Page 9 - Indulge December/January 2017
P. 9
Bye-Bye
Heartburn
Woman getsrelieffrom
chronic acid reflux with
a new procedure
Photo courtesy of Easton Hospital
Barney and Mary bellow on the “Some patients can control their acid prevent any spasm caused by solid food December/January 2017 • indulge | 9
front porch. The beagles greet reflux through diet and lifestyle changes from damaging the site of the hernia
family and neighbors alike with their alone,” says Mukherjee. “Others need repair,” says Dr. Singhal.
throaty howls. Jennie Youtz has had medication. But an estimated 15 million
beagles all her life. Americans use PPIs, and research now Jennie didn’t mind the liquids or the
indicates there are harmful side-effects transition to soft foods.
This pair have been with her for from long-term use of those medicines.
over a decade, but not nearly as long With TIF, patients have an alternative.” “I’ve learned to eat slower, take
as she has had heartburn. smaller bites and not eat as much,”
The procedure is noninvasive, she says.
For 20 years she has lived with incisionless and performed through the
acid reflux. While it hasn’t always mouth. It takes less than an hour. More importantly, she is feeling great.
been bad, it has slowly gotten worse “I have not had any heartburn since
— both the burning in her throat and In Jennie’s case, she had to first my surgery and am now off my PPI,”
the interrupted sleep. For years she address a common ailment that she says.
has slept with her head elevated in can accompany chronic acid reflux: That’s big news. Plus she doesn’t
hopes to keep the acid down. a hiatal hernia. It occurs when a have to give up any of her favorite foods.
portion of the stomach pushes up “The thought of losing coffee and
She’s controlled it with various through the diaphragm. chocolate, which aggravated my acid
over-the-counter medications. But reflux, was terrible,” she says. “You
she’s been reading the recent reports Fellowship- and robotically-trained might as well shoot me and put me out
that indicate a connection between bariatric and general surgeon Vinay of my misery.”
PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) and Singhal, M.D., worked in tandem with “I can’t say enough about my doctors,
malabsorption of vitamins and minerals, Muhkerjee. Singhal used the surgical the staff at Easton Hospital and the
kidney disease and even dementia. robot to complete the hernia repair relief of being off my PPI,” she says.
and then Muhkerjee used specialized “Bye-bye heartburn; it’s time to live pain
“I started to get scared of the long- endoscopy tools to rebuild the free and worry free.”
term effects,” says Jennie. “And the stomach valve.
problem was getting worse. I started to Shanker
burp each night and spit-up a sour- All Jennie knew was she “was in Mukherjee, M.D.,
tasting fluid.” good hands.” gastroenterologist at
Easton Hospital.
She made an appointment with her “Dr. Muhkerjee rocks,” she says. “I’d
gastroenterologist, Shanker Mukherjee, do anything he recommends.”
M.D., who suggested a new procedure
that could resolve her acid reflux and She woke from the procedure feeling
allow her to stop taking her PPI. good. “I wasn’t uncomfortable and
didn’t have any pain,” she says.
Called Transoral Incisionless
Fundoplication, or TIF, the procedure Jennie had to be on a liquid diet
rebuilds the valve that prevents stomach both before the procedure and afterward.
acid from irritating the esophagus.
“We want patients to drop a little
weight prior to surgery and want to
