Post Number:#4 Post
by Johnwen » Sat Dec 06, 2014 11:47 am
Have they had their blood levels of the pancreatic enzymes amylase and lipase checked. This plus a CBC would be the starting place. GERD can be caused by dehydration and or anemia or if your glucose levels are high. This all points the finger at the pancreas and further investigation is needed and one or both of the following test’s would be called for.
This next two are rather Unpleasant (to say the least!) test to check out the pancreas. Both involve a endoscope and dye and a shot or two but since most cases of GERD start from some problem with the pancreas they could possibly find a way to fix rather then mask the problem!
First on the ugh list is!
Secretin Stimulation Test (SST) Briefly! Secretin is released by the pancreas to help neutralize the stomach acid in the intestines if there’s too much acid the intestines clamp off and you get a back up!
Then there’s this GEM!
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
Hope I spelled it right most doc’s would look at you with a weird look if you said this to them and their the one’s doing the ERCP test. This one looks for gall stones in the common bile duct. Of course they can also be spotted by echo or cat scan which might be a better option in this case. The problem is some of the buggers can hide from the picture test’s. Same as above not enough neutralizer’s caused by a blockage, causing a back up!
Of course there’s the, “problem maskers,” that raise the ph of the stomach acid which is usually the first line tried but without the proper levels of acid, the stomach isn’t doing it’s job of breaking down what it’s presented with! However some times giving things a rest, brings things back in line.
Hope this gives you a better idea of what some of the causes of GERD are. However I would give Owen’s Rec’s first a try, if not it’s time to see the GI Doc!
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