well that posted funky... my luck

Hi Kelly-
I totally feel you. I was diagnosed with GERD at the age of 18 and never paid any attention because I was pretty much absolutely symptom free. At the age of 24 I had a flare up (that was not extremely terrible though) and after an Upper EDG I was told a Grade A esophagitis. My GI didn't make a big deal out of it so I was pretty relaxed. And for 3 years I was ok and then last November I had a terrible cough after I ate. Went to all possible pulmonologists , had CT of my chest and nothidng. And then finally I was sent to GI again and after another EDG I was told I have GEDR with esophagitis again and LES is very weak. I was put on PPIS (40mg a day) . Had all possible monometry and ph impedance and etc. To make a long story short I had another EDG in MAy and it showed only GERD and no esophagitis however I have a small hyperemic tissue. I am on 30mg of Lanzo now and trying to wean off but doesn't seem to be possible. I am coughing , constantly have to wash off the acid with water / milk/ food. Gained 10 lbs . I reflux very often despite on PPIs and I am scared to death to get Barreth's even though my GI at NYU Medical says that my reflux is aggravated by my constant stress and thinking of it.
I am thinking about Stretta. Have you ever had a chance to look into this? I honestly know one girl now who overcame fiundoplication at an early age.... I She is not completely recovered but saying what she had been through she said she still would do it. But lots and lots of issues;(

I am sorry for this question but what age are we talking about ? If you want I would love to DM each other since unfortunately we are both going through this at the very young age:) I am also an athlete and that really interferes with my life style:(

Thank you for your response DDD88. Nice to have support from someone who knows all the feels... totally down to DM.
I have not heard of Stretta before, but I will bring that up with my doctor the next time I see him as a discussion option.
I'm sure my GI will want to do another EDG to verify all my symptoms are still active, which I can probably safely assume they all are as I feel the effects of ALL of them. It's terrible, I must have missed my PM Rx last night because my word I am paying for it right now. Little reminders that my acid issue is no joke and how important my meds are! Or more like how dependent I am on my meds...
I am 33yo... But I can say I have had acid issues well before I was ever diagnosed in my adulthood. I remember having to take Mylanta as a kid all the time to help calm my tummy. Would have to bring the chewables to school and explain to my peers that they were not candy so I couldn't share... so weird looking back at how long this issue has been mine to deal with! I am honestly getting to a point where I don't want to deal with this anymore... hence fundoplication!
I have an amazing doctor, so for him to finally suggest surgery after all this time tells me he doesn't want me to deal with this anymore either! I really don't see a point in continuing to take meds that don't work 100% of the time, only to have those very same meds create other issues for me later in life. Doesn't make much sense to me... so I'm willing to look into anything that may guarantee at the very least, a little more relief over more meds.
I'm 5'6" and currently 113lbs. One of my main issues is I loose weight... and looking at my stats I cannot afford to loose anymore weight cus I will disappear. It's creepy, it looks bad and doesn't feel good either. Always get questioned if everything is okay cus I "look really skinny!". I know a lot of people out there have a hard time with gaining weight, but for someone who has always been slender (my dad has really good metabolism... I got lucky) loosing weight feels just as bad. Anyways, I hope I can gain a couple more pounds this week and keep them, then on to the next couple pounds. Little victories...

Hello- I came on here to ask if anyone had recently had a fundoplication done as well as an esophageal manometry test. Kelly, your story sounds very similar to mine. I have been on PPI's for 15 or 16 yrs. now. I have several GI issues-IBS, gastroparesis, hiatel hernia, GERD with esophagitis, heartburn. I really don't have much of a cough but do have a lot of acid back up into my throat which burns and tastes like Hell. I also have chronic nausea. It is so hard to tell exactly where my symptoms are coming from since I have so many different issues. I have had several EGD's, a Bravo ph study which showed Grade C. It ranges from Grade A up to Grade D so mine is severe. I also have had the Stretta procedure done. It seemed to help at first for a few months, but then all Hell broke loose again and I was back to square one. I just saw a surgeon today to discuss the fundoplication. But before he does it he wants me to have the esophageal manometry test to be sure I don't have achelasia. Cause if I have that the surgery will be different. He said if he did the fundo w/out that test and I did have achelasia I might not be able to ever eat again. I am scared to death of that test. They insert a thin tube up thru your nose down into your throat and it can be very uncomfortable. He did precribe Xanax but when I scheduled the test I was told I can't take it or it'll interfere with the test. I get very frustrated with my symptoms. They hit me out of nowhere. I am only 4'11'' and weigh 103 lbs. Do you have the nausea with yours? I sure hope I can make it thru that test and have something done to fix this.

