how long till Gerd turns into Barrett's esophagus?

Hello, I'm new to this board and had a question:   I've had hearburn off and on for about 5 years now.  An endoscopy revealed that I have a hiatal hernia, which is causing the problem.  I have been taking Prilosec for about 1 year now but haven't changed my diet all that much.  In the morning many times I still feel the acid/heartburn in my breastbone area.   How long does it take to develop Barrett's Esophagus?    I don't want to graduate to the next stage so I guess I'd better change my diet (it's hard in the summer though when you want to have a few vodka-teas once in awhile!)

Thanks very much.

 

chilipepper

Hi Teri.    I guess I'd better cut out all coffee, alcohol, chocolate and everything else that I like  , unfortunately !!!!!        Are you still able to have things like that once in awhile or have you cut them out completely?    I'm hoping that if I let my stomach "rest" for about a month, then I can gradually reintroduce some of those bad foods occasionally and still enjoy life a little bit.    Have you ever considered the surgery?    

Again, I'm just wondering why no one else has responded to this post (?).

Maybe it's my nickname, chilipepper, that keeps people away!   I never thought of that when I signed up on this board, because that has always been my email name long before I had heartburn.   

Thanks,

chilipepper 

Often times GERD does not lead to Barrett's Esophogus. Sometimes it does. I believe that there is some research into genetic predisposition to Barrett's.

First, there are a few people BORN with Barretts Esophagus. It's considered a Pre-cancerous condition, but does not always lead to cancer. In only a certain % of patients does it lead to cancer of the Esophagus. And it affects mostly men. It takes 3-4 years to develop, if your going to even get it. about 14,000 people die every year from cancer of the Esophagus and over 10, ooo were MEN. A very small percentage of women even get Barretts... and not all of those get Cancer. It might be a genetic predisposition, my father had gerd for 27 years and never had Barretts either. So not everyone gets it.

What is Barretts? Well, when the lining of the Esophagus changes and become more like the lining of your intestines from the acid then it's Barretts. There are those that have very bad heartburn symptoms but very little damage to the esophagus. There are no symptoms of Barretts, you have to have a biopsy to diagnose it. There are now treatments using light therapy to get rid of Barretts as well.

Jamie

Hi Marsha,

I missed Katie Couric and the swallow cam. It's been around for awhile now, and is probably not a bad diagnostic tool. I can't swallow pills though without jello or apple sauce so I don't know if I can do that test.

My gerd was silent for 13 years and only became active again 4 years ago. Silent doesn't mean it's not there, just that it never bothered me. I was not smart and used ibuprofen and naproxen sodium for headaches and that's what brought it back on for me.

I do think about esophageal cancer, but you can't live every day worrying about it. My father worried all the time about cancer of the colon because his sister died from it, his brother had liver cancer from benzene exposure and his dad , my grandfather lost a lung to cancer from smoking. But my father never got cancer. Nothing, ever showed up in any of his many tests over the years. His oldest sister died not from cancer but from old age at 90.

My father died, but not from cancer. He ended up dying from toxic strep that went though his body. So you can worry about getting cancer all day long, but no one knows, not even the dr's if we will actually get cancer of any type. 90% of us have cancer in our bodies all the time, did you know that? Yep, free radicals just running around...but our immune systems keep them in check and eating right and exercising and trying to keep stress levels low help us fight those free radicals. So build up your immune systems and stay healthy!

Jamie:)

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/755973?src=mp&spon=20

This article from this year (2012) shows that progression of GERD over 5 years is not that exciting - a few get worse, some get better, most "remain stable". From which they conclude that for most people the treatment strategies being applied are effective enough to prevent progression.

They do make this point at the end: -

"Less than 10% of patients with GERD are likely to progress to a diagnosis of Barrett's oesophagus at 5 years"

And the risk of progression of Barretts to adenocarcinoma is put at 0.5 to 1% - very low and now much lower than originally thought. The jury is still out on what exactly does trigger the change to adenocarcinoma and there is no global consensus on screening or monitoring. Here in the UK, if you were doing OK on medication, you wouldn't get rescoped for 5 years. Some folk in the USA are being advised for every 3 or every 2 years, but, as I say, there's no consensus on screening frequency.

