Ok what i am wondering is whether i actually have acid reflux and i will explain why.
After i finally was given an endoscopy because my GP said that i may have AR because of the strange sensations i had been experiencing for years the Consultant informed me that my stomach was inflamed but he could not say why.As a consequence i carried on taking Lansoprozole until that did not seem to be working and it was changed to Pantrop.. and i then was given Ranitidine to take of an evening.Because that also did not seem to be working i have had to back that up with Gaviscon which also does not seem to be working.Because of that as you may have read in another thread on here the Consultant has now prescribed another drug Dop... sorry i cannot remember the name and he is going to arrange for me to have the monitoring process where they insert a tube up your nose.With regard to the new drug one of our colleagues told me to Goggle it and after reading what i found i will not be taking that.So what i am now wondering is given its still to be determined whether i actually do have AR why have i been prescribed tablets to treat it and what harm could they be doing to me when i dont need to be taking them.
As i have also said before why are some of us so willing to assume our GPs actually understand what our medical problems are and know of the best treatment for us.
Do u smoke or drink. If your stomach is inflamed that is called gastritis. That can occur from smoking drinking taking anti-inflammatories hpylori. Most of the time
u have to look at lifestyle. Everyone will have some form of gastritis. It is red areas
usually u can take tums Zantac for a short time. You have to look at your habits diet symptoms. If u don't think u have AR and the meds don't help then see what happens if u don't take them for a day or two. That is only if u don't drink or smoke or take a ton of aspirin Advil aleve tons of spicey food.
You have to see how u feel with or without the meds
Thanks GI GIRL thats good advice indeed.i am one of those boring people that does not drink alcohol and have never smoked. I have been avoiding spicey food as well. I broght the Dropping Acid Book and I am trying to avoid the foods they tell you to but a cup of tea is my down fall.Chocolate is also proving difficult to avoid as well.What I have noticed is that if I stop chewing gum I immediately get some sort of sensation and I cannot determine whether its my mouth getting hot or a gnawing in my stomach.Do you think that diet is an important factor in treating this problem.
Before an Endoscopy procedure a lot of drs will do history and physicals. I will never forget Dr Decker he had the little bifocals
on his nose patients are laying on the stretcher saying dic I feel like I am dying
or having a heart attack or burning guess
what the first question most drs ask during a history and physical. Question number 1 do u smoke. Question number 2 how much. Question I am giving u a prescription for patches. Question number 4 when are u quitting. He could make anyone who ever said I am not going quit smoking quit. I sucked my sister on him. She did not
know what he was really like but she had
chest pain reflux difficulty swallowing.
He said when ru quitting he would even call
his patients at home to check to see if they
got the patches. Oh ur out well stop by my office I will give u another script. She quit.
The other question was how much do u drink. I could see the little smirk on his face
when patients were saying they were dying
drinking a 6 pack every day or so. He would tell them I could have saved u a ton a ton of money. If course a lot of them were there to get there screening colonoscopy along with the upper endoscopy. He usually either found gastritis or nothing. He told them u can lose weight change your diet but every time u take a puff of a cigarette u cancel out any healthy thing u do. He also told his patients your liver can only detox 2 drinks per day but if u have terrible reflux
problem swallowing u dont need me. He was a great and caring physician. He got this smirk because people thought they were dying.
When u chew gum ur making a alkaline form of acid that neutralizes
the burning acid. Spicey food and chocolate do not cause ulcers or hiatal hernias they can cause indigestion. What happens if u already have an issue the chocolate spicey foods smoking etoh makes it worse. I was writing to another person on this forum earlier today. She is having acid reflux and chest pain and thinks she is dying. But she smokes. Currently I am having the same problem. Terrible acid reflux chest discomfort I feel like I have a lump in my esophagus when I swallow. I had a Barium Swallow today it was normal. I am having an EGD in 5 weeks that is the soonest I can get in. I asked my GI dr today what do u think it is. HE SAID IRRITABLE BOWEL. U get terrible acid reflux chest pain it hurts when u swallow it is irritable bowel. It isn't just lower gas. Your small intestine is very close to the esophagus it is right next to the stomach. It is called the duodenum. Most of the chemical reactions with acid and bile take place in the duodenum. So irritable bowel is happening into esophagus and stomach. U may have irritable bowel if all other tests are negative. Your intestines go on forever.
Ted if ur stressed anxious u worry a lot. Find it difficult to relax it just makes irritable bowel worse. if u have a bad breakup or a stressful job. I heard yesterday in the news they now have a blood test that they say can diagnose irritable bowel but it is only 44% accurate. Maybe in 5 years it's accuracy will improve. It costs 600 US Dollars. It sounds encouraging because if drs don't know what it is
and u have a great diet and don't do drugs drink or smoke it is probably
irritable bowel. It would be nice to have an accurate diagnosis but unfortunately the drs go by symptoms to diagnose irritable at this time plus your personality.
Ted
The patients of this dr I was telling u about loved him so my they wanted
to please him. He is still working.
