My doctor says I am a "refluxer" - Acid Reflux / GERD Message Board

trapley · 11-05-2004, 09:48 AM

Since June of this month I have had digestive problems like never before in my life. I had H.Pylori and recived treatment for that. Although the bacteria is gone, the sympons have persevered. I am only 20 years of age and I have been on a Donnatol, 2 Prevacid, 1 rantidine a day treatment. nothing had worked. I ahd and endoscopy done and to my luck everything looked perfectly normal.
I know I am not perfectly normal though because I always feel like Ihave something in my throat wheter its food or anything. Sometimes the tighness feeling subsides and it burns for a while, but then it returns. I can even brush my teeth without feeling like food is at the peak of my thraot. I have never suffered from stomach problem before this I hadn't thrown up in 8 years, not even when I was pregnant.
SO yesterday my 12th visit to a doctor since July, he told me that I am probably a refluxer. Not acid reflux but Reflux. I reflux bile or anything else that my stomach can conjure up. I want to know if anybody has dealt with this and have you conquered it. It has disrupted my normal life so much. I barely sleep through the night, I can't sit in the movies and enjoy a movie, I have to leave class early because I feel like I"m going to vomit any minute. If somebody has this of has conquered it please share what has worked for you because I feel like I am alone. Evryone thought it was a figment of my imagination, but now they think I am causing it because they have never heard of it before.

TJN · 11-20-2004, 11:45 AM

Hi It sounds like your doctor is guessing. Most people with bile reflux have had stomach operations. If you want to be tested for abnormal non acid reflux events you need impedance testing. Not a guess from your doctor.

Acid reflux can absolutely NOT be ruled out with an endoscopy . 50 percent of people with GERD have negative endocopies -- no esophageal erosions--- nothing seen at all. When this is the case 24 hour ph testing is the next step to rule GERD in or out. The ph test is the definitive test for GERD .

Where you have throat symptoms you should also see an ENT to rule out any structural abnormalties in the throat and he can also evaluate you for LPR ( silent reflux)

If all of these tests are negative then functional dyspepsia or sensitive esophagus is a possibility. Good luck

trapley · 12-15-2004, 12:02 PM

Thanks for the reply. I have recently seen another specialist and they are considering corrective surgery because they say ia m definately too young for all of these complications.

LaLasMom · 12-17-2004, 04:15 AM

Hi! I understand your frustration! I started having problems in the mid 80s. At that time my husband was in the Army and the doctors on post had no clue as to the problem. Finally said I had allergies. Finally 2 years later I was admited into the hospital when I started caughing up bowls of blood. It was from the lung. My reflux had become so severe that the stomach acid ate a hole in the lining of my lung, entered it and caused a severe infection. After having 2 of the 3 lobes of my right lung removed they still werent sure of the cause. After 10 endoscopy's a 24 hour pH test and the manometric study they found the hernia and did surgery. At that point part of my esogaphus had been damaged and had to be re-made using chest muscle. The surgery has since come loose, and the problems are worse now that before. The latest tests show my esogaphus is "deformed" and the staples used in my surgery have come loose and have moved into my chest area and are trying to "embed" in different areas. I have another endoscopy scheduled for the 22nd to determine the extend of the damage to my esogaphus and how to remove the staples. If you aren't comfortable with what your doctor tells you keep on them. Refulx can be not only an uncomfortable thing to live with but dangerous. Hope you finally find some relief to your problem.
Marcia

trapley · 12-18-2004, 10:08 PM

Oh my... I really feel for you. My god bless you. Doctors really undermind reflux. i changed my doctor over and he was alarmed about everything so he is sending me to a new specialist. i am just really nervous about this Nissan fundoplication. You must keep me posted and let me know how your doing. Once again ia m so sorry for this and I hope everything works out for the best. I look at it as my life is ruined. I'm 20 and it's ruined because I dont like eating, going out, working.. hardly anything, because I constantly feel sick from the refluxing. the only thing I like is sleep because I dont feel anything, but recently the reflux has been waking me up out of my slep sooo..... I dont know what I'm going to do.