Because the severe "chest pains" I had were misdiagnosed for too many years, my acid reflux problems had gone too far to be controlled my medication. I had already developed "Barett's Esophagus" which means the throat lining was being eaten away (not merely irritated) by the amount of acid continuously in my throat. For someone in that position, Laporoscopic Fudoplication surgery is the only real answer.

I had my surgery a year ago and just had a checkup today. The checkup showed my problems with Barett's Esophagus are no longer getting worse and my risk of developing throat cancer is very small now. I have had no return of the horrible pain that made it hard to sleep or think clearly for years.

If medication is not doing the job, their are a number of tests to find out if you are a good candidate for Laporoscopic Fudoplication surgery. If those tests determine you are an ideal candidate, the only question is to find a surgeon with successful experience with this surgery.

My HMO tried to send me to a surgeon who had never performed this procedure before. This surgeon was so embarassed by this referral that he helped me find a surgeon in the HMO who had performed more than 100 totally successful Laporoscopic Fudoplication surgeries. After the surgery, it can take weeks or months before you can eat normal solid food again without choking on it (it varies for each person). This is a very small price to pay if you are living with severe chronic pain and the medication is not helping.

Robert Lessman