Barretts

Digestive health
1

Hi 

I have had a gastroscopy report yesterday, i have had 4 biopsys taken and results should be back in a few weeks, the report said oesophagus, Barretts mucosa, hiatus hernia and oesophagitis/reflux, i have been worried about this the last 24hrs have read up as much as i can on Barretts, but it also so said Stomach polyps related to ppi usage, is that bad? i have had heart burn for the last few years and the doctors have been giving me omeprazole 20mg but yesterday was the firts time i had a endoscopy, also it said 4cms of clean uninflamed Barretts, some scarring above from healed oesophagitis, and grade 1 oesophagitis, is that bad, hope this makes sence but have got myself in a state over it

many thanks

John    

2

Try not to worry to much John, my Barretts was about that size too, I was given a fundoplication, which is where they basically turn the stomache around, thus tightening the sphincter muscle at the top, to prevent acid reflux, whicah cases the Barretts, be thankfully they have found, they can not do whats is neccessary to cure it, it heals quite rapidly too, I still have occassional bouts of gastricis and oesphagitis, but very rarely and usually after I've been doing stomache crunches, which are a no no, I wouldn't google it, you're just going to scare yourself senseless, I had mine over 20 years ago, I'm fine now, no need for Lansoprozle, nothing! Barretts gone! all thanks to the fundoplication, if I was you I would ask your Doc to arrange this op for you, it really is a lifesaver, and it isn't that bad an op either, ucomfortable yes! but not intolerable, i had my op best thing I ever did.

Stomach polyps — also called gastric polyps — are masses of cells that form on the lining inside your stomach. These polyps are rare and usually don't cause any signs or symptoms. Stomach polyps are most often discovered when your doctor is examining you for some other reason. 

Try not to worry John, you'll be okay, just insist on having a fundoplication, take care buddy.

3

Hi Tom, Many thanks for your reply and for the information its a big help

John

4

hi Tom

I was interested in your response.  i have recently been diagnosed with Barrets and a hiatus hernis and i am thinking of having the fundoplication done.  Did you say have had the fundoplication done 20 years ago?  Have you ever had to have the operation redone?  did anything go wrong with the op since you had it?  i have heard some bad results with the op where people have hd to go and have the op redone because it had opened out and that it has a lot of bad side effects - like not being able to vomit or burp and not being able to eat too much at one time?  Hope you dont mind sharing this info with me.  am trying to decide whether to have the op or not but am a bit worried as once i have it it cannot be undone.  thanks  mike

5

Hi Mike,

As I mentioned I had my Fundoplication 20 years ago, never had any problems whatsoever, absolute life saver, best decision I ever made. Yes intitial you can't eat much as the op does tighten the sphincter muscle, it is uncomfortable, for about 8 weeks, I won't lie, it's very difficult to vomit! But actually, you can vomit, but it is difficult, at the end of the day who wants to vomit anyway! It dies find its way out...if you get my drift ; ). You need to ask yourself, do you want barretts which would progress into cancer or the inability to vomit easily, I chose the latter 20 years ago, the best decision I ever made! No problems ever since! Seriously do not hesitate, have it done.

6

Hi Tom

Thanks for your quick reply.  i do feel reassurred knowing that you had the op 20 years ago and all is well with you.  That is a long time. And obviously you have not had to have any redo surgery like tightening it up again in between those years.  Do you have regular gastroscoies to check on things?  Can you now eat whatever you want without getting heartburn>  and what about alcohol?  Did you have a heartburn problem before the op and has it all disappeared now without having to take meds?  So many questions.  I hope you don't mind me asking.

 

7

Hi Mike,

Nope! never had to have it tightened, after you've had it done you will revist your consultant and they will give you an endoscopy, after about 3 months, my Barretts had basically dissappeared, I have them say every 2-3 years now, never get indegestion and most definitely ever get reflux, never! I can eat spicy food, I can eat toatoes, orange juice, acidic foods basically anything I could never eat before, and yes! I can drink Alchohol and fizzy drinks no problem at all, the only side effect I have noted is, is that my stomach does bloat up, lol, it does get full of gas, as now, it dosen't come out of my osephagus lol, so that is about the only downfall, but this does subside after a couple of hours, and only if I have been eating gassy food stuffs. I used to have horrendous GORD, intolerable, constant burning, so uncomfortable, not anymore.

Mike I can only go by my own experience, I believe there probably are some horror storys, but theres always going to be horror stories for any condition, that anyone has, as I said, you have two choices, not to have it, and be free of GORD live a normal, healthy life or keep taking Lansoprazle, which isn't a guarantee of getting rid of Barretts, it didin't with me, and if you decide (I don't know why to be honest) that a fundoplication is not for you, then simply have the operation reversed, it's not dificult to do. 

Theres not much more I can tell you, but as you can tell after 20 years my operation is still a 100% success, I've never looked back, god knows what would have happened if I had never had this operation, the bloated tummy is a small price to play, and it dosen't last long, it does go down.

8

Hi Tom

Thanks so much for sharing your story with me.  It is a difficult decisison to makemainly because the meds do work for me - i dont have any heartburn anymore and i am able to eat most things.  it does have side effects though  - funnily enough the most noticable one is bloating in the tummy after i have eaten which tends to settle down after af ew hours. It is good to know thata your op has been a success and i am happy for you.  All the best and thanks again.  Mike