Anxiety and chest tightness

Some friends experience chest regurgitation when they are anxious. If this symptom occurs frequently, you may be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease. In fact, gastroesophageal reflux is a gastrointestinal disease, which is mainly caused by irregular diet. In recent years, the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux has gradually increased. The treatment of gastroesophageal reflux is also very simple, mainly requiring patients to change their lifestyle.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease refers to a disease in which gastric contents reflux into the esophagus or above, into the mouth (including throat) or lungs, causing uncomfortable symptoms and/or complications. This is a common disease. What we ordinary people usually call "acid reflux" and "heartburn" are precisely the two most common and typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

According to statistics, the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in China has been increasing year by year. With the improvement of living standards and the enrichment of diet, various diseases have also been "eaten out". Gastroesophageal reflux disease is also closely related to eating habits and types. Long-term high-salt and high-fat diet, preference for spicy and irritating foods, constant consumption of tobacco and alcohol, junk food and carbonated drinks, etc., are all inducing factors that cause gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is not a big deal, but it is not a small deal either. The pain after getting the disease can probably only be truly felt by those who suffer from this disease. I couldn't sleep all night, was woken up by the acid rising from my stomach at night, and I couldn't stop coughing. After a long time, I developed asthma. I kept burping and having acid reflux after meals. It felt like there was a piece of burning charcoal in my chest. There was always sour water in my mouth that I couldn't swallow. I didn't dare to talk to others because of the bad breath... Because of all these things, when I was seeing the doctor in the outpatient clinic, I really wished I had magic power so that I could get rid of the disease overnight.

You know, this disease is long-term. I have seen many patients who have been suffering from the disease for several years or even more than ten years. Can you imagine what kind of state a person would be in if he hasn't had a good night's sleep for more than ten years? In the patient's words, he really wanted to commit suicide.

Currently, treatment for reflux disease can be summarized as lifestyle changes, medication and surgery. For patients with mild reflux, they can control it by paying attention to their lifestyle habits and taking appropriate medications. For patients with long-term, moderate to severe reflux, I recommend surgical treatment as soon as possible.

Lifestyle changes

Changing your lifestyle can still be effective for patients who have not been ill for long and have just shown some signs of reflux disease. The specific measures are:

Lose weight, raise the head of the bed, quit smoking and drinking, avoid eating before bedtime, and avoid foods that trigger reflux disease such as coffee, chocolate, spicy or acidic foods, and high-fat foods. Here I would like to remind all patients that persistence is the key. Although changing your lifestyle habits is a difficult thing, compared to the impact of reflux disease on your life after it gets worse, you should insist on curbing it at the beginning.

Drug treatment

For patients with more serious conditions, they need to take medicine. The drugs are generally PPIs, the scientific name is "proton pump inhibitors", usually called "certain prazole". Your doctor will choose the appropriate drugs and dosage according to your symptoms and severity. If the symptoms are successfully controlled with medication and the condition is alleviated through improvements in lifestyle habits, the dosage of the medication can be gradually reduced. After all, long-term use of PPIs has certain side effects.

Surgery

For patients who have been taking long-term medications and cannot stop, and whose dosage is gradually increased but whose condition still progresses, I recommend surgical treatment.

Common surgeries include laparoscopic fundoplication and endoscopic fundoplication. Both are minimally invasive procedures that aim to create a valve at the gastroesophageal junction, forming a barrier to stomach acid and preventing reflux. Currently, laparoscopic technology is a relatively mature technology, and for patients with esophageal hiatal hernia, hernia repair can also be performed at the same time. Endoscopic fundoplication is a technology that has just emerged overseas. Our hospital performed the first operation in the country in March this year. Now the patient, Mr. Sun, is doing very well. I think this is a high-tech technology worthy of promotion. Compared with laparoscopy, endoscopic surgery is less traumatic and has a faster recovery time. Patients can usually be discharged from the hospital and return to work within three days.