Originally Posted by
Ray9
My brother-in-law dropped dead yesterday. I saw him about a month ago with a 30-pack in is hand. He was 59. I've been taking Nexium for two weeks and all my Gerd symptoms have disappeared. I usually take it for six weeks twice a year. My nurse practitioner told me I'm not the only one doing that. I have taken a month off from riding to let my saddle sores heal. Next week I'll be back on my seated recumbent bike. I only take one 500 mg beetroot capsule a day and my BP was 112/49 the last time it was checked. I'm not getting a bunch of tests for Gerd. I need a hernia operation even though it doesn't prevent me doing anything. My surgeon moved to Oregon> Maybe Ill ride my bike there to get that hernia dealt with.
Good news that your GERD symptoms have disappeared. Your reflux is still present, but at least you're feeling better. As long as you don't currently have any pre-cancerous changes in the lining of your lower esophagus, as long as the omeprazole is controlling your symptoms, and as long you're not concerned about the side-effects of long-term use of omeprazole, then your current treatment plan makes perfect sense. Note that the omeprazole doesn't decrease your risk of esophageal cancer, and several studies suggest that it increases that risk, so ongoing endoscopic surveillance every few years is something I'm sure your doctor has recommended to you, assuming he/she is keeping up with the literature.