Since teenager have suffered with heartburn. At age 21 in Englnad after an endoscopy was told i had Hietus Hernia.
6 years ago my dad died of Oesophagus cancer so i was immediatly tested in North America (now live in NA) incase it was herreditory. Was told that i had Barretts disease. Couple years later was tested again with an endoscopy and not much was said other than i now could be retested after 3 years.
My GI retired and just this week after complaints to my GP about bloating everytime i ate, even a peice of toast resulted in an assesment that I had Gall stones.
Met the doctor who was going to perform the surgery who stated that before he proceeded to take out my gall bladder, that he would do an endicsope to check my small intestines.
After the procedure he left me a note saying that abnormalities were found in teh "Barretts Oesophagus" and to call him in 3 weeks for biopsy results.
Of course now this is just killing me and i havent been feeling very energetic for at leat 9 months.
Has anyone had similar symptoms and found this to be Oesophagus cancer. By the way, all i had was a sandwich today and i keep burping. If i drink a beer, i regurgitate froth. I take Losec for heratburn.
Barrett's Oesophagus is associated with persistent heartburn. There is more detail on the website of Action Against Heartburn. For somebody with newly-developed Barrett's Oesophagus aged 30, there may be an 11-25% chance of developing cancer by the age of 80 years. Hence the surveillance at 3 years intervals, or sometimes longer, depending on risk factors. It all depends on whether dysplasia develops.
Persistent burping is something that should trigger a further check, preferably with an endoscopy and a visit to, perhaps, a gastroenterologist, so you have done the right thing.
It is very rarely hereditary as such, but there is a proportion of cases where there is a genetic element to the risk. The good news is that Barrett's oesophagus can now be treated with radio frequency ablation and this in effect creates an avenue where the risk of future cancer can be removed, but you will have to await the biopsy results.
I wish I had been offered the ablation..I had Barratts for 6 yrs was told that it was unlikely to turn to cancer but when I was 50 I had to have my oesophagus and part of stomach removed ...I still get constant belching and I constantly feel full..but my stomach lives in my chest now ..I also find it hard to breathe after a meal..so I advise everyone who has these symptoms to get it checked..this is my life now and it's not easy but I'm alive..I've been told the outlook is extremely good as the cancer has gone..but it doesn't stop you worrying that you might get it again...x
I have just seen your post, please tell me everything about the findings and the treatment. My 50 year old husband has a 7cm tumour in the oesophagus leading into the stomach. We go for a meeting tomorrow to find out everything. They had an MDT meeting today but wouldn't give any info to us. What were your symptoms, how was you treated. Did you have chemo. Is it a long road. I have hope and that's about all really.
Im sorry to hear your struggles. I am not sure why the continuos retesting after discovery of Barretts. Why dont they simply ablate when Barrets is found? It seems to me that they only want to do something when cancer is found. The doctors should take precuationary measures and not treatment methods after you have cancer.
Hi Tina. .I'm sorry to hear about your husband..it is a worrying time..the only symptoms I had was heartburn..to the point I couldn't bend over to put my shoes on without acid coming up..I went for an endoscopy and that's when they found I had Barratts ..I was put on med and had endoscopie every 6 months at first ..then yearly..in 2012 I was missed for my apt..I went 2 months later to find my surgeon had gone on holiday ..so went 2 months after ..that's when they found 2 areas that could turn cancerous. .but when examined found it was cancer. .I can't remember the size of the tumour but it was small and at the end of the oesophagus just on the stomach..so the decision was made to remove my oesophagus and part of my stomach..they then attached the rest of my stomach to my throat basically to create a new oesophagus. .it has been 3 and a half yrs now and I still suffer..my body doesn't absorb food anymore so diarrhoea is a real problem..but I take tablets to counteract that..I am suppose to eat 6 small meals a day which I find impossible..I initially lost 3 stone after the op and in the last yr I've put on a stone which is causing me a lot of problems. .when I eat a meal and walk after I find it hard to breathe..these are things they don't tell you that can happen but I think they should..for warned is for armed I believe..I didn't have to have any chemo thank the Lord ..I am a christian and I do believe that all of the findings and treatment has been God led so please keep hope and would you keep me informed of progress...anymore questions I will gladly answer ..take care x
hi everyone, i got the call from my doctor who said that i dont have any dysplasia in my barrets. Now i will try and see if i can get the barrets treated so i dont have to go through this again.
Thankyou for sharing this with me. I can't imagine how difficult it has been through your journey, but hope is something that We all need to hold onto, and positive thinking. Which is easier said than done. I took my husband out for dinner last night, to his fav restaurant, but his been up most of the night with pain. We are expecting the phone to ring this morning from the hospital, to invite us in for a meeting. I called The
CNS yesterday as I knew they had an MDT meeting. But they said they were still waiting for histology results to come back. We are both off work today, and will find out what's happening later. He hasn't been diagnosed with anything atm, only during the endoscopy they said he has a 7cm tumour at the lower part of the oesophagus leading into the stomach. This week has been the longest week ever. In a way I have been wanting today to come, but now it's here, I don't want it to be. its like everything is on hold till we find out.
If there is no dysplasia, the risk of cancer is something like 0.3% per year, and I believe that they would not normally ablate the Barrett's if there were no dysplasia.
Thanks everyone. Yes I am releaved and of course the best feeling in the world.
However I know there are people with Barretts who will not be getting good news and my thoughts are with all of them at this time.
I'm not sure what to do now as a person pointed out here, they probably won't ablaze as the risk is low. This means I'll just continue to be tested every 3 years and everytime I'm tested no doubt the worry will start over.
Hi Mick, your story is identical to mine. I also suffered heartburn all my life. However, My endoscopes where always clear until last year. I have read that Barrett 's rarely progresses to cancer.
That's the good news.
My endoscope last year showed a small tumour right where the stomach meets the esophagus. I hope your biopsy is negative. If not, let us know and I'll walk You through the whole thing.
Hi Nancy. I've just read your post.. I too was told Barratts rarely turns to cancer ..but it did with me too ..mine was the same place as yours..what happened with you if I may ask?...I had my oesophagus and part of my stomach removed three yrs ago ..x
So glad to hear your news mick.. yes the worry will return in three yrs but in the meantime live your life to the full.. don't feel guilty it's not your fault others will have bad news.. I felt guilty when the cancer was removed ..thought of others who weren't as lucky as me ....but you can't change it..x
Things are not great at all. We can't seem to get through the day without one of us breaking down, over the smallest of things. We have both been signed off from work for well 3 months my husband and me a month. How do we get through this,
I'm scared to sleep at night, as I just get worried something may happen in the night. His had enother 4 units of blood and continues to bleed.
Why can't they stop the bleeding. He now gets a very uncomfortable feeling after eaten, and that worries us. We just spend the days in limbo not knowing how many days or
The risk of Barrett's turning to cancer all depends on whether dysplasia has developed or not, and there are some research findings that suggest an element of genetic connection to some of the risk. But overall statistics are a bit meaningless when trying to work out the risks for an individual patient.