EmergencyIan
Practically Family
- Messages
- 918
- Location
- New York, NY
So, a few months ago I began having trouble swallowing my food, etc. At first, it was occasional and then progressively got worse. I've had GERD or acid reflux for as long as I can recall...since I was a kid. Well, I ended up at the gastroenterologist and she felt that it was likely a stricture of my esophagus (that's where you esophagus begins to close-up. It's normal diameter is 20mm). A week later she performed an endoscopy where she found my esophagus was constricted to 7mm in diameter. She opened it as much as she safely could on that day and scheduled a repeat endoscopy the following week to dilate the esophagus further. The following week, she dilated it to 15mm and slightly below that she found a small tumor. It was biopsied with a result of extremely high grade dysplasia...it's just a step below cancer with cancer being imminent. As a result, I had a PET scan which is similar to a CAT scan, but it looks at the entire body for areas in your that light up. If any areas do light up, there is a suspicion that it may be cancer. Fortunately, in my case, the only area lit was the tumor area and it only lit up moderately or mid-range. Subsequently, I met with two surgeons and the surgery to remove the tumor was performed a week later. When I awoke, I had an incision in my neck and 5 small incisions in my abdomen along with a feeding tube, a catheter and a huge nasogastric tube hanging out of my nose. That's not to mention the IV's, heart monitors, oxygen, etc. I remained in the hospital for a week. Along with all that, a third of my esophagus and a portion of my stomach was removed in case it is cancer.
I do have a history of a genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis and needed a double lung transplant when I was 19, in 1993. I'm 43, now and have quite well since my transplant.
Unfortunately, when you have an organ transplant you're immune system needs to be suppressed in order to keep the new organ(s) from rejecting. As you probably know, your immune system also fights cancers from forming.
I probably will live through this situation. I'm two and half weeks post surgery and feeling a bit better each day, but still awaiting the completed biopsy results. I should have the feeding tube removed on the 11th of July and be cleared to resume a regular diet. The gastroenterologists and surgeons are in full agreement that this tumor and stricture formed as a result of GERD/Acid Reflux. I was taking Prilosec, but it just wasn't enough.
What I want to convey is that if you need acid reducing drugs such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Zantac or Pepcid, you NEED to take them. I know that some lawsuits have been filed in regard to kidney related issues after taking proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid. All of the doctors who I spoke with at Columbia Presbyterian said that there is no proof that these drugs cause ANY kidney issues or failure. They said that so much of the industrialized world's population takes these drugs that it's not possible to know. What they did say is that the esophagus was not made/created to have acid in it and that acid will eventually damage it, sometimes very seriously. If you need these drugs and are concerned with kidney function, just make sure you stay well hydrated, but protect your esophagus! You don't want to go through what I have.
All of my best,
Ian
I do have a history of a genetic disease called Cystic Fibrosis and needed a double lung transplant when I was 19, in 1993. I'm 43, now and have quite well since my transplant.
Unfortunately, when you have an organ transplant you're immune system needs to be suppressed in order to keep the new organ(s) from rejecting. As you probably know, your immune system also fights cancers from forming.
I probably will live through this situation. I'm two and half weeks post surgery and feeling a bit better each day, but still awaiting the completed biopsy results. I should have the feeding tube removed on the 11th of July and be cleared to resume a regular diet. The gastroenterologists and surgeons are in full agreement that this tumor and stricture formed as a result of GERD/Acid Reflux. I was taking Prilosec, but it just wasn't enough.
What I want to convey is that if you need acid reducing drugs such as Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Zantac or Pepcid, you NEED to take them. I know that some lawsuits have been filed in regard to kidney related issues after taking proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid. All of the doctors who I spoke with at Columbia Presbyterian said that there is no proof that these drugs cause ANY kidney issues or failure. They said that so much of the industrialized world's population takes these drugs that it's not possible to know. What they did say is that the esophagus was not made/created to have acid in it and that acid will eventually damage it, sometimes very seriously. If you need these drugs and are concerned with kidney function, just make sure you stay well hydrated, but protect your esophagus! You don't want to go through what I have.
All of my best,
Ian
