Hi,my husband was diagnosed as a case of barrett's oesophagus 2 years ago. He always thinks that after a certain period of time his barrett's may turn into cancer though he follows every rules & regulations that doctor advised him. After taking medications he is well now,no heart burn no reflux about 2 years. His last endoscopic report was also good,there was no dysplastic change,only inflammation was present in barrett's segment. i always try to give him courage but sometimes i also become tensed about his barrett's. he is only 32 now. we still have a long way to go.i always try to make a communication with people having barrett's like him. If you have enough time to share & discuss about the present condition of your barrett's oesophagus,your age, whati is your next plan of treatment? then i will be grateful to you....
I was just diagnosed this week. I m waiting on biopsy results. I had acid reflux several years ago but the meds are so bad for you I just upped and stopped taking them. Big mistake. I had no idea so.eone could get cancer from acid reflux. Scary thought. I was reading and it says a small number of people end up with cancer and if it's caught early there are a lot of treatment options. I worry about cancer a lot my family has a history of breast, lung, and skin cancer. My anxiety is ridiculously high since I just found out I have this and a hiatal hernia. I was already worried about aneurysms because my family has a history with those as well. This is just another thing to add to my worry pile. I am taking a PPI and the doctor says I will need to be on one for life. In the last two months since the pain started and I was waiting for my GI appointment I have lost 40 pounds. I dont drink caffeine, alcohol, tea, juice, coffee. I now drink only water and a Powerade every once in awhile. Last night I decided to not eat after 7:00 and not drink after 8:00 at night. I'm asking my doctor's to see if they have any special diet requirements to try and avoid the Barrett's from progressing. I think all we can do is the best we can and maybe a lot of prayer.
Sorry I am 39.
I've told my story on this site so just ignore this if it's a repeat for you. A routine blood test showed that I had a very low hemoglobin count. After two blood transfusions and an iron infusion, they did a colonoscopy and endoscopy to find the source of bleeding. It was coming from a 9cc hiatal hernia. The biopsy showed Barrett's with high grade dysplasia. I was referred to a GI doctor at a nearby teaching hospital who specializes in treatment of Barrett's. At our first appointment he did a musocal resection to remove the dysplasia. The biopsy showed a few early stage cancer cells. Three months later he did another endoscopy and a biopsy that showed no dysplasia and no cancer cells.
The next step was to have a Nissen fundoplication and hernia repair. That was done 6 weeks ago. The recovery is going very well. I'm scheduled for an ablation to remove the Barrett's at the end of January. If he can't ablate it all, he'll schedule another one in a couple months. At that point I'll be monitored with endoscopies on a regular basis (probably every three months).
The GI specialist said I have no diet restrictions since the reflux was due to the hernia and not what I eat or drink. I'm very lucky this was found because I had silent reflux and didn't know anything was wrong. The doctor said if the Barrett's doesn't recur in a year after the ablations, the risk of cancer will be reduced to 1%. It's now between 5 and 10%.
I know finding out you have Barrett's is very scary but a qualified doctor can take steps to control it. If it's in the early stages by routine monitoring and with more aggressive treatment if it is further along. It seems like the moree aggressive treatment occurs when there is high grade dysplasia. I'm in my 70's and people were concerned about my ability to recover from the surgery. I seemed to have bounced back before people half my age.
thank you kim for your valuable answer,i always pray to almighty & ask for everyone's good health. keep us in your prayer
elaine i m sorry i didn't notice your story that you posted before & thank you so much for writing it again for me. i pray for you so that u can achieve a complete recovery from barrett's oesophagus.
I had Barrett's. Cured it with PPIs longterm. Am 26 now. Started PPIs at 20...
So I'll go ahead with my story here. It isn't monumental or huge, it just is what it is.
I've had GERD for the past 20 years, since I was 18. I started taking PPI's when I was 27. I had esophagitis, was diagnosed with GERD, and sent on my way. Shortly thereafter, I also lost my gallbladder. After that time, I tried different approaches: On PPI's, off PPI's, reducing the number of PPI's, etc.
Last year I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus, although it seems to be contested: one center called it an Irregular Z-Line and said I shouldn't think about. it. Another center said it was ultra-short Barrett's, did a biopsy, and discovered goblet cells. (The first center said that at that length, it's impossible to say whether the cells came from the esophagus or stomach cardia, which is the difference between an increased cancer risk and no increased cancer risk.) Regardless, I decided to presume the worst. I sought surgery as an option, but seeing as my esophagus doesn't work as well, and seeing as my acid levels are actually normal, no surgeon would touch me.
Since that time I've lost 40 lbs. I do a lot of liquid meals, especially when my heartburn flares up (which is often, with a frequent pain right where the bottom of the sternum meets the upper abdomen). I sleep on an incline, which I've gotten used to and, in fact, now prefer for comfort reasons. As it so happens, I also have a contour bed -- yes, it's angled -- but I found that the contouring actually makes symptoms in the area worse once in a while. I've transitioned to a largely vegetarian diet, following Dr. Joel Furhman's recipes, try to do low-fat meals, and take DGL with every meal, but still take PPI's, 20mg Protonix once or twice per day, as needed. (Recently it's been twice per day, I don't know why.) I don't lay down within 4 hours of eating, often more. I also don't exercise except on an empty stomach: I mostly cycle, and have my had my bike modified to account for the GERD. I also supplement with Gaviscon Advance after meals. I also get acupuncture, which was a desperate effort after my doctors literally said, "There's nothing we can do for you."
