please can you give me some reasurance

I have suffered with acid on and off  for a few years nothing serious but since last year has been getting worse and over the last few months have been seeing the doctor, I have had various tablets,with no relief ,the acid is burning my throat, I have lumps on my throat and my tonsils look an awfull colour the back of my throat looks like its changing I also have lumps on my tongue, I have been told it is chronic reflux,I have had a ct scan and helia bactiria test, both have come back ok.I am waiting now to have the cammera down my throat which is still a few weeks away.I am worried that the longer I wait the  condition will get worse its getting worse by the day  the acid burning is really bad.can you please give me any advice as to will a few more weeks make any difference and what the possible condition is and how it will be relieved.I am really worried, thank you

[Kevin Pho, MD]

The upper endoscopy that you have scheduled is a reasonable test - to ensure there is no persistant esophagitis.  

A 24-hr pH study can be considered to define the severity and diagnosis of GERD.  

If medications are not helping the symptoms, a referral to a surgeon can be considered to evaluate for surgical treatment (i.e. fundoplication).

These options can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_

[yoshi]

you have to watch your diet,what you eat and when you eat can make a difference.
Also a loosen LES will allow the acid to come up the esophagus especially at night when you are lying down in bed.
Also keep your bowel moving makes some difference.
You can google and find information on acid reflux etc on the internet

[md1johnson]

I have several abd problem one being acid reflux I don't know if you have tried protonix or not but talk to your dr. It works for me. I could just think about heart burn and acid reflux and it would bother me. But not any more.

[yoshi]

question-I have heard of protonix but never try it,is it better than nexium or prevacid?
Is it more effective for night time control of acid reflux??

[md1johnson]

I've tried it all and Protonix is the only one that works for me day or night. Before I could just think of reflux or heart burn and it would happen. Not any more. Have a Happy 4th.

[hipo33]

has anyone developed lumps in their throat/neck? due to reflux.

[wassupwassabi]

I think Protonix is more effective than Prevacid.  Never tried Nexium so I have no idea about it in relation to that... I think it just varies from person to person.  My aunt is a P.A. and she thinks it's really fascinating that for certain people only one of the PPIs is a good fit.

[723gp]

Hi!  I had the same problems as you including lumps, severe acid.  Don't despair - it sounds like your docs are doing the right things.  The upper endoscopy will reveal the damage (if any) to your esophageus and they will go from there.  I had several of these and tried all the meds (prilosec, prevacid, nexium, etc.) before finally having a fundoplication by laparoscopy where they take part of your stomach and use it to help your esophageus contract more tightly.  Since then, 4 years later, no reflux at all - not even a little.  I went for almost 2 years trying different meds and having different tests (barium swallows, esophageal biopsies, etc.) before finally opting surgery and it didn't seem to hurt me any in the long run.  Mostly just was very frustrating waiting!  Good luck to you.

[yoshi]

I found some interesting information the other day-it said there is another muscular valve between the stomach and the small intestine and if there is low stomach acid in the stomach,this valve would not open to allow the food to pass ,so the food stays in the stomach longer,causing the stomach to continue producing acid .

[SGJ]

read about thurstons compound, no more reflux