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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 2/2/2018 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
Please help me with this one! When I was 24 I was prescribed my first PPI. I went and seen my doctor and told him I was getting heartburn that would literally regurgitate in my mouth at night and it was happening pretty well every day. He did not send me for any tests and just prescribed PPIs.

Flash forward to today and I have been on these pills for 5 years (I'm 29 almost 30) and I am trying to ween off of them. I am doing Zantac one day and the PPI the other, then slowly I will go two days without PPI, then three, etc. Anyway I went to see my doctor to get a new prescription and he acted all concerned about never doing an H.Pylori test. He's going to send me for one now a breath test. Now I am worried because I knew a friend that was my current age that got diagnosed with stomach cancer and a relative just recently got diagnosed as well except he was in his 50's.

I hear there is a connection between H.Plori and stomach cancer. In fact it's worse when you have been taking PPI's. I am now worried that maybe I have been infected this entire time and causing myself harm this entire time. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis last June as well. Can I reverse the damage that I have done from taking PPI's for so long consistently (5 years). I get stomach pain sometimes but not sure if it's because of my UC. Just worried now.
Posted 2/2/2018 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
When was your last endoscopy? If you haven't had one recently, you should probably have one and they can check for H. Pylori from there. Second, please don't rely on Google to diagnose yourself. There is a lot of misinformation out there, listen to your doctor. You should also ask your doctor the best way to wean yourself off of the PPIs. I had H.Pylori and took a cocktail of antibiotics to get rid of it, no problems. At this point, you have no reason to suspect that you have cancer at your age. Take a deep breath and wait for the testing and results.
Posted 2/2/2018 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Never had a endoscope. I had one scope done by an ENT when he was checking my nose for deviated septum I mentioned that I also get frequent heartburn and he stuck a scope down my throat that appointment and said that it looks like I had no issues. That was 4 years ago though.
Posted 2/2/2018 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
If you've been on PPIs that long, regurgitating when sleeping, you may have a bad valve, and it may be time for surgery.

I was on various meds for many, many years, as they were invented, except for the reflux if I ate anything in the evening. They worked pretty well, but they can't fix the valve. I eventually had the surgery and got off all the meds, and I'm happy!

See your gastroenterologist, not just the ENT. Get the testing done! If you're having heartburn you need to do something different. Maybe it will only be a different PPI. I didn't get any relief out of most of them, but tried a bunch and different doses until a couple worked. That was fine until I was in a wreck that shoved my stomach into my chest and I finally got the surgery. Recovery wasn't fun, but 9 years later I'm fine!
Posted 2/2/2018 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks I have a GI appointment for my UC February 28th maybe I will bring up this issue as well.
Posted 2/3/2018 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Don't worry so much. I had to change a number of PPI's since most work well for a bit and then the body gets a little too used to them. Also, folks forget they have to be eating right all the time and working out too. Despite that, some foods will cause issues and so, you've got to keep a diary - sometimes, the foods you were fine with start making the acid act up and other times, things you weren't able to eat seem to be more agreeable. I found the best relief on Nexium and it has the ability to also fix problems caused by other PPI's so maybe you can mention it to your doctor. However, my permanent relief was from the surgery and 2.5 years later, I'm doing great! There was no GERD literally after the moment I got out of surgery - to date.
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