Tales of a Reluctant GI Patient

The Other Side Of The Coin

Although I have several years of experience writing about GI-related procedures and medications, I had never been party to one myself. That all changed last January with a frozen pizza. Normally, I like to cook, but it was the end of a long week and all I wanted was to collapse on the couch with a pizza and a video. I stopped by the local Albertson's for a large pepperoni.

Half an hour later, I was experiencing heartburn for the first time in my life. A roiling, acidy stomach, funny-tasting belches and cramps led me back to Albertson's for Tums, then for over-the-counter Zantac after three more days of misery.

But even that didn't provide complete relief. Although I was watching my diet and avoiding anything remotely connected to tomatoes, I still had serious esophageal discomfort. My primary care physician let me choose between Prilosec and Prevacid. I randomly chose Prilosec (I liked the ad in Gastroenterology), convinced that either prescription would fix me right up.

It certainly eliminated the reflux. My heartburn symptoms disappeared. But I started to feel depressed. A few days later, the depression had progressed to apathy -- but the apathy was so overwhelming that I could have been hit by a Mac truck and not cared. One phone call to the doctor and I was told to stop the medication immediately.

As my stress level decreased, the heartburn faded. When it did crop up, I controlled it with Zantac, which, for some reason, was now effective. But a year later, the reflux came back -- 10 times worse. After four weeks of chicken broth, crackers and yogurt, I finally got an appointment with a new doctor on my new health plan. But he cancelled that morning after his cat died. "I can't wait!" I protested to the charge nurse. "I need to see somebody today!"

Sighing, she referred me to after-hour care, where a rushed but attentive physician took a detailed history and gave me a prescription for Reglan. He informed me that it would enhance stomach motility and tighten the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach, preventing acid from rising back into my esophagus.

Reglan did things to me I'd rather not discuss. I would liken the side effects to a bad case of salmonella. It was back to the drawing board when I finally saw my own doctor the following week. He put me on Prevacid.

Concerned about the potential side effects (dizziness, diarrhea and drowsiness), I waited until the weekend to try it out. The dizziness was so bad I couldn't drive, which obviously ruled out taking it during the week. But by the next Friday, the esophageal pain was so severe that I had no other option. I drove to work first, then popped a pill. Within a half-hour, I was stricken with tremors that rivaled advanced-stage Parkinson's patients.

A call to the pharmacist and the charge nurse led to the obvious "Don't take another pill." But the nurse passed on the doctor's recommendation for Tagamet. Wary of more medications, I demurred. I've always been ultra-sensitive to side effects. But now I was experiencing adverse events that weren't even listed in the handy-dandy doctor's reference. They weren't on the patient package insert, either -- or listed in the PDR.

But I did fine the next week with an upper GI. Having read about the barium swallow in advance, I wasn't worried, but nothing can completely prepare you for the actual experience. First, I had to fast. Second, I had to change into one of those humiliating gowns. With my paper gown flapping and my rear on display to any passers-by, I made my way to the X-ray room.

The procedure took only 10 minutes. I was positioned between an 8-foot-high barrier and the X-ray machine. I was given a shot-glass-sized cup of baking soda and threw it back like a pro. But then they handed me the barium milkshake. I had to swallow 16 ounces like a professional beer drinker -- open the throat and guzzle it down.

Then the barrier moved. It was actually a table, and before long, I was lying flat on my stomach and holding my breath while they took the X-rays. I moved to my sides and my back, then onto my stomach again, which was now distended with liquid (and gas from the baking soda). I was given another liquid to drink.

Before long, I was allowed to get dressed. I went on to work, not feeling different. But during the day, the gas created by the baking soda moved into my intestines and sat there. The pain was excruciating. Unable to get rid of the excess air, I suffered until bedtime. But when I awoke the next morning, it was gone.

The X-rays came back with nothing -- no ulcers, not even any evidence of reflux (not surprising, after a 14-hour fast). But I was still suffering, and averse to trying any other medications, so I took the natural route. After tracking down information on the Internet, I purchased some ginger tea, which became a staple at breakfast and bedtime. After two days, my reflux was nearly gone. A week of that, and I felt fine. I only drink it every few months now (more if the reflux returns) and find that it controls my heartburn better than the medications ever did.

I learned several important lessons from my experience:

• Health plan doctors aren't bad by default.
• Medications are not the universal solution to every health problem.
• Those old wives really did know what they were talking about.
• Sometimes all it takes is time.
• Patient endoscopy team members make a world of difference.

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