New to the group and need your input!

[Electra]

Greetings to all. (Also thank you to Hawk for figuring out what my difficulty was in getting to be able to post!) I am very happy to have found this wonderful site populated with so many insightful people! It is wonderful to know that we do not face this disease alone, but I am sure we would all prefer to not be GERDie! I am wondering if anyone would mind pitching in their 2 cents worth on what maybe going on with me?

10 years ago I had been diagnosed w/hiatal hernia and have suffered w/heartburn for as long as I can remember…. Always had been manageable with Rolaids, albeit a LARGE number of Rolaids especially during my pregnancies!

Last spring I managed to be thrown from my horse and broke my arm (even though that had been misdiagnosed). I was not able to extend the arm fully so went to an Orthopedic Dr. in September. His Rx was for 600mg of ibuprofen 3X a day… even after I told him about all the reflux and the hernia, he assured me it was ‘safe’. Well as the arm was killing me… and thinking he should know his business and I proceeded to take the Rx… took a total of 9 tablets and found myself on a quick decent directly into the fiery pits of hell! My stomach was TERRIBLE!

In October I saw an internist (we do not have any gastroenterologists closer than 120 miles away) and he was concerned that I had either Barretts or cancer so scheduled me with a surgeon for the endoscope. The diagnosis was extreme gastritis and mild esopogitis at the stomach juncture… not Barretts and thankfully not cancer. I was told that they did biopsy and it did not show any H.Pylori either. I was put on 30mg Prevacid 1X a day.

This was fine until Jamuary when I made a conscious decision that I was going to change my diet. I totally eliminated Coke (I am the ORIGINAL Coke-a-holic) from my diet. By the middle of January I began to experience INTENSE pain under the sternum and it felt like my stomach or something was actually ‘folding up under my rib cage’. It was impossible to lay on either side as it was as if the rib cage it self was interlocking together with the pressure of forcing the sides inwards. I ended up visiting the clinic on 2/11 and was provided samples of Protonx 40mg (I had began taking the Prevacid sporadically at the end of January as it was causing inflammation of arthritis.) However after reading the pkg insert I thought I would give the Prevacid a 2nd try. The Prevacid seemed to no longer be causing the arthritis but I only became worse in regards to the stomach pain and pressure.

Saw my GP 2/17 and w/o any tests she told me that my gastritis had gone from stage 4 to stage 7 and I now had a bleeding ulcer…. (yep… no tests) She told me to take the Prevacid 30mg 2X a day for 12 days and then go back to 30mg 1X a day. I did as directed but by the 3rd day of going back to the 1X a day… I was SLAMMED w/heart palpitations…. I have never had a history of any kind of heart trouble… the only palpitations I had ever felt before were from roller coasters and the likes when you are a kid! This was awful and I called the GP and told what had happened. She had me on a Holter monitor for 24 hours… at the end of the 24 hours when I was to return the monitor to the hospital I was hit w/such sever palpations that I was back at the clinic and a different Dr. then confirmed the palps and put me on Toprol-XL 50mg per day and Alpraxolam .5mg 2X a day as well as the 30mg Prevacid. Tried this regime for 2 days and was so sick! Heart felt like it was going to just stop and it was still doing the palps but now did not have the strength to even sit upright! March 10 GP told me to do 25mg of the Toprol-XL and switched me to Lexapro 10mg a day as well as the Prevacid. ENOUGH!

March 11 I stopped taking everything on my own; I could not stand what was happening w/all the medicines as everything made me worse!

March 12 was referred to an internist - different than the one in October (who I have now concluded is not worth her weight in horse dung!) The first thing she said to me in the 1st minute of walking into the room is ‘You have to go to a Cardiologist’, I asked her why is that as the results of my EKG and the Holter monitor showed normal aside from the PVC’s. I told her that I would prefer to have an Upper GI done to see if there was something going on with the hernia and the gastritis… I wanted to know if there was an ‘ulcer’ as my GP had said. Grudgingly she agreed to it and also scheduled me for an Echocardiogram.

The radiologist went over the upper GI results w/me at the hospital and said my esophagus looked fine but that I did have a small hiatal hernia along w/esophageal spasms (saw them on the monitor) and that there was still the gastritis in the bottom of the stomach. (Could see it was in the same place it was in from the Oct scope… all the prevacid had not done anything for it.)

