Oesophagus pain, What Private Tests ?

[jezburg]

Hi , this is my 1st post to this forum..

i'm a 48year old male, non drinker and smoker, normal weight 11 1/2 st, vegan (plant based foods) although i do consume local honey's on occasions.

My problems only started around xmas 2020, when i think my plate was too full and i got some tummy cramps.

My initial tummy pain was short lived, but soon got some oesophagus discomfort, with occasional back/left side of the ribcage pain.

I was prescribed 20mg Omeprazle and found peptac liquid seemed to help.

Fast forward 6 month's to 3 week's ago, and i had an endoscopy ..where i got

Site B lower oesophagus irregular z line

Site F Antrum mild erythematous/ exudative with no bleeding.

And a negative on the H pylori test.

Unfortunately i'm not improving(oesophagus ache) and my local gp practice has lost the 2 best doctor's at the practice recently, so the last 2 occasions when i've got through, i've had a awful (busy) chap, whom changed my meds to Esomeprazole 40mg. I mentioned to him i'd like to find the route cause to try nip this in the bud, but he reckons it's just a discease that some people get.(not at all comforting).

I have done the bi carb test twice now, burped once at 4 minutes and then nothing , and the 2nd time no burping at all, even after 20 minutes +.

I have been looking on this great forum and the Opa site, and trying different ways of eating and limiting my food's + stress, tried apple cider vinegar, stopped tomatoes and citrus, and now blending a red cabbage smoothie for breakfast and lunch (with a couple of strawberries,Banana, blueberries, chia and flax seeds thrown in) and a small evening meal of another smoothie + a mung bean+ red lentils mix.

With my doctors not to good at the moment, i'm now searching the web in hope i can find help and support, like it's my only hope of not getting worse.

I also have mild Neutropenia at 1.4, and other low bloods, quite possibly from radiotherapy in my 20s,and whatever is going on at the moment.

I'm a divorced man with no one to talk this over with i guess i'm just looking for people whom have had similar experiences to chat with.

I don't get any tummy ache now, just oesophagus ache, and even lifting thing's or leaning forward is now a daily discomfort.

I do have a question if i go private (healthcare) what tests should i ask for please? as i'd rather be poor and alive than to keep going through this everyday.

Many Thanks..jb

[jezburg]

Just to add , it's the lower oesophagus i am getting pain in, no regurgitation at all, no sour taste or anything similar.

I'm guessing that i'm going to start with trying to get some testing on my gut microbiome and go from there.

[AussiePeterInLondon in reply to jezburg]

Jb,

It's not clear if you've previously had a diagnosis of Oesophageal Cancer or some such. Not sure where you are in the world. My GP diagnosed my T3 Adenocarcinoma after several days of passing black stool!

Suspect your next/first step should be finding yourself a Gastroentrologist and look at having an endoscopy. If you're in the UK / London I can recommend my Gastro at the Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon. I needed a referral from my GP to get my health insurer to cover the visit.

Good luck Jb. the gang on the OPA website are amazing ! Great advice and experience !

P

[Pepita933]

The cabbage smoothie would be a big problem for me. Cabbage tends to be very gaseous and has often caused GERD for me. I have achalasia, so a different problem, but still esophageal pain,. Also stop the vinegar for a while, that is pouring acid down your throat. Staying upright could be why you aren’t having symptoms at the testing times or your esophagus just is scared straight when you have white coats around you.😜. Is much of your diet liquid? When you wake up and have tremendous esophageal pain does drinking a lot of water help? Honestly when this started for me that was one of my answers. Now I know I was just diluting the stomach acid. Try elevating the head of your bed. There are bed risers that in the U.S. are sold in the bedding department. Place one under each of the top feet.(this elevates the top about 8 inches, you could use anything else to get the height, this is just cheap and easy) So now your bed looks a bit like a slide. You will slide down while you sleep a bit, but you will also feel better.(once again gravity is working for you)

Here are some problem items for me. Alcohol, wine, citrus, vinegar, tomatoes mostly the sauces. Cabbage, and gas producing foods.

I’m guessing you need to start with a gastroenterologist, and an upper GI.

[Singforyoursupper]

Sorry to hear your symptoms and I don't have any clinical advice, but surely you are entitled to ask your GP however hopeless he is to refer you to a gastroenterologist 1. to explain your endoscopy result and 2. give you a treatment plan, before you go down the private route. I for one have had excellent care in the NHS and we are all entitled to it. My hospital( St Thomas' central London) have never, through all of Covid, stopped operating/treating patients in need. I too had no co morbidities/lifestyle reasons for my illness which stood me in good stead for recovery after cancer and although this may not be your problem (and I hope it is not), its a good place to be. I have found however that no one is particularly interested in my healthy diet so maybe pay less attention to that when you are seeking a diagnosis! Best wishes Jb

[jezburg]

Hi .. and thanks for everyone's replys.

I am in the UK and on the South coast.

i have also had dark stools for quite some time, but the gastro doc put this down to the Peptac anti acid liquid, and a stool test showed no blood present.

