NERD, Functional Heartburn, while on PPI's, #2, Endoscopy results

Hello Everyone,
Yesterday I had an endoscopy. I have attached an image of the results.

http://s77.photobucket.com/user/pharcyder/media/esophagus_zps3a2ab7f8.jpg.html

I have been suffering from heartburn for about 10 years. Here is my story.

I suffered with heartburn for about 7 years and took OTC Prevacid and tums. Eventually this stopped working. Once Prevacid x2 and tums stopped working, I had an endoscopy. The endoscopy revealed erosions in the esophagus LA Grade A, a Gaping LES and a hiatal hernia. The doctor prescribed me Dexilant 1x per day and sent me on my way.

Delixant didn't work.

I switched to nexium 40mg 2x daily.

Nexium didn't work.

I tried carafate, maalox, tums, Zantac, etc etc for years and I still suffered from heartburn almost every day.

I was prescribed Elavil for pain. This helped to some extent.

Here are the results from yesterday's endoscopy:
GAPING LES.
Completely healed esophagus.

I just thought I would share this story with you guys. I know there are lot of people out there who still have heartburn while on PPI's. Fortunately, the esophagus can still heal even though you feel pain. Good luck everyone. Don't hesitate to respond to this thread if you have any questions.

Stephen

Hello Hartshon,
Thank you :)

Elavil does seem to work for pain. I would say it is moderately effective. I had discomfort throughout the day before taking Elavil. The pain did come back so the doctor increased my dosage from 10mg at night to 20mg at night.

I do think that a lot of the pain was psychological though. Once I got my second endoscopy and I saw that all the damage healed, 95% of the pain pretty much went away.

I don't know if I really have any side effects. I think it helps me sleep a little better, and when I miss a dose, my sleep patterns seems to change a little (sometimes).

I would describe the pain as a dull and lingering pain. It was very hard to describe. I do think the pain was in my head though (I was imagining it maybe) because the pain pretty much went away as soon as I saw my endoscopy results.

Stpehen

Hi Stephen,
Its so interesting that you say your pain was psychological.
Where was your pain located?
Are you taking a PPI?

I wonder how much stress and anxiety may have contributed to my symptoms. Prior to getting my first reflux symptom I had a very stressful time, having just completed a PhD. Around the time I submitted the thesis I started to get symptoms. Initially palpitations (probably anxiety), then backache after eating, burping and funny throat feeling. (I suspect I had silent reflex for a while)
My back pain has become more persistent (felt after every meal), and is linked to burping and a regurgitation feeling - so feels very real at the moment. I can only hope that one day the pain will just go away...as easy as it came.

Stephen,
Paul,

What do you (or your doctor) attribute to your esophagus healing after so many years?
The doctor thought my second endoscopy was unnecessary but I insisted, so he did it. The way he explained it, the nexium twice daily should raise my PH high enough to stop damage.

Was it the medication? Nexium 40mg 2x daily did the trick

Did you change your diet? I've avoided acidic food for the past 10 years. No changes were made after the second endoscopy, and therefore I'm unable to attribute a catalyst to the pain stopping other than psychosomatic pait.

Did you elevate your bed at night? I've elevated my bed for the past 5 years or so. I sleep on a bed wedge I bought from Amazon.

Just curious since I'm always interested in what worked for other people. Thanks.

makeitgoawayplz,
The paint felt like a sore, nagging pain. It felt like a raw throat feels - all the way down to my stomach. But like I said, after I saw pics that I had no erosions, lesions, etc, 95-99% of the pain went away.

I do have substantial scar tissue, and my LES never closes. I might have NERD and hypersensitive esophagus. I don't worry about it any more though after seeing the pics of my esophagus.

"I have pain in my back between the shoulder-blades, which moves from side to side."
Interesting, I've never felt this before.


"It feels like a dull sore ache (like sunburn but on the inside),"
YES! This is exactly how my heartburn felt. It felt like a sunburn on the inside. Fortunately though, this pain was likely imaginary and wasn't causing any damage.

