It's Official...

I have GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. I have known this forever because I have always had heartburn but I have been officially diagnosed now. This is one of those things that was keeping us so busy last week. Monday I went to the doctor and they did 2 tests on me. The first was Esophageal Manometry where they insert a tube into my nose and all the way to my stomach to test the squeezing of my esophagus and the esophageal sphincter. Sounds like fun... Huh? And you have to be awake because they have you swallow constantly during the test. It was the wierdest thing I have ever had done to me. Until they started the second test, the Bravo test, where they sprayed a numbing spray in the back of my mouth/throat area and then with this long cord thing they attached this capsule/computer chip thing in my esophagus. The capsule sends information about the ph level of my esophagus to a pager sized data recorder that I had to wear on my person for 3 days 24/7. So I had to push button on the recorder when I was having reflux and etc. And write down all my meals and sleeping times. I could feel the capsule in my esophagus for like 4 days, it was difficult to swallow, I had to make sure that I chewed my food really well. Most of the time I ate smaller meals. And eventually the capsule dislodges itself and passes, it is disposible. The nurse called this afternoon to give me my diagnosis and I have to follow up with my Gastroenereologist on March 19th. Not sure what we are going to do to treat it, I guess that I will just have to continue my meds for the rest of my life. I already had an endoscopy in December and they took a tissue sample and nothing is cancerous yet. So good news so far, I could have told the doc that I had GERD without having to choke on a plastic tube for 30 min but oh well. But I guess that they worst part was being off my meds for a week. I had horrible reflux...I thought that I was dying. When I took the recorder back on Wednesday and got in the car and took my meds and chased them with 4 tums and then 4 more tums an hour later. Does that sound normal? Funny thing is that it is totally normal for me. When I was prego I would go through tums like crazy even on my meds.