Barrett’s esophagus

@t98 - I have GERD due to a hiatal hernia and have to be on Lansoprazole (generic Prevacid) to prevent Barrett’s Esophagus. Doctors avoid doing hiatal hernia repair unless there is no other option because the repair can cause more problems than it is worth. PPIs are, unfortunately, a necessary evil for me because even an acid reducing diet is not as effective as the PPI I take at bedtime.

I went the Gaviscon, Tums, Zantac route before I settled on a PPI.

@wmbcat

Low acid, low fat, low sugar .. eat smaller meals (soft cooked foods & tender meats are easier to swallow and to digest) & increase how often you eat to 5-6 meals.. keep a journal to help figure out what worsen your symptoms. If you eat a bigger meal eat it midday.

Can you take Pepcid AC? I was told to take it before bed. .. I take it a half hour or an hour before.

I also found that very hot or very colds food & drinks cause me esophagus pain. So I never have ice in my drinks and do not eat frozen desserts like ice cream. Refrigerator things like pudding, cottage cheese and drinks I can do refrigerator cold. Hot drinks need to be just past lukewarm.

ZeeGee

I take it too, but first thing in the morning an hour before eating

So do you drink decaf green tea? Any sweetener? I heard we could use manuka honey

It also worked for me. No sign of Barrett's on my recent endoscopy. Also cut out citrus products, raw garlic and onion. "The Low Acid Watcher Diet" by Dr. Jonathan Aviv recommends substituting Celtic salt and Bragg Liquid Aminos (for soy sauce), both available at Whole Foods. Good luck!

I was diagnosed with Barret's back in 1987. every year since I have had endoscopes and biopsies taken and it has remained stable.

Are you on medication for it? How strictly do you follow a low acid diet? Never having coffee is a killer for me!

I have learned over the years that acidic food is just not worth it for me. for a while I could handle Taster's Choice instant coffee but haven't had that in many years. In place of the coffee, I take a couple of "Jet Alert" every morning they are OTC caffeine pills sold at wallmart. I have been on almost everything since the 80's and usually when a patent seems to run out on one, another acid reducer comes on the market. What has worked best for me since 1996 is Prilosec, which is now OTC, so insurance won't cover it, but I take it twice a day, morning and bedtime. A Dr. recently recommended that I switch to pepcid at bedtime but it didn't work for me and I would wake up at night with reflux again. I have lots of erosion on my teeth from so much reflux and vomiting stomach acid. Check with your doctor though because I've read that long term Prilosec can have some side effects. But these past 26 years are the first that I can sometimes sleep through the night and not in a chair. I still need to watch what and when I eat though, nothing really after about 3pm unless it's something soft, ie, ramen or other soup . I often supplement with a liquid protein drink if I don't eat early enough.

Taking caffeine pills doesn't really make sense. As far as i know, the problem with coffee is the caffeine, which loosens the sphincter (LES), such that acid can leak into your esophagus. So, I suggest trying to wean off those caffeine pills, and maybe try decaffeinated coffee which has only a small amount of caffeine.

Thanks for your detailed reply. When my ENT doctor suggested I go on Prilosec (my symptom was hoarseness), I didn't because of fear of long term effects, most notably, dementia. If I had listened to him, perhaps my condition wouldn't have progressed to full blown Barrett's. Now I'm on 40 mg. pantaprazole daily. By taking Prilosec (omeprazole) 2X daily, you're taking the same 40 mg., which is available by prescription and should be covered by your health insurance. You might want to check into that.
I also ordered a full body wedge for my bed from Amazon. It's a foam wedge that goes under a mattress. One doctor told me it's really important to sleep with a wedge to help prevent reflux when you're sleeping. All the articles I've read say that pillows are not enough. I don't know how helpful it is, but my reflux when I sleep isn't very bad. In fact, I'm not very symptomatic at all, and since being on a low acid diet, my hoarseness has greatly lessened, and my most recent endoscopy, one year later, showed no sign of Barrett's Esophagus. I do try to finish eating 3 hours before bedtime, and my internist recommends intermittent fasting, which another expert called the latest fad!
My Bible for a GERD diet is Dr. Jonathan Aviv's book, "The Low Acid Diet." He's recently come out with a cookbook as well. Still, there's no caffeine, ergo no coffee, in his books!