"Or it could be just gas pain - although I cannot understand how I get gas/burping 4 hours after eating, especially when my consultant told me that food takes about 90 minutes to leave the stomach?"
Gas pain hits me as much as 8 hours afterward. My back will hurt like hell, then I'll get out of bed and let a big ol' fart out and feel 100x better.

"my consultant thinks the back pain is due to hypersensitivity."
I would agree with this statement. Elavil is commonly prescribed for this. I still take it.

"Yes - I suffer from anxiety which is elevated due to these health problems. I have heard xanax can help heartburn. Is Xanax the same as Amitriptyline?"
Completely different. Do your research on Xanax before taking it. It's one of the most addictive drugs in existence. Anti-anxiety drugs have reduced heartburn for me.

"How long have you had reflux for?"
Since early 20's or late teens. I'm 29 now.

"How do you know your LES never closes?"
Doctor told me he doubts it closes. It's really loose.

"It is strange that the pain went away after seeing the photos. When I get the pain I feel like it is doing so much damage and therefore heightens my anxiety. You give me hope that I will be able to manage this and get on with my life. Its taking so much of my attention that I cannot focus on anything else..."
I felt this way. It was on my mind constantly. It made me depressed. I constantly worried about getting esophageal cancer. Then I saw the pictures...no damage. Then 95-99% of my heartburn went away. Just put it this way - I have not taken a single antacid (other than nexium) since I saw my pictures that indicated no damage.

"How do you cope with the social side of life then? I am finding the restraints quite difficult (e.g., eating early and no alcohol)."

I don't drink at all. Alcohol does mess my esophagus up. If I eat late, I just make sure I sit up for a few hours before I go to sleep. My bed wedge also has a pretty steep incline. I have a pretty good system figured out :)

"How long have you been taking Elavil for now?"

My best guess would be two and a half years.

"My anxiety is linked to the symptoms - when they get worse so does my anxiety. Am constantly seeking for reassurance and solutions...and its stopping me getting on with my life :("

The exact same thing happened to me.

"How long did you worry for before the pain went away? Do you now not think about it much - or is it constantly at the back of your mind?"

I worried constantly for probably 3 or 4 years. I rarely think about it now. It doesn't worry me any more. Here's the sequence of events that happened to me.

1) I worried constantly and felt constant pain 95% of the time.

2) I kept seeing my doctor and telling him about the problem. He wasn't worried.

3) I kept worrying.

4) My doc finally gave in and did another (unnecessary) endoscopy.

5) My doc showed me the pics of a perfectly healed esophagus.

6) 95-99% of my worrying went away therefore:

7) 95-99% of my heartburn went away.

"I have not been drinking for 4 months, but recently while on holiday I lapsed and had a couple of beers. Not sure it had any really bad effects... How does it affect you?"

It feels like I have an internal sunburn or a cancre sore in my esophagus. It does not feel good at all. Feels very irritated.

"2-3 years is a long time to feel constantly worried - I am only 6 months into this and feel my anxiety levels are at their worst. I suppose I am still in denial and hoping that things can get back to 'normal'. Its does not help as I currently do not have a job - having just completed a very stressful PhD which kept me busy 24/7, and now I have excess amount of time to focus on my health. My confidence has suffered hugely - which makes looking for a job much harder."

If you're on PPI's, I wouldn't doubt if your symptoms are psychosomatic, just as mine were, especially since you're an anxious person.

"Interestingly you seem to thin the second endoscopy was unnecessary - although the results from this seemed to be a turning point for you?"

The endoscopy just gave me confidence. In my eyes, the endoscopy was worth it because that was the catalyst that stopped all the worrying. In my doctor's eyes, I took an unnecessary risk since he was confident there was no damage ahead of the endoscopy.

"Thanks for your comments - and giving me hope that i will get my life back again...."

If you're worried, why don't you get more pics of your esophagus done? Maybe you will see no damage as well, then you'll stop worrying.