Hi Carol
They have given you Lansoprozole to stop the acid being reduced by your stomach which can cause stomach ulcers, acid reflux and heartburn.
If after a few weeks there is still heartburn and upper abdominal pain (often pain can radiate into the upper back) then they will need to do a endoscopy to see what's going on. AS Droopydrawers has said, they should have tested you for the bacteria hyplori as this can cause stomach ulcers adn requires antibiotic treatment with this PPI.
Taking PPIs like Lansoprozoel long term really not good, as it effects the absorption of food, can cause diarrhoea, osteoporosis and other complications. I developed diverticulitis because of PPIs.
What the doctors don't tell you is that you can help yourself with heartburn and acid reflux with simple diet changes and just using over the counter heartburn medication like Gaviscon. It is vital to cut down on fat and difficult to digest foods, eat small meals and eat slowly (literally eat half portions and only 2 courses) but eat regularly through the day. Strangely eating an oat biscuit before bed, followed by chewing 2 Gaviscon tablets, can line the stomach to reduce burning when trying to get to sleep.
The problem with PPIs is that they do reduce the natural digestive enzymes so you are probably not digesting well - this can cause stomach pain, excess wind and bloating. When you stop PPIs there can be a rebound reaction which causes more excess acid for a time but this should settle. I now take digestive enzymes with every meal as I feel most of my problems were down to a lack of these enzymes - I was taking too many pain killers as well which wasn't good, so I don't take these any more and I now rarely get acid reflux and burning.
If you have to take Aspirin or Ibuprofen for some reason then taking a PPI for a short time is OK but in my experience these drugs are not a good thing. Try to change lifestyle first before resorting to drugs. If you are on HRT, then switch to transdermal HRT. I'm pretty sure that PPIs might interfere with the absorption of HRT in pill form.
Eating smaller meals, low in sugar and fat and going for good brisk walks is a great way to keep the weight under control as well. DG x
DG x