Life sans stomach is no laughing matter

It’s a curious phenomenon when somebody develops an ailment or an issue and sets out to champion the cause. They never thought much about it before, but when it enters their lives, they feel compelled to bring awareness to it. When I think about it, it certainly makes sense. But when it happened to me, I vowed I wouldn’t write about it. That is, until I got some news last week that changed my mind.

Sometime in my late 20s I began to experience occasional problems with indigestion. I know, big deal, right? It happens to everybody from time to time and that’s certainly how I approached it. As it began to happen more frequently I began to pop antacids and attributed it to high stress, too much cola and whatnot.

By 2004, it was moving beyond a mere annoyance to become a problem. I had acid traveling up my esophagus in sufficient frequency, usually at night, to wake me up. The discomfort would keep me awake and I would go to work the following day tired. So I went to see a doctor (this is when we were living in a small town in central Washington state) who put me on the pills we see all the time on television these days. I went through the Nexium, Protonix, Prilosec and a myriad other medications designed to tame my stomach acid. It worked … sort of. I wasn’t experiencing the problems as often, but once in awhile I would still get jolted awake at night with an episode.

As the years went by the problem began to grow again. I went through just about every pill out there they make to combat it with only marginal results. When the problems became more severe and painful, I went back in to see a specialist. That’s when I learned about a condition called Barrett’s esophagus. When you experience chronic heartburn, the cells in your esophagus can actually change and your risk of cancer is dangerously increased.

After years of exposure to stomach acid, my esophagus was a mess. It no longer functioned properly and the mechanism that normally keeps things in your stomach was virtually gone. This allowed the acid to travel back up the esophagus, even reaching the back of my throat, which presented another problem. Stomach acid is not kind to your lungs. I am frequently awakened in the middle of the night to searing pain. Imagine if somebody dumped a jar of sulfuric acid into your throat or somebody is holding a hot branding iron back there. That is what I experience when I suddenly sit up at night. And the pain doesn’t go away very quickly.

To compound the matter, by the time this happens the acid has already had a chance to travel back down my airway and enter my lungs. My throat swells shut and I’m left gasping on the floor, trying to breathe despite the pain. It takes hours to subside, sometimes lasting clear through the night until it’s time to get ready to go to work. I end up coughing for days or weeks afterward. Needless to say, this condition hasn’t been kind to my accrued leave.

In March 2010, I underwent a surgery wherein a portion of my lower esophagus is removed and the top of my stomach is wrapped around what’s left. It was painful and unpleasant to say the least, and it didn’t fix the problems. Since the surgery, I have endured one painful night after another and endless trips to various doctors.

Which brings me to last week.

After being referred to an excellent specialist in Anchorage, the decision was made to send me to Seattle to meet with a world-class surgeon who specializes in repairing previous gastro-intestinal surgeries that have gone wrong. I flew down last Wednesday prepared to discuss when I would have my previous surgery corrected. The surgeon and a team of other doctors did some tests. I wasn’t concerned. I had done this surgery before and knew what to expect.

I was floored, however, when they told me that my stomach would have to be removed — all of it. Frankly, I didn’t know that was possible. Turns out it is. They remove your stomach and attach your esophagus directly to your large intestine. When they have completed this surgery, I can expect to lose around 10 percent of my total body weight within the first year and will likely continue to lose weight afterward. I will have to take vitamin B-12, likely through injection, the rest of my life. I will never again experience hunger or appetite and will have to use a schedule to remind me when to eat. My meals will consist of six tiny portions every day. I will have a long list of foods and beverages that I can no longer consume. In short, things are about to get very unpleasant.

I decided to write about this experience because this medical condition is on the rise in the Western world. Up to 15 percent of people who suffer from chronic heartburn have or will develop Barrett’s esophagus. I have talked to far too many people (mostly men) who have casually told me that they have frequent heartburn and are listening to the commercials and popping over-the-counter medication as a remedy.

Folks, if this is you, I highly encourage you to get it checked. If your doctor seems a little too casual in dismissing it, I suggest you ask your doctor to get a specialist’s second opinion. For more than five years I lived with my heartburn, and all the while my esophagus was being shredded. If I had received proper care back then I may not be faced with life without a portion of my esophagus and my entire stomach. I’m not going to go into the gruesome details of life with esophageal cancer; I think I’ve probably already grossed out a few of you as it is.

But if I’ve prompted at least one or two of you out there with similar symptoms thinking more seriously about having it checked, it was worth it.

Ben Compton is a Palmer resident and publishes his column under the tagline “Compton’s Corner,” the same title used by his grandmother, Phyllis Compton, a longtime Frontiersman columnist.