Hi everyone I am 62 and have suffered from a severe refl...

Digestive health
1

Hi everyone

I am 62 and have suffered from a severe reflux and stridor for many years but especially during the past 8 years and have had to sleep in a sitting position to avoid relfux aspiration. As there is no help out there really, I had to buy the hospital type bed myself at a cost of over £2500 and although it is better than piles of pillows it still does not completely solve the reflux problem. I am taking 40mg+ Losec, Gaviscon and 40mg Motillium per day . Despite all this I have frequent ulcerated throats and still have reflux and stridor.

I live in Ireland and the doctors here (and I have seen quite a few) are not keen to consider a Nissen Fundiplication and certainly would not reccommend a laproscopic Nissen Fundiplication as they think the success rate are not good enough compared to the risk of surgery and many operations have to be repeated. I dont know of anyone who has had this surgery to compare notes and get another opinion.

The quality of my life is nil as I cant even talk sometimes without an attack of stridor and I was interested to hear some of your comments about silent stridor and I think this is what I may have as well.

I recently saw a Consultant Gastrologist privately because I thought that if I was paying for his time I would be able to ask more questions and could get a more in depth look at my case but NO I got the same negative answers. Dont recommend surgery in your case, its not got a good success rate, keep on with the Losec etc.

I dont know how everyone else gets on with Losec but high doses give me a very dry tongue (I often wake up with it stuck to the roof of my mouth) an itchy inflamed feeling throat (which calms down on less Losec doseage than 40 mg) non Drowsy cough medicine usually helps a bit. I also cant get to sleep on large doses of Losec and have vivid stupid dreams when I do sleep. I wake up every morning feeling as if I have been pulled through a headge backwards.

The quality of my life is zilch as I cannot confidently talk or walk any distance without aspiration and choking, seriously I spend all day trying not to choke and have become solitary because it is the only way that I can cope with it all.

I am seriously considering going to England or Scotland to see a Consultant Surgeon there who maybe has more experience with Laprascopic Nissen Fundiplication and is more confident of the outcome. I feel as if there is no one here who really understands what this reflux problem is really like to live with day in and day out and how it drains the goodness out of your life. I just want to get rid of it and try to have a better quality of life and get a better nights sleep.

I was wondering if anyone who has had this surgery can give me any details or knows of a Surgeon maybe in a larger hospital or centre that deals with the more serious cases of GERD or patients with other illnesses complications. I have had retrosturnal thyroid surgery in the past and was blaming my swallowing problems on this but now I am not so sure that it isnt the reflux that is the problem here.

I would also have some concerns after reading all your posts about getting Barretts as I do have a bad reflux in spite of the high Losec dose. I sometimes think you get immune to the one level of Losec doseage and need much more after time just to achieve the same effect.

If anyone does know about a really experienced consultant surgeon or can say which hospital they had their surgery in and what their experience was I would like to hear from you.

Thanks for Listening

Jane

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HI, I am in New Zealand. I had bad reflux causing ear, lung, throat problems. Medication was not controlling it. My surgeon was confident that the surgery would help. He has had 85% success rate (complete resolution with no need for medication). He did tell me it probably won't last forever, but you can have it redone later. I had the surgery 3 weeks ago. Yes it is quite painful for a week or 10 days ( I felt like I had been hit by a truck!). I also feel quite tired still but have little or no pain now. However, my reflux issues are already almost entirely fixed and I am glad I had the surgery. I think your Irish doctors are a little misinformed!! Do visit someone over the water who is an experienced surgeon with this particular operation. Laproscopy is the way to go as the recovery is much quicker. I only had 1 or 2 stitches!!I had 3 nights in hospital due to nausea, but most people only have 2. The nausea was related to the anaesthetic not the surgery. Eating was a bit of a drama for a week or so and I have lost quite a lot of weight, but am feeling very positive about the quality of life I will have when I am fully recovered. I am sleeping flat and not tossing and turning like I used to!

Vomiting is not possible after the operation and attempting to do so can hurt the surgery so you will have to be good about alcohol and get medication to fix nausea if it occurs, Good luck!

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I fully understand you, I got chills all over when I read your life how like myself has eveything I do, I have had Stridor since 2012 been hospitalzed 149 times since then 3 different specialists all telling me sorry sir we have no real surgical or medicine we can offer to you that will give me my life back. They have only said that by going to speech thearpy will I get real time relief . 

I find myself to no longer to have a normal life do to feeling the only need to breathe and not gasp for air in everyones view. This causes severe Anxiety which has threaten my near existance but going to the hospital again and again. They can only give me temporary relief send me home just as help less as being treated with methods that have no real hope that I am am not going to finally wake up from this nightmare for nearly everyday people see me trying to breathe or swallow, either ask me are you ok can I call 911 for you, Or think that I am on some kind of illegal drugs that is ktlling me, I just want to know that There is hope for people like me who don't understand why we continue to suffer right? I live in California Los Angelists area, I can tell my dear that you are not alone, We are the silent few who lived out our lives truely slmply not knowing this condition would not only make us act in such ways to where we feel noone will understand me, or why are you stareing at me, No I am not ok cant you see that. Of course we are embarrsed go back to our homes, lock the door. put out the do not bother me sign on the door, 

 Please stay in touch with me, Eric K Los Angelists Ca

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  Dont feel that this disease is your fault and that you have to hide yourself from view to not inconvience anyone with your gasping for air noise.

 Stridor is a condition where the vocal cords are no longer allowing you to breathe easy and without having to fight for it, Its a abnormal high pitched caused by blockage in the throat or larnxy every day you will find yourself no longer to have a normal life do to feeling the only need to breathe and not gasp for air in everyones view.

 I am writing to you my friend who has Stridor and found out the Doctors and specialists have no answer for you except this willl propbaly never go away and just take anxiety pills such as Lorrazapam Clorazapam etc...etc...

Every day I find myself no longer to have a normal life do to feeling the only need to breathe and not gasp for air in everyones view. This causes severe Anxiety which has given me a stroke, heart attack and a hermit so I can feel no one is watching me suffer in such ways to feeling embarrassed is just the beginning of my crys for help. Your not alone I will pray for you, Please pray for me, stay in touch ok, After reading your blog I flnnally after over 3 years felt good to know that I to am not alone want answers, need just some one to understand me, not feel sorry for me, Stay in touch ok talk to you soon, Eric K