Has anyone been diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus?
Hi Dee,
When I was quite young, my Dad was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus. He'd had GERD forever and my understanding was that this condition, in addition to his alcoholism and bulimia, played a big role in his developing Barrett's Esophagus.
The way he described BE to me was to say that the cells that lined the uppermost part of his stomach, were now growing into his Esophagus and the cells that had once lined the lower part of his Esophagus were now entirely replaced by these stomach-lining cells. I may be completely wrong, but that is how he described the condition to me.
He continued to drink alcohol, indulge in spicy foods and generally disregarded all of the dietary recommendations his gastroenterologist gave him for living with BE. Some 35-40 years after his BE diagnosis, he received the grim news that he had Stage IV Esophageal Cancer. He was given 12-18 months to live. 5 years later he was considered cured of the cancer and he credited alcohol and spicy foods with helping his body fight and win the battle against Esophageal Cancer.
