I'm posting this again since I got no responses in my original thread. Please go here (http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/651467?personal_page_id=24325&post_id=post_3571970) for some background...
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Ok guys, I went to my gastro and brought up some of the things you were saying.
Firstly, he said anxiety could make one more sensitive to what's going on in the esophagus
(and I've not had any surgeries).
Re: endoscopy helping identify LES...said that an endoscopy could not indicate whether the LES is weak b/c they don't measure it or something. Then he said there was a test they could do (and it sounded like that 24 hr test) by sticking a tube down your nose into the stomach that could gauge that, but that even if an LES was the problem (which he said that that in most cases IS the problem), the ONLY things they could do to fix it is medication or surgery.
Re: meds causing the weak LES... he said maybe but that the meds they have (eg Prevacid) are so reliable that there's no sense going off my anxiety meds (esp if they're helping).
So it doesn't sound like he is into any other kind of treatment. Also re: the cause of the possible LES: said something to the effect of if the meds treat it why bother?
Do you recommend a holistic doctor then? Is my doc completely closed-minded here?? And where do I look to find one?