'Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a digestive disorder that affects the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the ring of muscle between the esophagus and stomach. Many people, including pregnant women, suffer from heartburn or acid indigestion caused by GERD

How long you have GERD before it causes narrowing of esophagus?

Anyone know how long you have yo have GERD before it causes narrowing of esophagus? I’m dealing with food getting stuck at bottom of esophagus that will only go down with fluids. Terrified my esophagus is damaged and narrowed. Been dealing with reflux is over a year and been off meds since May. Any thoughts would be appreciated! TIA - Barbara N Jerry Schaffer.

gerd with esophagus

COMMENTS:

Linda Kaufman Schuknecht
I am not sure how long it takes. But have you had any tests done? If things dont improve with diet and lifestyle changes I will be getting an upper GI xray. That can show any thickening in the esophagus.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Yes I had an endoscopy and barium swallow last year when this started. They showed everything was normal at that time.

Aliza Kessler
Are you on any medication for Gerd?

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler not anymore I got off in May. Trying to fix it naturally.

Aliza Kessler
What are you doing naturally? Maybe you are having rebound effects?

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler DGL and Aloe. I’m still having reflux just not as bad.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer I didn’t want to spend my life on acid reducers. It’s a long story how this happened to me, but I can’t seem to fix it. Now I’m worried I have damage that won’t go away and feel like my life is over if I have to have my esophagus stretched yearly because of this.

Aliza Kessler
Zantac or pepcid isn't so bad. You may need to go on something. You can't live your life not eating anything and food getting stuck. I am on omeprazole and Zantac for now. I had a bad flare up where I would eat anything and get an asthma attack after eating. It was horrible. I lost about five pounds. Doctor increased my omeprazole for now until I see him in a few weeks.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler I was very sick on the acid reducers. I wasn’t absorbing nutrients and was weak... I lost 12lbs in three weeks. I took the acid reducers for 8/9 months and feel better now that I’m off of them from everywhere except my reflux.

Linda Kaufman
Schuknecht Barbara N Jerry Schaffer I have heard more people feeling worse and getting minimal relief from PPI's this will be my last resort if all alternative therapies fail, but we have to try and do it naturally because you are right there is consequences to taking these long term and that is we will not be absorbing nutrients like we are supposed to. THe fact that you are feeling better off of them is a big sign that your body was not doing well on them. I would try gavascon, and there are some other great alternative ideas. I am going to see an osteopath this week as I have heard great success stories with this.....finding the root and working from there is key.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht I’ll look into an osteopath. Never heard of one. I’m seeing a alternative medicine dr and his stuff has helped a little. I’m just really scared that my esophagus is narrowed because I have choked twice on food not going down in the past three weeks. Always feel a thick food stuck feeling in chest. I hate it!!!

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
This started because a dr thought I had GERD and then I didn’t so I stopped the ppi which caused massive rebound and I’ve never been the same. :(

Aliza Kessler
Barbara N Jerry Schaffer I hear what you are saying. I am scared to go natural because before being diagnosed with Gerd I would get an asthma attack after eating anything. It was really annoying. I couldn't eat anything for a while. I want to switch to Zantac eventually and maybe one day I can come off that too. I did barium swallow. Waiting for results. I had endoscopy in 2014 and it showed Gerd. What do you mean by doctor thought it was Gerd?

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler I had a feeling of a knot in my throat. He said it was LPR and put me on a strong dose of Prilosec eights days later I was so sick so they did an endoscopy and it showed no reflux at all!!! They said stop the meds immediately, I did and I had rebound from out of this world so they did a barium swallow and it was normal so they put me on Zantac twice daily and told me to stay that way. I felt better in May and got off and started natural remedies, but now I’m getting this awful food stuck in lower esophagus feeling and have felt like I was choking twice in a month. So now I’m worried being off Zantac and trying natural this past five months has damaged my esophagus causing narrowing. Which would ruin my life. I have very small children and want to cry from despair and frustration.

