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[Jules]

I don't know about the link between omeprazole and osteoporosis ?  Dr James le Fanu suggests having a break from omeprazole as the gut can become dependent which means it works less successfully.  Milk of Magnesia has helped too.  If I don't have treatment in the house and miss a few mornings, then I can feel heartburn lurking.

Let us know how you get on.

Yeh my GP told me but the gastrologist also told me after the endoscopy however he said they had to balance it up and it's more important to stop any further damage from acid as I've got cell change so its a daily dose forever. There are so many people I know who have indigestion medicine as a regular thing.

[CLKD]

As an aside: Marmite - when the Prisoners of War were rescued from the Camps in Japan as they went on board they were handed a packet of 5 cigarettes and a small bottle of 'marmite'.  Many had suffered food deprivation, contracted beri-beri and other nasties - 'marmite' helped to replace certain minerals/vitamens .  I love it on hot toast or in a mug of hot water as a drink: I do 'bovril' the latter too when not hungry.

There was a product called 'vegemite'  .........

[Jules]

I love marmite on toast.

Re the refl7x, I'd advise anybody with prolonged digestive problems to get checked.  Don't just self medicate. I've had mine for decades, had 3 or 4 gastroscopies over the time but then 13 years went by and this year I got a bout that wasn't settling. Quite a shock to hear I have disease and will need checking at intervals. I'd no idea acid could cause cell change. I'm constantly anxious about it now which probably makes it worse. So don't just keep swallowing antacids indefinitely.  I'm sure it's the plague of the modern lifestyle. Over indulgence, refined foods, alcohol etc. I stopped drinking the day I had my endoscopy.

[CLKD]

I woke in pain at 4.40 [dental treatment] and my brain was ruminating.

Two issues jumped up: the 1st, when I fell.  Aged 5/6.  In the village which had a long straight road through, each side was lined with houses/bungalow, a shop, a farm.  In 1 particular bungalow lived The Witch - the plot was surrounded by tall shrubs and tall trees  .  When I fell on a slippery kitchen floor having been told not to step on it Mum wrapped me in her only coat and dashed across to the Witch  .  Still here  .  I suppose that this lady in her mid-50s knew about healing ....... I can't remember what treatment if any was offered.

Jump to the early 1980s: in desperate need of getting help for a long-term problem I found an NHS GP who practised Chinese herbal medicine.  If I hadn't been so ill I would have found him fascinating.  His training here, then moving to China with a who had trained in London and was going 'home'; he listened, took a history, made up a concoction of something that I can't remember: I was with him until he mentioned that I wasn't to take peppermint tea or use toothpaste flavoured with spear mint  .  The whole morning cost £40.00 which was a lot of money in the 1980s.

I can't remember either what I did with the 'tea', I think it went onto the compost.  I hadn't throught of those issues for several years  .  Do your research and let us know how you get on.

[Ayesha]

If you are on long term PPI's its advisable to check out supplements that will protect you from side effects you might get, I haven't noticed any yet but I take supplements in the hope it protects me.

I find it annoying when people say about how bad it is to take these drugs but some of us have no choice. 

[CLKD]

And I haven't noticed any side effects after 5+ years of swallowing 1 capsule in the morning.  I do need to top up occasionally with Milk of Magnesia liquid in the evening.

[Jules]

If you are on long term PPI's its advisable to check out supplements that will protect you from side effects you might get, I haven't noticed any yet but I take supplements in the hope it protects me.

I find it annoying when people say about how bad it is to take these drugs but some of us have no choice.

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

[Penguin]

If you are on long term PPI's its advisable to check out supplements that will protect you from side effects you might get, I haven't noticed any yet but I take supplements in the hope it protects me.

I find it annoying when people say about how bad it is to take these drugs but some of us have no choice.

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

Can Barratts ever heal? I mean, once the cells change, with the right treatment and change in diet etc, can they regenerate/ go back to normal? Would be amazing if it turns out you haven't got it after all, wouldn't it!

[Jules]

If you are on long term PPI's its advisable to check out supplements that will protect you from side effects you might get, I haven't noticed any yet but I take supplements in the hope it protects me.

I find it annoying when people say about how bad it is to take these drugs but some of us have no choice.

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

Can Barratts ever heal? I mean, once the cells change, with the right treatment and change in diet etc, can they regenerate/ go back to normal? Would be amazing if it turns out you haven't got it after all, wouldn't it!

