Barrett's Esophagitis and Acid Reflux Very Sick

~K~

I am the same as you. I have pain out of proportion to the erosions and gastritis seen on scope. Nexium (indeed no PPI) has helped my pain.
I think that these symptoms are known as 'functional' and can last for years without becoming cancer. Some people with Barrett's have very little pain while others suffer very much, and some of us with low inflammation have a huge amount of pain. I am no expert and can only offer empathy...but I think I'm correct in saying that pain (even long standing) doesn't mean we are going to get Barrett's.

~K~

Sorry I re-read post and you Do have Barrett's (I've had too much wine for the first time in months...am in agony and probably shouldn't be posting replies whilst squiffy!)
I still think that pain can be out of proportion to inflammation, though!
My understanding is that the percentage of patients with Barrett's that go on to get cancer is very low.

catcopy

I have had Barrett's and acid reflux for about 5 years now. My brother also has Barrett's and acid reflux for about 10 years. I don't have a lot of pain with mine but I do reflux so bad that it gets into my lungs and I can't breathe. It's usually when I over eat or when I lay down or even sit down too soon after I eat and fall asleep. I never do aspirate while I'm awake so I think it has something to do with the way I breathe during sleep. These spells scare me so bad that I worry about it a lot. I simply can't get any air when I have these spells and I don't think they even last a full minute or else I'd be passing out or something. It seems like an eternity tho when you can't get any air. I've read a lot about Barrett's and there is just a low risk of it turning into cancer if it's being treated. I'm on Aciphex once a day but I may have to go to twice a day. The last endoscopy I had did NOT reveal any Barretts and that surprised me because I thought that once you had it, you had it forever. I go back in June for another scope. Like I said tho, I still have the acid reflux and it seems to be getting worse. My brother ended up having a nissan fundoplication and it has helped. I hope I don't have to have one but if I keep aspirating I'm afraid I will. My grandpa died of esophagus cancer back in the 40's and my dad had esophagus problems but nothing was ever diagnosed. I'm thankful there is treatment out there now. I hope your problem with your pain subsides - just keep talking to doctors and reading as much as you can about your symptoms and hopefully you will be able to get relief.

justthinking

Thank you both for the info. Do you by any chance aspirate in your sleep from the reflux too? I just wonder because it's linked to sleep apnea which I have too. My brother also has apnea, and has severe reflux. It either causes apnea or can be caused by apnea (they don't know which). You might want to use a tape recorder and make sure it isn't happening in your sleep, to be on the safe side. You'd either gasp or choke for your breathe or make a loud snort. But my pain turned out to be from the acid reflux, though I have no idea how reflux causes that kind of pain. But after I started burning in my epigastric area (where I hurt), I started wondering if it was the reflux. I was taking aciphex twice a day and then Prevacid, neither helped with the regurgitation. Took Mylanta, which helped a little but somehow was causing spasms. So I got some Zantac and it stopped my pain. Sometimes it still hurts but for the most part, I'm feeling much better.

Trish17

Hi,

I was going to post a new thread with a question, but this sort of asked and answered for me. I was diagnosed with Barrett's 5 years ago, after an endoscopy. The last 4 endoscopies have come back clear. However, I do have pain free esophogitis, or GERD'S? I can't drink soft drinks because they burn my throat. I also have extreme difficulty swallowing, and sometimes it's hard to take deep breaths. I have to go in about every 6 or 7 months to have a "stretching" done on my esophogus. It eliminates the swallowing problem for about 4 months or so, but I usually wait until pills and vitamins get stuck in my throat before I have it done again. Many people have never heard of this. A gastroenterologist (sp?) did the first stretching. I go to an internist now. Apparently, the reflux isn't causing pain, but it is irritating the tissue and causes inflamation and swelling. I have to take prevacid. I'm glad to have no pain. The only time I ever feel heartburn is after eating peanut butter! I have also had polyps removed from the back of my throat. Keep a daily record of what you eat, and what seems to cause the worst pain. Also, try not to eat within 2 hours of bedtime.

justthinking

I was reading on websites that said Barrett's could disappear with surgery or medication but was very rare. But I'm glad to know it's possible. Your swallowing problems with your esophagus sound more so like an an esophageal stricture which is treated by dilation. You might want to ask your gastroenterologist if you have that problem. Inflammation really shouldn't do that.

