Posted 9/19/2021 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
I went into a gastroenterologist 3 years ago in 2018 to get tested Barretts esophagus. It came back negative but the doctor did say he noticed some irritation in the esophagus. He did take a biopsy but it came back negative for cancer.
He pretty much did nothing at that point, and just gave me some omaprazole and sent me on my way.
Now, 3 years later, I have really bad GERD. I pretty much can't eat anything besides milk, cheese, eggs and water. If I eat anything else, I'll get really bad acid reflux and I will immediately need to start taking Tums.
Also, I have had a really bad cough for the past 3 years. I'm not sure if this is related to the GERD. It seems to happen whenever I drink something. To me, it seems like my stomach might be porous and the liquid is able to permeate into my lungs somehow. So if I drink tea or something, I'll be coughing for the next 15 minutes. I'm not coughing up blood or anything. Just liquid.
So I think I'm going to need to back in to see gastroenterologist. I'm not looking forward to it, because I am transitioning into a new job starting Oct 16th. I still have my old job and haven't given notice yet. I'm not sure what the health insurance situation will look like depending on when the appointment is scheduled. Maybe I should start looking for health insurance now. Currently I'm covered through work, but when I get this contract job I will have to buy my own insurance. I'm not sure what to get. And once I figure out what to get, then I have to figure out if this will be covered, or if I'll need to pay a 2k deductible like I did with my other insurance.
Then I'll probably be taking a lot of days off as soon as I start this new position to go to the doctors, which isn't going to look good. Also, once I get the results back, I'll then probably need a TIF operation. I have no idea what the recovery time looks like from that type of an operation. If they find Barrett's or esophigial cancer, that will be a whole other ball of wax.
For people who have had the TIFF procedure, does it seem to work well? Is there problems after getting this procedure? Does food get caught on the staples? Thanks for your help!