HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

First GI appointment, I'm a little scared, could anyone shed some light?

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 8/24/2006 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
I already kind of posted on this in the thread about endoscopies, but I wanted to ask more.  I had my first GI appointment and of course she said I needed to be scoped, I have that in a few weeks. I was diagnosed with GERD 5 years ago by a ENT doctor and I was 21, now I am 26, and I've been on Nexium almost the whole time. I did smoke for many years but I've quit.

I asked her what the usual amount of time is for GERD sufferers to acquire Barrett's and she said usually about 5 after years they will know if someone has it. She said, "Don't worry, I probably won't find anything at all."

Do you think I have a high risk for Barrett's?

Posted 8/25/2006 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't worry about Barett's. There are a lot of people on this board who have suffered from GERD / acid reflux for years who have not been diagnosed with Barrett's. You are younger than many people here, which I would think lowers the probability (but I'm not an expert).

My wife was a DES baby. Her mother took an estrogen supplement while pregrnant. Later they discovered it was linked to certain types of cervical cancer in the daugters. My wife has had to be tested every year since puberty. She had a couple of questionable results (the first in college) and a couple of procedures to remove the questionable cells. She celebrated her 49th birthday last week.

All of us with GERD have a higher than average chance of Barrett's and esophageal cancer. It doesn't mean a majority of us will get it. The positive thing is that we are also much more closely monitored than the rest of the population. The scopes will help to keep an eye on things so that any problems will be caught early. You're doing the right thing -- better to be proactive. But don't worry about it -- just take it seriously.

Good luck with the results of your scope.
Posted 8/25/2006 6:49 PM (GMT 0)

Hol1979

My sister who is 53 was just diagnosed with Barrett's and that is from a life of alcaholism, perscription drug addiction and smoking. She went and saw a GI doc who specializes in Barrett's and he said the risk of developing cancer is very low. He said too much is made from the Barrett's issue. Yes you are more likely to develop cancer if you have it but its not a death sentence. The risk of cancer is very low I read one out of 100 people with the condition will have it turn to cancer.

Hope this eases your fears a little....

Marsha

Posted 8/26/2006 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
Thank You for the replies, yes it did help a bit.

I just wish now I took better care of my body, as far as eating and smoking...

I was hoping my age would help me out, but since I got acid reflux at a young age as it is....and whenever there's a low percentage of something happening, I always seem to fall into that for some reason.

My father is 56 with acid reflux his whole adult life and as far as I know, he doesn't have Barrett's.

It just stinks how GI doctor mentions how it's usually about 5 years, and of course, I have to have it five years.

She said if it didn't show by now, there's a good chance it never would.

I'm so scared, I don't want to do this.

I'm also a Lyme patient, I'm usually hanging out on the Lyme board, but that has aggravated this whole thing. For one, Lyme disease makes acid reflux and pretty much everything GI related, that much worse. Next, the meds I am on are making the acid reflux worse. And lastly, Chronic Lyme can cause symptoms like anxiety and fear, which is making me more afraid of something being wrong with me, like Barrett's espophagus.

She said the Nexium does help, especially by protecting my throat.

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply