Thought About Your Esophagus Lately?

                          

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             I am somewhat reluctant to allow too much personal information out on the internet, though I have very few things I feel a need to hide from anyone.  It just makes more sense to be stingy with information than overly liberal with it.  However, sometimes a little personal experience can be helpful to others.  This is one of those incidences.

                I recently sat down with a doctor for a consultation prior to my 10-year colonoscopy.  I have been told, and believe, that everyone over 50 should get one every decade.  Those with a family history of colon cancer should get one every 5 years.  While the doctor was interviewing me, I mentioned that I was taking omeprozole (generic for Prilosec) every other day for frequent heartburn.  I’m not sure when I began this regimen, but it has been years, and before that I kept Tums or Rolaids close at hand.  The doctor suggested that while she had me in the hospital taking pictures of the rear end, she ought to get some pictures of the front end.  After I got her assurance that she would clean the scope first, I agreed.

                A couple of weeks after the procedures I returned to her office for the results.  You will be happy to know the pictures of my colon were beautiful!  However, my esophagus did not look quite so nice.  The lining of one portion was gone, exposing the raw, pink flesh underneath.  Next to that area were two little circles she referred to as “changes.”  She put a name to this condition; Barrett’s esophagus.  Left untreated it could very well lead to cancer.

                My life has changed.  Gone is chocolate, peppermint and as much dietary fat as I can eliminate.  No more caffeine or alcohol.  Citrus fruit is out.  No more OJ for breakfast.  While I may eat tomatoes, tomato sauce is a huge no-no.  Apparently, the acid in tomatoes is no big deal until it is all concentrated in a sauce.  There goes my beloved Italian foods and Mexican foods.  Many spices, of course, must be eliminated, including pepper, a spice I used heavily instead of adding more salt to my diet.  Basically, I must now eat like a Norwegian; a pretty bland diet.

                Now, here’s the part of this blog you must take very seriously.  This condition is caused by acid reflux.  You’ve seen all the commercials for products designed to treat this condition.  If you read the warnings on the boxes, you’ll see instructions indicating you are not to take that medication for more than two weeks.  My GP told me that is not because there is danger in prolonged use of, say, omeprozole, but because if you need it for a longer period than that, you should be consulting with your doctor to see if you have a more serious condition. 

                My doctor (the specialist) is not very talkative, so I was forced to surf the net for more information about this condition.  It seems that many people have acid reflux without even knowing it.  I was always very aware of that burning sensation when I would eat a chocolate chip cookie a couple of hours prior to lying down on my bed.  But a significant number of people don’t get that burning sensation, or not very often.  There are many people like me, however, who have recurring heartburn for years, but never do anything about it other than eating antacids like they are candy.

                Please, don’t mess with acid reflux.  If you are having recurring heartburn, see a doctor.  Get a picture of your esophagus.  If it is beautiful, rejoice.  It was time and money well spent.  But if it shows something else, you can get started right away making it better.