Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease is not my favorite affliction. I happen to have it in a very bad way. Though the symptoms began nearly twenty years ago it never amounted to much of anything until February of this year (2005) when it evolved almost overnight into its present state.

My condition as of this writing is illustrated here and is between “erythema” and “confluent erosions.” It means that my stomach never closes off from my espohagus so therefore my sinuses, my throat, and my lungs are assaulted by any reflux of stomach acid. Remember when I discussed going in for sleep apnea testing? The reason I was waking up unable to breathe was because acid was trickling into my lungs. When you think about the damage this will cause, well, you start to realize that this disease can literally kill you.

I eat very small bits of food continually throughout the day, taking care never to empty or fill my stomach. The hours between my last “meal” and sleep time are painful ones. I have GERD-induced asthma that magnifies my allergies so in addition to Protonix twice a day, I must also take Singulair, Combivent, Flonase, and Advair.

There are days when I almost feel as if nothing is wrong but for the most part I am constantly aware of the disease. It has changed a good many things about how I live and work. I can no longer lie flat to sleep. I’ve had to get extensions for my bra straps and do away with any tight-fitting clothes. I’ve had to radically curtail my workload and cut down as much stress as I can. I have been slowly cutting back on smoking with the mindset of finally quitting, and I am thankful I’d already cut out caffeine and sodas because my stomach just can’t handle the stuff. When I exercise I need to pay attention to the reflux while doing anything that requires lying on my back; I can’t lift anything over 20 lbs. This means I can no longer carry my daughter. Granted she is getting heavy enough that lifting is difficult, but moving her while she’s sleeping creates pressure on my stomach and damn it, it hurts. What I eat is as important as how much I eat of it — things that I love are now banned, such as hard cheeses, spicy foods, and broccoli.

The constant presence of a burning sensation at the back of my throat has motivated me to talk with my doctor about fundoplication, a procedure that carries some risks and isn’t guaranteed to work. Fortunately my gastro-guy is one of the best in the business so I’m in good hands if we decide this is the solution for me. I’m at an increased risk for developing Barrett’s Syndrome (where the lower part of the esophagus changes into part of the stomach instead of the throat) which is linked to stomach cancer.

It’s not as if I’m looking for pity, rather it’s information for those who may be suffering the same illness. There is no universal cause for GERD but it is linked to high levels of stress and appears to worsen over the age of forty. As if menopause wasn’t bad enough!

Symptoms include recurring heartburn and asthmatic symptoms without a diagnosis of asthma, chronic pain in the chest, and waking up in the mornings with a bitter or dry taste in your mouth. When caught early enough it can be treated so the esophagus heals over time but there’s rarely a guarantee that the sphincter muscle will escape permanent damage. Depending on who you talk to, GERD is present in up to 2% of the population, many of whom do not even realize their constant heartburn may be a sign of a more serious medical condition.

For twenty years I’ve been diagnosed with costalchondritis, a painful inflammation of the lining between my ribs. I’ve been treated for this the entire time. No one suspected a stomach problem until three years ago when I complained of ulcer-like pains. We did an endoscopic procedure and found I had stage one GERD and treated it with medication that obviously didn’t worked. Not fun.

I don’t know if it’s such a bad thing for me. There are certain excesses I can do without. But for anyone who is having similar symptoms, don’t bother waiting to get it checked. The earlier it is correctly diagnosed the earlier you can start healing. For me there were all these years of misdiagnoses; I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy (if I had one).

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