My issue is that at my first scope no biopsies were taken, so when a very very small area of Barretts was found on my second scope, I had no way of knowing whether it had been there all along or occurred more recently as a result of progression. I vomited endlessly during pregnancy and had reflux then, 2 years prior to having regular GERD, so for all I know my oesophagus may have got fried back then!!

MMM

First, there is no time frame to develop cancer of the esophagus, nor any guarantee that you ever will develop it. Even people who are diagnosed with BE, have little chance of developing cancer. How long has it been from your last endoscopy? If you are still on PPIs, you should probably schedule one as part of a normal routine.

And yes, this is an old thread and you should probably start your own topic if you want more responses.

Sharon

Hello Tommy, I will try and set your mind at ease a bit although i realize everyone is different. I too have had gerd for over ten years , 12 to be exact. For at least 9 or ten of those years i had acid reflux 24/7 because no medication, anatacids or ppi's have worked for me. I had to learn to live with it. I too have bad anxiety and when i was put on an anti anxiety medication my gerd disappeared. When i try and go off it comes back!!!! It is so bad that i look like i have hives on my face and chest from the heat so i stay on it. My father died from espophageal cancer so i also live in fear of this not only becaose of him but becaose of the number of years with acid washing away my esophagus non stop. I have had at least 7 or 8 scopes. I get scopes every two years with one year having two. I have esophagitis and have had one biopsy with barrets however after being put on an anti anxiety not only did my gerd go away but my esophagus healed. I will continue getting scoped every two years regardless becaose of my history . I strongly encourage you to demand you get a scope. Had my dad gotten scoped maybe he would not have developed the cancer. As for you, and i am not a doctor but you could have bad inflammation , esophagitis and that could be causing your pain. Are you having trouble swallowing? This was my dads first and only symptom. He never complained of acid reflux but now that i have had it so long i know he had symptoms but i guess they werent bothersome enough for him. Do not let them just keep giving you medication after this long especially becaose you are having other symptoms. You will feel much better after getting a scope because you will know what you are dealing with and if they show any abnormalities you will continue to be watched closely.

I am so glad I found this thread! Maybe someone can help me. 3 years ago I had a swollen throat. Went to my doctor and he referred me to an ENT that said I had silent reflux and he gave me a list of foods to avoid. I didn't go by that list, but the reflux did go away soon after that. Don't know why? Then about 2 mos ago, I have the swollen throat again and I feel full a lot of the time, even after eating a very small amount. I did go to my doctor and he didn't look at my throat. He just said I needed a PPI and he takes one every morning himself. I do know from extensive research that PPI's are meant to be used on a very temporary basis as they have dangerous side effects. I did not get the PPI prescription filled. I want to figure out what is causing my issue and FIX THAT. Initially I thought it was probably just low stomach acid.. which allows the sphincter to relax and fall open, allowing stomach acid to go up into my throat. But when I did my research, I discovered a lot about hiatal hernias. I thought maybe my feeling of fullness might be indicative of a hernia. I don't take any meds for this at this time and never have. I have seen my chiro 3 times in the past week to work on a possible hernia. I feel good for awhile after the treatment, but then I start feeling bad again. Has anyone here successfully gotten rid of a hernia and if so, how? If you got rid of reflux without meds and did not have a hernia, what did you do? I welcome any and all advice!!

P.S. Up until a few days ago, I ate a LOT of dark chocolate every day. When researching reflux, I read that chocolate contains a chemical that irritates the sphincter and causes it to seize up and open, causing reflux. I stopped chocolate for now and wonder if that IS the issue, how long does it take for the swollen throat to go away? I'm trying to eliminate all possibilities.

Post Edited (Marilyn H) : 10/11/2017 4:29:28 PM (GMT-6)

I actually have the same question.

I'm a 21-year-old male. I've had GERD (not heartburn, but a lot of gagging and belching) for around two years now.

I've also been taking PPIs for about a month, (and an SSRI for around 2-3 months and anti-psychotic and beta-blocker for around a year) and sleep right after I eat.

I was wondering if I should change these habits/medications. Do you guys think I'm at risk of developing Barrett's esophagus and consequently, esophageal cancer? If so, how long would it take if I continued these habits/medications?

Any response is much appreciated.

Post Edited (iank1434) : 10/13/2017 8:17:51 AM (GMT-6)