Hi All, I've had GERD for about 2.5years now and struggled off and on with it continually. One thing I've noticed recently is that when I travel (for vacation or work) I often see a cessation of the...
Answered my own question - it appears you CAN have MRI's with the endostim: http://www.endostim.com/AboutEndoStim/News/EndostimMRI.html This makes it even more attractive to me - especially in light...
Hi GC, Thanks for sharing your story. I too am very interested in the Endostim and the potential it provides. One quick question - can you still get an MRI with the endostim in? Are there any other...
Dr. Bell is likely who you are thinking of in Denver. He is a VERY experienced GI surgeon and I imagine he has done north of 1000 fundoplications. He also handles lots of complicated cases (like...
@gymstar I've definitely had that debate personally as well (age 35, GERD since 2011, sick of it!). The nissen is definitely a tried and tested surgery and has been around for decades. It also has...
I went off 40mg Omeprazole 2x / day nearly cold turkey. For the first few weeks I was pretty dyspeptic (burning stomach, nausea after eating, etc.), and tried to control that through H2's and just...
Hey Drcolonel, I have not had the Linx or any other surgery yet. I'm about to begin trying to use domperidone to see if that helps. I was able to control my GERD throughout much of the past year...
Does anyone else get really bad heartburn from driving? The road vibrations really kick the acid up into my esophagus, and I have no idea how to stop it. Really doesn't matter how much PPI I take -...
Yes. 100% have a similar issue. I can literally feel myself reflexively swallowing air back down after each burp, so i always have that bloated feeling. It makes me crazy! I've never had surgery, but...
I'm trying right now. About a week since my last dose (was on 40mg 2x / day), and I'm doing o.k. I've been on it for a year straight and been having some other health problems (join issues) that I...
According to the latest newsletter, they've relaxed this restriction: http://linxrefluxsurgery.com/newsletter-january-2013 I assume the reason why they may have restricted it in the first place, is...
I'm also very interested in the answer to this question. For some reason the url generator is choking on that link - just copy and paste from below....
Have you done a barium swallow or gastric emptying study? Seems like some kind of motility issue with your esophagus or stomach. I am not a doctor though, that's just what it sounds like to me....
I keep getting really dizzy and light headed immediately after eating. I've been tapering down from a high dose of PPI for some testing (80mg Nexium => 20mg omeprazole), so I'm wondering if that has...
Have any of you that have been on PPIs long term gotten Gastroparesis as a result? I've read online that this is possible, and I'm wondering if any of you have experienced it? I'm a bit frightened...
Do any of you who have or are considering the Linx procedure have delayed gastric emptying? My surgeon is concerned about performing that surgery on me based on the results of a solid gastric...
I survived my 24hour PH test and it wasn't too bad at all. The insertion of the manometry catheter (for the first test) and then the ph impedance probe was pretty weird / uncomfortable, but after...
I'm 7 days out from my first PH and Manometry test and I have been off PPIs for about 24hours now. And I'm suffering! I'm taking Zantac 150mg twice a day in its place, but it's not working all that...
Whatever my secretions are, I know that they are in fact acidic. I have a saliva ph testing kit and I test it every morning and it is hovering around a ph of 5, which is scary! Bad for teeth, gums,...
Does anyone else have severe water brash? How do you deal with it? Lately my heartburn hasn't been as bad, but i've been having severe water brash at night. As soon as I lay down (even partially in a...
Have any of you had really persistent tendonitis before? In addition to severe GERD (barely controlled by 40mg of Nexium 2x / day), I've started having really bad tendonitis across both my shoulders...
That's a pretty sensational opinion for a device that has already been FDA approved by a whole panel of GI Experts and changed many people's lives for the best. I suspect he practicing during the...
I agree that there's no good answer, and they all have their drawbacks. However, I think your linx analysis suffers from some selection bias, as people who are "cured" don't stick around and post on...
M8, Have you considered the Torax Linx device? Although it's fairly new, it doesn't have the lifting restrictions that come along with the Nissen and it should theoretically last forever (or a long...
Have you asked your insurance company about covering the Linx procedure? Or do you think they'll also deny that?...
Hi Joy, I appreciate your advice as I am a new GERD sufferer and struggling to decide whether I should take the path of surgery or try to tough it out and see if things improve. Were you taking PPI's...
How do you know if you're allergic to nickel? Would they test that before you have the procedure done?...
$10,000 - $20,000 USD, I'd guess. It may eventually come down, but there's going to be a lot of demand for it initially and not too many trained practitioners so it will probably be priced a bit...
Ya I agree that the MRI thing is also a bit concerting, but for many things these days a CAT Scan will suffice. And if something major occurs you can always have the device removed and an MRI...
Also was that PDF somewhat corrupted for anyone else? There were several sections where the text was blocked out and I had to copy and paste into a textpad to see it......
Interesting info Saleen, thanks for posting! The Table on Page 13 showing GERD symptoms before and after the procedure seems VERY encouraging. The only things that worry me about the device are the...
Can you post a photo of the type of white spots? I might be able to tell you what they are......
I think all the people listed on the initial implanting centers are the Doctors that participated in the latest U.S. trials. I'm guessing the list of people who can perform the surgery will multiple...
Does anyone know if there are any long term activity restrictions with a Linx Implant? Are you still able to do vigorous exercise, jump on trampolines, ride roller coasters, run, lift weights, and do...
Also - one more question. Are there any long term activity restrictions? Are you still able to do vigorous exercise, jump on trampolines, ride roller coasters, and do anything that jars your body...
@Beargirl Thanks for all the helpful info. I'm curious about your issues with Red Meat? What kinds of symptoms do you get when eating it? Is it attributable to the Linx device or is it a separate...
Also, here's an interview with the first doctor on that list (Dr. Santiago Horgan) who participated in the trial and thinks it will be a big success....
Cool stuff! Here's a link to their list: http://www.toraxmedical.com/linx/implantingCenters.php...
I've tried prilosec (omeprazole), prevacid (lansoprazole), and nexium (esomeprazole). I've had the most success with Nexium, thus far. I figured it would be just the same as prilosec, but it's...
@PPI-LESS I don't know about the TIF, but I suspect it would be difficult to do with someone who already had a NF, as the area of the LES is already covered by the stomach wrap....
Thanks for the info! I will talk to my doctor about it - I'm just worried he might tell me not to take it! It's certainly reduced my GERD related pain quite a lot, so I hope that's an indicator that...
@speden Good point about the vagus nerve bundle and the new tissue holding it in place. I just keep having weird visions of it slipping out during vigorous activities, but I imagine they've...
Thanks Shooz! Are you still off all PPI's? Do you have any ongoing challenges with side effects (esophageal spasms?), etc.?...
Hi All, I've been reading a book (The End of Illness) that talks about all the positive health effects that can come from taking a baby aspirin daily. It turns out there is a lot of evidence that...
Awesome news! Thanks for posting. And yes, I'm betting that most insurance won't cover it for a while. Thus the question is, how much will the procedure cost for paying straight out of pocket?...
Have you had any luck taking H2's like Zantac and Pepcid? Or do those cause similarly bad side effects?...
Here's another relevant study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1420908/...
You might go search "fundoplication" over at Bodybuilding.com, as I believe there are several members over there who have had the surgery and continue to lift weights: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/...
Hey Radiator, Right there with ya! I'm anxiously awaiting this device becoming FDA approved and have my fingers crossed that it will happen this year as well! Do you have an email address? I'd love...
Max- I can't imagine how challenging it must be to experience what you're currently going through. Having severe GERD is frightening enough, but to imagine taking the step of going through surgery...