stubbs

Hello everyone,I'm posting because I have a question.I recently had an upper GI scope done. The doctor said I had some inflammation in the throat and stomach but no cancer. But somwtimes I have a hard time swallowing sometimes can anybody shed some light on what may be wrong? I drink everyday I usually have between 6 and 9 beers per night.

biminiblue

Inflammation can also be described as "swelling."

Are you interested in quitting drinking? Everything gets better health-wise.

MIRecovery

If you are honest with yourself you know the problem and solution. When I quit drinking a whole host of medical problems vanished

totfit

I know that I had a hard time swallowing when I was drinking during the times of "not drinking" when my nerves made it difficult to swallow. I had to kind of force myself to swallow food. When I detoxed and did not drink any more, I had no issues. That is just my experience.

tomsteve

6-9 beers a night is causing the inflammation of the throat/esophagus, which is making it hard to swallow.

sooo, the problem is too much alcohol starting to show the physical effects.

SoberCAH

Your body is talking to you.

I hope you listen, to it and to the folks on this thread.

I also hope you quit drinking.

It doesn't sound like things are going in a good direction.

doggonecarl

That's a question I would have asked my doctor.

stubbs

I've tried multiple times to quit,maybe this is the wake up call I need,still don't want to accept it though.

ScottFromWI

I think we've all had several wake-up calls. Some health related, others money related, family related, etc.

You will have to accept it though- there's no way to beat your addiction if you don't acknowledge that it exists.

Rob32u

I drank about 5 drinks a day on average for nearly 20 years. Recently there was evidence of a fatty liver and I had an endoscopy like you. There was inflammation called "gastropathy" in lower stomach. I was feeling some nausea. It could be caused by alcohol, or by taking NSAIDs which I has been for a long time, or by anxiety which I also had. The symptoms didn't actually start until about a year after I had cut my daily drinking in half. Meaning, I wasn't even drinking most days.

The doc gave me prescription Pepcid twice a day to heal the inflammation and to lay off certain kinds of food and of course no drinking. It's been a bout six weeks and the nausea seems to be almost gone so I think it's doing the trick. Just do what the doc says and do whatever you can to stop drinking.

BrendaChenowyth

I was in the ED last year and diagnosed with gastritis because I had hematemesis. You learned a brand new word today, that means throwin up blood. Cause your stomach and esophagus are so raw from alcohol going down and then coming back up along with corrosive digestive acid.

Yuck. Okay thanks for that walk down memory lane

Actually it's not just a memory. I've been dealing with some emotional stress at work and my digestive tract, top to bottom, has been RAVAGED. That's the thing, once you have that damage brought on by the alcohol, even when you stay off it, it can easily be exacerbated by stress or all the wrong things in your diet.

Smoking is horrible for me today, been doin that like a fiend..

stubbs

I've had traces of blood in my puke when I puke up straight stomach bile..have for years..I need to truly quit but it's so engraved in my life.

waynetheking

Well stubs at least for now you have a life. Continue drinking and you won't. I hate to be so blunt here but that's the reality of it.

Winslow

That alcohol is eating at your soft tissues watch the "Rain in my heart" documentaries on YouTube, one girl was throwing up blood and ended up dying, she was only in her 20's

ScottFromWI

That's the conundrum of addiction in a nutshell. Sometimes it takes extraordinary measures to break the cycle, but it is possible for anyone no matter how long they have been drinking or how much.

Have you considered rehab? As others have mentioned, it can become a life or death choice if you wait too long.

stubbs

If this damage of the soft tissue reversible?I truly do want to quit,I have 2 children who need a father and a wife who needs a husband.This had me in tears this morning...

ScottFromWI

Our bodies are pretty resilient, but only to a certain point. Only your doctor can tell you for sure, but people have a pretty amazing ability to recover.

Having said rhat, none of it applies unless you stop drinking. You must make the decision to quit and seek the necessary help to do so. And if is a choice you can make...now if you want to.

ThatWasTheOldMe

Ethanol irritates the cells that line your GI tract (from mouth to bowel). This can lead to inflammation and other complications.

There can be other causes, but the alcohol abuse certainly isn't helping.

ThatWasTheOldMe

Your body constantly produces new cells to replace aging and dying cells. When you introduce foreign substances and irritants, your body will start to replace cells at a faster rate because cells die at a faster rate. More cell replacement means more opportunities for imperfections in cell reproduction, and more opportunities for cancer. This is why alcohol is classified as a carcinogen.

So yes, it's most likely reversible. But if you continue to abuse alcohol, you greatly increase your risk for cancer of all body systems affected and other complications. Only a doctor can tell you if there is something else at play.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Do not take this as medical advice.

BrendaChenowyth

It makes sense.