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Reflux advise

Posted , 6 users are following.

john34996
john34996

Hi

i was diagnosed last year with Barretts, hiatus hernia and oesophagitis/reflux i had been having heart burn for a number of years and  the doctor gave me ppi tablets, it was only after speaking to other people that i asked the doctor for a gastroscopy  i had to really push for it, thats when they found the Barrett's, since then i have been on 20mg of Omeprazole a day changed my diet and lost some weight, have hardly  had any heart burn since, the only thing i do get is i feel i want to clear my throat and just lately a  tight chest at times, i asked my doctor for a 24 hour PH test as i was worrid it could be reflux and make my Barretts worse, but he told me the was no point just take 40mg a day for 1 month to see if it goes away, should i push him for the test as i get the impression he doesn't want to do anything at all, he said if that doesn't work he could give me some other tablets that relax the lower stomach muscles so the food doesn't stop in the stomach to long , i asked him about repairing the hernia he told me that was a very last resort as they dont like doing that operation because the is a lot of vital organs close to it,is that true, my main point is how do i know if i have reflux? and if i have but cant feel any burning does that mean its not making my Barretts any worse,  

Many Thanks

John      

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • shellj
    shellj john34996

    Posted

    Hi I have the same condition as you and am on lansoprazole and I watch my diet and now try not to eat meals before bed and have tried to identify my trigger foods so that hopefully the reflux doesn't occur . I have been offered the operation you speak about and can have it any time, but I am a little afraid of going to hospital and the infection hazards.. And you are right the op does have a slight risk of jeapordising vital organs. That said I allowed my son to undergo the job when he was only 17 and he was fine. The surgeon was excellent and the hospital brilliant on that occasion. I am trying to manage my symptoms and will decide after my next endoscopy as to whether I undergo fundo operation. If the barretts has grown or changed, it will be treated and I will also have the fundo job done. It is wait and see for me. I am watchful myself and know that I am on the list for endoscopy every few years to check my barretts. They seem to be quite good at this in my part of Derbyshire

     

  • shellj
    shellj john34996

    Posted

    O I forgot to say.. I had tests done and they confirmed I had silent reflux and diagnosed GERD as well as the barretts and the hernia... But I am being watched...which is what you have to insist upon! I had bad acid reflux before my medication with backache and the horrid acid taste in the mouth etc. the lanzoprazole and watching diet seems to control the physical symptoms but I shant know whether th barretts has changed till my next endoscopy
    • john34996
      john34996 shellj

      Posted

      Hi 

      Thanks for the reply, now you are on lanzoprazole do you get any symptoms with silent reflux?  what i am struggling to understand if  someone has silent reflux but does not feel any burning is it still doing any damage and making the Barretts worse, because i thought it was the acid that caused the burning that caused Barretts,

          

    • shellj
      shellj john34996

      Posted

      Hi... Yes it is the acid that has caused the changes to barretts and the tablets should be cutting down the production of acid so that whatever leaks back up is not so vicious . But I do not have symptoms of silent reflux... I just know I have got it because I had tests done. The op should stop the silent reflux by fixing your hernia and tightening the muscle ( I believe) so although the barretts cannot be reversed simply by not being aggravated any more, it will still be there. This is my belief, but at the moment I prefer not to have the op. If you go onto the Barretts Wessex site it can give you all the info you need... They usually contribute to these discussions anyway ... And correct any of us who may have our facts wrong!
    • Robert_Emmet
      Robert_Emmet shellj

      Posted

      Hi there

      I was diagnosed in 14 with short segment BE, and a year later had my follow up. Both biopsies showed no dysplasia, however, "suspicious changes" were noted in the paperwork. The imaging showed clear and obvious expansion, and that was after a year of intense PPI treatment and lifestyle moderation.

      I'm supposed to get my next scope in 18 but I feel like if it changed over 1 year, what's happening after 3? I still suffer from GERD and indigestion several times weekly.

  • lucinia
    lucinia john34996

    Posted

    Hi John

    First establish whether your symptoms are being cause by reflux. Upping the ppi dosage is a far more comfortable way of doing that than the PH test which involves going off the ppi for a fortnight. If your symptoms settle down then you can take it from there. If they don't then push for the PH test. You can be refluxing and not feel any burning. 

     

  • lucinia
    lucinia john34996

    Posted

    It could be you are experiencing nocturnal reflux. This is something I suffer from so don't feel it when it is occuring because I am fast asleep. However, when I wake the next day I feel the effects. I had the Nissen fundoplication and hernia repair which helped quite a lot but not fully. I still take 40mg omeprazole and have been doing for 20 years. Something to consider.

     

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