Hi all,
I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and put on Proton Pump Inhibitors a year and a half ago. I have been stuck in the limbo of getting tests done and a surgery hopefully set up but have had no luck yet. I could go into detail on this but my question is a little different.
With PPI´s I generally have no symptoms at all for 2 months more or less, and then have 3-8 days of bad acid reflux without any changes in regards to my eating or pill taking. Its as if my acid reflux just decides to get a mind of its own once every two months.
And its been BAD...I mean more or less non-stop for 5-7 days at a time every two months for almost two years now. So my worry is that all the acid reflux will cause cancer before I can even get in for a surgery...since I know acid reflux can cause serious problems.
I have no real way to gauge how much reflux causes cancer, so am I at risk? Are periodic episodes of severe heartburn that last 3-7 days enough to cause cancer after a year and a bit, if the PPI´s I am on are not solving it at times?
I am thinking of getting an endoscopy done to see if any damage has been done...I have not had an endoscopy done since I was diagnosed. Is this a good idea and worth it?
thank you all for your help