I have had reflux for about 3 years, but about 3 months ago i had a really bad flare up leaving me with a pain in my upper chest permantly i think by now it must be an ulcer in my oesphagus, been to the hospital waiting for an endoscope but they could up to 6 weeks, i can't settle because i can't seem to get rid of this ulcer/pain and am sooo worried the damage that it is doing in regards to getting Barretts, has any body got any ideas of how to heal it quicker thats worked,i have tried small meals the usual no fat spicy softer foods etc, i could cry ( i am on esomeprazole 40mg)
Hi Jules, cannot say how to heal quicker, I wish I knew as could do with a quick fix myself. Have Barretts Oesophagus, 3 cm corrosion, being monitored every two years. Only found out by accident as had the OLD camera down the throat for another medical issue. Glad I did as it helps answer some issues.
Try not to worry, if your in England you can ring up booking office and ask if any cancellations and if you could go on reserve list. Also decide if you want sedation, I did it was great. But then I do not like to know what's going on. Let me know how you get on.
Please try not to worry. It seems that you are already doing everything sensible by way of diet. I too am on Omeprazole for silent reflux and a couple of years ago had an attack of gastritis for four months and got myself in exactly the same pickle as you. Endoscopy showed no harm done and it eventually subsided on its own. Remember, you don't know you have an ulcer, you just think you do so don't anticipate an unlikely worse case scenario and try to curb the anxiety. This type of chest pain is also a symptom of anxiety by the way. You have an endoscopy in the pipeline so that will reassure you. I know how you feel but please don't worry.
thank you so much for taking the time to reply , can you tell i have anxiety from my post lol, its so hard because you feel the pain all the time, the brain goes into overdrive, he said they may have to do the ph test after endoscope and so it goes on and on i know there are people on here with problems millions time worse than mine my heart goes out to any one with these problems such a tough road to go down, glad you managed to get through yours though
Hi Janet, ahh ((hugs)) i am sorry, i suppose at least they found it for you so they can keep an eye, i am going to phone hospital tomorrow and ask about cancellations, i phoned my local spire hospital (private) they wanted £1500 + 200 consultaion fees guess i wil be waiting, have you read about the halo proceedure makes interesting reading , I have had an endoscopy before without sedation i was a bit shell shocked lol so might choose to go under this time:-)
I recognised your anxiety because I have had Health Anxiety for a few years now and I battle with it often. It's horrible to suffer and I really do understand how you are worrying and probably googling which, incidentally, is NEVER going to reassure you. For every ten positive reassuring things you read you'll find one thing that worries you and you're worse off because you focus on that. Worry will exacerbate your symptoms and I'm sure you will be fine. Keep up the good work with your diet, drink lots of water, don't Google and expect that you will be fine. It's good to be on top of your health and you are.
I have to laugh in a way, because i have learnt the hard way by googling i totally agree with you it doesnt really help, my anxiety started when my mum died very quickly and they had missed things, but i do appreciate your help thank you, gallons of water and soup it is then 
Mine started when my Dad died. I bet your Mum and my Dad would be sad to think we set off down this road. Take care, you'll be fine.
((((Hugs)))) indeed they would xxxxxx and thank you again xxxxx
Hi Jules, I have had ulcer pain with 5am vomiting and constant constipation since February 14 and have been on omeprazole with little success. The pain and vomiting goes away for a few weeks (but never the constipation) and the omeprazole masks the symptoms but then it comes back again and relapses. I have also recently been refused a referral to the gastroenterologist on the basis that it's 'not serious enough to warrant it' !!! I have been trying the cabbage juice treatment since this Monday (4 days so far) with great success, I would highly reccomend it! I borrowed my neighbour's juicer and have been juicing half a white cabbage, 3 or 4 times a day. You can mix it with other juices if you don't like the taste but I quite like it as it is. If you don't have or can't borrow a juicer you can do it in the blender by adding a cup of water, whizzing it up and straining it through a muslin or cheese cloth. It's not half as effective though, and would thoroughly recommend using a proper juicer if you can. I have stopped taking omeprazole and have had no pain, and (sorry if TMI) have actually been able to go to the toilet normally for the first time in MONTHS! :-D And I'm only on day 4. It's recommended to keep going for about 2 weeks, but in the studies they did (see links below) some people were cured after 4 days. I will definitely carry on to 2 weeks to be on the safe side! If you do this you will also have loads of leftover cabbage pulp, so I have been making sooooo much cabbage based soup! Not as bad as it sounds if you add loads of root veg, salt, pepper, and boil it down so all the flavours mix: hardly tastes of cabbage at all.
