Barrett’s esophagus – what is it?

I will go short of saying that I would not wish this on my worst enemy. For those of you who do not know, there is a little flap in the esophagus that stops acid coming up into the throat. When this flap is shall we say lazy or only partly effective, the acids of the stomach which are strong as they have to be make themselves known through an unpleasant bloating and acid pain.

The description above is not adequate because it is a condition that replaces the tissue in your esophagus with tissues similar to what is found in your intestinal lining.

If you want a fancy definition “In Barrett’s oesophagus, there are changes in the cells on the inner lining of the lower end of the oesophagus. These cells normally look flat and are called squamous cells. But if you have Barrett’s oesophagus, the cells look column-shaped, like cells in the stomach or bowel”

It might be a good idea to be more aware of the state of your fellow humans from the health point of view. Most of the diseases and conditions that we see are invisible to the eye yet can cause extreme discomfort and even agony on a daily basis. I’m aware of the number of people that are waiting for hip and shoulder replacements. They smile, they can continue to shop at the supermarket, but they are in pain and this does not go away day or night.

Our weakness as human beings is to avoid engaging in preventive medicine rather than seeking attention only when pain or discomfort becomes unbearable. We still have this ” I don’t want to bother you” mentality though I am aware that at the other end of the spectrum we have people who will make a prima donna fuss about real or imagined ailments.

I have suffered from this for over 25 years but did not identify the condition, dismissing it as acid stomach, until after I arrived here in Bath over 10 years ago.  After a disease has been identified you need to see how it can be managed which is normally about diet. There are also PPI’s, proton pump inhibitors which have their place and these are in the form of a pill. Part of my problem is that I still eat like a teenager, stuffing down food in too great a quantity and the poor old stomach cannot cope. It seems I have to learn this the hard way. You could say my eyes are bigger than my stomach. Mea Culpa.

Milk and sugar are not my friend so try minimizing sugar when a good percentage of all manufactured foods contains it. I am told that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Home cooking is the best. I also enjoy a drink and a few cups of coffee. Strangely I can get away with almost any type of food in the morning but after about 3 pm I have to be very careful indeed otherwise up it comes and that ain’t pretty.

Another factor is that when I’m in pain there is a huge drain of energy. It is a bit like someone pulling the plug out of a bath. Where has the energy gone?  My coordination system does not work. I feel like a rag doll.

We are all broken (and fall short of the glory of God)

The section was occasioned by someone at the church meeting this morning saying that we don’t have to be perfect in order to help people. We are all broken in a way. Ernest Hemingway commented that it is impossible to avoid all pain and suffering during a lifetime, but I believe that our setbacks have a larger meaning and purposeful stop the famous author reportedly said the following: we are all broken. That’s how the light gets in.

The people who get through to me in spades are those who admit their own problems and their lack of perfection. I am not impressed by the Mr Perfects of this world. Someone recently started off by saying that they had had a difficult week and then save what they had done to restore their stability and peace of mind. In other words, I can relate to human beings but I cannot and have never related to people who do what I call window dressing.

Making wise decisions

I sometimes think our government consists mostly of actions of people passing the back or ignoring the buck’s existence in the first place. Why is it that so many decisions are made that are so bad and will cost the country millions? Do people in a government department actually speak to another department never mind keep the public informed. Is this some sort of secret society?

When I make a decision I try to take any emotional elements away and look at the pros and cons. For example, this afternoon, there is a wassail which takes place about 10 miles away near Chew Magna.  I theoretically have the energy to go but bearing in mind my early return from the meeting this morning with a considerable draining stomach ache I came to the conclusion that I did not have enough margin of safety which needs to be built up through looking after myself and perhaps reading a book.

On the other hand, the event would have been enjoyable. There was a barbecue, a large bonfire, dancing etc that would have been no good had I suddenly been taken with another ache of the body for whatever reason. As Françoise says – we cannot do everything. You may think that in the country there is less going on than for example in London but if you divide the number of events by the number of people it is pretty much the same.

As I have previously said I must look after myself and that is not selfish because if I cannot function properly I am of no use to others.I am cautious about people who put pressure on me to do something. I would rather make up my own mind in my own time. Then I feel that I will make the right decision

—-VIDEO LIBRARY——-

Bonkers Department – The climate scaremongers: Heat pumps fiasco will cost us all dearly.
Down With This Sort of Thing: Graham Linehan. Shows what happens if you stand up to… pretty much any nonsense. Via UK Column.