“I am no longer taking anything for GERD. It is like it never happened.”
Amy describes the first time she experienced severe heartburn as an intense experience. She had experienced occasional heartburn before, but as time went on her symptoms gradually became worse. At one point, she had to leave dinner after having just one glass of wine. She thought she was having a heart attack.
For five years Amy relied on over-the-counter medications like Tums, Prilosec and Zantac. While the medications helped at first, as her symptoms worsened the medications did less and less.
Amy scheduled a consultation with Dr. Bagnato after realizing the degree to which her acid reflux was interrupting her life. He completed a diagnostic exam and found a hiatal hernia that was causing her reflux problem. After an outpatient procedure, Amy no longer struggles with regular heartburn and reflux. She calls the procedure “fairly painless” and was able to return to work after just two or three days.
Following surgery, Amy has no dietary restrictions. She no longer worries about what she can and cannot eat and doesn’t have to fear the severe pressure and burning near her chest that caused her so much anxiety in the past. Since receiving surgery, Amy says she has not needed any medications for heartburn or reflux relief. Her life is as it was before she developed acid reflux disease.