So, i about 1976 I complained to my military doctor about heartburn. He gave me Tagamet, a prescription drug at the time. Over the next 40 years or so I went to doctor after doctor. I ended up eating about 15 Tums a day. I made my last visit two weeks ago to another doctor. He sent me for an EGD. Apparently I had GERD, which we knew as ulcers at the time. This has developed into Barrett'S Syndrome, which does not look like a good thing at all. Now, my stupid doctor's office robo-called me Friday night, insisting I show up Monday at 0800. I have no way to speak to anyone until Monday. I'm not WORRIED or anything. Jeebus.

How considerate of your physician's office. Sadly this is often standard practice. I am assuming the appointment is with your internist and you have not yet seen a GI doc. Barretts is pretty common and is treatable. About ten percent of patients with GERD develop this condition. Good luck.

Sounds like you have acid reflux disease.
Normal antacids won't touch that.
You could eat a jar of that stuff and it won't put out the fire.

Your doctor will likely put you on an acid-blocking medicine like Nexium.
These are best taken at the same time every day, approx. an hour before a predictable meal such as dinner.

Bear in mind these can take a while before they start working, sometimes several days. But work they do; they are very effective.

I would also suggest buying Zantac 150-mg tablets. Costco has the best price, but you can find them in any drug store OTC.

They take a while to work, maybe 30 minutes or so, but it will help a lot.

I can usually get by with just the Nexium (generic) but supplement with the Zantac as needed to stay comfortable.

I suggest you cut out eating anything made with wheat for awhile. Won't hurt to try.

I've cut way back on anything containing wheat products and gone from daily Prilosec pills to just one about every 30 days.

You may have a gluten intolerance. Good luck, best wishes to you.

Fred, Acid Reflux (GERD) and Stomach Ulcers are NOT the same thing. While in many cases Acid Reflux is symptomatic of Stomach Ulcers they are NOT the same thing. BTW, Tagamet was once commonly used to treat ulcers but that hasn't been the case since if was determined and proven that 99% of all stomach ulcers were caused by the H Pylori bacterium. Since sometime in the 90's ulcers have been treated and cured by a course of the correct antibiotics.

From the sound of it you may have been receiving treatment best described as "behind the times" if you've been on Tagamet at a time when it was well known the correct treatment for Ulcers was antibiotics.

It's also possible that you have a Hiatal Hernia. My BIL suffers from Acid Reflux and spent 32 years in the Air Force where his treatment for this condition could only be described as "lacking". Actually Mal Practice may have been a more accurate description of the Military medical system in it's treatment of my BIL. What actually caused his acid reflux was a Hiatal Hernia and that can be corrected with surgery. Unfortunately like you he now has to be monitored for Barrett's Syndrome. All because the AF docs would rather push pills instead of spending time looking for the root cause of a curable condition.

I would suggest that you contact the Cleveland Clinic about some followup work and some second opinions. Because what you now have is a pre-cancerous condition and you really don't want some hillbilly doctor in Lexington treating you. Yeah, I'm a Northerner. However I am also very certain that the Cleveland Clinic is also one of the finest treatment centers in the entire world for Cancers of the throat, stomach, and Colon. I can also tell you that Cleveland is within driving distance of Lexington. So get a referral and get looked at by a team who is acquainted with the Latest Methods and information about your condition. Do not rely on what some doctor was taught 10 or 20 years ago while a resident.

I appreciate the advice. The hillbilly crack, though, is really bigoted. Stop watching Justified re-runs. Now I'm a-goin' ta tha out-house an' checkin' on the slaves chained up out back.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
I appreciate the advice. The hillbilly crack, though, is really bigoted. Stop watching Justified re-runs. Now I'm a-goin' ta tha out-house an' checkin' on the slaves chained up out back.

If you do end up needing and using one of the OTC proton pump inhibitors, such as Prilosec or Nexium, even buying the store brand generic can get expensive. On a whim, I asked my physician if he could prescribe this for me, since he was ordering its use for me. He did write it, and now I get 90 capsules for <$5 copay, with my prescription insurance. That approach may or may not work for you, but it is worth a shot at saving a good bit of money. My insurance is Medicare Part D, with a supplemental plan from our retirement insurance plan. It is called Silverscript.
 

