Barrett's Esophagus & Celiac

[mbr22m]

Hi all,

I was recently diagnosed with barrett's esophagus. I'm wondering if anyone out there has this and celiac that can calm my nerves? Everytime I've googled it, cancer comes up and I'm having panic attacks. . I've been gluten free for several years after a celiac diagnosis. I'm also lactose, soy, corn free. I'm so surprised by this new diagnosis as I rarely have reflux or heartburn.

[Renaye]

My previous GI doctor thought I had this but the biopsies came back negative.  He wanted me to have an upper gi every year to watch it.  Now he is not practicing in my state any longer and went to a new doctor. He said there was no need to scope me every year if it came back negative but he is scoping me every 2 years.  So I am wondering who is right.  If you are being seen by a GI doctor and are taking something for reflux then you are doing all you can do to stay healthy.  Sometimes people have "silent reflux" and don't have any symptoms.  I would also suggest elevating your head at night and keeping a low fat and low spicy diet.  Going gluten free did not help my reflux. Hope this helps.   

[mbr22m]

Thanks for responding. I just started seeing this GI. My other GI diagnosed me with gastritis and hiatal hernia. I'm waiting on biopsies from New doc but he told me I must take PPI, which oddly enough make me feel worse. He's also testing for h pylori and addtl food allergies We don't eat a lot of spicy food; mostly fish, chicken, steamed veggies. I'm hoping everything will be ok now that I'm taking PPI.

[cap6]

My partner, who has been "sort" of gluten free (at home but not when she was out) was just diagnosed with this and I too freaked when I read about it. She is now 100% gluten free, which I might add, has not helped with the bad reflux. She is also dairy free. She had a scope in Feb and is scheduled for a re-check in May so we shall see. The info I find is sort of confusing on this disease

[JodyM75]

Hi all,

I was recently diagnosed with barrett's esophagus. I'm wondering if anyone out there has this and celiac that can calm my nerves? Everytime I've googled it, cancer comes up and I'm having panic attacks. . I've been gluten free for several years after a celiac diagnosis. I'm also lactose, soy, corn free. I'm so surprised by this new diagnosis as I rarely have reflux or heartburn.

Yes, they work hard to make it very scary.  Let's be clear here, though.  According to the National Institute of Health, about 1.5-7 people out of one hundred have Barrett's Esophagus, and the risk of them getting Esophageal cancer is .5%.  That's it.  That's pretty low.

 

If your diagnoses was just visual it does not count.  You can only get diagnosed via biopsy.  My previous GI diagnosed me with Barrett's without a biopsy, and when I found out that was a no-no, I switched doctors, got the biopsy and it came back negative.  For several years my mother was terrified about the cancer risk for no reason.

 

Keep in mind....a lot of this is the PPI and H2 drug manufacturer's pushing the fear....

 

I have had a hiatal hernia since I was 17 with really bad reflux if left untreated (I do take a PPI, but am weaning off because I don't want the eventual side effects).  I went unmedicated for 9 years.  Total, I've had this problem for 23 years and I'm frankly surprised I DON'T have Barrett's.  Going off gluten didn't help me, either.

[mbr22m]

I have a hiatal hernia as well and I think the reflux is a result of that rather than too much acid. I've tried 3 different PPIs and they all make me feel awful (everything from really sore muscles to jaw and throat pain, to extreme dizziness and feeling of fullness after eating only couple bites of food). I'm on Nexium now and that isn't as bad for me as protonix or omeprazole. I'm starting to wean off now because they're just making me feel much worse, not better. I've been trying to manage it through diet and portion control now. Also Taking aloe, honey and DGL. Hopefully that will help. Thanks for responding

[JodyM75]

Yes, lifestyle changes helped me a lot.  Not eating big meals after 7:30...not drinking a lot of water or having a lot of soup all at the same time...I think those are my biggest two.  Oh, and I'm 40lb down from my heaviest, that helps.

 

I have recently had good luck with heartburn control using - don't laugh - an essential oil blend doTERRA produces called DigestZen.  I wasn't expecting much, but two drops in water, drink it down, the heartburn was gone in less than 5 seconds and didn't come back that day.  I used up the sample my friend gave me and bought the whole 15ml bottle.  I'm very surprised.

[mbr22m]

thanks, I will have to check the digestzen out. I take digestive enzymes and those help some, especially the Enzymedica brand.

[gilligan]

I was diagnosed with Barrett's by endoscopy and was given a script for a ppi.  It took trials to find one that didn't make me sick, and I didn't have any reflux symptoms, either.  A year after being gluten free, I was told that if I had it, it was minimal.  A year later, another endoscope, and I was told that there wasn't any evidence of it.  

 

I was told the same as an earlier poster - it puts you at a higher risk for esophageal cancer, but the chance of actually getting it is very small.  

[Celiacandme]

My reflux was silent, too. I was diagnosed with Barrett's at the same time I was diagnosed with celiac disease. In November 2013. You mentioned you were waiting on biopsies - did those results come in yet?

[frieze]

anyone with a hiatal hernia should elevate that HOB not just your head, ie not extra pillows.  a brick or 2x4 under the legs at the head of the bed should do it.

[mbr22m]

I finally got my biopsy results back. My doctor kept rescheduling my appointment.. He said the biopsies came back negative for barrett's, but I have hiatal hernia, gastritis and esophagitis. On the report he gave me after endoscopy, it says 'irregular SC junction indicates barrett's esophagus'. I only have to take ppis for 4-6 weeks. I bought a wedge pillow too and that helped. I really would like to manage this without the ppis. I find Gaviscon helps with the throat irritation, which I thought was allergy related all this time.