Reflux nightmare

[patricia]

I am looking for " the best" churgeon  who is specialised in reflux reducing surgery in the New York area, can anyone tell me, i have been through too much already.
thank you, patricia( ***@****)

[DESA]

I NEED A ANSWER OR FOLLOWUP

[DESA]

HELLO
I AM 46 YEARS OLD IN FAIR CONDITION. ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO I WAS TREATED FOR THE ACID REFLUX. AND I WAS ON ZANTAC, TAGAMET AND PEPCID AND NOTHING WORK. MYDOCTOR SUGGESTED A LAPOROSCOPIC NISSEN FUNDOPLICATION TO CONTROL SACID REFLUX.I HAD SURGERY FOR ACID REFLUX ON 7/13/98 AND NOW I AM SOFFERING I CAN EAT AND I BLOW UP WITH GASTHA MAKES WORSE THAN ACID REFLUX. THREE MONTHS AGO I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE H. PYLORI ?CAN H. PYLORIJUST GO AWAY WITHOUT TREATMENT. ON 1/31/00STOOL TEST WAS DONE AND TESEWAS NEGATIVE.IHAVE A QUESTION CONCERNING THESLOW EMPTYING OF THE STOMACH AND IHAVE BEEN SUFFERING WITH FEELINGFULL AND BLOATED AFTER EATING AND I AM CONSTIPATED I DONT GO 5 TO 8 DAYS. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ANWERS. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP.

[ava]

Hi;

I had the Laporoscopic Nissen Fundoplication proceedure done nearly three years ago by Dr. Garcia in Houston, Texas, and it was very helpful for me. I still have a number of other health problems, not limited to; but including, H-Pylori, and Clebsiella bacterial infectioins; but for the first time in years I am able to sleep lying down without waking up choking on the bile that would come up into my throat--even with my bed elevated. I had reached a point before the surgery where I was choking even in the day time while sitting up. Thankfully, that's gone now.

I guess the surgery is helpful for some, and not for others.. Maybe it's simplistic of me; but I can't imagine that they would still be doing the surgery if it weren't beneficial to at least some of their patients. From what I understand, there are certain risks with any surgery.

[Jim]

Patricia, you did not say if your problem was caused by acid reflux or by bile reflux???I would presume acid reflux! Bile reflux CAN be alleviated by a procedure called a Roux-en_y (relocation of the bile duct) and I've heard this surgery has given excellant results. As a SMALL bit of comfort Gaviscon is one of the best (in my wide experience) over-the-counter meds for the relief of reflux problems.

[bill]

Jan, You said abt your mother:
"It feels like something is in her throat all the time...But that feeling of something in her throat makes her continually try to clear it...She now sounds like she has a cold all the time - probably from the irritation of years of trying to clear her throat...It is much worse when lying down...."

All of these can be symptoms of REFLUX. I would NOT rule out going to a Gastroenterologist. I've had REFLUX for probably 20 years and been through it all including two years ago with Barrett's Esophagus. At times I have all the same symptoms as your mother.

The only way to confirm is have an endoscopy by a Gastroenterologist. It's the "not knowing" that causes deterioration of quality of life.

[Julie Patrick]

Jan, it sounds like your mom has larygo or trachea malacia. It is
very common with children with reflux. I know very little about how an older woman would have this condition evolve...but I would take your mom to a pulmonologist...not a gastroenterologist about
this.

This condition does worsen while lying down. Could there be something putting pressure internally on her trachea?

[Brandon]

Qi gong treatment can cure your prob.  Do not go for the surgery.
There is a great Qi gong master in washington DC area.  If interested, email me at ***@****

[jan]

My mom has had trouble for years with something the docs cannot identify.  It feels like something is in her throat all the time.
She used to have reflux but not so much anymore.  She had her
esophogus expanded but that only felt better for a couple of days.  She can swallow OK.  But that feeling of something in her throat makes her continually try to clear it.  She gets nothing up when she trys.  She now sounds like she has a cold all the time - probably from the irritation of years of trying to clear her throat. She thinks she has a lot of mucous there but nothing much comes up. It is much worse when lying down - she often sleeps in a chair!  She is 83 years old and sometimes gets in a terrible panic about her throat feeling like it's closing up.  She is getting desperate.  Anyone have a clue what is going on and what will help????  Thank you.

[Jo-anne]

hi there i have had h.pylori for 5 years..ive had so many courses off the eradicated helicopaks and still no succses to this day each treatment ive had i hoped would help..i was living in australia but now denver colarado..i,m on losec....which at the moment 3 times a day as the heart burn is so painfully bad..i also have a hiatus hernai which was fiund as well with biosopsy look...is there any new treatments..i dont wanto have to  the surgery as ive heard so many people say there to many bad side afects and the worst one being not being able to vomit also not being able to belch after a meal..my losec will not work for days some time.s..there are many foods i can not eat and at the moment i am waking and going to bed with the constant hear burn..last treatment of eradication was december 98 and i have just given up on the hole thing...so i would interested in knowing if there is a new treatment and hope it doesnt make me sick to my stomach like the rest..i get every re-action ,side effect that comes with the couses...thank you Jo-anne......

[Carol]

Pat:

Who did your nissen? I had mine done at Yale in CT and like you I have all kinds of problems too, more than I had to start. I had my fundoplication reversed but still suffer gastroparesis, irritable bowel, etc....

Anyways, as for Patricia: I wouldn't recommend that you have this procedure done again after al you have gonethrough. I don't think there is any surgeon who could be better than Dr. Salky and do a better job at this point. I would look in alternative medicine if I were you.

Carol

[patricia]

I live in LI, so NYC is best. I had two laparascopic fundoplications , the first one ruptured! And now i have the same symptoms as before the surgery. so they did not work for me. eventhough the surgeon says the surgery was succesfull!
My surgeon was Dr salky in Mount Sinai.

[Pat]

I too have had a Laporoscopic Nissen Fundoplication three years ago.  I have been told that I had damage done to the vagus nerve from the surgery.  Besides the fundoplication not working I now have gastroparesis, malabsorption, and rapid trasit of foods throught the intestines.  I know that many of these procedures are successful but mine was not.  I came out of this with more problems then before surgery. I was never told this could happen, just that if it didn't work I wouldn't be any worse off than I was before the surgery.  Guess I learned the hard way.  Oh, and yes, I had a very experienced surgeon who had done many procedures.

[Pat]

You did not say which part of NY.

[Erik (to Patricia)]

Laparascopic Fundoplication, the latest in procedures to correct Esophageal reflux has become a very common surgery. Most General surgeons are familiar with this procedure. Your Primary Care Physician or Gastroenterologist should be able to reccommend a surgeon who is qualified to do this surgery. Talk to some different surgeons and ask them how many procedures they have performed and what their success rate has been. It's a good procedure. I had it. It works. Good Luck.

      -Erik