expert opinions

[jpni]

My symptoms are as follows:
- difficulty swallowing
- a lot of burping whilst trying to eat
- trapped wind at night
- occasional burning/pain at night
- regurgitation of food and liquid whilst lying down (particularly soon after eating)
- antacid medicines have no effect

have had a barium swallow done which indicate reflux but feel my problem is predominantly the swallow one

Any ideas so I can research some more before I go see a surgeon?

[Bionic Granny]

I had the nissan done in May of 2000 and I had reflux about 4 times in that period. Had alot of hernias and then two months ago, I started having problems choking in my sleep on acid. My diet is mostly fruits and veggies and slim fast. I try not to eat late at night. My stomach produces alot of acid, so I'm scared that the acid ate away part of the nissan. It's okay on the outside, but they don't know what it looks like inside, hence the gastroscope. I thought this was going to be a permanent fix to my reflux. Guess I didn't research enough. I'll let you know. Pat

[Bionic Granny]

Glad you are here. My reflux has returned after two years with nothing but problems. Do you know anyone who had this happen? i'm so disgusted that I smoked today---how stupid!!!!Please let me know something-I will be having a gastoscope done on the 26th,instead of the 16th, to see if I could possibly have an ulcer. I also got a copy of the liver flush for him to read-I'll let you know what he says

[JackieG]

Did your reflux return after two years of no reflux, or am I reading your post incorrectly?

My personal experience with reflux has been that it is not always predictable. I know there are certain foods that trigger it in me (tomato-based foods, for example) and that I can't eat anything within 3 or 4 hours of going to bed. However, sometimes the reflux problem flares up without a clear connection to anything I ate. This is happening less frequently after my surgery last year, which is a hopeful sign, but it still happens on occasion (last night, for example!). I just try to be consistent with my diet, sleep in an elevated position, and continue with the Nexium. Sorry, that's not much help. Hopefully, your test on the 26th and discussion with your doc will be more helpful.

Let us know what the doctor tells you.

Best regards,
Chicken Soup

[JackieG]

Your symptoms sound like you have a weak Lower Esophageal Sphincter, and perhaps either a stricture (narrowing of the esophagus) or an esophageal motility disorder (there are several types). You mentioned having had a barrium swallow. Have you also discussed having an endoscopy and perhaps an esophageal manometry? Your gastroenterologist should be able to diagnose the cause of your problems with the tests available today. I would certianly pursue a comprehensive regimen of diagnostic tests before seeing a surgeon, in the hope that you can find a non-surgical solution, or at the very least, the best surgical option is selected.

You may want to visit the MEDLINEplus site. You can get good descriptions of motility disorders, tests, etc by doing a Yahoo word search for the following words: MEDLINEplus Medical Encyclopedia stricture.

Good luck!