Acid Reflux Disease

Curing Acid Reflux Disease With Surgery And Alternative Methods

Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a recurring condition in which the sufferer experiences symptoms including hoarseness, sore throat, acid regurgitation, heartburn, restlessness, fatigue, and daytime and nighttime cough.  Acid reflux may is a disease that may require surgery, or there may be a way to alleviate the symptoms without it.  Your doctor will try to avoid surgery since it is more invasive than other solutions.  If the problems persist past a couple of months, then the surgery may be deemed the most viable solution.

Tests will be run to determine if the disease is causing any real damage to your esophagus or if your symptoms are just an annoyance.   If it requires surgery, the surgeon will administer a general anesthetic.  Then he or she will open either your chest or abdomen up.  Next the surgeon sews the upper stomach to the esophagus underneath the diaphragm.  Ideally by doing all this, it creates a flap valve that hinders anything from coming back out.  When the procedure is successful, over three-fourths of patients are able to finally give their esophagus time to properly heal.

Hospital times will vary.  Depending on whether the surgery was less involved or more involved, a patient could be looking at anything from 1-2 days to 4-6 days.  It will actually take a couple of months to completely heal.  Usually, a large incision is not necessary due to the developments made over the last few years.  A laparoscope only requires a small cut, so scars are less noticeable.

The acid reflux procedure isn’t completely without risk.  Once the surgery is performed, it usually cannot be undone, even with additional surgeries.  For this reason, it’s important to make sure that the surgeon who does the procedure is experienced.  Also, the side effects can often be as troubling as the actual disease symptoms.  People have reported such symptoms as the heartburn returning, gas, trouble when trying to swallow, and bloating.  So be sure that you really want the surgery before having it.  It’s also not right for everyone, especially the elderly and those with health issues.

If the condition doesn’t warrant surgery, your doctor may advise you of some tips to keep the symptoms under control.  Often, the food people eat can aggravate GERD.  By being choosier about what you eat, you can actually minimize the risk of developing symptoms.  Various medicines can also treat the illness.  Over-the-counter medicines or prescription drugs can be taken as needed to lower acid levels in the stomach.  AcipHex is one drug that doctors prescribe that has gotten a lot of airtime on the TV as of late.  Non-conventional medicine such as home remedies and cures derived from other cultures are also an option.  But ultimately, if these methods fall short, it will likely require an operation.