I've found an experienced EsophyX Doctor in my state!!!

Bea

Hey Joy,

You definitely are feeling your name today as you sound full of joy.  I am so happy for you and please do keep a thread going in the forum sharing your journey with all of us.

We will be here to cheer you on throughout your surgery and recovery.

Gentle Hugs

Kitt

I've still got a couple of more items of information to gather, then I have to scan them and attach them to the email they want. I still haven't contacted my present GERD doctor and asked for my files to be faxed to Dr. Bagnato. I guess I'm dreading telling him I've changed my mind about the nissan.

I'm going to have to have my pre-op appointment the day before the surgery.

I've found out there's a hotel just down the road from the hospital that I can stay in after the procedure.

I'm excited that I'm on the road to be acid free, but at the same time nervous as all get out over having to face surgery even though I'm not getting cut open for it. I'll probably have to ask for Valium before the day gets here . They had to give me 20mg for the endoscopy and IV sedate me. I freaked out over having my echocardiogram last year (First hospital test I ever had- didn't know what was going to happen). I know it was nothing now, but then....Well, I've vented enough, best be going.

Have a good night everyone.

Joy

I know what you mean.

I'm a elementary school teacher and I get the "what will this year be like?" every fall. My life is kind of that way.... every time something new comes along I'm nervous about it. I'll dread it, but at the same time want it to hurry up and get here and be done.
I try not to let it get to me too much  .

 I alway love a challenge, trying to find a new way to improve things   I'll research something until I feel comfortable that I have found the answers and then figure out how to approach it.

You all have helped me face the fact that I need to "put on my big girl panties and deal with it" about needing this surgery.

I just pray he doesn't want me to do another momometry test .

Joy

"I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it."

I have three days of classes starting on Monday (Smart board & Focus Learning training), a day off, four days for pre-planning and kids come in on Thursday August 5th. I'm supposed to also be doing Gifted training this year. I'm on leadership team, math planning team, and maybe lead teacher this year (he'll tell me later). We also start a new way of teaching ELA this year.    

Naw, It won't be too bad.  I'll just be very, very busy.

This is my tenth year of teaching, fifth of teaching first grade.

Thanks for the pearl.

Joy

He put me on Nexium and I started feeling great. The stucked food feeling went away.

Then about 3 years ago I started having coughing fits.

He had me on allergy shots for a couple of months that gave me reactions .

I lost my voice for two weeks during this time. He had no idea why.

He recommended me to a doctor who worked next door to him, a pulmologist.

She ran breathing tests on me and gave me a sleep apnea test (which I failed ).

However I was still coughing. I lost my voice again for a week. She suspected acid reflux and she put me on Reglan   but I had reactions. After losing my voice for a week again she decided to send me to a gastroentologist.

I saw his assistant in October, Endoscope and bravo test at Christmas, momoetry test in February, and results from the doctor in July. I had "Silent GERD"  a HH, and a very weak LES.

He said I had reflux all the way up to my epiglotis and it was spilling over into my voice box causing chronic cough and occasional voice loss. He put me on 2 @40mg of Nexuim and 300 Zantac back in Feburary.

He wants me to have a Nissen, now. I started researching other options and discovered the Esophyx process. After more research I found two doctors in my state who do the procedure. The first said, "Well, I'm kinda new at this...how about a lapband to help you lose the weight instead?"

The second doctor says, "I've done 130 of them and I teach others how to do it."

And that's where I am today. I'm sure it could of gone faster if I had pushed it, but fears held me back. I was scared of the big "C".

Sorry for such a long post.

Joy

Bummed,

 The Bravo is an test to see how much acid is flowing up your esophagus. The doctor uses an endoscope to attach a temporary monitor in your esophagus. It falls off after a few days and passes on through. For 24 to 48 hours you wear a small receiver on you to record the acid flow. I had to keep a log of coughs, burps, belches, nausea, vomiting, when I ate, and when I slept. I felt no pain while it was attached, but did feel a slight pulling sensation where it was.

I didn't like the momoetry(?) test though. No sedation allow, no calming medication either you have to be fully awake . They squirt lidocane up your nose   then insert a long cather in your nose down to your stomach. Be prepare to feel like your going to throw up. They lay you back slighty, this helps some with the nausea and choking feeling. Then they make you take 10 small swallows of water holding it at times. You can not dry swallow, move, or talk at all. You have to follow the doctor's directions carefully or it takes forever.   It felt like forever and she said I did great. My face was blood red and I was crying through the whole thing. It messed up my nerves for three days. Thank goodness it was my last test I had to go through.

The Nissen is where they go into you stomach (laposcopically, open) release the top of your stomach from the wall and basically wrap your esophagus like a hot dog bun. There's some positive things about it and there's some negatives about it. It is also the old way. Your healing time is longer due to the stitches and all.

The Esophyx is the newest way to fix a weak LES. No cutting!     They use a special endoscope to go down inside via your throat. The scope has something like a stapler on the end. They pull down a small piece of the top of your stomach and go around inside stapling it to your esophagus. It can also work on fixing HHs depending on size. Healing is shorter. It's done outpatient, you go home that evening. Your on a liquid diet for a week and soft foods for a month. There is a chance of failure, but it can be redone easier than a Nissen. I rather have that than to be cut open, because I'm a wuss .

Joy   

"If life is a bowl of cherries, then why am I always in the pits?"

I had pizza- stomach pains.

I had ice cream- stomach pains.

I guess I need some lactose pills.

Such fun...

Joy

PS. No news from doctor yet on his opinion.

Post Edited (couchtater) : 7/29/2009 4:54:08 PM (GMT-6)