GERD and ES

Recently I have had such a bad GERD flare up. I haven’t had it this bad in 8 years! I am not sure what the cause is as I started Lyrica about a month ago and it didn’t create any GI upset. I really don’t want to go off the Lyrica as it’s been helping me manage my pain and bring it down from an 8 to like aa 2. The reflux is so awful. I mentioned in another post my Dog had jumped up and hit me in the neck and im wondering if after two weeks the nerves could still be aggravated or causing the GERD.

Question. Is it safe for me to get an endoscopy while having ES or will it make it worse? I would like to see a GI while I wait for surgery and I have a feeling that this will be the next course of action since I have been heavily relying on PPI’s and H2 blockers to keep my GERD at bay over the last 8 years. I really cannot imagine my globus sensation getting worse I would not be able to eat.

I know anxiety contributes to all of this but this ES is so awful and I feel like since it started my anxiety is at a level I’ve never experienced before.

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Some of our members who’ve had GERD symptoms saw them resolve after their styloidectomy(ies) which is a good indicator the GERD was related to vagus nerve irritation caused by the styloid(s). Your dog’s jumping & hitting your neck could have shifted your styloid slightly & brought it more into contact with your vagus nerve thus inciting the GERD symptoms.

I had an endoscopy prior to learning I had ES because my earliest ES symptoms were choking on food & fluids. I didn’t have any globus symptoms at the time and the endoscopy tube didn’t bring up any for me, but your situation is different. I’ve heard there are larger & smaller tubes that are used in different procedures. It would be worthwhile asking for a smaller endoscopy tube to be used to reduce irritation in your throat/esophagus.

I’ve forgotten if you have ES surgery scheduled, @Donoel, and if so, with whom. I’m sorry for what you’re going through & hope the GERD & ES symptoms settle down soon. :hugs: :pray:

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@Isaiah_40_31 I don’t have surgery scheduled yet. Dr. Constantino wanted additional imaging which is why I got the 3D CT which is where i got those images. I have my follow up to go over my imaging June 13th with him. I have another apt with Cognetti scheduled for July to get another opinion just in case. I know its recommended to get multiple opinions especially since mine seems to be classic and less complex than some other cases with vascular involvement.

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Hello! I had GERD so bad in my 30’s I almost died from laryngospasm several times. I lived on PPIs also for 9 years. If you want it to go away permanently, you should read the book The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry. It is vagus nerve related and lectin caused! I felt better after 2 days, was much better after 2 weeks and after 2 months was done with my laryngospasms. It was a miracle and a nurse from Kaiser Oakland whispered I needed to read this book after they went to place a GI tube and it ruptured a large vessel in my nose and couldn’t be passed through my other side due to it being broken/severely deviated septum. After you get on the “yes” list foods, after your 3 day re-set mentioned in the book, wean slowly over the course of several months off of those PPIs. Wean very slowly so you don’t rebound. At the very end of it, I was taking 1/8th of a pill once per week. I did that for 4 weeks and then was finally done.

Best of luck and yes, you can have an endoscopy with ES but I would get that book from Amazon asap. It’s a quick read. You’ll be able to read it in two evenings!
:heart:Heather

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I had SEVERE gastroparesis, to the point where I could nothing more than plain rice pureé and bread. I lost about 7kg in weight over a few months. It was almost as bad as what is described in this paper:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246854882030045X#:~:text=the%20glossopharyngeal%20nerve.-,-,talking%2C%20coughing%20and%20head%20turning.

Just like described in the paper, my gastroparesis went away IMMEDIATELY after right side ES surgery. The day after surgery i was once again able to eat complex and fibrous foods like meat, dairy and vegetables.

I haven’t yet posted a full update on my post surgery experience but am planning to do soon. :slight_smile:

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I’m looking forward to reading your update, @Bowser. Who did your surgery?

The same surgeon who did my TOS surgery, Dr. Kamran Aghayev.

Would you mind sending his contact information so I can add him to our Doctors List, @Bowser? We definitely need more doctors’ names for your part of the world!

Thank you, & I’m so glad you’ve had good outcomes from both surgeries.

I’ll just link his website here:

I’m actually from India and traveled to Istanbul for the surgery. 90% of his patients are international patients and they have a good support system for patients coming from other countries so he is a great option for those who cannot find a good surgeon in their home country.

He is a brilliant surgeon and an incredibly kind person. I don’t think i could have asked for a better surgeon.

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Thank you for the information. I’ve added him to our Doctors List.

Hi @Isaiah_40_31

I had the first doctor I saw before I met with Constantino send my scans our to the Yale Neurosurgery for another opinion. This is what they sent back.

Not sure if this means they believe the Stylohyoid is the problem.

@Donoel -

The significant part of this report is that you have bilateral ossification (calcification) of the stylohyoid ligaments. This is possibly more important than the slight elongation of your styloids though even short styloids can cause symptoms if they are very thick, angled, pointed, twisted or curved. Since there is no mention of any of those features with regard to your styloids, I assume it’s your calcified ligaments that are at fault here. The stylohyoid ligaments attach at the tip of each styloid & at the lesser horns of the hyoid bone. They can calcify without the styloids elongating & can cause the same symptoms that elongated styloids cause.

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