I'm taking omeprezol (generic Prilosec) right now and it's working. With my insurance it costs about 3 bucks a month. Good information, though, I didn't know the brand name. The meds may be a stop gap. The gastroenterologist seemed to think it was a fairly significant case. I will know more in a week or two. We may be talking a surgical repair to stop the acid leak. I will keep you posted.

If you actually do,have Barrets Esophagus, that is essentially a pre-cancer before esophageal cancer. It is not cancerous, but will require you to get treatment and be monitored.

I get an upper GI scope once a year as the last few have found the lining of my thrift inflamed and cells are atypical - but not Barrett's and not cancer, but Dr keeps me honest by scaring me with the above. You will likely be put on a strong acid reducer, told to change your diet and stay away from fried, fatty foods and alcohol. They'll also tell you to sleep with your upper torso elevated.

Take it seriously but don't be terribly concerned until you get the facts - then do what the docs say. Big C nothing to mess with, good luck.

I have a hiatal hernia. My acid reflux comes and goes. I have pretty well learned my triggers (caffeine, grease, cilantro ...especially anywhere near bedtime)
Best thing I found to keep it under control? I lost about weight. It was horrible when I was up close to 230. Now if I can stay below 200 (190-195 is better) I have very few problems.

But, talk to your doc. All of our speculation is just that..speculation.
Good luck to you.

Well, after the last colonoscopy and gullet scope, it seems that the asprin and advil family of drugs I had been taking for back pain since I was in my late teens have caught up. Previous scopes had indicated lesions and I was warned to cut back the Advil. I don't feel comfortable taking narcotic opioid type drugs. Don't want to develop an addiction. Finally, stomach pain prompted a revisit to the gastro guy. Choose asprin or advil to fight back pain and destroy gastro system or take other drugs. It's no more asprin family drugs for me except a baby asprin a day for heart and a nexium for gut. Opioid family for back pain (multiple surgeries). Nexium working great. So far managing back pain with minimum drug use- take as needed when absolutely have too. Muscle relaxant first. If not effective, then Tramadol. Then codeine or hillbilly heroin. Luckily, managing pretty well without the opioids except occaisionally. Usually the muscle relaxant does the job. When the back cuts loose though, jeez, need stronger stuff to be able to ambulate. I'm 67. All in all, been a good life except for the back.

Remember that if you do have to start taking Prilosec ect also take a magnesium supplement.The way it was explained to me is that not all Barrets leads to cancer but all that have esophageal cancer have Barrets.Do what the Dr says.Ive been taking Prilosec for a long time.

Triggertreat, is magnesium supplement required for prilosec? I have Barrets too. What does magnesium provide?

quote:

Originally posted by maxdog:
Triggertreat, is magnesium supplement required for prilosec? I have Barrets too. What does magnesium provide?

Its been shown that the likes of Priolsec deplete the magnesium in the system.There isnt a minimum daily requirement for magnesium but one sign of a lack of might be muscle pain.I take 250mg daily with the blessing of my Dr.

So many wise cracks about KY available....

In all seriousness, consider a sleep study too unless you are absolutely certain(!!!) there's no chance of an issue there as well.

I know, it seems crazy but my reflux issues are gone now that I am sleeping without dieing 17 times an hour. You can do them at home now, easy peasy.

Happy to discuss by email.

I believe Lexington has more to offer than Hillbilly Doctors. FYI they are known as HillWilliams, educated hillbillies. I think they play basketball there too. Care should be fine outside of FMC Lexington. University of Kentucky Medical is top notch. Cleveland Clinic spends a lot on marketing particularly in Saudi Arabia. They pay cash.

FMC contracts out most of its work to FMC. I'm the manager of that account, retired from there. Now I gotta go have sex with a sibling or something. I used to live in San Francisco. Seems like everywhere I live......

Rather, they contract it out to UKMC.

BE CAREFUL! Eating too many antacids (Tums, Rolaids, etc) can lead to very dangerous changes in your blood chemistry. I ended up in Intensive Care with pancreatitis (which I can attest is very painful and potentially fatal). I had always suffered from indigestion. After they got everything back under control I was put on omeprazole and voila problem solved

I had Barret's after years of not doing anything about it from age 17 to 35.

I have been on Prilosec ever since and if I miss even a single dose, I will be sick within hours.

Barret's is SERIOUS.