24March was feeling much better! Not taking any drugs at all other than a little Maalox here and there and the palpitations became very minor also had follow up w/the internist. She proceeded to tell me that the Upper GI showed severe damage on the 1/3… then changed her mind and said 2/3 of the esophagus and that I MUST be on a PPI or I would get cancer. She told me that the results from my Echocardiogram were not back but that I needed to go to a cardiologist and began to make the referral. She told me she was going to provide me with some samples of Nexium for my reflux… I questioned the dosage she was recommending and she said “Nexium only comes in one standard dosage”… Huh???? It is my understanding it comes in 20mg and 40mg… she gave the 40mg! Not taking it! As I had also had so many blood draws throughout all of this I asked her what my cholesterol levels were and she rudely informed me that they had not been drawn but if I insisted she would request them, but when on to say that I should go to my GP for a full physical and it could be done then. After that appointment (which lasted 15 minutes… and was charged $321.50 / equating to a rate of $1285.80 an hour!! Knew I should have gone to medical school!!)

I made an appointment with a Dr. I trusted *Doctor of Osteopathy* rather than my GP. I also decided as I was feeling remarkably better that I did not want to go back on the meds but would completely change my dietary habits to a completely bland diet to see how that would go. That night I ate a supper that consisted of a1/4 cup of cottage cheese and a container of yogurt. All through this mess I have been plagued by nasty severe bile like diarrhea; the next AM I had a happy surprise that this was no longer the case!!! Over this past weekend I continued with supplementing my diet w/yogurt and I feel so much better… absolutely no meds. The diarrhea is gone, the palps are almost gone and the reflux is greatly reduced! Yesterday I had my full physical with the Osteopath and we reviewed my concerns with the blatant difference in what the radiologist told me in comparison to what the internist told me. My Dr. read the radiologist report to me and it said that my esophagus was ‘unremarkable other than slight esophogitis at the juncture of the stomach’…. This is exactly what the radiologist told me in person!!! I also had my new Dr. go back into my records from last October with the biopsy to verify the findings. He was surprised to find that the specimens had only been examined under a microscope and no additional testing was done for H.pylori. He had blood drawn for my cholesterol, thyroid, glucose level and H. Pylori. Is it possible that yogurt can help so markedly?? I have been off PPI’s now for 15 days and did experience a lot of rebound! While I do still have some reflux, I find if I take a couple spoonfuls of yogurt I can keep it fairly under control. Your thoughts?

[Bob]

I have no answer to your question, but I'm ready to go get some yogurt. I am a true believer that these acid blocking and reducing med can screw up the whole balance of ones stomach. Your story reminds me of my own experience in 1993. I had an ulcer and was put on zantac within two week I started having palpitations and all the attention shifted to the heart. Every once and a while I still get a palpitation and I usually belch right after so I know it is cause from my stomach. Take Care .........Bob

[daw]

[i]Originally posted by Electra [/i]
[B]....Saw my GP 2/17 and w/o any tests she told me that my gastritis had gone from stage 4 to stage 7 and I now had a bleeding ulcer…. (yep… no tests) [/B]

This is what I call the Crazy Eight Ball diagnosis. A Crazy Eight Ball is a "kid's" toy that when you turn it upside down it gives you a brief answer to any question. Some doctors keep it in their front desk drawer and refer to it when they don't want to take the time to dig deeper. When you find yourself in this situation you must seriously reconsider going back.

Sounds like you've been through the mill. I can't vouch for the Yogurt but you're finding out what is best for you. Many of us here do that "trial and error" stuff until we find what's best and that includes the right doctor.

[The Pard]

Hi Electra,

It might be time to trade in that horse for a
Harley (Electra Glide of course)

Your fall off the horse could have torn the
Phrenoseophageal Sphincter that forms the junction
of the diaphragm and the esophagus. This was
likely already torn since you had a diagnosis of hiatal hernia previously. The fall could have
finished the job and given you some gastric nerve damage by stretching the nerve that passes through the ligament to your gut.

The same "Vagus" nerve is involved in the heart action and the sympathetic messages of the gut can
excite the heart and vice-versa.

How yogurt calms things down is a mystery.
Just be glad it works for you.

Time heals "most" wounds so as long as you are
recovering, don't rock the boat and enjoy the ride.
Are you having any residual pain in your arm?

The Pard

[Electra]

Pard.... You know I think you may have something there! Especially considering the way I landed! (I have been advised it was extremely comical to watch!) I flew from the horse and landed on my stomach with the arm under me and actually skidded across the prarie for about 20ft! That much of an impact on the gut could not have been good!

As to the question on the arm... it does give me a problem once in a while but it is much better than it used to be.... but heck I would take arm pain over gut/heart problems any day!!

Electra

[Electra]

Pard or anyone....

Do you know if there is a way that they can repair the hernia and not do a fundo? The reflux is very mild and I think would be gone if the could just pull the stomach down... and keep it down where it belongs.

Electra

[The Pard]

Hi Electra,

There is a method called the "Hill procedure"
which is not as popular but seems to be the answer
for some. It was mentioned recently.
Do a search on the main page of this site and the
old archive of posts as well. Someone will
remind you how to get to the archives.

The Pard