I am sufferer of constant heartburn from last 15 years. My heart burn started in 1998, I did endoscopy and they didn't find any problem and prescribed antacid and pain killer.
My heart burn went on since then and I went to Manipal Hospital/Pokhara/Nepal and found a very good hearted Doctor. He was very keen on my lifestyle and problem; After long inquiry and several tests like GI endoscopy; Barium Swallow; ecg; echo; several X-rays, he finalized his ideas on my problem like this:
A yoga teacher with persistent reflux symptoms
A 30 years old yoga
teacher from Pokhara, Nepal, presented to us with severe prolonged heart burn
and sour eructation (intermittent reflux symptoms) for 2 years not responding
to PPI and with no marked abnormality on available investigations like Upper Gastro Intestinal
(UGI) endoscopy with biopsy and barium swallow. There was however a patulous
lower esophageal sphincter along with a hiatus hernia noted on UGI endoscopy
although there were no erosions due to reflux.
He also reported
having noticed exacerbation of his symptoms particularly after Shirsana(head
stand), As to the etiology of this troublesome reflux, he recalled having had a
master kunjal kriya(vomiting) and also demonstrated it a number of times daily
to his students. Kunjal Kriya is a special technique involving induced reverse
peristalsis following intake of a large volume of water. It is supposed to have
cleansing properties and it claims to throw fermented waste out f the stomach
and prevents auto poisoning of the body. It is also recommended for bronchial
asthma by yogic schools.
Even during attacks repeated
induced reverse peristalsis in the form of kunjal kriya is likely to have been
responsible for the persistent esophageal reflux in this yoga teacher, since
his symptoms were much better having given up kunjal kriya and Shirsasana (head
stand) for a few months initially ( but recurred again). Heartburn and acid
regurgitation have a big specificity (89 and 95% respectively) for the presence
of gastro esophageal reflux disease.
Even after all the efforts made by Dr. my heartburn persisted. I kept trying other alternative ways but didn't help at all. I changed my diet, changed my lifestyle, lifted the bed on head side, fasted for 10 days, tried several sedative and anti depressant medications nothings seemed helping me. My pain continued after or before meal; I would not realize pain while sleeping but as soon as I got up pain is there. Character of pain is same as beginning of starting in 1998; pain is on left side of the chest in heart region.
In 2010 I went to Gangaram hospital got further investigated with 24 hour pH manometry which revealed significant reflux (Image 1) and got an operation called laparoscopic Nissen's fundoplication, it has been 3 years since my operation but my symptoms didn't change; it is still there as acute as before; throughout those 15 years I might have done more than 10 endoscopies, more than 15 x-rays, more than 5 echoes, more the 15 ecgs; tread mill tests etc.
Recent endoscopy report on Feb 26/2013 says
Mucosa:
Esophagitis LA grade A
Varices:
Nill
Hiatus
hernia: Nill
Cardia:
normal
Fundus:
Layer of bile along the mucosa
Corpus:
Mucosa stained with bile
Antrum: Mild
antral gastritis
Pyloric
ring: Normal
Miscellaneous:
Duodneo-gastric reflux of bile
Duodenum
D1: Mucosa
stained with bile
D2: Normal
Impression:
Esophagitis LA grade A; mild antral gastritis with billary reflux
One thing I
recently found that whenever I had mushroom I had severe pain in my whole chest
and stomach; unbearable pain persisted for 30 minutes to 1 hours and
disappeared; it happened several times but I knew reason of pain just a week
ago so I stopped eating mushroom.
Thanks for your support
ArogyaUDHC