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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 3/28/2007 9:33 PM (GMT 0)

Hi all in this wonderful forum,

just wanted to see if anyone experienced similar problem in the past. I was told 3 months ago that I have GERD (Endoscopy showed an inflammed esophagus, small hiatal

hernia, and mild gastritis). I was put on Prevacid and I think situation really improved for a while. All this time I was very disciplined with diet. Then one week back

I started feeling a constant discomfort (like someting sitting in the midle of my chest that is not going away in last 7 days) that from time to time becomes painful and spreads to shoulders. Pain gets much worse as evening hours approach.

a) Could it be that Prevacid stopped working and I should try increasing the dosage to two pills a day?

b) Should I maybe try Protonix to see if that helps?

c) My DR mentioned possibility of esophageal spasms and gave mi Librax to try (does not work with me well -headaches, nausea) to possibly

relax the esophagus

Unfortunately not getting answers can make one pretty frustrated and depressed, but I hope there is a light at the endof the tunnel as I could see in some cases here

on the forum.

Thanks all sooo much! Please let me know if you have experienced anything similar and what route have you taken to make it better.

Posted 3/29/2007 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
Abos,

I was diagnosed with GERD about 4 months ago. I have a small hiatal hernia but no inflammation. I started out taking Prilosec then Nexium and tried Aciphex and Protonix. Didn't try Prevacid, though. After a short time on each, they all stopped working for me. Nexium worked the longest but even that quit working. I was taking 20 mgs twice a day. So, I just stopped taking the ppi's. Since they weren't working, and were actually making my GERD worse, what was the point? I have been off of them for a week now and though I still have some reflux, it is much better than it was while I was on the meds. I can pretty much handle it with a few Tums here and there. I am thinking of trying the natural methods like DGL licorice.

I think many people require bigger and more frequent doses of the ppi's for them to remain effective. I have read about phenomena like ppi's causing acid rebound and hypergastrinemia. I figured something like that was happening to me since I kept getting worse on the pills. That's why I stopped.

Anyway . . . I don't think what you are feeling is unusual. Others on this board have had the same reaction to the pills. Doctors don't seem to be of much help because they just want to give you a pill and send you away. They don't want to hear they're not working. My doc was ready to do all sorts of additional testing like CAT scans on my stomach, swallow tests, etc. when the definitive test, the endoscopy, showed a small hiatal hernia which is surely the source of this. In the meantime, I am managing in my own, trying to lose a few and am feeling pretty good.

Good luck to you. Keep us posted.

Tummytuck
Posted 3/29/2007 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Tummytuck. What I really don't like is their guessing game. OK, endoscopy showed what it showed (esoph.inflammation, small hiatal hernia, and mild gastritis), but now I am recommended to get Loaded with Librax (benzo/anti-spasmatic combo) just because DR guesses it is a spasm. I guess there is a way to confirm it is a spasm.

Tummytuck, what symptoms did you have? Did you or anyone else get this wierd pressure like feeling (feel like something is sitting there) that is constant (at the beginning of Prevacid treatment it was not this bad) in the middle of the chest. It becomes painful as evening hours approach. I guess anxiety may even worsen the GERD which was my case when I was going through pain prior to knowing its GERD.

Also, are you considering fixing hiatal hernia surgically (is it possible?) or bcs it is small there are other ways to try to heal it?

Many thanks. 

Post Edited (Abos) : 3/29/2007 7:55:01 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/29/2007 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
Abos,

I haven't experienced the pressure you are talking about but others on this board have mentioned it and seem to attribute it to some sort of gas filled bubbles coming up through the esophagus. I've had the glob feeling in my throat but not in my chest.

If it were up to me, I would get this hiatal hernia fixed but the docs don't want anything to do with it. In reading about it, I have learned that the surgery is only marginally successful - it's called a fundoplication - and can cause other problems. You might want to read up on it through the web. Again, they think that dealing with GERD is just a matter of taking a pill and/or losing weight. They don't understand what a pain in the rump it is to live with.

Tummytuck
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