He had these bifocals on his nose
he had the funniest sense of humor
I have ever seen in my life. The only
reason he isn't my GI dr is because
my dr is a high school friend, People who smoke love to smoke they don't want to be nagged to quit but he had this way about him he charmed people I always asked him what planet are you from. I just learned
what smoking does to your digestive system. He hypnotizes people it is amazing and his patients never complain of any discomfort when they are being scoped. He is an alien LOL
Thanks again GI girl for all of your information as I found interesting and useful. By what you and others have said about your acid reflux issues I don't think I actually have it. For instance the lump in the throat as only happened several times. Heart burn never and yet my wife who definitely as it gets that if she does not take her pill. My only real symptom is the burning in my mouth and the enamel on my teeth has thinned. Unbelievably about an hour ago one of my teeth broke. I wonder whether that is an indication of a lack of calcium. I do get a runny nose and severe itching but my Dr said it could be hay fever. I am definitely falling apart. However nothing is as bad as those young lads who come home from wars limbless is it.
Ted
U may have burning mouth syndrome. If what ur describing
happens all the time. Unfortunately there is no known cure. Drs will try u on different meds. My sister has had it for years but nothing she has tried has worked. Some people get lucky
and find something that helps but her dr says there really is no treatment
It is not fun Sorry to hear it
Perhaps u have a tooth that is abscessing. I have nerve damage in my back and it can effect other nerves in your body some people get bad teeth. People often have bad teeth may be developing cardiac issues. Or u were chewing on a breaker LOL
thats interesting gi girl
How do you know you don't need the Domperidone and why are you not taking it? The consultant who is the expert would't prescribe it unless they thought it was necessary. My consultant and GP had me on it for a short while with the PPI until my condition settled down and then it was stopped, the consultant may be thinking the same thing and you have just undone his recovery plan.
Once you have the ph monitoring done the consultant will then be in a much better position to understand what your problem is. Until then I would follow his advice and not believe everything that Google tells you. Oh and if you are worried about anything which can do you harm I would give up going in a car.
U were just eating a jawbreaker
right. I wouldn't worry about
your tooth your pocketbook
that is another story if u need
a crown on your chipped tooth.
I would not Domperidone either. It is outlawed
in some states. There has to be special
circumstances to take it.?They give it to
Parkinson's patients who have GI problem.
Reglan is in the same family but doesn't have
the same risks.
Ted
I would not take Domperidone
It has even been banned by the UK
in certain patients.
UKdrug regulatory authorities (MHRA) have issued the following restriction on Domperidone due to increased risk of adverse cardiac effects. "Domperidone (Motilium) is associated with a small increased risk of serious cardiac side effects. Its use is now restricted to the relief of nausea and vomiting and the dosage and duration of use have been reduced. It should no longer be used for the treatment of bloating and heartburn. Domperidone is now contraindicated in those with underlying cardiac conditions and other risk factors. Patients with these Domperidone is now contraindicated in those with underlying cardiac conditions and other risk factors. Patients with these conditions and patients receiving long-term treatment with domperidone should be reassessed at a routine appointment, in light of the new information. It is pretty much banned in the United States and other countries. It is available under special circumstances.
Domperidone is NOT banned in the UK, please read the advice carefully.
It simply says it is not recommended for patients with certain conditions, otherwise it can still be prescribed.
There are MANY drugs out there with similar warnings which your dr is aware of before prescribing, that doesn't mean they are banned.
Here is the actual advice given to UK GPs as you can see it can still be prescribed
GPs have been advised they should no longer prescribe patients domperidone for dyspepsia or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, after the European regulator ruled the drug’s potential to cause cardiac side effects outweighs its benefits in these indications.
The drug – brand name Motilium – should now be used only for relief of nausea and vomiting, for which it should be prescribed at the lowest possible dose and usually for no longer than one week, the European Medicines Agency said.
In addition, the maximum daily dosages of domperidone have been reduced to 30 mg (10 mg three times a day) for adults and adolescents over 12 and weighing 35 kg or more, while for children under 35 kg the recommended maximum daily dose is now 0.75 mg/kg body weight.
I didnt say it was banned in all the UK
but in certain patients. It is banned in the USA. U have to get special permission to take it.,
The UK is saying it can only be ordered now for certain symptoms
I would say if it is now only allowed to be given for a few symptoms that is pretty much saying be careful now
UKdrug regulatory authorities (MHRA) have issued the following restriction on Domperidone due to increased risk of adverse cardiac effects. "Domperidone (Motilium) is associated with a small increased risk of serious cardiac side effects. Its use is now restricted to the relief of nausea and vomiting and the dosage and duration of use have been reduced. It should no longer be used for the treatment of bloating and heartburn. Domperidone is now contraindicated in those with underlying cardiac conditions and other risk factors. Patients with these Domperidone is now contraindicated in those with underlying cardiac conditions and other risk factors. Patients with these conditions and patients receiving long-term treatment with domperidone should be reassessed at a routine appointment, in light of the new information. This drug use to be given for gastropatesis which is delayed emptying in diabetics u can't use it for that now. Most drugs show the generic chemical makeup uses side effects precautions but if countries are banning it or restricting what u can order it for I would rather be safe and take something else
This info is from wikipedia. If it isn't true then u should go and correct what they are saying about Domperidone. A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away I do remember this drug but it went bye bye a long time ago in many countries because and risks. These are not regular side effects but major contraindications and it can cause arrhythmia change an EKG reading.
Even Reglan which does the same thing and isn't banned has nasty side effects but I would take it any day over Domperidone it isn't worth the risk.
You can go to wikipedia and edit
it if u think this information is incorrect
They will look at what u have to say and research it. Correct them if they are wrong