Reflux

i started protein shakes 3 days ago....only in am...one glass...having refux...really bad atnight. have supper at 6pm...go to bed raised on pillows at 10pm...wake 3 hrs with horrible relfux....

can anyone help me please...really need to talk to someone..had ivor lewis ,,june 5 .08

i thought this reflux was going to a thing of the past!

can i elevate my bed under the mattress???

You are not that far out of surgery, so it will probably get better. Husband had small amount of reflux problem after surgery, but not too bad. Had another surgery at Christmas a refux problem emerged again and it took a while longer to stop this time. He slept mostly upright in recliner till it settled enough for him to come back to our bed. We raised the headboard by about six inches with blocks under the legs and the gravity helps keep the acid down. Many small meals help too. You are going to have to retrain your body...it has been less than one month from MAJOR surgery and your digestive tract has been reworked, so try to be patient and maybe keep diary of food. You might identify certain culprits that you just can;t digest yet. My husband has a few that can still cause problems even after being 2+ years from Ivor-Lewis.

Sometime after the surgery, we added domperidone at bedtime (similar to Reglan which he reacted to), and the reflux problem became pretty much a thing of the past. We feed him frequently and never too much, and get up between 4 and 5 am (occasionally earlier) to make Cream of Wheat, then he goes back to sleep in his recliner, so he sleeps in bed part of the night. Trying to sleep in bed too long led to distress with his stomach, so it's a pain but makes a huge difference in his quality of life. Guess that's part of what we mean when we say the "new normal". Good luck with it. It really does get better.

 

THANKS U SO MUCH!

Are you on any acid blocking meds?  You should be on Renitidine or Omeprazole, Prilosec or something like that.  I take 2- 20mg omeprazone in the morning and 2 again at bedtime. 

Your surgery is very recent so peristalasis probably has not really begun yet.  The muscles will recover and you will be able to keep things down better in a few months.  Yes, elevate your bed and get a wedge.  You can order from JC Penney or purchase at a medical supply house.  I recommend the 12 ".

I slept in a recliner at about  40 degrees.  It took almost a year before I graduated to a 12" wedge in my bed and our bed was up on 2" bricks at the top.  The acid really burns, tastes terrible, and is very annoying.  My surgeon told me the biggest danger is aspirating stomach contents into the lungs.  I did that once. 

In our family, we found milk products produce acid.  Try using lactaid or cutting out milk for a while and using soy.   Although it is very troublesome, don't let it get you down.  You will gradually find the foods to avoid, foods that do help and once the peristalasis kicks in the acid will not come up as much.  This may sound crazy, but I found that a small amount of banana or peach before retiring helped.  Saltine crackers will also absorb the acid and I keep Rolaids Multi-Symptom pills on the nightstand.  Even now, 4 years out, I have bouts of GERD now and then, but not enough to be upset about.  My doctor gave me a GERD Diet, but I don't follow it. Best wishes as you recover, I'll be praying for you.

 

yes , i am taking prilosec. one at am and one pm.....am on lactaid milk.who follows you? cancer md??or g.i.md????

In our case the gastroenterologist who came up with dx via endoscopy does the follow up for gastro symptoms. Oncologist keeps tabs on cancer follow ups (bloodwork, CT's, monthly follow up visits for port flush/infusion staff and every 3 months with oncologist when NED). Gastroenterologist prescribes daily protonix, and nightly domperidone since that's his specialty for treatment. PCP also keeps her hand in it all by seeing him every 3-6 months depending on where we are in treatment. He sees gastroenterologist every 6 months to a year, also depending on how the gastric symptoms are. He likes to do endoscopy annually, but we have had to delay it twice due to recurrence. He prefers not to go in while we are treating (might feel differently if there were symptoms indicating scope). Also followed up with surgeon several times after surgery, and she saw him fairly regularly during the first year post op also, and stayed in touch with oncologist. Follow up has been very regular from everyone involved.

