Anyone with Barrett's Esophagus?

Hubby has had Barrett's Esophagus for years now. The other day he went for an annual endoscope and the doctor said it looks like it worsened, took several biopsies, and upped his PPA medicine.

I am very anxious while we await the test results. Is anyone here living with this? Has anyone here had to deal with it worsening? Anyone know if there are any Specialists in the SouthEast USA that exclusively deal with this?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Top response ARM - I have nothing to add!!

MMM

Thank you acidrefluxman for your insight. The low percentages of Barretts turning into Ca are encouraging.
Waiting for medical test results is always one of the hardest things to do. I'm trying to use the time productively and learn more about treatment of the disease rather than just worry myself into a frenzy.

He takes omeprizol 2x a day and it controls the reflux very well. He rarely complains about reflux these days.

Thanks for the prayers -- they are always welcome.

If you don't mind me asking what did you have "redone?" I will do my homework and learn what I can about HALO ablation.

crampygrammy

i understand worry....i worry for a living

my kids say if you are worried about something tell dad about it, he worries enough for three people ,,, he can worry for you ;)

im no doctor,,,but let me tell you i am a worry expert

worry can kill ya faster and deader than most diseases especially barretts esophagus

the vast majority of people who have barretts will die from a myriad of other causes...its what you least expect thats sneeking up from around the corner that might get cha

when i was first diagnosed with barretts i almost worried myself to death, and then the more i read and investigated the research via the internet, the more i learned how complex the issue is, and how unlikely it is that someone with barretts will get cancer

heres a summary of a recent study (earlier this year )_ that puts it all into perspective....try to stay calm, i bet things will be ok

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"Researchers collected information on more than 11,000 people in Denmark who were diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus to see how many would go on to develop an aggressive cancer called adenocarcinoma of the esophagus.
snip
Previous studies have found that Barrett's esophagus increases the risk of getting cancer of the esophagus. This study found that the risk of cancer, while still elevated, is much lower than previously believed, about 0.12% per year. That equals about one case of cancer diagnosed each year for every 860 people with Barrett's. That's about an 80% lower risk than previously believed."

hang in there...i know it aint easy

best wishes
mock turtle

Thanks for all the information on Barrett's esophagus. I was diagnosed with it after a colonoscopy and endoscopy to check for colon cancer. My older sister died of colon cancer a few years ago, so I was supposedly at increased risk.

I was so focused on colon cancer I didn't really pay much attention to the diagnosis of Barrett's esophagus. My doctor mentioned that it could turn into esophageal cancer but didn't mention the low incidence - thanks for the info on that.

I haven't been taking my meds for Barrett's, because I keep forgetting to buy them when at the pharmacy. I also deal with depression and anxiety, and those have really been my focus lately.

Anyway, thanks again.

I wake up with bile in my mouth - and without risk of exageration, I get up to 1/8 cup of it in my mouth; I choke it up - almost vomitting it up...and the BURNING is so painful I cannot describe it. and breathlessness! cannot catch my breath and feel as though I might not inhale again!

I have 13 auto immune illnesses, and I believe them all to be connected to one another; they came one at a time, two a year sometimes since 1994.

I have GERD and Hiatal Hernia along with Scleroderma (which causes all kinds of problems with the esophogas and stomach - it is misery)...

I am on Prilosec twice a day and it does NOT help. Doctor said it should help....

I want to warn you without scaring you.....but do not take this too lightly....my dental problems are not only expensive, but are bad for my health...MY TEETH are that of a bulemic girl! the dentist showed me the backs of my teeth and they are wearing away fast! Also, my crowns fall off because my GUMS are being eaten away from the acid. and there are other problems.

My father, who had the symptoms for all his adult life, drank the liquid OTC helps, ate TUMS like candy and drank gallons of milk a week to help his GERD problem. HE did not KNOW he had GERD...I had not heard of it before he was dx'd with it.

BUT he did not KNOW he was sick until suddenly one day, his first bite of food for the day just came up. NOT vomit...he swallowed and it just POPPED back into his mouth like toast in a toaster. he was not able to swallow.

Long story short....Esophogeal cancer...he lived several months longer, but he was fed through a tube until his last moment.


I am doing my best to NOT have that happen to me; my dad was careless; he did not seek out medical help all those years in suffering.
BUT here I am, doing all the right things and still I awaken in the middle of the night with a mouth filled with bile and burning throat so bad I cannot breathe...and the pAIN lasts nearly 45 minutes.....as long as I eat tums and drink water and gargle with salt water and suck on hard candy....and cry...

I read the stories at this site and I wonder if there is any help at all for us...the FUDAL WRAP sounds good to me. even though it is surgery, I am desperate. I have had three surgeries just these past ten weeks from other problems...as long as I get relief, I just don't care about the surgeries anymore. I have three more to go before the end of the year, and I look forward to relief from the other problems. ONE MORE wont hurt...

anyone else as pathetic as I am?

