Will I get esophageal cancer from GERD?

Geo

Welcome to HealingWell

i understand your anxiety over acid reflux.

i have been struggling with this disease for more than 20 years and i have barretts esophagus...yes i worry

but i try every day and usually succeed in using rationality and facts to keep overwhelming anxiety at bay

to answer your question, "Will I get esophageal cancer from GERD?" the answer is, no one can say for sure what will become of any individual

but

the statistics say that your risk of dieing from esophageal cancer is much lower than a variety of other cumulative alternative health threats to your life.

for those who have baretts such as myself the odds are somewhere around 1% each year that i will get esophageal cancer.

obviously for someone who does not have barretts the risk is much lower

so i think it is very important for those with chronic reflux to get scoped ever several years or so, and for someone like me, my goal is to get scoped every two years

you are young so in answer to your other question, No, i dont think you are necessarily in big trouble...its too soon to panic

see your doctor as planned, take appropriate medication and ask your doctor if it is appropriate to get esophagoscopy... (get your esophagus scoped)

you are right to be concerned, but,,,

if i were you i would not panic in your case...stay calm. take appropriate action...see your doctor and ask questions.

there are a lot of people here more knowledgeable and experienced here than me, stick around and stay in touch with us here at healingwell and i am sure you will get a lot of support

hang in there
we are pulling for you
best wishes
mock turtle

It is possible but unlikely that you will get cancer from this, this type of cancer is rare. You might consider paying a lot of attention to what you eat, avoiding most fats and balancing acid foods with alkaline, probably starchy foods. Most beverages are pretty acidic, a lot of people don't realize that.

Hey Ashley, to answer your question: I am on PPIs, Omeprazole/Prevacid in my case 20mg twice a day. While the medication does neutralize my stomach acid I still get reflux but without the burning sensation I would have gotten without the medication. That is basically what I mean by bile reflux. What I should have said is that I still get reflux of content from my stomach since I guess "bile" is term for something more specific. Sorry if I confused you with my terminology. Don't know if I'm using these words correctly. Anyway, hope this answers your question. And by the way, thanks to everyone who responded. Your responses have put my anxiety at ease for a little bit. Now I just have to wait until Tuesday and see what the Doc has to say about my condition.

Thanks,
Geo