acid reflux saga, please help!

Hi,

I have had acid reflux for just under 3 years, off and on. In the beginning it was controllable with 20mg nexium per day, and about a year ago I tried chinese herbs which actually cured me completely (for 6 months), before the GERD came back after taking Levaquin, a strong antibiotic.

This was in May. From May to June I controlled the GERD with one Ranitidine tablet per day, but that eventually gave me strong pains in my right abdomen and I was told I should go off of it. Since then I have tried Nexium (two 40MG tablets, or 80MG per day!), and Prilosec (2 20MG tablets per day), and get NO relief!

The dr. here is finally setting me up for a PH impedement test. I am so scared that after 6+ months of constant reflux (regardless of what I eat and how much proton-pump inhibitor I am on), and the previous year + on nexium, that I will have Barrets and be in risk of esophageal cancer in no time. It is so frightening.

I am a 27 yr old male, in shape, very good eating habits...but I just get GERD almost all day regardless...I literally don't pass 10 minutes without feeling it.

Does anyone have any advice? Has anyone had it this bad? The dr. says it might not be GERD, but I know from experience that it is the same feeling, and that in the past it was GERD. If ranitidine worked initially, it must be GERD, right?

The symptom I get is constant heartburn in my chest, without any real reflux in my throat or taste in my mouth.

Am I the type of person that is the perfect candidate for surgery???

Thank you all. I am so scared. My wife is too. I just can't keep living like this. PS. I live in North Carolina.

Welcome, "tarm", I'm from GA.
Relax, it takes a long time of acid washing over to cause Barrett's.
Your doctor will need to do several tests on you to make sure you are a good candidate for the surgery.
Ph test, Barium Swallow, EGD, Motility test (aka. Manometry)
It would also be good if he checks you for H. Pyloria since the trouble started after an antibiotic.

If surgery is in your future you need to choose an excellent bariatic surgeon who has had a lot of experience in doing the Nissen Fundoplication.
Don't go rushing into the surgery without being well informed. That's where we can help. Many of us here has had the surgery and we can tell you things that the surgeon or GI don't tell you from personal experiences.
As far as the Ph test which one are you having..24 hr wire or BRAVO?
I like the Bravo because there is no wire running down the throat. The bravo is a capsule attached temporary to the side of the esophagus and falls off after a couple of days. Some people complain of it bothering them, but I didn't have any problems with it.

I found out about TIF here http://www.gerdhelp.com/aboutTIF.htm

Has anyone had it? It looks easier than Nissen, but does it have the Nissen track record?

Hi acidrefluxman;

I understand your fears completely! And they are valid!! But please don't let it overwhelm you. I have Barretts, diagnosed at age 37, am now 43... and have really suffered with GERD since I was about 14 or 15. I currently take 40 mgs Zegrid in the morning and 40 mgs Pepcid at night and a few shots of liquid Gaviscon here there through out the day... None of the medications really worked for me... I quit smoking raised my bed.. lost weight... somewhat changed my eating habits... but it really didn't matter what I ate I still had trouble.

The good news is... only about 10%- 15% of persons with GERD end up with Barretts, and of all those Barretts patients only 5-10% will go on to become cancerous. Barrettsinfo.com is a good site with good information regarding Barretts. They are not big advocates of the Nissen Fundoplication per se...

I myself am scheduled for the NF in early February at the prompting of 3 GI Docs and a Surgeon... my LES just doesn't work, so they think it will be very beneficial to me. It took a couple of years for me to became at ease with the decision to go ahead with the surgery... But I feel it will be for the best.

This is one of the best and most supportive and informative forums that I have been lucky enough to have stumbled across.

Good luck in your quest for a good surgeon.

And try to ease your mind regarding the Barretts... It is not always a death sentence... and not everyone gets it. But also remember, that even if you do go forth with the surgery, it doesn't automatically prevent you from getting Barretts.

Hi theacidrefluxman,

Well, to answer your question, I can only tell my experience with Barretts... I had my first EGD at at 15... I had severe gastritis, no esophagitis and no Barretts. All through my 20s I had numerous EGD, again with ulcers in the stomach, some esophagitis,gastritis and I was diagnosed with my hiatus hernia then but no Barretts yet... my reflux was so bad I used to vomit at least 6 times a day so... just became a way of life for me... didn't think much about it... moved on put up with - as the years passed the vomiting got better, but the regurgitation got much worse... At age 31 I went to the Scott and White Clinic and they discovered no Barretts then, However at age 37 I began vomiting blood and made an appointment with a new GI doc.. and that is when he discovered the Barretts so sometime within those 6 years. One thing I will say is I really was bad in my "youth" about staying on my PPIs and watching what I ate... I really could have done better, but I really don't think it would have completely prevented the BE...

And it is true... Some people can have absolutely no symptoms at all and end up with BE anyway... I and and I have had a couple of GI docs that think some people are just "predisposed" or have in their genetic make to have this disease. Not yet proven... but it is seen in familys...

Barretts is really a mystery... and that is why it is so scary. But if you stay on top of it take "good" care of yourself see your Dr. regularly and "follow" his orders... you should be fine:) I am glad your test came back somewhat "okay", that does mean that right now, the damage is "minimal"... But I know your frusteration! I have Lupus, that one is a very very difficult disease to diagnose also.. I have had many Drs. litteraly tell me I was "crazy"... God Bless Em:) It took about 25 years before my bloodwork finally caught to all my "crazy" symptoms... But I thank God he saw me through it.. And now I am blessed with some really wonderful Drs.

So hang in there! And I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year!

You should try looking at www.stomachbloating.net/blog/
There are a lot of posts there, including the one about the surgery JBW said earlyier.
But yeah, herbs do help. The website has a good list of ones you probably didn't think of
at www.stomachbloating.net/Cures.html

ARM said...
I have tried everything but continue looking and try everything new that I can. Apple cider vinegar works amazingly for me, but it gives me another pain that is enough to convince me to not use it (as far as I know I am the only person who gets a right side pain from ACV). That is for sure though, I know that I have to do my best, eat well, follow orders, and always keep hope for the long-term.

Apple Cider Vinegar is just one of the many so-called 'alkaline' (anti-acid) foods. You can find a list of many more here:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=1942384

You may find that there are other anti-acid foods that will work for you without giving you the side affects that you get from ACV.

I've had great success with watermelon, cantaloupe, fresh raw organic green kale, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and calcium supplements. I avoid all dairy, rarely eat grains or cereals, and minimize nuts and legumes.

I used to get acid reflux really bad during and after some meals. But now, with a daily diet something like the following I no longer get acid reflux:

20 cups of fresh, raw, organic, green kale
1 cup of organic, ground flaxseed
1/4 cup of organic blackstrap molasses
1 tin of wild-caught sardines in water
8 ounces to 16 ounces of chicken (no oil used in the cooking)
organic green tea (drink all day as main beverage)

The above is my 'core' diet which I try to eat every day and which gets supplemented with the following depending on what is in season and what I feel like eating that day: watermelon, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, yams, egg whites, oranges, almonds, onions, beets, grapes, limes, lemons, blackberries, tangerines, cantaloupe, broccoli, apples, mushrooms, bananas, strawberries, lettuce, sunflower seeds, figs, honey, pork chops, and salmon.

Note that after several months of eating mostly alkaline foods, I can now enjoy sweets and alcohol without getting acid reflux. For example, over Christmas I ate a ton of candy and imbibed on various alcoholic drinks. However, I made sure to eat plenty of organic green kale which balanced out the acidic affects of those foods.