Granny1951 I so sorry to hear you are going through such a horrible time with your GERD. I do understand how awful it can be. My husband popped tums like candy when we first met 30 years ago. It wasn't until about 6 years ago that he started taking PPIs and they really help him a great deal.
As Sunbeam said, he (we) also made some lifestyle changes. We have elevated the head of the bed so that he doesn't lay flat. On weekends (unfortunately that is the only time it is feasable) we eat our dinner in the middle of the day rather than in the evening so hubby doesn't have a full stomach late at night.
He has cut way down on caffeine (one cup in the morning now) but several different doctors told us diet (such as spicy, fried, etc) foods make no difference in Barrett's. I still have a hard time believing that but as I said it was more than one doctor in different fields of medicine.
I do hope you find some relief.

Thank you all for the informative information on Barrett's. I have good news to report that of the 6 biopsies taken during my husband's endoscopy, 2 came back negative and the other 4 showed intestinal metaplasia -- NO dysplasia.
For years now, we have done what we can to keep his Barrett's in check (including an endoscopy every 2 years). The head of our bed is elevated, we eat an early dinner whenever possible so that hubby doesn't go to bed on a full stomach. He has cut his caffeine down to 1 cup in the morning, and alcohol only on occasion (rarely more than 1 drink per month). And he takes his omeprizol faithfully.

I do have a question about diet though -- 2 different doctors (his gastro doc and his general practitioner) have said that diet won't make a difference. I'm talking specifically about spicy food and fried foods. They say in moderation those things are fine. Hubby likes spicy cuisines (he enjoys Indian curries and hot Mexican peppers).
For others here that deal with Barretts -- what do you think??

And this question is for Mock Turtle -- where do I find Broccoli Sprouts? You are not talking of regular broccoli that I can find in any grocery store.

Thank you for the heads-up about Amazon for the seeds as well as the instructions on YouTube. I will look into both.

I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus last May. I go for a rescope May 2012. I now take Dexilant, before I took Omeprozole for Many years but I still ended up with Barrett's. I no longer drink carbonated drinks and I only drink Decaf coffee, if I even have coffee. Other than that, I still eat the same, I'm not making any diet changes because I'm not sure what caused acid reflux. I can't feel any acid reflux pain while on PPI's. The only thing I know is caffeine used to hurt really bad. If I need to later in the future I'll stop with other foods but till then I'm having my pizza and mexican food.

Post Edited (Kute1966) : 12/24/2011 10:57:17 AM (GMT-7)

I just learned this week that I have Barrett's.  I immediately began to research everything I could find on the condition.  I was pretty upset for a few days, but I have calmed down some after my research and the passing of a few days to let the news sink in. My personality is such that I react very strongly to news like this initially until I can read up on the basics and then systematically assess my situation.

Here's what I know:

I have BE because my doctor said so in a recorded message that my results were positive from my recent EGD.  He did not say that I have dysplasia so I have requested he call me so I can ask more quesions about the pathology.  I also made an appointment for consulation but that is a month away.  At this point all I have are some clues in his message that lead me to believe that I do not have dysplasia. 

I had some other biopies taken in my stomach at the same time as the esophagus biopies and they were all negative so he discussed those results first, then he told me about the positive result for BE.  He said that it was not a major concern, that it is a low risk for cancer, but I should be checked periodically, and that I would be checked again in 12 months and if negative every 3 years thereafter.  He then closed his report by saying that this was overall a good report and to call his office if I had any questions. 

Maybe I'm just tying to convince myself that I do not have any dysplasia, but the fact that he recommended another EGD in 12 months is consistent with general guidelines for people with an initial finding of BE with just metaplasia from what I've read.  For those with dysplasia, the recommendations usually suggest having another expert pathologist confirm the result, followed by another EGD in 6 months or even sooner depending on how many samples contained the dysplasia and the length of the barretts segment.

Also, he mentioned that if my result was negative after the follow up in 12 months, I could wait 3 years for the next.  I have to assume he meant negative for dysplasia, not negative for barretts.  If I have dysplasia now it's certainly not likely to resolve itself in 12 months, nor will the barretts,  so I assume he means that if I continue to be negative for dysplasia I can go on a 3 year schedule.

And his closing of "this is a good report."  No one would call this a good report if dysplasia were present.

I await his call back.  I will ask him if any tissue samples contained dysplasia; were any indefinite for dysplasia; any inflamation that might have made the pathology questionable; did he see any lesions or other concerns during the exam; and what was the length of the barretts segment?

If I have the lowest level of intestinal metaplasia I will actively pursue antireflux surgery.  Oral meds do not have established record of stopping GERD so the damage continues.  Surgery is the only sure way to stop it from what I've read.  But I will discuss that with him in great detail and understand all the risks first.  If I have LGD I will definitely consider RFA to remove the barretts tissue.  Results for this procedure have been very encourging.

hrpufnstuf

Good for you for being your own best advocate.  I feel you still have some concerns and perhaps getting that second opinion would help you feel better about your recent test results.

Each of us has to gather the information and then make our choice based on how we feel.  I wish you the best and hope you keep on talking with us here in the forum.

Kindly,

Kitt