Barrett’s esophagus-friendly diet

@maxsproudmom I got worried early in the summer because I was very hoarse but I’m sure it was seasonal allergies because it did go away.
What you are feeling is totally normal. I think most fruit is ok, other than citrus, but I am no expert so I could be wrong. “Pop” is definitely acidic, and simply not good for you. Of course occasionally it won’t hurt. I have a Diet Pepsi a couple of times a year. No one told me that I shouldn’t eat red meat. We generally have it once a week. I believe oatmeal should be fine, and ice cream too, if you don’t have other issues like diabetes. A teaspoon of sugar sprinkled on your oatmeal should not be of ant harm I think, I don’t think sugar is acidic. Again, I could be wrong.
Have you seen a dietitian? Your doctor should refer you to one for at least one visit. They are generally very helpful and should know the answers to all of your questions. Get your doctor to refer you to one and make a list of questions that you need answered. As I said, I really cannot advise, I am just going on my own limited knowledge.
If there is some dispute about whether or not you have BE, it must be very mild at this point. Has a PPI, like omeprazole, been prescribed?
I admire your diligence in trying to do the right thing.
JK

I get it that you can't advise. Have you been dealing with this for a while? It just seems like I think about this stuff so much because your diet completely changes and I miss lying flat on my bed. Sliding down my mattress stinks. My kids worry because I have always been thin and now I don't know what to eat. I guess red meat digests slower or something. My first dr. had that as a no. I do take 20 mg of omeprazole twice per day. I know I loved pop but had not had it for a couple months before I treated myself when we went to Fl. over Christmas. Got a stomach ache so I guess my gut was not used to it anymore since I used to drink lots of pop and coffee too. Tons of spicy food and never knew. I would have never guessed I would have this. I only used antacids maybe once or twice a year. I try to ground myself sometimes when I get scared because I could have this and be undiagnosed. I Still confusing to have different opinions. My first dr. sent the letter for yearly endoscope but I may just continue with the university. I know oatmeal is supposed to be really good but I was kind of a sugar addict without diabetes. I know this as I had so many tests. Numerous CT scans and thankfully a colonoscopy as I did have precancerous polyps too.

I have Berrett's E, achalasia and esophageal spasms.. and diverticulosis. I had to have a gastric bypass to fix a stubborn paresophageal (sliding) hiatal hernia. I had to have another surgery after a few months to fix the damage of the 1% chance of my esophagus shortening during surgery, The damage was a lot... gastric feeding tube for over a year. Eating food again was difficult. It still is

Most of the time the acid now comes up as mucus for me. My doctor said it is stomach mucosa. Still not good for the esophagus.

I still suggest a food diary.. even though you do not have much symptoms. If you notice mucus when you do not normally have allergies and “is the mucus coming up or down?” That one is a hard one for me to tell. I have year round allergies. Keeping them under control is important. The mucus from it can irritate the esophagus as you can tell with your hoarseness. Notate these things in a diary.. hoarseness (and if allergy or no allergy at time of it), swallowing difficulty, mucus, nausea, and vomiting and also any pains in esophagus or stomach.

@maxsproudmom I’ve had BE since around 2012 I think.
My husband cut some boards and put them under the legs to raise the headboard of the bed, plus I usually use a wedge pillow under my regular pillow. I’m used to it now. I recently purchased a part down pillow that has made it much more comfortable. We stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn while visiting my daughter and I loved the pillow so much that I went to their online site and bought one. The price wasn’t as bad as many pillows that have down, I think it was around $55, and it has helped my sleep a lot, so very worth it.
Your history sounds a lot like my own but I was older than you when this all came to light - I was in my 60s. I’m surprised that you are taking two 20mg tabs a day, I only take one. That prescription is from a gastro? Mine started me on two a day for two months, always planning to reduce it to 20mg a day which he did.

@fourof5zs Good info. A food diary is probably good advice for anyone who has sporadic episodes of hoarseness or other symptoms. My hoarseness only occurs occasionally now but I generally have a record of what I have eaten because I track my food on MyFitnessPal.
I’m sorry to hear of all you have gone through with your “achalasia and esophageal spasms.. and diverticulosis”. I can’t imagine having a feeding tube for so long and that eating is still difficult. I hope over time that will improve.
JK

My gastro prescribed 2 20 mg per day. I am 53. I may have had for years who knows. What makes you think it was 2012? Did you develop symptoms back then? I keep wondering if I damaged my esophogus in my teens when I had an eating disorder. Bulimia.

