Thankful Thursday

Is it Thursday again?  So soon?

Sometimes I have a hard time thinking of something to write about on Thankful Thursday.  It's not so much that I'm not thankful; it's more that the things I do think of aren't easy to adequately describe.  Sometimes the issue is that I'm thankful for something that seems totally trivial and I feel silly saying that I'm thankful for fresh tomatoes or raspberries, blueberries, and cherries . . . even though I am.  Very thankful.  : )

Over the past few months, one thing that I have been thankful for is the medication Dr. Z prescribed for my heartburn and reflux.  Omeprazole has made a dramatic difference in my quality of life.  Before I started taking the drug I would experience heartburn several times a week.  It seemed like most of the foods that I enjoy -- chocolate, coffee, red meat, citrus and other acidic fruits -- would trigger heartburn and/or reflux.  It was really annoying.  I learned to always make sure I had Tums with me.  Another annoyance was the heartburn often made me feel like I needed to cough.  Even though I knew coughing wouldn't help, I coughed anyway and then people would ask if I was coming down with a cold.  No, I just have yucky heartburn.  : /   

Within the first week of taking Omeprazole I noticed a huge difference.  There was only one time early on where I felt like I needed to take a Tums.  I resisted the urge because I wasn't sure if I should use Tums with the medication.  Additionally I have only had serious reflux once.

I am thrilled that I'm feeling so good and I really hope that this prescription is also achieving the second goal -- healing the ulcers at the base of my esophagus.  Dr. Z said that area of my esophagus was so ulcerated that he was unable to take any tissue samples. 

I'm supposed to have a throat scope in a few months and if the ulcers have cleared up, it will indicate that they were caused by excess stomach acid and responded well to the medication  If they are still present, they could be indicative of Barrett's esophagus, a potential precursor to esophageal cancer.  My grandfather died of esophageal cancer and my sister-in-law's father had Barrett's.  Both of these men suffered greatly and I would definitely like to avoid the trials they endured.

So until I know more, I am very thankful that Omeprazole is helping to control my acid reflux and heartburn.