Endoscopy

I took Jane in for an endoscopy yesterday. This goes back to when her family doctor told her she had a wheat allergy. She'd been experiencing some pain just above the stomach, and nausea. Her doctor then referred her to this gastroenterologist, who did the endoscopy yesterday.

What he found was:

• salmon-colored mucosa suggestive of short-segmented Barrett's esophagus
• a 2 cm hiatal hernia
• acid reflux (gerd) 

The procedure itself didn't take very long at all. The appointment was at 8 am. I think it was around 9:10 when they took her back. The procedure was about 20 minutes, and she was in recovery for just under an hour. Then we were on our way home (with a stop at the McDonald's drive-thru to get her something to eat).

We both took the day off work. Jane slept most of the rest of the morning and early afternoon. I worked on the puzzle in the picture.

As for the findings and diagnosis... She returns to the gastroenterologist later this month. He will have the results of the biopsies - which he didn't seem concerned about - and will likely keep her on the GERD medicine he put her on prior to the endoscopy. He said he would likely drop the dosage from 40 mg to 20.

Basically, it sounds like one of those things that's fairly common anymore and we will simply need to monitor from here on out. Yes, she's supposed to lose some weight, stay away from alcohol and caffeine, eat right and stay healthy and all that. What's new... The joys of growing older. :)

I am, however, glad she finally went to the doctor and found out what was going on. If left untreated this could have developed into much worse.

So, it's a new day. And here comes the sun...