AuntNanc

I have Barrett's and GERD. Very seldom do I have pain with it, however. Just a lot of midnight reflux that has me vomiting and aspirating. No fun. But, to answer your question, yes, when they did your endoscopy, they should have automatically tested for cancer. Did they also dilate your esophagus? If food is getting stuck, you may have scar tissue tightening things up in there. You may need to be dilated before your next scheduled endoscopy. The spasms may also be causing the tightening feeling. Try drinking a cup of hot water. My mother found this a helpful treatment to relax her esophageal spasms. I don't know much about this and haven't take the time to research it further, but I recently saw a story on the news about uncontrolled esophageal spasms being treated with botox injections. A tricky procedure to hit just the right spots, but they were finding it to be quite effective.

justthinking

I am not having esophageal spasms anymore or food getting stuck (which was caused by the spasms). But I would be very hesitant in using hot water because the spasms were brought on by a hot meal. I think I may be bleeding from my esophagus though (very dark stools past few days), are there any symptoms of this? I wouldn't mind going on a diet for this reflux condition, but I wouldn't know which foods I could eat cause I reacted so bad to them all.

02152007navy

I'm new here..but here goes

My husband has had some form of heartburn for at least the last 15 years and has been for the last 1.5 years been on Nexium and also has been on Prilosic at one point went to Nexium cause the prilosic stopped working.

He went and had a endoscopy done yesterday...This is his second one he had one about year and half ago. Then he was told had gurd and acid reflux. Hence the the use of the PPI's.

Now yesterday he was sent home and told to make an appointment to see him in 2 wks (which by the way last time there was no follow-up appointment).

We were told he had a very large Hernia and Barrett's. He took a biopsy of the Barrett's.(this is also wrote on discharge papers)

My question is what now, do we get a second opinion? what are treatment options? Does age make a difference? (he's 40) what are the chances of dying from this?

I'm a bit worried here.....

__________________
Patty
Proud Navy Mom

02152007navy

ok that seems a bit better i think...so when we see doc in 2 wks ..First thing I should ask about is if he has dysplasia ? and how badly...that seems to be a key factor then?

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Patty
Proud Navy Mom

justthinking

It seems kind of strange that the biopsy was checked the same day it was done. I have to wait 1-2 weeks before I get those results. I doubt a second opinion would be necessary, but I'd definetly find out why the biopsy results were on the discharge papers (get a copy of the hospital records). If he takes care of himself, and keeps the reflux under control, he should be fine. If the reflux is under control, the barrett's will not likely progress. He should keep his head propped up good at night & avoid certain foods (made a list below):

Food Groups Foods To Avoid

Fruit • Orange juice
• Lemon
• Lemonade
• Grapefruit juice
• Cranberry juice
• Tomato
Vegetables • Mashed potatoes
• French fries
• Onion, raw
Meat • Ground beef, chuck
• Marbled sirloin
• Chicken nuggets
• Buffalo wings
Dairy • Sour cream
• Milk shake
• Ice cream
• Cottage cheese, regular
Grains • Macaroni and cheese
• Spaghetti with sauce
Beverages • Liquor
• Wine
• Coffee, decaffeinated or regular
• Tea, decaffeinated or regular
Fats / Oils • Salad dressing, creamy
• Salad dressing, oil & vinegar
Sweets / Desserts • Butter cookie, high-fat
• Brownie
• Chocolate
• Doughnut
• Corn chips
• Potato chips, regular

02152007navy

wow...does not leave much to eat does it?

__________________
Patty
Proud Navy Mom

superchef

Ive just started to get the same pain! I was diagnosed with Barretts 2 years ago and never had much pain till now. I also find i get aches and pains all over my body and just want all of it to end!

superchef

Think i need help if i keep getting aches etc. Also my nose seems to flare up at times and just keeps running. This in turn starts my Escophagus off.