Hi everyone,
I've been on HW for a couple of weeks now, but haven't gotten over to this board until now. I have some other things going on that have been consuming me.
I have Severe Acid Reflux (GERD), have had it for many years but thought it was just heartburn. Well, I found out it was GERD when I thought I was having a heart attack. Although, I was only in my late 30's at the time, heart attacks run in my familly particularly for the women - my aunt was in her late 30's when she had her first one. After staying in the hospital for 3 days and having tons of tests done, it was determined that my heart was fine (YAY) but I had GERD.
A few days later, I saw my regular doc and he wanted to do an endoscopy. This test was done and he found two ulcers in my esophagus and this is called Barrett's Esophagus he said. We tried some meds, 3 of which I couldn't tolerate but we found one that I could tolerate and it worked well. The doc also said that I will have to take medication for the rest of my life and I will have to have the endoscopy done every 6-12 months because Barrett's Esophagus is a pre-cancerous condition.
Well, since then - for unrelated reasons - I have switched doctors and after she looked through my records and with what I told her, she said the same thing. If I miss a dose of the med, I know it almost immediately. As long as I take the med, all is okay.
I just wanted to introduce myself, share my story and say hi to everyone.
Wen