Posted 2/12/2015 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
I agree with Loucath, certain posts on this forum can seem like scaremongering and often aren't very helpful to the people looking for information. We aren't here to make friends, we're here to be better informed and hopefully help others who are perhaps just as scared and concerned as we are.
I don't know about you guys but I live in the UK and our health service (in my opinion) is second to none. I would bet my life on it that no one would have their stomach removed without it being absolutely necessary and after every other option being exhausted.
Much of our digestion and absorption of food actually takes place within the intestines, a fact that should be pretty obvious to those of us that have been using PPI's for years, as otherwise we'd be seriously malnourished as a result. I actually managed to gain a significant amount of muscle mass during the six years I was on PPI's without any problem whatsoever.
Before my fundoplication surgery I was placed on Domperidone and Metoclopramide (Reglan) and had various tests to discern if I had GERD and/or delayed gastric emptying. I would assume that any modern healthcare system would do the same before deciding to operate in any capacity.
Stomach acid certainly is important in the digestive process, otherwise why would we be designed this way? Important yes, but essential? Not necessarily. PPI's are rendered very safe among the general population, except in the very elderly. Why? Because stomach acid is required to effectively digest and process calcium which we all know is required for healthy bones. Long term PPI use has been proven to cause osteoporosis in the elderly, and many are placed on calcium supplements due to this very action.
I know you only wish to help people CAGU, but surely it would be better to address such discussions when they actually occur rather post a topic that could possibly give people conflicting information that they aren't necessarily looking for.