Do you have acid reflux? It may happen after you’ve eaten a big meal — think Thanksgiving dinner. You’re likely familiar with the burning pain in your chest that moves into your throat. You may feel partially digested food come up into your throat with a sour smell.
When acid reflux becomes more and more frequent, it’s considered a chronic condition called GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD can harm your body, so don’t ignore it.
At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria C. Chang, MD, treat many patients with acid reflux and GERD. Modern technology gives us tools to eliminate your GERD before it causes permanent damage.
When you eat, food passes through a muscle shaped like a ring called the lower esophageal sphincter at the bottom of your esophagus. The sphincter muscle opens to move food into your stomach and then closes to keep food there.
Sometimes the lower esophageal sphincter muscle stops working as it should. Many people may experience a temporary dysfunction. For example, if you’ve ever taken a nap after a big meal, you may feel food come up toward your throat when the muscle relaxes as you’re lying down.
When you have GERD, the muscle frequently stays partially open, which allows food to travel up and out of the stomach and back into your esophagus. But your stomach acids have already started digesting your food.
Your esophagus wasn’t made to handle strong stomach acids, which coat it repeatedly when you have GERD. The acid damages the lining of your esophagus.
GERD has a number of causes. If you have a hiatal hernia, the top of your stomach has made its way through a hole in your diaphragm so it’s next to your esophagus, bathing it with acid.
Pregnancy may also cause GERD because you have intense pressure in your abdomen that can stretch your muscles beyond their capacity.
Being severely overweight or obese is a common reason GERD develops. The pressure in your abdomen is long term, weakening your sphincter muscle permanently as well as other muscles surrounding it.
You’re also more likely to develop a hiatal hernia from the excess pressure on your muscles.
If you have a smoker’s cough, the smoke and the cough can relax your esophageal sphincter muscle. You also produce more stomach acid when you smoke.
Eating a lot of fried, fatty foods, consuming alcohol, and drinking carbonated beverages regularly can result in acid reflux. If you’re diligent in changing your diet, you may be able to control acid reflux.
You no doubt want relief from the burning pain and other symptoms after you eat. Aside from the pain, GERD can cause precancerous conditions in the lining of your esophagus that can turn into esophageal cancer.
The damage to the esophageal lining can also cause scarring, resulting in difficulty swallowing.
If your acid reflux is chronic, you might be able to control it with oral medication and a change in your diet. If those efforts don’t work, we can perform a simple procedure called transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF).
TIF is an endoscopic procedure. We use a special tool called an endoscope along with another device to correct the movement of the faulty lower esophageal sphincter. We place the endoscope in your mouth and down your throat. Don’t worry — you’ll be under general anesthesia and won’t feel anything.
The device attached to the endoscope secures the top of your stomach to your lower esophagus. The muscle then functions properly. If you have a small or moderate hiatal hernia, the TIF procedure can correct this problem at the same time.
Call us at one of our Houston, Texas, locations or book an appointment through our online portal if you have troublesome acid reflux.
