Newly diagnosed and scared

Thanks Barretts for clearing that one up .. I am sure lady40s will find your help very informative.. As I did

Just gone through the same thing a couple of months ago'ish. My head went into a flat spin to start with and I panicked quite a lot. The facts are that it really isn't anywhere near as bad as it seems. There is a lot of support on this forum and some extremely knowledgeable people who have had this condition for a very long time and are absolutely fine. Keep calm and with good advice you will work out any diet and lifestyle changes you need to make.

Hi Lady40s, 

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Try not to worry too much- I am only 28 and the specialist I saw (regarded as one of the best in the UK on GI and Barret's) told me getting it even at my age wasnt particularly unusual, in fact it seems Barrett's is most common between 40-50 in both Men and Women so certainly not abnormal in that sense.  I tried to find as much info, including medical reports and tests over the past few years and now, with the help of the specialists input and useful forums think I've got to grips with the condition. Some of it is scary but the sooner the reality of the condition is clear the sooner you understand your personal risk- which differs greatly between individuals. 

My specialist tells me there's early AI research to suggest early age of onset plays a role in the condition changing, so as you are 43, which isn't what is classed as an early age to get barrett's (usually < 30 ) you're possbily at a lower risk than myself or some others, so try not to worry about the '5%' stat too much as that estimate doesnt neccesarily represent your personal risk, just the population as a whole.

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Hi! Changing diet is a definite plus! I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned to you. You can Google what foods not to eat. I have to say my main No-No's is caffeine (coffee or tea) , chocolate, Anything with even the smallest amount of tomato, any spice including black pepper and any food's that crunchy...scratchy....AND anything that has Citric Acid. That's in A lot of drinks and foods to keep things from spoiling. If I drink something with that in it itll5make my esophagus feel raw....not good! You learn over time and it helps Big Time if you get a notebook and write things down.

I'm on high doses of Zegerid and Zantac. In fact I had to fight my insurance to get the dosage.

Luckily I live in Houston, Texas where we have a world renown Barrett's Esophagus surgeon and he's been my dr for 12 yrs now.

The diagnose is scary, just stay on top of it at all times. Like I said originally this runs in my mother's family.

I haven't been able to sign on here after I originally joined, but think I have it fixed now if you want to write me. Rox

Regarding diet.

You will find many lists form internet searches of what you must or mustn't eat but treat them all as advice rather than law. We are all different and respond to foods differently. This is due to our unique gut biome and learned responses from our environment, habits and the foods we ate as we grew up.

Keep a food diary to discover your own particular trigger foods.

Whereas the suggested harmful foods may be common triggers for some, there are also many propagated myths. Research published this week shows tea and coffee are not harmful despite them figuring high o "banned" lists. Another recently showed a similar finding for alcohol. The suggestion is that these drugs relax the lower oesophageal sphincter exacerbating reflux but the researchers found otherwise.

Another popular myth is spicy food. We may imagine it's harmful as it can make the back of the throat feel hot. And if we have any oesophagitis, it can irritate as it passes over it, like pouring salt on a wound, but if spicy foods were bad, the highest incidences of Barrett's and oesophageal cancer would be found in the Indian subcontinent.

Acidity and alkalinity of fodd is also another myth. (Google Alkaline Diet myth). The stomach produces highly concentrate hydrochloric acid as required. If you were to spill some on your hand it would cause permanent scarring (and it can do the same to your oesophagus). If you were to pour lemon juic on your hand, it would just feel wet.

Alkalines neutralise acid but the alkalinity of the most alkaline foods is insufficient even in vast quantity, it's no better than pouring a kettle of hot water in the ocean.

Even one of the top American ENT doctors who gave the names "silent reflux" and "LPR" to what is correctly termed extra-oesophageal reflux, has been seduced by this myth and recommended alkaline water which was an invention of botted water comanies to make a profit. (Again, you can Google Alkaline water myth. ) 

The only consistent items on banned food lists are those high in animal fats like processed meats. They do not break down in stomach acid and remain longer being churned and sprayed with more acd. Eventually some bile may be allowed to enter. Acting like detergent, it allows the stomach acids to attach to the animal fats. If acid and bile reflux together, the combination can start dissolving the structure of the oesophagus causing permannet damage - Barrett's oesophagus.

However, if you want a book of recipes that others have found helpful, go to the sales page of Barrett's Wessex website and scroll down to the picture of the Cool Food cookbook. Clicking on that will permit a free pdf download - but no guarantees the recipes will all work for you.