GERD - experiences?

[Badvoc]

Hi
I have suffered with GERD since I was pg with my ds2 who has just turned 4...so about 5 years or so.
It's awful :(
I have been on omeprazole and am currently on lansoprazole (30mg) per day.
I also drink gaviscon before bed.
I had an endoscopy just over 2 years ago and it was normal according to hospital.
I have also been tested for heliobacter pylori and was negative.
So, I guess my question is twofold...
Is there anything else that can be done gp/ medication wise?
And should I be worried about still having GERD after 5 years?
Had a really bad time last week...I think I may have had gastritis actually, and my throat is raw :(
I have decided to go GF and cf to see if that helps but I do find it hard.

i am currently coughing and my wind pipe feels raw - i get bad every single time i get a cold.

i have never had any investigations though and im terrified of having the camera down the throat, i had a permanent cough but the omeprazole/ ranitidine combo sorted it (unless i get a cold) so i left it at that.

i am terrified i may have barretts esophagus. my symptoms were left unchecked for so many years before anyone realised what it was.

would you go back for checks? im not terribly good with the diet.

Vicar - I put off having the camera down for years. I was petrified. I can tell you it was fine! I had the sedation and can't remember a thing..not even a sore throat after. Do it. I deeply regret putting it off so long and if I needed another would have one tomorrow x

do you have to come off the meds though before having it done? i hate the coughing and the pain when im not on the meds. as well as being a wuss

Vicar, I have confirmed Barretts, and it is a relief to actually know and have the diagnosis. Because of the diagnosis, I am now on a 2 yearly screening programme to keep a close eye on things.

I find it less worrying knowing the situation and knowing that if it develops into the dreaded C, I will at least know as early as possible and therefore up my (admittedly terrifying) chances.

I only had to stop all meds 24 hours in advance of the surgery.

right, i will go to the gp on my next set of days off. i must do it - last time i had a cough my wind pipe kept spasming and i couldnt breath - kept whooping while a very worried DH looked as if he was ready to dial 999.....

i put it off for such a long time and for a while the meds were working, but when ever i get a cold the meds just dont work.

i used to wake up choking 15 years ago. ive had it a long long time.

Hopefully you get some good information Vicar.

For the breathing issues, you obviously need to get some gp advice, but I found (on a whooping cough website of all places) a suggestion that you try holding your breath for a few moments if you're having a coughing fit. It helped to reduce the panic as well as the fit.

Good luck!

thank you - for a while i actually wondered if i had whooping cough before i realised what it was. It happens every time i get a cold now, no idea why but the meds dont work when i have a cold....before i got the meds it was happening all the time - the cough was permanent and the spasms began to affect my ability to drive etc.

i am just so scared, first of the procedure itself (i have a strong gag reflex and am scared of being sick) but i have a horrible feeling that i may have been left with it long enough without it being treated for barretts.

you are right. knowing would be better. and i cant keep on like this - i live in dread of getting a cold.

I have a VERY major gag reflex (wonder if it is related?!), and was scared to being ill too. AFAIK you can have the procedure with sedation or full general anaesthetic. I went with a general, partly because it is out of your system faster (I am breastfeeding still) and partly because of my fear of the tube going in. I think I coped better because I knew I would be totally out.

Mine went undiagnosed for 30+ years, and I only have a small section of damage.

thank you two that really has helped me - if i could have a general id have it done, no problem. i think i first started to get really pronounced symptoms 15 years ago - i remember DD was still in a crib in my room, she is 15 now.

the symptoms have steadily got worse over time.

I just dont really know what to say to the gp. but i need to go.

i dont think i help myself with diet etc which i should pay more heed to.

I wonder if the gag thing is related - i went to the dentist yesterday for a scale and polish and she got me....it does feel like i have a permanent lump in my throat.

thank you for your help. im going to brace myself and go see the gp,

Glad to have been useful Vicar - I am not always as good with my diet as I could be either- drives DP nuts as I then complain about being uncomfortable and sore, and he worries about the Barretts.

The surgeon made a point of telling me that it is not a death sentence at all- only a very small percentage of people with Barretts end up with the big C, so I try and remind myself of that when I start feeling the panic. With the post-diagnosis screening I am in a better position than I was before.

I think you just explain to the GP everything you have said here, and ask to be referred. If the GP doesn't listen, it's time for a new GP. You need to get it checked, even just to put your mind at ease. It's so often worse thinking about it than actually doing it - andif you're anything like me, I can imagine how many hours you have spent thinking and worrying about it vs. how long it will actually take...

You have reminded me about how long it has been since I saw the dentist!!

I get that when I have a cough/cold too vicar and its not nice.
I would ask for a GA if that would help you...personally I am glad I had the sedation as I didn't remember anything and was grinding tea and eating custard creams 10 mins after!!
I didn't stop taking my meds btw.
Good luck
X

Grinding tea?
Drinking tea....too early! :)

Regarding the spasms I wonder if it's this
voicedoctor.net/therapy/laryngospasm
there's a short video clip with the noise ,which if you get it ( as I and others in my family do ) you'll recognise .

We have no history of surgery and with my mum coughing and missing her ranatadine make her prone to attacks .

