Barrett’s esophagus

Posted by jvanstratten @jvanstratten, Mar 22, 2018

Looking for info and help with Barret’s esophagus. I can’t figure out just how serious this is. I have read way too much online! I don’t really know how strict my diet really has to be. It is really stressful-. Does anyone here have it? And exactly how serious is it?

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@kanaazpereira

Hi all,

I think most of us would do without meds if given the option, but sometimes they are necessary. You might be interested in going through some of these recently published studies and clinical findings. New research shows no direct correlation between the use of PPIs and cognitive or mental decline.

– Setting the record straight: PPIs do not cause Dementia (Association Between Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and Cognitive Function in Women) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508517359103?via%3Dihub
– New Study Disputes Claim That Heartburn Meds Raise Dementia Risk (Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.14956
– Proton Pump Inhibitors and Dementia: Physiopathological Mechanisms and Clinical Consequences https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5883984/

Researchers also found those who used PPIs were at a lower risk of a decline in cognitive skills. A large 2016 German study concluded that people taking PPIs (and statins) had a lower chance of dementia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26744954

However, it is important to note that some possible cognitive effects of PPIs can be due to drug interactions, especially in elderly patients. Those who used PPIs were also more likely to use anticholinergic medicines – medications used to treat incontinence, depression and sleep problems and include diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – that have been linked to thinking difficulties. For instance,
– omeprazole may increase blood levels of diazepam https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671798/
– an FDA study has shown that some adverse events with PPIs could be associated with benzodiazepine drug interactions http://bit.ly/2KyiHID

I hope this helps.

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At Mayo it was prescribed that I take a Mirtazapine 15 mg.. to help me think that I wanted to eat more... I had lost 50 pounds at the low point and now have gained back 25 of that.. It has an added benefit.. as it is an antidepressant .. As I recall there was a Univ of AZ Medical study that found that those taking anti inflammatory arthritic pain relievers like "Alleve" OTC did not have so much dementia...but again correlation is not causation ...

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@kanaazpereira

Hi all,

I think most of us would do without meds if given the option, but sometimes they are necessary. You might be interested in going through some of these recently published studies and clinical findings. New research shows no direct correlation between the use of PPIs and cognitive or mental decline.

– Setting the record straight: PPIs do not cause Dementia (Association Between Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and Cognitive Function in Women) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016508517359103?via%3Dihub
– New Study Disputes Claim That Heartburn Meds Raise Dementia Risk (Proton Pump Inhibitors and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.14956
– Proton Pump Inhibitors and Dementia: Physiopathological Mechanisms and Clinical Consequences https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5883984/

Researchers also found those who used PPIs were at a lower risk of a decline in cognitive skills. A large 2016 German study concluded that people taking PPIs (and statins) had a lower chance of dementia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26744954

However, it is important to note that some possible cognitive effects of PPIs can be due to drug interactions, especially in elderly patients. Those who used PPIs were also more likely to use anticholinergic medicines – medications used to treat incontinence, depression and sleep problems and include diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – that have been linked to thinking difficulties. For instance,
– omeprazole may increase blood levels of diazepam https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671798/
– an FDA study has shown that some adverse events with PPIs could be associated with benzodiazepine drug interactions http://bit.ly/2KyiHID

I hope this helps.

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Thanks @kanaazpereira. That does help a lot. I have been taking trospium for incontinence also, and I believe there is a link there. These drugs are so worrisome. As the drug commercials say, after listing all of the possible side-effects, “you doctor had determined that the benefits outweigh the risks”, but with too many and too many risks I feel like it’s almost a certain thing that eventually at least one of the side-effects will happen, simply the law of averages.
JK

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@riflemanz64 I know I will be on a ppi forever. Ill ask my doc if I’ll have an unrestricted diet when the Barrett’s is all gone.
@ken82 my doc was pretty adamant about me elevating the head of my bed as opposed to using a wedge on top of the bed. So I have those bed elevating things on the two feet at the head of the bed. (My best friend is a decorator and she’s not crazy about the look!)
@contentandwell JK (I think your whole family ought to surprise your son and his bride and show up in Italy a few days after they get there!)
@ken82 and @kanaazpereira Thank you for doing all the research!

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@pdilly

@riflemanz64 I know I will be on a ppi forever. Ill ask my doc if I’ll have an unrestricted diet when the Barrett’s is all gone.
@ken82 my doc was pretty adamant about me elevating the head of my bed as opposed to using a wedge on top of the bed. So I have those bed elevating things on the two feet at the head of the bed. (My best friend is a decorator and she’s not crazy about the look!)
@contentandwell JK (I think your whole family ought to surprise your son and his bride and show up in Italy a few days after they get there!)
@ken82 and @kanaazpereira Thank you for doing all the research!

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@pdilly I think we should too! Wouldn’t they be surprised. I was messaging on Facebook with one of his closest friends, and he thought we (with him and his wife of course) should surprise them too.
Seriously though, I am really happy for them that they are getting to go. They just moved to Denver a year ago and she has not been at her job for a year yet so they thought they were only going to do a few days away. She’s a nurse and has such a caring personality that I think she must be a joy to patients. With the amount of time I spent as an inpatient prior to my transplant, I’m an expert on that.
JK

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Sounds like you’re gaining a wonderful new daughter! Congratulations!

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@pdilly

Sounds like you’re gaining a wonderful new daughter! Congratulations!

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I can't wait to hear what your GI says about the diet. How painful is a rf Ablation?
I tried some flavored water today thinking I could drink it but it stung my throat going down. I used to drink that stuff all the time.

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@riflemanz64 Was it you who talked earlier about the acidity of coffee? I don’t drink coffee but I sure would like to find something online that shows acidity levels of common foods and beverages.
I’ve googled but haven’t found anything that’s particularly helpful yet.

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@pdilly

@riflemanz64 Was it you who talked earlier about the acidity of coffee? I don’t drink coffee but I sure would like to find something online that shows acidity levels of common foods and beverages.
I’ve googled but haven’t found anything that’s particularly helpful yet.

Jump to this post

Yes, I found health wise coffee with a ph of 6.18.
There isn’t much that we can drink besides water. Skim milk is ok too. It sure would be nice if one of medical departments posted a Barrett’s esophagus friendly diet! I’ll see what I can find and post it later.

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Google ... ph level of common foods and beverages. copy this following link and paste it into your browser.... http://www.nutrientsreview.com/articles/ph-beverages-foods.html ... Remember pH level is a scale of 0 to 14... pure water is neutral at 7.... remember the litmus tests with a special treated paper... Acids are 0-7 decreasing in acidity as the test gets closer to 7... foods or beverages that are in the 7-14 group are basic... or alkaline...

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