Because of the abnormal pocket of tissue that punched out my dad's esophageal wall, he was constantly aspirating saliva and particles of food. Basically when he swallows, most of the material went down into his stomach as it should have, but a small amount would get stuck in the ZD. Then, when he tried to breathe in, the little flap that chooses between the esophagus and bronchii would switch, his lungs would suck in air, and whatever was in the pocket would get forced into his lungs.

Over the next year, my father's quality of life declined quickly. He found breathing to become more laborious, and was diagnosed with pneumonia a second time and ended up back in the hospital. As you can imagine, my family found this troublesome. It's difficult to guess what it must feel like to have stuff going into one's lungs when it shouldn't but it can't be pleasant.