What to try when diet changes don’t help your heartburn
Q: I am suffering from heartburn almost every day. How can I get it under control?
A: Heartburn, indigestion and chest discomfort are feelings many people experience occasionally after a rich or heavy meal. But for people living with gastroesophageal reflux disease (commonly called GERD), those uncomfortable feelings can be a daily frustration. If medications and diet modifications aren’t providing lasting relief, surgical options are available to help control or even alleviate these painful symptoms.
Most people who seek surgical treatment for GERD have tried various combinations of medicines to control symptoms with limited success or have problems with stomach juices coming up to the back of the throat or voice box. This fluid can cause hoarseness, a bitter taste in the mouth and even respiratory issues if left untreated.
Thankfully, there are treatment options that don’t just mask the symptoms of GERD, but keep acid from coming up into the esophagus where it causes pain and irritation. Surgery reinforces where the lower esophagus meets the stomach to keep acid where it belongs — in your stomach. Nearly all procedures for acid reflux are performed using minimally invasive techniques, meaning you can recover more quickly and get back to living your life faster than ever before.
Walter Rose, M.D., is a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeon at CHI Memorial Surgical Associates and a member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society.