Anyway, will stop babbling on now, just wanted to share a positive experience. I have tried so many other things, including bananas, plantains, DGL tablets, fennel tea, manuka honey, and while these all help, they don't seem to fully cure it. The only other thing I can recommend is a high fibre diet. If the pain flares up (esp if your stomach is empty) have a bowl of porridge with a spoonful of honey in it. Works every time. Good luck and if you try this let me know how you get on!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13009468
Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the other links as they were to sites unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want these links please use the Private Message service to request the details.
http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts
http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages
Hi Jules,
You will feel a lot more positive when you have your endoscopy - and waiting is frustrating. Have you tried using Gaviscon Advance at bedtime? I find it helpful when things are unsettled - I try to avoid all triggers and never eat for 3 hours before bed nor drink 2 hours before bed - it can help too. Really hope you get sorted soon!
Hi Glennie, thank you for replying yes gaviscon is really good im afraid i confess to being a bottle swigger lol I never have had it like this before, it seems every thing i eat causes pain in my oesphagus., never mind it does help having people to talk to here sometimes it feels a very lonely road xx
I know what you mean! I can remember when waiting for my endoscopy - I was really scared - not sure what they would find - and how I would handle it. Turns out I have a hiatus hernia - and that was contributing to my reflux problems - as well as causing other symptoms that worried me. I am waiting for surgery now - all pending on results from manometry and ph test! The endoscopy is the most uncomfortable part - but try to go with the throat spray - it's much faster that way and they tell you what they find straight away. One thing that did make me laugh was the way my voice sounded after the spray - all husky and deep - my hubby said I sounded like I'd been smoking a box of cigars.....! :-)
Any questions - just ask - you're not alone! x
Thank you Glennie, the first line of your post is me too, its what they will find, don't mind the proceedure if its a way to resolve things, i suspect i might have a hernia as well, but the only sure way to find out is the endoscopy so will just try and be patient for my turn to come not my best asset :-) i will say to you as well if you want a chat if you are having a hard time i am here to, please let me know how you get on , i am thinking of you x
Hi Wilykit104, thank you for taking the time to give me all this information and for being positive, i must admit i did buy a cabbage the other day it is sitting on my kitchen side i keep looking at at it and it keeps looking at me :-) i had read somewhere that it might help but didn't say how much to take, so do you drink one half cabbage 3 times a day or make half a cabbage last for 3 drinks per day - sorry for being a bit slow lol, I am sorry that you have been struggling with the sickness that must just be awful that is one thing i have been lucky with. Thanks for the links - sorry to see one was removed, the remaining one made very interesting reading, looks like me and the cabbage have a date. Unfortunately I can't do the high fibre bit as i am fibre intolerent - another story for another day, i can have small amounts but not masses :-(( but I am sooooo pleased that you seem to have found some relief at last and pray that it may continue and that you have finally found a solution, and i don't think you have babbled, you have been really helpful and i appreciate it xx
Will keep you posted - and tell me how you get on too! Patience is not something I have a lot of - but I'm learning! :-) Hope you hear soon xx
Hi Jules, the reccomended amount is a 'quart' of cabbage juice a day...this is the American measurement which is just under a litre. Half a large cabbage will yield about 240-300ml of juice, so I juice 1.5 - 2 cabbages a day in total. Sorry to hear your intolerance to fibre, that must be awkward. Hope u have some luck, enjoy your date ;-) xx
Been reading your cabbage juice posts with a bit of interest - and then when you say about fibre - well thats something we have in common - I can't eat oats or bran - make me ill. I used to swear by fresh orange juice and dried apricots if I was feeling a bit slow - but I can't take the orange juice now - as it kills me! Haven't found a replacement cure yet! :-/ xx
Sorry havenn't replied sooner. my fibre intolerance was a lot worse than it is now, at one time i couldn't eat anything with onion in it to which i hadn't realised is in every thing as onion powder , but over time it seems to have healed it self quite a bit - mine was caused by a really stressfull situation at the time over about 3 months, but i am still wary about having excess of anything all in one go, i believe that your stomach is finely tuned instrament and is easily unbalanced, but i do have some good news i have got a cancellation appointment and have to go tomorrow endoscope although now i don't want to lol , anxiety creeping in again, ok about the proceedure but don't want to hear what they find :-( double edged sword
Hi Jules,
Just got your note! How did it go today? Have you found out anything? I hope you are ok!