Acid Reflux Question.

[billybek]

I was at a friends stag two days ago.
First played hockey then a night out on the town. I did tilt back a few Coronas (I don't usually drink them) and vodka and waters.
Had a few pieces of pizza while out and wasn't drinking on an empty stomach.
That night I woke up with the worst case of acid reflux that I had ever had. Very painful. Calmed it down with some tums drank some water went back to bed.

The next morning I could hardly drink my morning coffee as it burned going down. Not in my throat but lower down. Really painful. Even eating was painful yesterday.

Is it possible that the acid damaged the esophagus and caused the burning sensation from swallowing (particularly hot liquid)?

A little better today. Not quite as painful having coffee and reading PPOT.

[recycled sixtie]

I am not a medical professional. Billy I think your body is telling you that what you ingested and how much you ingested was not acceptable. I would think that repeated episodes of this and subsequent acid reflux would not be good for your insides.

I get this occasionally when I have had a big meal and I lie down for a nap. I am awoken by the acid reflux .Not pleasant. Fortunately in my case I limit myself to two drinks as I get a hangover easily. I would think that repeated episodes of acid reflux could scar your insides. It is worth googling....

Cheers, Guy.

[billybek]

My cousin had just passed away from cancer of the esophagus. Non smoker, social drinker.
He started complaining of difficulty swallowing in December and was gone by the beginning of June.
Things that make you go hmmmmm.

I don't drink to excess very often but when I do, I regret it the next day...
I think it must have been what I ate cause everything I drank was good!

[RANDY P]

Ranitidine tablets are your friend.

Happens when you get older.

[crustychief]

Some pizza gets me, I think it is the salt and the tomato acid.

[billybek]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

Ranitidine tablets are your friend.

Happens when you get older.

If that's Zantac I bought some yesterday. I didn't want to have another nasty night like the one before.

I think you're right, Crusty.
Some of the crappy cheese they use on some pizza these days gets me as well as the excessive salt.

[island911]

Originally Posted by billybek

..
Is it possible that the acid damaged the esophagus and caused the burning sensation from swallowing (particularly hot liquid)? ...

Yes - even probable (btdt). I slow chewed Tums before bed for months, to help the healing. ...my thinking being that the Calcium would buffer any acid that might make it into the esophagus.

[wdfifteen]

Get an endoscopy. I wasn't having any reflux symptoms to speak of, but my doc recommended an endoscopy for another problem. The GI doc said I had erosion of the lower esophagus due to acid reflux and it can lead to cancer. I've been taking generic Prilosec (omeprazole) ever since. If your reflux problem is so bad you can feel it, you are in worse shape than I was.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by billybek

If that's Zantac I bought some yesterday. I didn't want to have another nasty night like the one before.

I think you're right, Crusty.
Some of the crappy cheese they use on some pizza these days gets me as well as the excessive salt.

That's the generic form. It's like $10 for a month's worth, taken before bedtime.

[OffCamber00]

I used to have iron stomach could eat/drink anything w/o any issues. Over last two years (am now 39) started having chronic heartburn. Got all the tests done but the result was just that I am now more sensitive to eating and drinking. I watch what i eat and don't drink to excess but I'm now on Prilosec 3x a week and have had no issues since.

[billybek]

I have to get in for a physical anyway so I will make sure I mention this to my doc.

I keep quartered tums next to the bed for those nights that I can feel a bit of heartburn or reflux. I just let them dissolve slowly and it seems to work.

[future]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Get an endoscopy. I wasn't having any reflux symptoms to speak of, but my doc recommended an endoscopy for another problem. The GI doc said I had erosion of the lower esophagus due to acid reflux and it can lead to cancer. I've been taking generic Prilosec (omeprazole) ever since. If your reflux problem is so bad you can feel it, you are in worse shape than I was.

^ This ... I went for a endoscopy about 3 months back after suffering the exact same symptons. The GI told me I had a Hiatus Hernia, google it. I am now taking PPI (proton pump inhibitors) as prescribed and not had a problem since. The endoscopy unfortunately is not pleasant though so opt for sedation over the throat spray ... I had both

[billybek]

Hopefully they don't use the same camera at both ends.....

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by billybek

Hopefully they don't use the same camera at both ends.....

Yeah, I was scheduled for both. I told the doc, I'm here, you're here, the camera is all set up, I'm sedated, why not do both ends? Just make sure you start at the top. He wasn't buyin' it.

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by billybek

My cousin had just passed away from cancer of the esophagus. Non smoker, social drinker.
He started complaining of difficulty swallowing in December and was gone by the beginning of June.
Things that make you go hmmmmm.

The beginnings of this just happened last week to a good friend of mine. 47 year old, active, in shape but had some acid reflux problems recently, finally got it checked and was told he has stage 3 cancer in his esophagus. Starting treatment next week. They gave him a 15% chance of recovery.

[billybek]

Originally Posted by rattlsnak

The beginnings of this just happened last week to a good friend of mine. 47 year old, active, in shape but had some acid reflux problems recently, finally got it checked and was told he has stage 3 cancer in his esophagus. Starting treatment next week. They gave him a 15% chance of recovery.

That sucks. It was amazing how quick it all happened for my cousin.
His appendix burst around the end of November last year. He started having difficulty swallowing in December. Was diagnosed with cancer and started treatment around the end of January. Died in the beginning of June.
Shocking to see an otherwise healthy man in his 40s go down so quickly.
Sorry to hear of your friends misfortune and I sincerely hope his treatment is successful.

[jonmossefin]

I am not a medical expert but It will go away only if the acid reflux is stopped with some acid regulators plus reduction of food/drinks that cause the acid to rise up through your esophagus (no lying down after eating, no heavy meals, no fatty food nor anything that triggers the heartburn).

[911_Dude]

Going to bed full does it to me every time. If I don't over eat I don't have a problem.

[Noah930]

If it was a one-time episode following a particularly adventurous night of debauchery, I don't think getting an upper endoscopy is the right first thing to do. There are risks (and costs) associated with the procedure that aren't justified by the history. Sure there are stories of asymptomatic esophageal cancers that make us all go wow, but there are reasons that we don't encourage screening upper endoscopes, like we do sigmoidoscopies/colonoscopies.

If you're having repeated incidents, that's a different story. If you've been taking over-the-counter meds or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), that's a different story. But for now, I'd simply wait and see, and mention it to your PCP at your next visit.

That's not to downplay the risk of esophageal cancer, which is on the rise. One thought is that acid reflux from the stomach gets by the muscle (lower esophageal sphincter-LES) that is supposed to close off the lower esophagus from the stomach, which then causes changes in the cells lining the lower esophagus. These changes (called Barrett's Esophagitis) don't necessarily constitute cancer, but are lined to higher rates of cancer. The esophagus is in the center of our chests, so if there's a cancer there, it can spread to other vital organs easily. And the esophagus has one less connective tissue layer than the rest of the GI tract, which also makes it a bit easier for any malignancy to spread. So don't ignore things if you're having recurrent problems. But if this was a single episode, you shouldn't necessarily be signing up for a 'scope, either.

[Gogar]

P.S. Zantac + moderate drinking is a no-no. If you're going to have a few drinks, use Pepcid (famotidine.)