Barrett's esophagus to Esophageal cancer

Hi Colleen....I am hanging in there. My week is finally here (October 6th). Yesterday I got a terrible burning sensation on my chest. It dissipated, but then my voice was very hoarse. The scary part.....you know your body and you know things just aren't quite right. Sometimes I think, well you will be 77, you can't do all the things you did years ago. I am terribly fatigued, but I keep on trucking because that is who I am. My motto....where there is a will, there is a way. Thank you for asking. I really appreciate it.

I would say the most difficult thing is night time. I wheeze alot, terrible sour taste in my mouth, nausea. This may sound strange and I wonder if anyone has experienced this......I feel like there is a belt tied tightly around me, directly under my breast bone. I have seen others have had to wait to get tests and procedures done too. Isn't it sad the world has come to this? People out there are suffering and, IF cancer is involved, time is a wasting. I really miss my husband, BUT, my "little man," Ricky, sits glued to my side. I think he senses Mommy isn't feeling up to par. What would I do without him? It is scary when you are by yourself, but you try to do the best you can. Thoughts and prayers to all of you.

@bookelly, I know waiting until Oct 6 must be hard. How are you doing?

I too was diagnosed in 2018 with BE. I take 40mg pantaprazole 1/2 hr before supper. I have no nausea or gerd. I follow a strict low acid diet and no eating 3 hours before bed. Headboard is raised up 6”. I only drink water, green tea, unsweetened almond milk and health wise low acid coffee. On my last endoscopy my Barrett’s was not seen but the Dr. told me I had some abnormal cells at the stomach junction. He called me on Black Friday to tell me to go to a oncologist for possible stomach cancer.
This scared the crap out of me. I went and didn’t have cancer. These Doctors shouldn’t scare people like this. Its always possible to have cancer. A good book to read is the acid watcher diet. Good luck and watch your diet and I hope you’re fine.

I was diagnosed with Barretts in 2018. I have been experiencing nausea for the last 2 months. I normally take 40mg of omeprazole at 6:30AM and then go back to bed for about 2 hours. For approximately the last 2 months I have been waking up with nausea, but AFTER I took my omeprazole it disappeared. Now, the nausea is there all day long. I have asthma, but I noticed since I have developed the nausea, I also have wheezing during the night. I saw the gastro doctor and am scheduled for an endoscopy on October 6th, soonest they could get me in. I was told there is a possibility of esophageal cancer. Has anyone else observed these symptoms prior to cancer diagnosis?

RE: coffee

I gave up spicy foods, wine, daily dose of dark chocolate, but NOT the coffee.
I have ordered and drink 2-3 cups a day of low acid coffee. I have no idea if that is really better, but the reflux went away. Still, I have had three endoscopies and have been diagnosed with GERD< GASTRITIS, and no dysplasia Barretts. I have tried to get an appointment with Mayo in Jacksonville twice and been told "we are not accepting new patients in the gastro... dept. for a year." No wait list... no cancellation list. No more contributions!

Have you had radio frequency ablations to get rid of the Barrett's? Normal tissue will grow back. Have you had the root cause of your reflux fixed?

Long term use of PPIs will cause a vit B12 deficiency either as low serum values or low binding capacity. The body's B12 stores can be depleted after appx 2-3 yrs. These meds raise the pH of the stomach by preventing acid production which is why heartburn usually subsides and the gut takes over digestion. All proton pump inhibitors do this. You will need to take high dose B12 supplements.
In a normal low pH environment the parietal cell in the stomach produce intrinsic factor which binds to protein bound B12 allowing it to be absorbed in the gut.
B12 is important for many things in the body especially neurological function. It's best if possible to stop the root cause of reflux.

I have taken omperazole  20 mg once a day for ten years from 2008 to 2018. Then when I went to low dysplasia, I was upped to 40 mg twice a day. I was concerned but was told that because I had BE, I must take it. So, what can I do. So far, I don’t seem to have further issues from the medicine. I now have  switched to protonix 40 mg twice a day. I can’t tell a difference in the medicine. It seems to work. 

I would love to hear the same answer. Which is the safest PPI to take if you know you must be on one forever? The side effects and recent warnings are concerning.