How long did it take to come to terms with GERD?

Hi all,

I'm a 27 year old male. I was diagnosed with gerd last month. The symptoms started in March-April last year (2011). One day I was fine and had some difficulty with food floating in my throat, since then its been down hill all the way.

Nearly a year in I'm waiting on a ph test, had the endoscopy and barium tests, in all it's just not going away. I feel alone and isolated, unless you have gerd its impossible to determine how awful gerd can be.

Post Edited (AnotherDay) : 2/25/2012 4:22:43 AM (GMT-7)

PS: There are other young adults with GERD on the forum and I'm sure they'll be along to chat to you too.

I was diagnosed w/ GERD @ age 24, and am 28 now. I never really resigned myself b/c, although medication worked for me the first 1.5 years, I did not want to be on it. I pushed for surgery but was told I wasn't a good candidate. Since then every surgeon and GI I have seen has recommended against surgery in my case, despite daily symptoms for most of the past two years.

When I go days without symptoms I become quite optimistic. I've been told that my cancer risk is very low (and that if I were to have Barrett's, I'd have it by now). In addition my doctor, a top one, has told me he thinks strongly that it is esophageal hypersensitivity and not really reflux. In other words, I feel what most other people don't...so there may be no real reflux or mechanical problem going on. I might be completely normal, except for a nerve issue.

After 4 years I am beginning to resign myself. But 'resign' in a positive sense, in terms of acceptance. Despite symptoms I have been told that long-term risk is low, so I finally came to the conclusion that I could keep on stressing and worrying, or continue to live my life. It finally hit me how useless worry had been, how after it pushed me into positive actions it was really no longer useful, and that I had been giving GERD and my symptoms more than their due. Like Mockturtle told me, you should only have to die once...so instead of constant worrying I have accepted it for now and see that as a type of 'resignation', although I am always with my eyes open for cures and trying new things, and keep up to date and check the forum regularly.

I don't know how long I'll be able to maintain this outlook, but it has been a very positive 'resignation'...resignation to not let it hurt me more than it has to through symptoms. It was a long road getting here, and I don't want to act like its permanent, we will see how long I can keep it up.

In a crazy shift since I took this outlook I have started eating many foods I had avoided (chocolate, yogurt, etc.), healthy foods that are often off limits due to fat content, etc. Up until yesterday I had gone a week without any symptoms despite them, although I did get heartburn the last two nights. But it is just up to me to trust my dr., try to manage it, and remain positive no matter what. I am going to try citrus soon.

Hey MMM,

Thanks, we'll see. I am hopeful, because in my opinion people who are the most a certain way were at one time the most opposite....at least this is something I have noticed now and then and tend to believe. I.e. those who lived the most crazy lives often see a change of heart and become the most calm. So a few of the calmest people out there used to be the most raucous earlier in life (in my opinion).

So I think that after being one of the most chronic worriers, I have the potential to become one of the most optimistic people...and then people will say "well, you know in his 20's he had some health problem that completely changed him and led to how he is now...he used to worry about it quite a lot".

Yeah, I reached out to MT at a low point b/c I so often came on here to vent and didn't want to bother everyone yet again. He sent a nice email that helped out a lot, although I had no idea it would get me to how accepting that I am now. In fact, sometimes I am so unstressed about it now that my friends of wife seem to be more worried than I am about it. That used to be unthinkable for me. The downside is sometimes I think "maybe I should worry more, maybe I will have bad luck and get a bad outcome, and soon", and if I don't worry I won't be prepared for when it happens.

But I just have to remember how hard living with worry is compared to now...its healthier and easier now than ever (except for before my GERD), so no matter what happens I know that living worry free as much as possible is the only way to live. I am REALLY hoping that it is not a phase and that I can keep it up long-term despite symptoms.

EDIT: Just wanted to add, resignation for me doesn't = not following up and working with my dr. It doesn't mean I don't eat brocolli sprouts daily, eat extremely healthy, drink room temp. green tea, take a shot of olive oil now and then...and anything else that can help against the risk of esophageal cancer. But honestly, at the end of the day, I can trust my dr. or not. If I trust him that my risk of cancer is extremely low and that I should not be worried about it, I can live a bit better. Or I can do what I used to...look up different studies, try to get more information, keep constant vigilance for new info, etc.

I know which way I live better. And I know which way is healthier too. As hard as it has been to lose control over the symptoms and my body, being hypervigilant won't get it back. I know humans aren't perfect and my Dr. may be wrong, but by trusting him and his experience I can live better. And regardless of the outcome for any of us, living better now is what's important. Even if we all had Barrett's right now and a high risk of cancer, we still know that we will probably live. So lets not waste life worrying. Of course, it is easier for me given what my Dr. (and other doctors) have told me, and given that I don't have Barrett's.

Post Edited (theacidrefluxman) : 2/26/2012 7:45:25 AM (GMT-7)