<Sarcastic>Wonderful News (Barretts)

(((((((((((((((((((((((gentle hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Oh, honey, I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but it's just a bump in the road.
There is help. This is not the big "C". It just means if you don't take care of it, it can change.
There is several things they can do for you to get rid of it. Then you get the GERD fix so it won't come back.
Please don't leave us. Stick around to lean on our broad shoulders and talk into our big ears.

Joy

Tom-
Welcome and relax. I have had Barretts for over 3 years and it's not that bad. It is a VERY slim chance it will ever advance any farther. As far as the surgeries go, if you find a very qualified surgeon who has done many successfully and the test show you are a good candidate the "success" is way better than 50/50.
The best thing to do is make sure you monitor the Barretts as needed and if possible adjust your diets as needed. It really doesn;t have to be a severe change. Our you currently taking any med for this? if so, are they helping ? IF you are taking meds and they are helping you, there may not be anythng else you need to do about the Barrets except watch it.

Take care,
Bill

Hello Tom and welcome to HealingWell,


I understand your frustration and your fears. I have a husband that was dx with Crohn's disease at 29 and we had 4 young children. He is headed for his 4th surgery next month but he has done well dealing with his disease so please know that you will be OK. He also had Prostate Cancer Surgery last year and is cancer free now.



Here is one of the best resources for Barrets next to all the great members here that are always willing to share and support each other.



http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/barretts-esophagus/HQ00312



Stick with us and your will find coming here and talking to others will help you in dealing with your new dx.



Gentle Hugs to you,



Kitt

HEy Bill,
Did you have a complications with the Nissen? Do you regret getting it? Sometimes I feel that only the people that had a bad procedure come on this forum and the ones with a successful procedure stop posting. Don't get me wrong there is a small percentage that is vocal in a positive way. But it seems the majority of people that post are the ones that had a bad experience.
Was the recovery difficult from the nissen? My co-workers friend had the nissen done here in NYC and he's fine. He can eat whateveer he wants. The only thing he cant touch is carbonation. IT drives me crazy. Is it the surgeons? Is it the procedure? I would love to end this but I'm balancing the negatives vs the positives as to which procedure would workk and this forum shows me that basically its a 50-50 chance.

Hey Joy,
So you had the Hill and your recovery is smooth? How about PPI's are you still on them? Do you still feel the acid? Are you able to eat what you want? It just seems like everyone that had the nissen or lap has a bad experience. What state or city are you from? How long ago did you have the wrap done?

Tom -
Sorry it took me so long to get back to you here. I have been away from my computer for a while wit the new job and softball. Anyway.....
I did have issues with my first Nissen and that's why I had the redo in May. My first was done wrong and way too tight. Do I regret having it done? Never! I don;t even regret having to spend 3 weeks in the hospital not allowed to eat or drink after my redo because of a strange complication. I'd do it again wthout any second thoughts.
My recovery the second time could be considered difficult, but there were strange complications that 99% of people probably wouldn't have. I can eat whatever I want now and actually could the first time, but it was hard to get it past the first wrap. I even drink carbonated drinks without much problem. I just have to remember to burp to ease the pressure between drinks.
You are right about most people posting who have had a bad experience and the good ones never come back. Well this place has more good than bad and I think it's because we support each other so well. I argue the 50/50 thing that if you get a well qualified surgeon who has done many of these successfully and have the correct tests done it is way better than 50/50. I didn't do my homework the first time and payed for it. I try to tell people who I see is having this or thinking of it to do their homework and research the surgeon they are looking at. I will never again have surgery without finding out all I can about the surgeon. Just because a surgeon says they can do a procedure doesn't mean they do it well. I had the surgeon who did my gallbladder so my first Nissen and all I did was ask if he could do it. Of course he said he could and would do it. He is also a bariatric surgeon and still didn't do the Nissen right. Seems he is a very good weight loss surgeon and has many articles about it, but for my experience with him he doesn't perform the Nissen well at all.
I will say that a good place to start is a good teaching hospital if you have one near you. I drove almost 3 hours to see the surgeon who did my redo and had probably 10 different appointments with him before he agreed to redo mine. HE came highly recommended by a surgeon here I trust and actually asked to redo my Nissen first. He referred me to the other surgeon because he knew he specialized in swallowing disorders and Nissen redos.

Take care,
BIll

Anthony09 said...
FWIW a GI Doc I know, (not mine) said that the fundo is 90% effective at 5 years in most patients, and 80% effective at 10 years. Problem is, a lot of us are young so what happens in 30-40 years? Hopefully the Esophyx or magnetic ring being trialed will have long term effectiveness.

I'm sure the advancement in medeicine will be way beyond just a wrap by them....hopefully..lol!

Tom, I had the Lap. Nissen surgery done 6 months ago. I was not diagnosed with barrettes but my brother was and hes is on his second wrap because he didn't take care of him self during the healing process of the first one. His Barretts developed after he fouled the first one. The key here is to change your whole lifestyle, so you can prolong your normal life. If any thing, it makes you a much healthier person.

I on the other hand am taking care of my self. I have been told I'm being a big baby. But I rather be safe than sorry! I have lost 35 pounds since my surgery and have managed to keep it off. I don't eat fatty or fried food, any meat from an animal with hoofs( ), or highly processed foods. I feel better mentally and physically, though I'm still recovering and have pain when lifting heavy things. The only down side for me is that I can not return to my career as an Electrician due to lifting limitations. I have been given the green light from my DR's to apply for Social Security so I can advance my education. Waiting on getting approved.

All in all the surgery is the way to go!! There is hope.

Good luck
Rafael

Tom,
I also had the Nissen just under 3 wks ago. The diet afterward is very tough for me, but otherwise things went very well.
My dad has had barrett's for YEARS. He gets it checked out regularly. He keeps everything under control with diet and med. His condition has improved a lot since his time of diagnosis.
Take care of yourself!
Stacey

I've had no PPIs for ten days! Yea, I'm over the rebound phase!
I'm so glad I did the surgery. :))

Joy

Tracks, my pain was at its worst on the day of the surgery. My surgery was at 8 AM that morning. I last asked for pain medicine at 12 noon. I only took pain medicine three times after that when I got home. That was mainly to help me sleep at night. The rest of the pain I had was very tolerable as long as I didn't touch my stomach.

I did have some painful hiccups but that was because I ate too much.

Joy