I am sorry to hear about all you have gone through. I too have mucus sometimes. Usually with my throat clearing but not tons. I seem to have to clear my throat right after eating no matter what I eat. Right now it is a different color which leads me to think it is allergies. My dr. thought allergies years ago when she noticed I was going in every August. Probably the last 30 years. I can't tell if it is coming up or going down.

@maxsproudmom I am pretty sure it was around 2012 because I know which doctor I was going to then, and I did not go to her for long. She was terrible so I switched. I complained about hoarseness a number of times before she set up an endoscopy for me.

Of course I may have had a problem before that, that had not presented itself.
JK

I know it is sometimes hard to find a doctor that listens. My doctor is pretty good at listening to my concerns. She pushes me to get tests because I sometimes like to avoid because they scare me. I did ask for the endoscope though. But had it not been for her pushing I probably would have put off my colonoscopy and that would have been bad since I did have precancerous polyps. I just never thought I had acid reflux since I rarely had pain and I ate tons of spicy foods and lots of chocolate. I wish I would have known so that I could have taken antacids prior to the BE. I could go right to bed too after eating a bunch with no problem. Funny my partner always had to stay up for a while or else he got heartburn and I felt lucky not to. Wish I would have known then.

Hi,@graceandpeace, I am relatively new to all of this. I have been prescribed Prilosec. I am not a very good patient in the sense that I hate taking pills when I think there might be side effects.

I keep hearing that Prilosec should be taken in certain circumstances, to prevent BE. And then I see where people are struggling to get off Prilosec.

So, I am on the fence. I would be interested in hearing all of your experiences. I would like to take of of your situations into consideration.

I will read with anticipation all of the posts regarding this.

Thank you!

Mamacita Jane

Hi @maxsproudmom! I am sorry that I wasn't able to reply sooner, but things have been busy over here! Anyhow, I'm sorry to hear about your anxiety over BE; you did the right thing in trying to connect with others like ourselves, so that hopefully together we can help one another in different little ways. Plus, it's so important that you not feel like you are alone in this because you are not. I shared before that my BE is not really a problem for me ever since I started the IC Diet (you can find it if you Google ICN Food List) off of the IC Network. It's basically a Low/No Acid diet with 3 different categories of food that say "Foods to Avoid", "Foods that are Worth Trying" and "Foods that Are Friendly". Because of the extreme restrictions, especially in regards to fruits, I am also taking a special Low Acid Multivitamin that I also purchase from the IC Network. This diet restriction alone, I believe, has knocked out most (if not all) of my acid issues with BE. I also have been diagnosed with IBS (both C and D), so I am also on the Low FODMAP diet. You were asking before about safe foods with carbs - I don't know if you have other health issues or not, but I pretty much live off of Mrs Baird's White bread toast in the mornings with a little bit of Land o Lakes tub butter With Canola Oil, and sometimes sprinkle Organic Cinnamon on it, and maybe a pinch of Swerve (a healthier sugar replacement that's also safe for my IBS). Then I sometimes have a sandwich with a bit of mayo, Deli Ham that does not contain HFS and is Gluten Free, and one slice of White American Cheese (also fresh from the deli) with either 2 cups of popcorn (Homemade, or Oville Redenbaucher's Natural Lightly Salted, No butter), or a small amount of plain potato chips or corn chips, and then for dinner I have a baked potato with a few safe cooked veggies, or I'll have fish and homemade rice, or chicken and homemade rice. For dessert I have 2 small squares of dark chocolate. I do this just about every day. So, pretty much everything I eat is carbs. My dr wanted me to either gain weight too or not lose anymore. I weighed 92 pounds, but now weigh 95. Also, you mentioned watermelon making you throw up; I wonder if it has anything to do with the high amount of fructose that it contains? But, if so, maybe your body cannot process/digest high amounts of fructose - I don't know. And, one last thing I was going to mention to you about the acid, is you can always try the 28-day book that I mentioned earlier in this thread to @riflemanz64. I know the hoarseness can definitely be caused by BE, however, I think maybe it was you that also mentioned the possibility of allergies. Also, that can be thyroid related as well; have you had your thyroid checked? Sorry, I know this was a lot; maybe more than you cared to know, but I hope it can be helpful even if in a very small way.