I don't really eat out much anymore, unless it's salads, it's small, and it's simple. When I do, I stick to the GERD restrictions -- no caffeine/chocolate/coffee, no fizzy drinks (mostly water only, and some herbal teas), no onions, garlic, tomato sauces, spicy foods, etc. I also avoid fatty foods and dairy.
I won't lie, at times it feels awful and drab. I get angry and lose hope, especially when my symptoms act up, when I'm in pain for hours, and become convinced that I'm doomed to a cancerous death, eaten away from my stomach. I get scared, anxious, and depressed. Conversely, at times, I go entire days feeling great. (Not weeks -- that'st just too long to go without symptoms.) On those days, I become... well, myself again, food sins and all. (I've been told by people who watch me eat that what I eat isn't overt or bad at all, but my body says otherwise.) I might allow myself a bite of a chocolate muffin, for example, but that doesn't happen much anymore: I'm too scared of cancer.
So that's what life is now: doing everything I can to avoid cancer and having it at the back of my mind all the time, every day, reading the same articles over and over again on Google, trying to see if there's any new scrap of research that can give me some hope.
My treatment plan:
- Stick with the drugs, probably for the rest of my life
- Continue working on eating better
- Fast on days when I can't eat
- Drink water and some teas only
- GERD diet, strictly followed.
- Eat until you're not hungry anymore, not until you're full
- Eat only when you're actually hungry: if timing becomes an issue, don't eat, because being hungry is better than having cancer.
- Bed stays angled
- Nookie gets planned hours in advance since I have to fast for it (laying down or vigorous activity after eating is a recipe for disaster.)
- Exercise only when fasting.
Clearly, I'm not a fan of my own life right now, but these are the cards dealt to me, and much of this is my own fault, so I can't say I don't deserve it. I guess I'm just grateful I caught it before I got cancer.
Oh my goodness this gives me so much encouragement Elaine I almost want to cry right now! I am so happy you are doing so well. I keep telling myself it will be ok but I'm still waiting for my biopsy results. The GI doctor's nurse called me today to answer some of my questions but I was unable to speak with her because I had another appointment. I'm hoping I can talk with her in the morning. Thank you for your comment!!
What PPI did you take and how often? Did you take it in the morning before eating or at night? They havnet given me much direction.
esic you r so lucky & really happy for you...
I just found out and the anxiety is out of this world. I had acid last night after eating at 7:00 and falling asleep last night in my recliner. I'm realizing I'm not going to be able to eat at night at all after I get home from work and that is really bothering me. Even drinking just plain water still gives me the reflux. I take the same pill as you but mine is 40 mg. They did have me taking that twice a day for awhile but I thought that was too much. I'm worried all the time too. I'm trying my best to Google and read things to avoid but it's very difficult. I lost 40 pounds and I'm still working on it. I'm trying to get healthy and eat the right things but how can you be sure that it's actually helping? Ugh.
thank you Norb for sharing your story.... i love your last line...i also grateful to almighty that my husband's barrett's oesophagus was diagnosed earlier before something more bad than it.
I took 20mg pantoprazole daily and am still taking it. It's the equivalent of 10mg omeprazole. It's a really extremely small dosage but was enough to control my heartburn. I'm on them for life. Am 26 now. Read my bio on my profile..
thank you esicggor sharing your story.it's a blessing for you that you are free from barrett's oesophagus.
Sorry i have been on here a couple of months and had no idea there is a bio. Lol. Did you do anything special other than take the PPI? Not eating certain food or eating after a certain time. What about the hernia do you have issues with it? I want to ask my doctor questions but I have been unable to.
It's good that there is technology to help get things diagnosed early before they get worse. The earlier the better definitely.
Hello, I am a 60 year old male. I was diagnosed with Barratts two years ago after suffering with reflux and heartburn for a number of years. I thought for ages it was linked to my IBS but an endoscopy showed up Barratts. Biopsies taken showed no cancerous cells and I was told the likelihood of it turning cancerous was smallish. I was recommended to take PPI's (Pantoprazole - 40mg in the morning before breakfast). I was told to have a endoscopy every two years to check on the Barratts.
I had this last month and was told it hadn't got any worse but a hiatus hernia was discovered. Not unusual for someone of my age. I watch what I eat, I have cut out all fried foods, alcohol, citrus fruits, drinks that contain caffeine and chocolate. I also try to eat smaller meals more regularly and nothing within three hours of going to bed.
My reflux is much better for this although I still get pains in my stomach if I eat more than a small to average size meal. Whether this is due to Barratts, Hiatus hernia or IBS I can't say and neither can the
doctor at the hospital.
I wish your husband well, the important thing I believe is to follow expert advise from doctors, have regular endoscopies and as the saying goes, keep taking the tablets !
I h
I have a hiatal hernia as well as Barrett's and mild IBS. I have also had diverticulitis as well so I'm having no fun. I'm only 39. I'm on the same medicine as you with the same dosage. I am worried every day about what I eat. Today at lunch someone brought lasagna. I turned it down because pasta always gives me horrible acid reflux. I haven't got my biopsy results from my scope on Monday day yet so I'm still waiting. Does anyone worry constantly about what they eat like I do? Did the doctors find it necessary to do a colonoscopy?
thank you for sharing.