Thought i should mention that i've tried bi carb test 3 time's this week, to test for low acid, and once i burped at 3 minutes , then 4 minutes, and lastly 14 minutes till burping, so today i'm not eating so much, just my known safe foods, so i can try the test again but without anti acids liquid( gaviscon or peptac).

My cancer 20yrs ago was testicular cancer, it's only now that i feel the 3 month's chest + tummy radiotherapy could be coming back to haunt me. ( probably not tho) and nor am i losing any sleep over it ..

Talking of sleep i suffer no regurg, just wake up with an achy sphincter/mid tummy ache, i know i'm ill just it's it's pot luck whom you get to talk to at my local Gp practice, doc's mostly just want me to take my ppi like a good little chap and sod orf .. this is why i am trying a little self diagnosis, and asking about private health care (don't have insurance).

I'll certainly give the Opa people a call, and my local private hospital, as being told you've gastritis by the my gastroenterolgist and no further follow up isn't cricket in my book, as even i google ' irregular z line ' this comes up regularly as pre Barratts Oesophagus .. seems like a postcode lottery as far as the Nhs is concerned .

Feel i'm just lucky that's it's not creaping up my throat/ chest.. yet.

I will keep this thread updated, and again thanks to you all for your replies. jb

[jezburg]

Hi.. just an update

I had no anti acids yesterday, and only had some discomfort after my small evening meal, mid to lower chest as normal, but enough to stop me from going on my normal 20 to 30 min evening walk, ( live on the sussex coast).

The reason for no anti acids, so i could try the bi carb test again, to see if i have low acid in my tummy.. and again no burping whatsoever, even after 15minutes. ( bi carb has upset my stomach this morning)

It seems betaine hcl and a good digestive enzyme + multivitamin is the way to go?

I already take a daily D3 k2, B12 + an algea based omega 3 + occasional zinc, so will order from amazon today, can't wait to see if these make any difference . .

[Pepita933 in reply to jezburg]

At 25 I had thyroid cancer. It was my ‘precipitating event’. In other words, the part of my DNA that had the code for Sjögren’s syndrome woke up. It started with dry eyes. Then I couldn’t wear contact lenses anymore, then lots of cavities, crowns, you get the idea. Autoimmune diseases are really sneaky. You may just think this is getting older, or something you ate etc. the achalasia I believe along with IBS are the result of Sjogren’s. Sjogren’s tends to have a neurological component to it, which so does the achalasia and the IBS. We are our own advocate. If meds don’t work, don’t keep going down that route! If you think your problems aren’t being resolved, fight for testing that will prove you or your doctor correct. They are taught to think everything is the usual GERD. That doesn’t mean it is! I don’t know what you have to work around in England, so I can’t offer advice on your system.

[jezburg]

Thanks Pepti .. this stomach condition feels like it's just crept up on me, i have gotten away with a relatively loose lifestyle for the last 25 year's or so, just the odd kidney stone on occasion (poor dieting) and an iguinal hernia, but .. now i waking up to taking thing's seriously again .. if only i knew then what i ( think) i know now i may have chosen not to have the radiotherapy on my chest and tummy as my testicular cancer was (kinda) self inflicted by a motorcycle incident that went wrong, the radiotherapy was almost forced upon me .. but no hard feelings to the doc's of the time, they thought they were right at the time + the internet was only just in it's infancy back then , i certainly had no time for it .

I am going to keep learning on GERD and my cause of it , but cannot afford fully private healthcare , so 1 step at a time as i learn i don't mind paying for some tests .. the English Nhs , national healthy service is sadly on a decline, where in some area's you'll be fine and other's you'll be lucky to see a specialist in 3 to 6 + month's .. and covid hasn't helped one iota...

Take care .. jb

[liz_crisp]

If you want to pay for any tests and it's Oesophagus cancer you are worried about I would pay for a private endoscopy. Barratts is a pre cancerous inflammation/change in cells of the Oesophagus normally around the join with the stomach. It used to be monitored around every 2 years or so. But covid has changed that.

Eat small meals for a while and drink water, chew well, don't eat too close to bedtime. see if it helps (advice from a friend with hiatus hernia.)

I had no pain before diagnosis apart from not being able to swallow slightly soggy toasted cheese sandwiches without discomfort.

Good luck take care

[jezburg in reply to liz_crisp]

Liz .. Thanks for your reply, i had an endoscopy on the Nhs quite recently and it showed i have irregular z lines in oesophagus, and discharged with no further follow up, this z lines i had to Google to get any more information, as my Gp practice is pretty useless nowadays.

It seems irregular z line's is a step away from Barratts.

I feel, buy adjustments to my already vegan diet, ie no raw vegetables and trying to eat smaller meals, i'm not suffering any more acid reflux, but i do still get discomfort in my oesophagus (low down) , only buy doing more research on here and youtube and trial + error i'm feeling better but no havn't really cracked it yet, and i can't really afford any private health tests anyway.. fingers crossed eh + thanks 😁