Hi adlk1234, to answer your question -no the manometry is not painful or doesn't cause any discomfort. It's not the as great as smelling the roses but it's bearable and in all honesty doesn't matter how sensitive you are you won't need Xanax I think:) I had a 24h impedance and that was a real deal. Especially cause they want you to resume normal activity (read running if you do, excercising at the fullest, drinking coffee etc) and you have this tube for 24h! So manometry is ok and only lasts for 5-7 min:) You will be ok! Interesting that you had such an experience with Stretta...Can you tell a bit more about it?

I know a girl who went through fundoplication and she has some stories to share. If you want I can ask her to comment here.

HI Kelly-
Definitely. I totally feel you about everything. Especially when you are scared to death that you have the symptoms for so long. Have you ever heard of some people just being more sensitive to pain than others? What are your thoughts about it? Also do your parents have stomach issues? Also I guess you do have gastritis cause GERD and inflammation go back to back?
I recently started taking mastic gum and licorice because of those healing powers that they claim to have.
And went to chiropractor because have been reading a lot lately about our spine and Gerd.
Kelly- are you based in the US or Canada ? There is a very good GI doctor (Gerd specialist) , he is relatively young (35ish or so) but he is very opened for patients to try different techniques and not making you undergoing only PPIs etc.
Have you tied eating more nuts and nut butters to gain weight? I used to be very slim and never thought it might be my stomach issues (I am 5'9'' and was 119), now I am 125 and can't loose any weight even though I do feel myself more comfortable when i am a little lighter. Also I assume that the weight loss might be connected with absorption of the nutrients.. How is your vit D level?
Sorry for asking so many questions.... All chrocnics have to support each other. Unfortunately Gerd is highly affected by stress level. Don't want to sound very Zen, too but try this meditation when you feel very desperate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw0y_XKNqu0

Wow... the last few months have been somewhat of a slow downward spiral... back to life, back to reality!

adlk1234: thank you for responding to my post, really appreciate the support and knowledge. how did your esphogeal manometry procedure go? did you move forward with fundo surgery or was it found you have Achalasia after all?
we do have a lot in common when it comes to our symptoms. i am nauseous a lot but not as much as i have been in the past. but that will come and go out of nowhere for me, which is frustrating when you are in the middle of eating and a wave hits.
i had my surgery consultation visit with my gastro last week. i will be having yet another EGD performed in a few weeks, this time with a PH test as well to see exactly where my levels are. not looking forward to a couple weeks with zero meds, but we will see how it goes.
when talking with my gastro about this fundoplication surgery he informed me that i will no longer be able to vomit or even burp again. that isnt sitting to well with me at the moment... so i am currently looking for alternatives to surgery. going to bring up the Stretta Therapy to see what he thinks...
i hope all is well with you this new year... wish you a healthy 2017!

DDD88: thank you again for your response! hope this new year is finding you well...
if you can ask the gal you know who had the fundo surgery to chime in that would be great. i still cant seem to find anyone who has had it done to share their experience...
yes, i believe that there are some who are more sensitive to everything than others and not just with pain. i am defiantly one of those people. i have been ultra sensitive my whole life, its a blessing and a curse. my gastro actually called me out on that one day when i was in tears in his office. one of the many reasons i love him, he is a great doctor.
i live in California, not sure if you are in Canada or the US...
thanks to the holidays, since my last post i have gained a couple pounds that have stuck! still taking all my vitamins to make up for what i am lacking via my own body or from my meds depleting me. going to check and see if my insurance would cover seeing a nutritionist...

if either of you know, or anyone else you may know, other lasting alternatives to fundo surgery, please let me know. i hate going into all of this so blindly but since i cant seem to find anyone i can really relate to where i live, to have a real conversation with, this will have to do!
extremely grateful for conversations like this... helps to take some stress off the situation.