An Appointment with Dr. Rockstar

I have been having very, very bad reflux of late. Actually the reflux came back with vengeance after the surgery due to the painkiller, Tramadol. But I've been taking my acid blockers here and there and ignoring it at times too. 

I wake up in the morning with bile in my mouth. Of late I taste blood in my mouth whenever I burp up bile. I regurgitate my food after every meal. And even 2 hours after a meal, I can still regurgitate chunks of whatever I ate.

I have a reflux cough, and occasional hoarseness when the reflux throws a hissy fit tantrum.

And then the pain started waking me up in the middle of the night. And I would wake in the morning with sharp pain in the upper part of my stomach.

I've had reflux since I was 17. It had never gotten to this point.

So I made an appointment to see my gastroenterologist, whom we call Dr. Rockstar. He looks like one with his jeans, studded belt, boots, gelled up hair and a rock star's swagger. But he's a good doctor who knows his stuff.

So he sent me for a scope which I was already prepared for. I had fasted since the last meal last night which was at 10pm. I had a light supper. 

The scope was at 11.30am and I opted for a 'no-sedation-procedure'. I had gone through a colonoscopy sedation-free and also an endoscopy. I can do it again.

He did spray my throat with an anesthetic spray, Xylocaine. I had this spray in mu throat too 4 years ago when I had both the scopes done under him as well. 

And then they gave me a mouth guard to bite on and in went the tube which was the size of my pinky. As I saw the tube go in I could feel myself gag. I quickly closed my eyes. And then opened them again out of curiosity. It was like a black snake entering my mouth. I gagged three times and kept telling myself to breathe in and out. The nurse was awesome as she held my hand and comforted me. This is my third endoscopy and this was the procedure that I was most aware of everything that was going on. I could feel the tube entering. I could feel it when it reached my stomach. I could feel the expansion when Dr. Rockstar pumped air into my stomach to check for cracks. I felt the metal tweezer pluck tissues from my stomach lining. I don't know why I was more attuned to everything that was happening. 

When I had both the endoscopy and colonoscopy done 4 years ago, they did not allow my husband to go into the procedure room. But today was only an endoscopy procedure. So they allowed him in once the tube had gone in. He didn't know. When the nurse went to get him, he panicked and thought I had gone into an anaphylactic attack. You should have seen his ashen face when he entered! His first remark was, 'You nearly caused me to give up the ghost!' As in I almost gave him a fatal-heart-attack. 

Dr. Rockstar said that my upper esophagus has eroded slightly. I am to be on Nexium, an acid blocker for 2 months. 2 tablets twice a day for one month and 1 tablet daily for the following month. He reiterated that there is no cure for this reflux disease. It's a life long thing. And it needs drugs to control it. 

So at this point, I have to access my diet and try to 'adjust' my already very limited diet to cater for the salicylate and chemical sensitivity and now this very persistent reflux problem. 

Well, if life throws me shit, I'll make manure and compost out of them. But I'll be taking a short break from the battles of life. I'm tired. But like a famous Hollywood line which is so overused goes, 'I'll be back!'