Would you .......

It's obvious that a lot of us have done a lot of reading on this. As I've mentioned before, it's not in the drug companies interest to find a cure for this as the drugs they are prescribing are HUGE business. None of these drugs cure the problem, they only help to alleviate the symptoms for some people.
It is estimated that at any given time, at least a third of Americans are on these drugs.
As to the operation: the Dr who did my endoscopy said this should be the last resort. He told me ( and I have read this) you can't belch after this OP.
So therefore it sets up more probs with gas in the gut.
Is anyone getting breathlessness. I've never had this before?

I once listened to a radio phone in about alternative medicine and someone had been really knocked about by taking Chinese medicine, so I would never touch it myself. Which doesn't mean that I don't look at alternative approaches eg Ayurvedic medicine [which is really more diet based]. And would always tell my GP what I was taking [or not taking]. The assumption being that anything that is on our medical record is being taken. I'm very wary of Omeprazole though.

From cancer.org:

"People with GERD have a slightly higher risk of getting adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. This risk seems to be higher in people who have more frequent symptoms. But GERD is very common, and the vast majority of people who have it do not go on to develop esophageal cancer. "

Let's keep it in perspective.

I'm surprised that people are left to suffer for years - long term acid reflux is a serious risk factor for cancer of the oesophagus.

Forgot to answer the OP .... yes I would tell my GP, for the reasons that Luckygirl gives.

Yes, I think surgery is considered to be the very last resort.

From what I've read (probably on similar website articles/forums to jingl) it seems a lot of people suffer for years with LPR and GERD, and also that there is no 'one size fits all' solution. It seems to be trial and error...

I can only eat white bread these days. Wholemeal anything gives me stomach cramps. No more Shredded Wheat. Just porridge and the oatmeal-ed kind of white bread.

From what I've read on the internet (forums and suchlike) Nissen fundoplication doesn't always work. I think that's why doctors leave it as a very last consideration.

When I had some problems swallowing and felt I had a lump in my throat, my GP sent me for a gastroscopy which revealed a hiatus hernia. Still sometimes get those sensations, but at least I know what causes them.

I'm just wondering if any GP has discussed fundoplication procedure as a treatment.

Indiana you described the symptoms my mother had. Terrible to see someone pass out because they can't swallow. My mother had her oesophagus stretched yearly, one year three times in as many months because she couldn't swallow. i think the operations did more damage.

Not long after my mother died four years ago I was horrified to find I was starting to have problems swallowing when I was eating. I was also experiencing severe heartburn and indigestion at night. I found by chance bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) which is also used in gripe water immediately gives relief for heartburn. Cucumbers, celery, greens, ginger and other alkaline food will help prevent heartburn. Food such as milk, meat, white flour and sugar will cause it. You have to change what you are eating to prevent it.

I wish I knew then what I know now, I believe I could have helped my mother. It's a big regret for me.

Ranitidine made my symptoms much, much worse. My GP won't prescribe Omeprazole, only Lanoprezole, but it had no positive effect.

Indinana those choking episodes sound very frightening, I do sympathise. I sometimes have coughing and retching which is horrible...

Yes. There's the hoarseness as well. As anno says.

It's not the usual acid reflux (Gerd).This is silent reflux (laryngeal pharyngeal reflux). It's an aerosol kind of reflux. Makes your throat sore and your ears ache. Wrecks your taste buds. Not just heartburn. PPI's (omeprazole) doesn't help, but it's all the doctors have got.

It's a bugger.

That's what I've got anyway.

With so-called 'silent' (laryngo-pharyngeal) reflux, my voice was just getting worse and worse until my GP sent me to the ENT department where it was properly diagnosed. I could speak for only a limited time before I lost my voice. With Gaviscon Advance, Omeprazole and Ranitidine, I now have a voice. I have never been a very good singer, but now I have some notes in my range completely missing. If I try to sing up the scale, I miss out on 'soh', but can manage some very high notes. Just as well I get free prescriptions.

I too am on Omeprazole, but it really worries me taking it long term. I tried last year cutting it back to every three days, but after two or three weeks of this I began to get the horrendous choking episodes that had sent me scuttling to the doctor in the first place. They really are frightening, I can't get my breath, can't swallow - it really is desperately painful and alarming and the episodes can last up to 10 minutes. When these choking episodes first started, I tried drinking water but that made it much worse, because it felt as if my oesophagus was being strangled, so there was nowhere for the water to go - it was almost like I imagine drowning would be. After being sent for a barium swallow (horrid procedure) it transpired I have a sliding hiatus hernia. So I guess I have to live with it, and the only way it seems that I can cope is to take these awful acid blocking meds, which I really don't think are healthy, but what can I do? There seems to be nothing else - unless, of course, any Gransnetters know better...

I was plagued with acid reflux. but now have it controlled with an Omeprazole capsule every three days - iit was initially prescribed for daily use, but I found once in three days to do the job for now. It actually curtails the production of stomach acid.

My purchases of Gaviscon and Alka Seltzer have diminished from constant to almost never!

Presumably it's the stomach acid coming up into the throat that cause those Problems? I had a big problem with acid reflux last year, but eating smaller meals ( not that I was eating gigantic meals before) seemed to help a lot, and now I only get it now and again.

Sometimes I can't even do that!

Ana. My voice got so deep sometimes I thought of setting up a business making dirty telephone calls.lol. You have to laugh.

Teetime. I hear what your saying, but as I say, there's only so much you can say in 10 mins and my Dr is a one man band under exteme pressure.
Ana and Jingle. I have spoken to my Dr about what I've read concerning the drug companies high jacking this condition. It's HUGE business, and it's at the cost of the experts looking more closely as to what's going on.
My Dr agreed. In fact his exact words were: Don't you think I know that!!
And the more you look into these acid blockers the more you find out that they aren't very nice tabs.
All I do know is that since I've been on the Chinese gunk (that's what it looks like) I have felt 10 times better in myself.

The Gaviscon isn't cheap either - the stuff my GP prescribed (supposed to be the same thing but is actually a weaker version) doesn't work.

I'm finding Gaviscon Advance after every meal and at bedtime seems to be controlling it slightly, but I never know when I wake up in the morning whether I'll actually be able to speak or not as my latest symptoms are hoarseness and voice loss!

Is it from the Chinese medicine bloke? I thought about doing that too.

From what I've read online it's an acknowledged fact that the usual melds don't touch it.

It does start to attack your teeth.

I have the same symptoms, petra, including occasionally the teeth! And it's only one ear with me, but sometimes very painful. I don't know what brought it on and I've tried all the acid-blockers etc. my GP prescribed but they actually made it worse...