Would you .......

. Our surgery has closed it's lists to new patients now.

It would be great to chat to a doctor.......about anything. On one occasion I was told I was number 32 in the waiting que. Still waiting

There's a good you tube vid that explains it. Will put it on after 1 o'clock when I can get on big puter again. Can't find it with iPad.

That's what started me off on the other exercises route.

No jess. It's like in your book.

I agree petra that you should tell all doctors if you are on any other medications.
I would not personally touch Chinese medicine with a barge pole. There is no effective regulation on ingredients - are they safe? are they contaminated? do they work?
Chinese friends say "if we feel we need a tonic we take Chinese medicine but if there we have any significant symptoms we go straight to a western doctor"

"bellows breathing" ? Jingle - does that involve your ribs going in and out?

Jings as I said earlier at 07.08 I'm not a sufferer.

However at the ripe old age of 61 I'm still a practising Registered Nurse. I would hope never to be accused of just Googling info and throwing it into a conversation where members are discussing a particular problem.

I only ever post on Health matters if I think that I have something to contribute.

Elegran as for statistics and odds - I presume that Cancer Research UK consider the odds to be significant for them to mention it on their website.

(Sorry, Riverwalk and Elegran, I know you meant to be helpful )

I've been doing the breathing exercises too, but haven't noticed any improvement since starting (must be months ago now...)

I am actually doing "bellows breathing" as I post. (Well, it might work)

Same here Ana. The thought of a flippin' endoscopy alone scares the socks off of me.

I'm thinking of trying tongue rolling with coconut oil. (Yes, that's how desperate I am!) Want a to get rid of this horrible taste and the white tongue.

Actually, I want to be able to enjoy the odd mince pie without the taste being completely ruined.

There are lots of things that have a good chance of killing you if you get them. Not knowing of their existence doesn't protect you fromthem - in fact it can make you more likely to put off getting advice because you don't realise the danger. Knowing the likelihood of your symptoms being possibly caused by the big C, and the likelihoodof them being something innocent can stop people either getting paranoid or being fatally ignorant.

PS petra, no, I haven't suffered from shortness of breath (yet, anyway!)

I do not want to know that after possibly years of trying to cope with this awful condition I'm likely to die of oesophagal cancer anyway! Nor do I wish to know what the chances are, percentage-wise...

Can we please concentrate on helping each other try to find solutions to at least alleviate the worst of the symptoms? I doubt I'd ever go down the surgery route.

Oh sod. I didn't actually m an to post that.

Do you suffer from LPR (silent reflux) Riverwalk? Or did your info come from a quick google?

How can that be helpful when there is no bloody cure anyway?!

Whenever I see "five times the risk of . . " I wonder what the risk normally is. If it is one chance in ten, then five times that would be five in ten, which is 50% - very scary, it would mean half could get it.

If it is one chance in ten thousand, then the risk would be five in ten thousand - which is 0.05% - which would mean one in 2,000, better odds!

And if the original chance is one in a million, then the risk would go down a long way. One of you mathematicians out there can have the pleasure of working it out exactly.

What is the risk in the general population of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus? For smokers v non-smokers?

Well let's leave everyone in blissful ignorance.

I don't think it was insensitive - just pointing out what I think would be helpful information.

Fundoplication is carried out as a last resort for the very reason that long term acid reflux can lead to cancer of the oesophagus. They wouldn't perform such a procedure to ease a bit of heartburn and indigestion.

petra, I don't exactly have breathlessness with mine, but perhaps you could try the breathing into the abdomen thing. It does give you a nice deep breath which is refreshing in itself.

Riverwalk - perhaps not a very sensitive thing to put on a thread like this. That's all. What is the point in frightening the Bejeezuz (sp?!) out of anyone reading this?

Anya that is the one thing that could convince me about the low/no carbs diet.

And I thought I was strange when I sometimes get toothache during the night which is alleviated by a peppermint indigestion tablet ! Thankfully it is only occasionally and I don't get much of the burning, just the toothache.

I can honestly add that since I cut down on carbs and cut out completely fruit juices and anything containing wheat my acid reflux has completely gone.

I have had problems with a suspected hiatus hernia for about a year but I have changed my diet considerably and prop myself up at night . I haven't needed Omeprozole for a while.

jings we can exchange internet articles until the cows come home. I'm not a sufferer but was just concerned for people who have long term acid reflux and so asked about fundoplication.

According to CRUK

People who have symptoms of acid reflux every week or more have around 5 times the risk of adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus

cancer research uk

I am hanging my hopes on diaphragm exercises. belly breathing as here

I am a great believer in trying to help your own body by physical means if at all possible.

I do not believe there is any danger in taking 20 mgs a day of omeprazole. The main side effect seems to be weakening of bones. Well, keeping active should help that.