 

On 7/5/2008 tongrenhealer wrote:

In our case the gastroenterologist who came up with dx via endoscopy does the follow up for gastro symptoms. Oncologist keeps tabs on cancer follow ups (bloodwork, CT's, monthly follow up visits for port flush/infusion staff and every 3 months with oncologist when NED). Gastroenterologist prescribes daily protonix, and nightly domperidone since that's his specialty for treatment. PCP also keeps her hand in it all by seeing him every 3-6 months depending on where we are in treatment. He sees gastroenterologist every 6 months to a year, also depending on how the gastric symptoms are. He likes to do endoscopy annually, but we have had to delay it twice due to recurrence. He prefers not to go in while we are treating (might feel differently if there were symptoms indicating scope). Also followed up with surgeon several times after surgery, and she saw him fairly regularly during the first year post op also, and stayed in touch with oncologist. Follow up has been very regular from everyone involved.

what time of day do u take your last prilosec??

i slept in recliner last night and had no reflux.

did u take any protein supplements at first?....how much wt did u loose???i am down 18 lbs atthis timeand the surgeeon told me to start protein powder.....it fills me up..i have to kind of force myself to eat after...drinking them....

do u mind me asking your age?did u have an actual tumor?..i did not..hve not seen an oncologist..my g.i. guys...told me to call one!?to follow up with him!!oncology that is....

i find it a little unnerving that my sugeeon..handed me off to the gasto enterologist and now he is handing me over to oncology...my surgeon ..told me 2 days before that that i didnt need to see oncology.....leaving me in a bit of a bind...dont know who to talk to from here?....think i should go back and talk to the surgeon....My g.i. Dr. is overworked.....nd has no time.....that is a "little" frightening....i think..i would get more support from the oncology dept....too soon to be on my own...i think!!....any suggestions appreciated.

thanks again

 

k!!!!.

I see my oncologist and thoraic surgeon every 6 months.  I still have to have a PET/CT scan every 6 months.  My Radiologist sees me yearly.  One of the biggest supports I have is my family doctor.  He came from China and while in China he performed over 500 EC surgeries.  When he came to the US he went into Family Practice and the Good Lord had him in our local doctor's office.

My surgeon is the one who prescribes my omeprazole, but the family doctor is the one I run to with all sorts of things.  He told me EC is very common in China (they don't know why) but recovery is also high.  He said receovery is a slow progression.  He also suggested I discontinue all milk products for a couple of months and then I added them back very slowly along with using Lactaid.  Now I have no problems with cheese or yogurt.  Ice cream and big glasses of milk still make me have lots of acid.

Could you ask your doctor to increase the Prilosec?  In the early stages of my recovery my surgeon suggested using Amphogel.  It is difficult to find and must be ordered by the pharmacy, but it does give some extra acid reduction without producing diahrreah or constipation.  I used that in the beginning too.

Sorry you are having trouble.  It is a difficult thing to get used to.  I was fortunate to have several people who had this surgery to consult along with my Chinese doctor.  It has been 4 years, but on rare occasions I still vomit gastric acid. 

I just read your other question.  I am 62 and was diagnosed at 58.  I take my omeprazole generic for (prilosec) around 9 PM.  I believe you are in good hands with your gastro man.  I don't have a gastro doctor, just my family doctor for everyday type things, but he is great.  Glad the recliner worked.  Did I tell you I was in my recliner to sleep for over a year?  Actually, closer to 2.    Give yourself time.  It will get better. 

The caregiver is giving you good advice.  The diary is an excellent tool and I kept a food diary for about 8 months. Also, small frequent meals for now.   Don't worry about the weight loss.  I thought I would never gain weight and never get the feeding tube out, but alas.....now I am concerned about "overweight".  I am back to 3 square meals a day and nibbling on crackers in the middle of the night. 

 

On 7/5/2008 doingfine wrote:

I just read your other question.  I am 62 and was diagnosed at 58.  I take my omeprazole generic for (prilosec) around 9 PM.  I believe you are in good hands with your gastro man.  I don't have a gastro doctor, just my family doctor for everyday type things, but he is great.  Glad the recliner worked.  Did I tell you I was in my recliner to sleep for over a year?  Actually, closer to 2.    Give yourself time.  It will get better. 

The caregiver is giving you good advice.  The diary is an excellent tool and I kept a food diary for about 8 months. Also, small frequent meals for now.   Don't worry about the weight loss.  I thought I would never gain weight and never get the feeding tube out, but alas.....now I am concerned about "overweight".  I am back to 3 square meals a day and nibbling on crackers in the middle of the night. 

3 sqares a day??can u eatmeat at all????we havent seen our family pract. yet.....so much to do last week.....

how long did u takr the supplemental drinks??feeding tube was out the day i was discharged......now afraid of constipation...last week was diarrhea...after i stopped reg milk..........am on lactaid milk now...trying to get eggnogs and muilkshakes in for energy!!

also...do u take a multivitamin..???