What medicine shall I take now?

  Dear Reader,
  I posted about my suspected GERD a few weeks ago. Because my symptons are not very severe I have never been though any diagnotic tests - endoscopy or barium swallow. Everything is hypothtical. Earlier on I had frequent heartburns, chest pain when I twisted myself, and I felt stuck in my esophagus very often. After taking 2 months of Prepulsid and Famotidine, the symptoms were alleviated but not gone so I quit the medicine for a month. Now I still have air bubbles coming up often and feels stuck in throat after meal sometimes. It is suspected that the ulcer in the esophagus hasn't healed because the acidic reflux from stomach keeps attacking the affected area. Is there any medicine that provides a protection for the esophagus from acid so that it can heal. Or shall I go for endoscopy to ensure it's GERD?? Thanks for help!
  Kenny
_______________
Dear Kenny,
The air bubbles that you describe are not suggestive of esophageal reflux or an esophageal ulcer.  The reflux symptoms are burning pain in the pit of the stomach or behind the sternum, acid regurgitating to the mouth, excessive salivation (water brash), aaand sometimes pain with swallowing.  If you had symptoms, your physician could consider starting you on a proton pump inhibitor e.g Prevacid or Prilosec in addition to the Propulsid ( the famotidine would be stopped).  If you still had symptoms after 4 weeks of treatment, you would need an endoscopy to confirm the diognosis.  Earlier endoscopy is indicated if you have "alarm symptoms": vomiting, bleeding, weight loss, food sticking in the esophagus when you swallow.
This information is presented for educational purposes.  Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: esophageal reflux
0.2