Gone for a while...

[Imoutgoodbye]

Been doing quite a bit of thinking lately. I know, no one wants to read these posts of mine that start out that way.

Last week, it seems, my health decided to kick me in the balls again. I've always had a real nasty case of GERD, but, hey, figured that always just meant I had worse heartburn than everyone else. Proton Pump Inhibitors to the rescue, right? Shame the U.S. doesn't have socialized medicine. You only get the Proton Pump Inhibitors for as long as you can afford them. I haven't been able to afford them for about six years and my GERD is back as bad as ever. Breathing seems to cause it lately, so I went back to my doctor.

Now, there are four things doctors will tell you about GERD:

1. No smoking. That's fine. I've been quit for over a year and a half now.

2. No drinking. Okay. Didn't do that often anyways.

3. Eat right. I could do better, but, bland food sucks. Eating bland now.

4. Reduce stress. Laughable, but, I should reduce stress period, including not playing games and reading forums.

I am a flat-out passionate wear my heart on my sleeve bleeding liberal. I turned over my get-out-the-vote drive to a good friend of mine and decided last week if I didn't log my character for a week, I'd quit FL again, too.

This isn't just because of GERD, though. The pills they put me on (some generic form of Zantac because Prevacid was giving me some weird mental side affects) are making it so I can sleep at night without waking up feeling like I'm choking on my own stomach acids, but I still experience one or two GERD attacks per day. Seeing as how this isn't clearing up, they want to test me for a condition known as Barrett's Esophagus.

Barrett's Esophagus is basically that the acids from my stomach have caused the cells in the lower portion of my esophagus to change...they've literally been replaced with a less horizontal and more vertical cell structure, making it easier for acid to go up (not sure I read all the medical stuff right, but I can never get a good explanation from my doctor). This also just adds to the pile of reasons for why I'm also a good candidate for esophageal cancer. I'm hoping they don't find any of that, but, when I raise the money for the endoscopy, I'll find out.

Until then, I'll be out, again, my fellow adventurers, enjoying my life. Take care.

[Iyorvin]

Canada is bringing in any foreign workers that can work. Socialized medicine after 3 months with bonus company medical benefits on top! In Saskatchewan we are in desperate need of labour, so much so that we are signing deals with many different foreign countries to bring in more workers. So if you know a trade, or can manage a job offer, you're a shoe in!

[Pali]

Great, leave me as the only liberal who posts in political threads... *mutters*

Seriously, though, I hope your condition improves. Best of luck.

[Mali]

Try taking activated carbon/charcoal capsules before a big meal and drinking a cup of fennel tea (use store bought seeds from the spice section) every night. I'll be you 20 bucks it works better than the pills.

[Mindflayer]

Valek, have you been screened for sleep apnea? Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea can increase your risks for GERD. During a period of apnea where the upper airway is obstructed, 'parodoxical respiration' takes place. This type of breathing creates an extremely negative pressure within your thorax. Enough pressure in some cases to cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to be pulled open. Stomach acids will bypass the LES and burn up the lumen of your esophagus. Over time, it becomes Barret's like you said. Once you've achieved Barret's, you've changed the lumen's cell type from simple squamous epithelium to columnar due to enviromental (pH) stress. Then you've got a huge increase for esophageal cancer (I believe it was a 70% increase from one of my anatomy lectures.) Please Valek, make sure you keep your sphincter closed

Edit: I can't spell for ****