anyone have a dilated esophaguson it's own?

I don't have a dialated esophagus that I know but I just wanted to write to give you some support.  It sounds like you have really gone through the wringer with your condition.  I'm also on Prevacid, just one month.  I have had heartburn for two years but it only recently started refluxing where I can feel that acid coming up...even my tongue looks burned. 

Prevacid works for me only part of the time.  I've tried Prilosec and Aciphex but Prevacid works the best when it works.  How much Prevacid did you take in a day?  Also, I'm wondering since you've had the condition for so long, why haven't you chosen to do the surgery?  I know they won't do it on me yet because I haven't had it long enough but I think that if these meds don't work very well, that would be the way to go.  I'm going to try the mindbody techniques and alkaline diet first to see if there's anything to it.  I do know that when I'm stressed, the acid will come up immediately even if on meds.

I do hope you can find a good dr and some relief soon...keep your spirits up...we're here for you.

sillylilly

The gastro doctors I went to were never really interested in helping me.  The prevacid always helped until about a year ago. I was having pelvic pain and went to the OB doc to rule those things out. So she told me to go to the gastro doc.  Also the rheumy wanted me to go and the family doctor.  When I told the gastro about fibro and possilbly lupus, he tuned me out. I talked him into doing the endoscope but he refused to do the colonoscopy. Needless to say I had my first visit with a new gastro back in Oct. But because of my breathing problems they wanted the new pulmonary doc to check me out and ok for anesthesia.  I have to have a lung function test Dec. 21 to see if I really do have asthma, This is such a long story but will cut to the chase.  The pulmonary doc found the dilated esophagus on the CT of my chest.  She is concerned about that.  The gastro never said anything about it.  And he even looked down in. which I am thinking he should have seen it.  I do have esophagitis, which he said he didn't need to see me back again.   Well I wrote him a nice little letter and left him know what I thought of him and his associates because I had been with a few of them for one reason or another.  I was also told many years ago that my sphincter muscle wasn't working right and no one did anything about it.  They wanted me to go to Johns Hopkins to have an air procedure or something.  I couldn't afford to go at that time.

   I take 30 mg. a day. some days I take one in the morning and one at supper.  I have never heard of the surgery your talking about.  But we'll see what the gastro doc says when I go Jan. 5. Not sure I can wait that long.  I am having trouble breathing again and I think this is causing some problems.  I have to mention the hiatal hernia too to see if they can shed some light on my symptoms.

Thanks sillylilly,  With my luck though the surgery your talking about would go wrong. I had my gallbladder out three years ago and I have been having problems ever since.  another long story.  Just am so tired of doctors and really don't want to keep going to them.  But I have to try to see if I can get better. some how

No GasPump, I had some problems with my food not wanting to go down and had to lift my arms above my head to let it go down.  I did have to throw it back up sometimes, because it just felt like it got stuck in my esophagus. 

I read on one of the posts maybe on here or the lupus forum, or the lyme about someone sister had to have surgery on her esophagus.   will have to try to find it and get back to you.  Not sure if it's the same thing or not. She said her sister is doing 95% better since she had the surgery.

I just know it's not a nice thing to have.  I have discomfort in my esophagus all the time, and it hurt to take a deep breath too. I am now nauseated and feel sick before eating and after eating.  I know they told me on the lyme forum that the one co-infection people get from ticks can cause stomach intestinal problems.  So I am getting checked for this.

I hope things go well for you if you have the surgery. 

sillylilly>  At this point I am not sure what I have and neither does the rheumy.  I saw a rheumy last Nov.  He put me on plaquenil and the family doc put me on lexapro. I had a positive AnA, slightly I think it was either 1.40 or 1.80, Well I started with  very bad diarrea and that went on for two months.  My family doc told me to go see another rheumy in that practice.  She seemed nicer, and I told her all my symptoms and that the GP said he thought it was lupus or scleroderma. She did another ANA and it was 1.40 she said I don't have enough symptoms to have lupus and also she said that there is a lot of healthy people who have positive ANA's and she wasn't going to treat me unless the ANA was positive. Well it's been a long story and too much to tell on here.   My symptoms started out as shortness of breath. (I was dx with asthma, but even now that's iffy)  Then my legs started having muscle weakness and being tired.  I could hardly walk up stairs, I had to stop when I did.  I didn't have any meds from March till Aug. is when I said if she doesn't want to help lessen the pain and fatgue I will go somewhere else.  She gave me lodine. a muslce relaxer she said.  Well the GP was giving me vicadin for the pain. I aches all over, felt like I had the flu most of the time and lost work. I was in bed for three weeks with aches, pains and fatgue. I didn't take a shower unless my husband was at home or if my daughter came over, I didn't want to be alone when I  did. felt dizzy and was so tired after doing anything.  The rheumy gave me a script for neurotin, but my daughter was on that and meds and me don't work very well, so I didn't get it.  I have flares and I knwo when they are coming.  I start feeling like I have the flu.    I am getting checked out next month for lyme. Everything else is coming up negative except that slightly positive ANA.  Ladies on the lupus forum some of them do not even have a positive ANA at all.  And their docs treat them.  I have gotten very aggressive in order to get things checked.  Back in May my OB, GP and the rheumy wanted me to have a colonoscopy, but the darn doctor refused, he said that my intestinal upsets and bowel upsets were from fibro.  I do believe some people have fibro, but I don't believe this is my problem.  for one thing, I have problems with my throat, swollowing which the rheumy who saw me in the hospital said it could be scleroderma or polymyositis. 

 I actually haven't been feeling too bad, the vicadin has helped, but I have been doing down hill all week.  My mother almost died last week and so many other responsibilities with church and my married kids are interesting too.  And we went on a trip which I had to get prednisone to get me through the trip.  I also have a new pulmonary doc which she found the dilated esophagus.  I see the new gastro doc next month to see what we're going to do about things.

Sadly I have been nauseated and feeling sick before I eat and then after.  I have a headach all the time too.  Now my bowels are very dark, So I am thinking it could be an ulcer.  

But as for lupus and lyme and Gerd, I only have been dx with Gerd as of this date.  lupus and lyme are on the waiting list of we'll see.   LOL. Not funny but it's so whacky with doctors. Ya just wish they would all practice from the same books or have the same protoccol or what ever, Think the same anyway. 

 All I know is if it's not lyme or co-infections, i will be going to  a rheumy at the teaching hospital about 45 minutes away.

Oh I also have a vitamin D deficiancy which the rheumy said she doesn't knwo what to do for me, all her patient with a vit. D deficancy are elderly.    Well then why not try to find out who to send me to so we can find out why a 49 yr. old would have this. and what is causing it.  GRRRRRRRRRRRR.

   I am sorry, it's one of those days when I hurt so bad and am so tired and should just go to bed and can't. 

Thanks for caring though lilly

Deb