Courageous Stories

Share your experience of living with a digestive disorder – it can be therapeutic for you as well as others who suffer. Share your story.

I first started experiencing symptoms many years ago. I had constant heartburn, burning stomach aches, burning mouth; I always felt nauseous and I was constantly chewing on antacids, which did not help. Then I was no longer able to eat any foods or keep anything down. My doctor refused to listen to me and told me that young people do not have intestinal disorders and that I simply had an eating disorder since I was losing weight. However, the symptoms continued to control my life, I felt sick everyday, and I lost 20lbs. 

I finally changed doctors who gave me an upper GI and found out that I had GERD, among other gastrointestinal disorders. Medication made my life so much easier in the beginning, however I have had to switch medications often and I always have to be careful about what I eat, when I eat, and I still sleep with the head of my bed propped up. The good news is that I have a new specialist who actually listens and is helping me to find treatments that work with my lifestyle. The lesson I learned is to listen to my body and to always have a voice with my doctors, because no one knows your body better than you.

– Name withheld by request
^{April 19, 2008}

I have suffered from what I thought was heartburn, indigestion for more than 38 years. I am 60 years, just retired after 25 years in a very stressful job, which I did at least 2000 miles a week driving. It was really causing problems about 8 years ago so I decided to go to the doctor, who did an endoscope to see if I had an ulcer. He suggested it was a Hiatal hernia, and advised me to lose weight round my waist. However I tried antacids as a short term fix which helped immediately.

I had a really bad cold over Christmas which left me with a dry cough, and sore throat and tongue, and I also find swallowing very painful. But the ever burning pain is still happening every day sometimes twice a day.

I was concerned about my tongue and looked up on a web site for tongue infections, which linked with 'gastroesophageal reflux'. I then researched the symptoms, and found they all matched my own symptoms.

I have now made an appointment to see my doctor, to confirm that I have GERD, and then hopefully to find a cure with either medication or lifestyle changes.

Here’s hoping that my suspicion is correct and I can start some sort of treatment.

 

– Penny Clist

^{January 23, 2008}

I always had stomach aches as a child. As a young adult, the heartburn became like an inner furnace in my chest. Then I was pregnant and so when I complained to the doctor I was told that it is a fact of life because of my situation. Living on antacids became routine. Eating small meals, sleeping high on cushions during the years of childbirth was acceptable. I had gone to a gastroenterologist after my first child and complained to him about the heartburn and back pain. He wasn’t concerned about the heartburn and thought I had an anal fissure.

 

After my youngest child was born, my back pain became more intense. An orthopedist could not find anything wrong.

 

Then the attacks started. With a sore tummy, painful to eat or drink, and constant heartburn, I had gone back to the doctor several times. He told me I had a virus. Finally, I told him I feel silly about complaining, but I have constant headaches, stomach aches, a hard time eating and drinking, and a lack of general energy.

 

My family doctor decided that perhaps because of my taking so much NSAID’s I gave myself a stomach ulcer. He gave me a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). It was like magic. I was able to sleep through the night. I made an appointment with a gastroenterologist again (12 years after the first one). He was upset that I had not come sooner. The endoscope showed that I have no ulcers in the stomach, but I have esophagitis. In addition to continuing on the PPI he suggested I try to make some lifestyle changes. That part of the plan is the most difficult. Being a mother of five young children and a working mother (I’m an RN) on shift work makes a routine lifestyle impossible. It took me a year and a half to get it organized. I am taking a year off shift work by opening a small home business. This way I am home all the time, can sleep every night, and enjoy family weekends. Wish me luck.

– Riki

^{August 15, 2007}

I was diagnosed with GERD many moons ago.  My primary symptom is a persistent dry cough to relieve a tickle in my throat, often to the point of light-headedness, and occasionally to the point of bronchial spasms. The coughing frequently throws me into a temporary asthmatic state.  Sleeping with head raised and proton pump inhibitors help, but not completely.  When I get a cold, watch out, because the coughing then get frequent and it triggered by almost anything, including swallowing saliva "crooked."  Anything that I eat must be smooth since any roughage triggers the cough. There's got to be a better way! But what?

– Fred
^{August 7, 2007}