# Had Endoscopy today



## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi.Three years ago I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus. I've been on Prevacid for much of that time since. In the last year, I've had to take Prevacid morning and evening and sometimes in the middle of the night also. I've been having an awful lot of acid reflux. At times it has awakened me and I've had to run for the bathroom to "barf". Other times, I can't even sleep unless I'm in a recliner in an upright position. After eating, I suffer for several hours before it settles down. There's so many foods I've had to avoid or pay the price. And some days, it doesn't matter what I eat or don't eat.I've also been suffering from esophagus spasms. And it always feels as though there is a lump or something and it can be hard to swollow at times.Today, my Gastro did an Endoscopy and scoping of the stomach. He also attached a little transmitter to the wall of the esophagus to monitor the PH of the Gastric acid in the esophagus. It will be monitored for 48 hours, then I return the monitor and they get a readout of it.The Gastro told me today that the Barrett's looks slightly better than 3 years ago. That's good news! But, the valve is "sloppy and loose", so he's leaning toward a Hiatal Hernia. He'll talk to me more when all the tests and biopsies come back. He did mention potential surgery for the Hiatal Hernia. But there won't be any surgery for me if I'm without insurance.







I'll keep you posted.The down side---our COBRA for health insurance expires the end of this month and we don't know if we can afford the high premiums we have been quoted through other insurance companies. Many of them won't even take us on due to pre-existing conditions.Talk about stress!!


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