No. I was roused from sedation,  handed a sheet of photos of my insides, a list of stuff they found, the nurse just pointed down it and gave me a leaflet on Barratts. I opened it and just saw mentiins of cancer, I asked her if it can be cured, she said no, it's precancerous and left me. When i was upset, she offered to let me talk to the doctor whod done it. She wouldn't let my son listen with me even though the sedationhas an amnesiac effect, he had to sit just outside. The guy told me he'd not seen any cancer, if he was worried he'd have taken me in a separate roomm to talk. It was disgraceful.  The consultant I paid to see is on the quality panel and is feeding back. He apologised. I suspect I do have Barratts, maybe a less significant area than is normally expected but there's still change. Every time I get any digestive problems I panic that there's change. I'm sure panic doesn't help my digestive system 😏

[Penguin]

If you are on long term PPI's its advisable to check out supplements that will protect you from side effects you might get, I haven't noticed any yet but I take supplements in the hope it protects me.

I find it annoying when people say about how bad it is to take these drugs but some of us have no choice.

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

Can Barratts ever heal? I mean, once the cells change, with the right treatment and change in diet etc, can they regenerate/ go back to normal? Would be amazing if it turns out you haven't got it after all, wouldn't it!

No. I was roused from sedation,  handed a sheet of photos of my insides, a list of stuff they found, the nurse just pointed down it and gave me a leaflet on Barratts. I opened it and just saw mentiins of cancer, I asked her if it can be cured, she said no, it's precancerous and left me. When i was upset, she offered to let me talk to the doctor whod done it. She wouldn't let my son listen with me even though the sedationhas an amnesiac effect, he had to sit just outside. The guy told me he'd not seen any cancer, if he was worried he'd have taken me in a separate roomm to talk. It was disgraceful.  The consultant I paid to see is on the quality panel and is feeding back. He apologised. I suspect I do have Barratts, maybe a less significant area than is normally expected but there's still change. Every time I get any digestive problems I panic that there's change. I'm sure panic doesn't help my digestive system 😏

Gosh that was handled so bad, I am so sorry that happened, you must have been so worried. I worry about having any investigations under the NHS in case I am treated so dismissively like that. I've only had stuff checked privately and the consultant always comes amd talks directly with you afterwards, and before you leave you are given a clinic date for follow up. I know the NHS are short on resources and time, but you could have been handled a lot kinder xx

[CLKD]

I don't get the 'short of staff' excuses from the NHS - it seems that there is a complete lack of joined up thinking across all depts. these days  and patients either won't, or don't get the opportunity of speaking their worries enough!

[Jules]

Funnily the last time I had one, I was told they couldn't discuss findings till my relative arrived as I would forget after sedation.  Covid has changed stuff that they've now found is convenient, no relatives to deal with, time saved,  and they aren't switching back. Looking on the positive side biopsies found no evidence of cancer so at least I'm ahead of the game if I'm on a surveillance programme and I've stopped drinking which can only be a good thing.  It's just in my mind a lot. My son's are in their 30s, I see them popping gaviscon tabs. So many people whose digestive systems can't cope with the modern life. I'm in the minority so didn't want to scare anyone but just keep check on your symptoms and don't self medicate.

[Ayesha]

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

I take B12, D3, Zinc, Probiotics. Calcium is another supplement that is good but in my case I can't tolerate it.

I am astonished you paid for a gastric specialist and didn't get a proper diagnoses of anything and they expect you go back and pay again for what is an invasive procedure. I can't fault the treatment I've had at our NHS Endoscopy Department, no such faffing about just great treatment. But now not so easy to get appointments due to the aftermath of Covid and everything else affecting the NHS and I've noticed the surveillance programmes are falling behind.

[Jules]

What supplements do you take? I've no choice either.  I've an increased risk of cancer so need to control the acid.  I paid to see a gastric specialist and he's not sure I've got Barratts so he's repeating the endoscopy and biopsies.  So more waiting. It's been 9 months!

I take B12, D3, Zinc, Probiotics. Calcium is another supplement that is good but in my case I can't tolerate it.

I am astonished you paid for a gastric specialist and didn't get a proper diagnoses of anything and they expect you go back and pay again for what is an invasive procedure. I can't fault the treatment I've had at our NHS Endoscopy Department, no such faffing about just great treatment. But now not so easy to get appointments due to the aftermath of Covid and everything else affecting the NHS and I've noticed the surveillance programmes are falling behind.

It's the NHS diagnosis in question. I only paid to see a private gastric doctor afterwards as I'd had no explanation or advice. Told I needed regular endoscopies but nobody told me how and when. The private one is a professor of gastric medicine and I've seen him before so trust him, he's going to repeat the tests himself. The actual gastroscopy staff have always been good, apart from them starting the procedure when they'd forgotten to out a canola in for the sedative. It's the lack of support after that's the problem.  I'd have gone home with a leaflet and nothing more.  At least I'm getting a second opinion and will be certain and know the plan. Yes, I know someone who has annual endoscopies but now hasn't had one for 4 years due to covid, strikes and so on. 

[Ayesha]

Apologies for my misunderstanding, Jules
you were indeed given dreadful treatment at your NHS trust and it's so worrying how things are turning out with our health system.