The site recommends this
^When one has an episode of laryngospasm, one can reverse this usual trend and take most of your time to breathe in slowly and then a quick breath out can be followed by another slow breath in. This can be repeated until the spasm stops.

Sniffing creates a reflex opening of the vocal cords. While it can be difficult to sniff aggressively during a spasm, it is often possible to breathe in through the nose, slowly and the combination of slow air movement and utilizing the nose opens the vocal cords enough to get additional air into the lungs.

An observation was made by a person with the condition that if they tilted their head backwards during an episode, it made the slow breathing-in
easier^

Would be really interested to hear if this is what vicar and others get .
It's very scary .

Whatever you do do not let them talk you into having the endo with no sedation. They told me it would be better for me and it was horrendous! I gagged so much they actually tore the lining of my throat with the camera.
I don't know why I let people talk me into doing procedures without anathestic. Pretty sure they didn't get a proper look anyway with me in so much distress so will probably have to have another.

yep - the clip is only short but thats the "whooping" noise i end up making - usually by that time im on the floor, eyes streaming, while everyone stares....

i can still cough out, but cant breathe in. its like breathing in treacle. i get it so often now when i have a cold that i know its coming and i dread those attacks, its horrible. its like i get a sudden stinging in the back of my throat, then a cough that wont stop, and the whooping to try and breath back in again.....it lasts for several minutes. i dread having one in the car while driving.

im going to go to the gp next week. i must do something about it. i will insist that if i have to have an endo i want to be put out - not just sedated, but GA.

I wonder if it is the same - mine feels like a barrier across my windpipe ,but I don't think it goes on for several minutes .

Apart from the advice above which seems to be about trying to breathe slowly ,slightly tilting your head back and aggresive sniffing I've also seen sipping warm water suggested .
Mine comes on too suddenly for that but maybe if you knew yours was starting you could try that ???

But definitely go to GP .

i do need to go to gp....maybe ill take this thread with me....

voice has gone completely tonight,
its so weird how i suddenly get these flare ups but can be fine for months....im barking rather than coughing. i sound like a seal.

so fed up of it.
and even with a endo, i cant see what he answer is unless i go for surgery....

Sounds awful .
Have you tried steam ? Head draped in towel over bowl of hot water .
Can be soothing .

Other thing that occurs to me is stress ....I know when I'm stressed I get the lump in throat/constriction thing and can barely get evening meal down ,sometimes can't .

Low dose of anti -d helps ,tho was also offered beta blockers .

Haven't read the whole thread but I had horrendous GERD for 10 years with oesophagitis & episodes of gastritis. It got so bad at one point I could not longer swallow properly & had inadvertently moved to a soft diet.

I have since been diagnosed with coeliac disease & GERD has gone since cutting out gluten completely. I didn't even really get indigestion in pregnancy.

voice gone completely now. work pissed off with me and simply ignoring the fact that i cannot speak....they are pissed off with my sickness record and are steadfastly refusing to send me home.

will phone gp asap on monday. i cant go on like this. i think my vocal chords are knackered (temporarily hopefully?) its taking super human effort to make any noise at all and im still hacking and coughing like a seal....

Vicar, it sounds as though you are having an incredibly rough time- I hope you get some useful answers from the GP tomorrow.

thank you, im going to phone in the morning - having to sleep propped up and then not managing that very well.

going to just go and ask for the endo and see what happens. thanks all - this thread has given me the push i need. ill let you know what gp says.

right. i did it. i went to doctor this morning.
i do have a chest infection, but i always get one with a flare up. So im an Anti biotics for that, but the gp was lovely and listened - he is sending me for an endoscopy and a camera up my nose to view my vocal chords too.

the only thing is, that apparently if there is damage to the vocal chords there is nothing can be done, and he says that any cold will trigger the inflammation so im desperately worried that this going to happen whenever i catch a common cold and will just have to live with it.

i have had to use annual leave because my colleagues are being a bit bastardy about me having time off....already had 2 days off last week and came back to snide comments....they steadfastly ignored the fact that i was coughing up a lung last night and im worried that this is now the shape of things to come.

i have stressed to the gp that i need to be under for this to happen - the one up the nose i can live with the but the endo - i want it with a GA. They will try and talk me into having sedation only i know they will.....if i stick to my guns and say im not having it any other way do you think they will do it under a GA?

Vicar...Bear in mind a ga is more dangerous and you will be in hospital longer to recover. You may even have to stay in overnight depending in when you go down to theatre.
I had the sedation and - honestly - dont remember a thing. It was great :)
They can't force you to have sedation but they may be reluctant to use ga due to the risks.
Glad you have been to gp. Sorry to hear about the vocal chords...that's rubbish.
Sorry your co workers a re being shitheads too...that's all you need.
You are obv ill and frankly if you are on ABs for a chest infection should be a home!!!

thanks badvoc,

i just dont think i can have it without being under - i know its sounds nuts (i had babies without pain relief and at home!) and yet the entire thought of this just makes me want to cry - i will panic. its the thought of the endo that has stopped me seeking help for 20 years....i know how daft it sounds.

i have had a GA before and was fine afterwards - went home same day following surgery....

i know its ridiculous.

the sedation - how sedated are you? if you are still aware of whats happening then i cant....

the only way i feel i can have this done is via a GA...