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****
Gastroesophageal
Reflux Disease (GERD)- is a common condition which affects a large
percentage of the population. It is the result of the stomach making
too much acid which causes symptoms such as heartburn, sore throat,
and regurgitation. If left untreated, GERD can have serious
consequences by destroying the lining of the esophogus which can cause
cancer or other significant problems. GERD can be detected through a
pH probe in which a small tube is placed through the nose, down the
throat and esopghagus and into the stomach. This probe will record the
acid levels over a 24 hour period to determine if the patient has
excessive acid. In addition, patients are asked to record what types
of food they have eaten and when, when they have symptoms and what the
symptoms are. When the test is over, the tube is removed from the nose
and the symptom and food documentation is compared with the results of
the test to determine how well symptoms correlate with increases in
acid production. If the test
shows excessive acid, the doctor may prescribe an acid
suppressant medication to control symptoms. Some of these medications
also help heal damage in the esophagus. Often, a doctor with perform
another test known as an EGD to look for damage the GERD may have
caused, or to look for other causes of the GERD.
In
patients with gastroparesis, GERD is often more difficult to treat
than it is in otherwise healthy people. This is because the main
problem is the fact that the stomach empties slowly, so therefore the
acid builds up in the stomach as well. Although medications for GERD
may be prescribed, they may not clear up the symptoms as well as they
should. In order to achieve better results, it is important to modify
the diet to eat foods that are not acidic, as well as try to treat the
underlying problem of delayed gastric emptying. Patients with severe
GERD may need to undergo a surgery called a Nissen Fundoplication in
order to decrease the risk of serious complications from the GERD. You
may read more about GERD, the pH probe testing, and Nissen
Fundoplication surgery on the G-PACT website at www.g-pact.org.
****Spotlight Patient**** Jeff Somers is our February 2003 Spotlight Patient. He was diagnosed with GP in early 2002 after having severe symptoms since Oct. 2001. Within a week of his diagnosis, he found a gastroparesis online support group and joined. Over the past year, Jeff has been improving significantly which he attributes to medication, slight diet modifications, and the support he has received. Jeff lives in Wyoming as a non-custodial parent of two kids whom he sees during their school breaks and holidays. His story is inspiring and details his battle with this condition from day one, and how he was able to fight back to lead a relatively normal life riding his Harley, fishing, hunting, and throwing darts. Jeff is an inspiration to so many who have lost hope of recovery.
Jeff summarizes
his bio by saying "I believe finding the drug that works for me,
and the wonderful members of the gastroparesis support on Yahoo are
the reasons for my improvement. And if it can happen to me, it
can happen for someone else. I know my story will give someone,
somewhere, some hope they will win the battle with GP. Hope. That's
what my story is about. It's not about me."
"I'm
one of the lucky ones"
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