I had an EGD done last week. After he said he suspected celiac. I've been eating gluten free and have been feeling better. Biopsy from my duodenum came back and it said Barrets esophagus. I'm scared. I don't know where to go from here. I don't want to face this my whole life. I don't know anything about it. I don't want cancer or to be sick. Please help me.
Also he wants to do an ultra sound and run blood work on my liver. Does anyone know the connection here? Celiac wasn't confirmed with the biopsy but I feel like I have that. I am scared of BE which was said to be found on biopsy. I don't really fit the criteria for it though.
Last edited by Administrator; 12-21-2012 at 11:58 AM.
Fear was my first reaction as well. I was diagnosed w/ Barrett's almost 10 yrs ago. Your perspective improves with education. I think I went through 3 levels; Barrett's, Barrett's with low grade dysplasia, then Barrett's with high grade dysplasia. Once I reached high grade it was EGD (endoscopy) every 6 months to see whether I advanced to full fledged esophogial cancer. Told my GI I had to find a more aggressive therapy than this "watchful waiting". Good news is there have been huge advances in Barrett's therapy. Expensive and rapidly changing technologies had my GI delay his investment decison multiple times on more advanced therapies. As luck would have it he convinced a hospital to make the investment. I was a charter member of "guinea pig" patients he selected for treatment using Barrett's Ablation Therapy (BAT). BAT is basically a lazer attachment to the endoscope and the lazer is firing at suspected cells. I think it was only 2 ablation treatments about 4-6 months apart when doctor told me the signs of Barretts have all but dissapated. I have EGD's every 3 years now and they continue to show the ablation treatment was successful.
Hope this helps in putting some of the fear in perspective. Check out the big hospital websites like Mayo Clinic & John Hopkins. To me, they seemed more involved in research and treatments. Take the time to select the right doctor. Keep interviewing until you feel you found a trusted partner in your recovery. My GI and I have a wonderful rapport and I think of him more as my friend than my doctor.
Fear was my first reaction as well. I was diagnosed w/ Barrett's almost 10 yrs ago. Your perspective improves with education. I think I went through 3 levels; Barrett's, Barrett's with low grade dysplasia, then Barrett's with high grade dysplasia. Once I reached high grade it was EGD (endoscopy) every 6 months to see whether I advanced to full fledged esophogial cancer. Told my GI I had to find a more aggressive therapy than this "watchful waiting". Good news is there have been huge advances in Barrett's therapy. Expensive and rapidly changing technologies had my GI delay his investment decison multiple times on more advanced therapies. As luck would have it he convinced a hospital to make the investment. I was a charter member of "guinea pig" patients he selected for treatment using Barrett's Ablation Therapy (BAT). BAT is basically a lazer attachment to the endoscope and the lazer is firing at suspected cells. I think it was only 2 ablation treatments about 4-6 months apart when doctor told me the signs of Barretts have all but dissapated. I have EGD's every 3 years now and they continue to show the ablation treatment was successful.
Hope this helps in putting some of the fear in perspective. Check out the big hospital websites like Mayo Clinic & John Hopkins. To me, they seemed more involved in research and treatments. Take the time to select the right doctor. Keep interviewing until you feel you found a trusted partner in your recovery. My GI and I have a wonderful rapport and I think of him more as my friend than my doctor.
Thanks for that. I was just diagnosed and he mailed me results along with a pamphlet about it. Why didn't he call me? So I'm sort of clueless as to how I deal with this. Because idk what it is! It said negative for malignancy. Nothing else. So idk where it's at or anything.