Aliza Kessler
Barbara N Jerry Schaffer that's so crazy. Which doctor did you go to, pcp or gi? How can they diagnose it wrong? Doesn't make sense. Maybe it's just a flare up and it will go away.

Related Post: Has anyone had esophagus surgery to help correct GERD?.

Linda Kaufman Schuknecht
Barbara N Jerry Schaffer...I got thinking....if they put you on a Ppi and didn't need to be.....maybe they messed up the ph and now you have low acid in the stomach, if food is feeling stuck it could be refluxing undigested? Just a thought.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht yes, my natural dr, has me eating beets to increase acid slowly and naturally but in the mean time I’m still having reflux symptoms and the damage to my esophagus continues, at least that’s my thought. That’s why I’m taking dgl and aloe to protect my lining but it’s only helping a little at this point. Till my ph is normal again. I’m lost.

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
I’m just wondering if anyone here has a narrowed esophagus and how it happened. Another barium swallow means more radiation which is not good either but I pray I never have to get another endoscopy cause mine was awful.

Aliza Kessler
Barbara N Jerry Schaffer were you put to sleep for the endoscopy? I was and I didn't feel anything

Linda Kaufman
Schuknecht Barbara N Jerry Schaffer the down fall of natural healing it doesn't happen over night....I sometimes drink slippery elm tea as it acts as a mucous and soothes the esophagus...to give you hope....I had a health issue last year....called interstitial cystitis the urologist wanted to put me on meds, but the side effects were not good so I did tons of research and I recovered in 8 months, by diet, pelvic floor physicology therapy and acupuncture.....just trust your body, if it gets worse definitely talk to the doctor, but know being on acid reducers long term opens the door to other issues down the road. ...xo

Linda Kaufman
Schuknecht Barbara N Jerry Schaffer I don't know if mine is narrowed or not as I have not had the tests to find out.....but I already told my doc I will do the barium X-ray over the endoscopy.....so don't blame you.

Aliza Kessler
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht I have that too and also was going to be put on medication by my pcp but the urologist said to take special vitamins instead. I did take them at one point but stopped because I didn't need it. I usually don't have any symptoms other than running to the bathroom quite often and it's not bothersome

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler yes, I was in awful pain for weeks after. :(

Linda Kaufman Schuknecht
Aliza Kessler when mine started I thought I had an infection because I went every 5 minutes...and the bladder burning was enough to put one to tears, but I still touched through it and believed if my body and I worked together we could conquer it.......I am hoping the same for gerd.

Aliza Kessler
Barbara N Jerry Schaffer wow.. I didn't feel anything. I was asleep

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht yes, it caused all this. :(

Aliza Kessler
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht when I had it I was going to the bathroom every ten minutes and kept a log to show the doctor and I did feel burning etc sometimes. I had a cystoscopy done and that showed interstitial cystitis. I had it done again a few years later which showed the same thing. I haven't had any problems lately. I think it acted up when I was stressed or something

Barbara N Jerry Schaffer
Aliza Kessler yes, I shouldn’t have had any discomfort but I did. :(

Linda Kaufman
Schuknecht Aliza Kessler....I feel that way with gerd, I find when I am stressed, or coming down with a cold/ flu...or pms...that is when it seems worse and I can get awful flares. I am trying very hard to de stress and eat lighter and healthier, shed a few pounds and seeing the osteopath hopefully can help. About two months ago I had no gerd symptoms not even the lump in throats feel, I thought I won the battle, but after getting a cold virus and taking ibuprofen for migraine headaches for 5 has, but me back into a terrible spasm and I have not fully recovered from that.

Aliza Kessler
Linda Kaufman Schuknecht I haven't had a problem with Gerd until about two weeks ago. It started with post nasal drip and then asthma attacks a few times a week. Then my Gerd started flaring up then I ended up with a bad cold which triggered my asthma. I lost about five pounds. My gi doctor increased omeprazole for now and told me to take Zantac once a day. My asthma was bad over the weekend so I took prednisone and it's working. My cold is slowly going away. I go back to the gi doctor next week. Hopefully I will have some answers.

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