[Blayne]

Originally Posted by mccannable

I have been experiencing symptoms of GERD and silent heartburn. I made an appointment with a specialist and I am sure she is gonna send me for an upper endoscopy. I'm a bit nervous because I haven't had any real medical procedures done. Anyone care to share their experience?

I had one about six months ago, ended up having a Hiatal Hernia which was causing my GERD. So pretty much screwed on anything that can be done. Anyway, for the endoscopy I don't like being drugged and unaware of what is happening to me, so I opted to not get sedated. Now I'm really against getting put under and everything that comes along with it. I'm sure if your OK with getting put under you have nothing to much to worry about. If not though, it's honestly not a fun experience. There's know pain really, your throat is sore for a bit after and you just feel kind of weird for a bit. It's the fact that you're getting something forced down your throat and your constantly gagging. Some people may feel different about it, as like i said there's no pain really, but wasn't a fun experience. The doc said I took it like a champ, but would honestly be terrified to do it again lol.

[Inspired]

Originally Posted by Blayne

I had one about six months ago, ended up having a Hiatal Hernia which was causing my GERD. So pretty much screwed on anything that can be done. Anyway, for the endoscopy I don't like being drugged and unaware of what is happening to me, so I opted to not get sedated. Now I'm really against getting put under and everything that comes along with it. I'm sure if your OK with getting put under you have nothing to much to worry about. If not though, it's honestly not a fun experience. There's know pain really, your throat is sore for a bit after and you just feel kind of weird for a bit. It's the fact that you're getting something forced down your throat and your constantly gagging. Some people may feel different about it, as like i said there's no pain really, but wasn't a fun experience. The doc said I took it like a champ, but would honestly be terrified to do it again lol.

Can you explain more about your symptoms with GERD? I have been having it on and off and it seems like it won't go away. Drinking alcohol or eating spicy food will agitate and I would need to take Nexium for it to go away. What was the treatment for your GERD?

[Blayne]

Originally Posted by Inspired

Can you explain more about your symptoms with GERD? I have been having it on and off and it seems like it won't go away. Drinking alcohol or eating spicy food will agitate and I would need to take Nexium for it to go away. What was the treatment for your GERD?

For me it started about 2 years ago. It would slowly come and go, then it gradually got to the point where it wouldn't go away. Most doctors I visited just would tell me nothing could be done and fed me the medication. Which is and isn't the case depending on what is causing your GERD.

When you get the endoscopy make sure you get a biopsy done as well to make sure your GERD isn't being caused by a bacteria. Also, prey that it bacteria as this would be the best case, as it is easily treatable if it is.

Some people can treat it by just watching what they eat if it's not that serve.

Loosing weight can also cause it to go away, even with mine. When I gain weight it gets worse, as it pushes up on your stomach and cause the acid in to the esophagus. I know someone who completely fixed there GERD with loosing weight. Though, he was a really heavy guy.

GERD can also be caused the lower esophageal sphincter loosening or weakening, now there are a bunch of non surgical ways in which people claim they have fixed this, which is all online. So just do a search and you can find them. Would say this is usually how most GERD is caused. The most common surgical way to fix this is something I would never want to do. They take your stomach flip it a few times and wrap it around your esophagus. Doesn't sound to fun, and at time it won't work and others it has to be redone years later. There are two more less common ones that I know of, one is they burn the sphincter to scare it, in which it closes more or something, I honestly forget as it been over a year since I was looking into this. There is also another one, which is very knew and only a few doctors do it. I think it had to do sewing the sphincter somehow or something, I do forget but it would be the one I would have chosen if mine was caused by the sphincter.

Now what I have is called a hiatal hernia aka I'm fucked. Only surgery to fix mine is the stomach wrap around. Which is the last thing I'm going to do. So Tecta, dextilant, pervesed, nexium and a few other have become my friend. I also build up amunity to this pills real quick. So hopefully when I run out of pills to take I can start back at the first ones I took and they will work.

Anyway, I'm real tired here and have been typing this on a iPhone. So please forgive me in my information is all over the place and that I didn't correct a few spelling errors and butchered the prescription names. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask.

[Inspired]

Thanks bro. Good thorough explanation. I will look into getting an endoscopy done.

[Blayne]

Originally Posted by Inspired

Thanks bro. Good thorough explanation. I will look into getting an endoscopy done.

Yea, it sucks but at least that way you will know exactly what is causing your GERD and you can go from there. It's not a fun thing to have and I hate the fact that most likely I will be taking meds the rest of my life. Hopefully you only have the bacteria and you can clear that up quickly. Good luck!

[John 070]

Man life can be tricky. I had an unexplainable headache that lasted 4 days, which never happened before. I let the internet make my imagination go wild, with people saying they've lived with them for 10 yrs etc. My dr. sent me for a CT scan and by the time he did, the headache was gone and never came back. But my point is for sanity's sake modern medicine can confirm what something isn't, and sometimes that's a good thing...

[UncleWede]

OP hasn't been back in a while. Was he scheduled at UCLA?????

[dreamingat30fps]

Originally Posted by John 070

Man life can be tricky. I had an unexplainable headache that lasted 4 days, which never happened before. I let the internet make my imagination go wild, with people saying they've lived with them for 10 yrs etc. My dr. sent me for a CT scan and by the time he did, the headache was gone and never came back. But my point is for sanity's sake modern medicine can confirm what something isn't, and sometimes that's a good thing...

True, however I've recently been having a strange pain that no doctor can seem to figure out. They have given me sonograms, ct scans, mri whatever the hell you can imagine. Nothing. My concern at this point is even if I didn't have anything, who the fuck knows what growing in my now after all those test!!!