My new life story and a word of warning

Fading Fast said:

That is awesome - congratulations.

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Thanks, Mark!

EmergencyIan said:

Thanks, Mark!

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I - as noted in a much early post - can't thank you enough. You motivated me to get myself checked out and, thankfully, all was good, but who knows what could have been as I had ignored some concerning symptoms for way too long.

Super happy you are well.

Fading Fast said:

I - as noted in a much early post - can't thank you enough. You motivated me to get myself checked out and, thankfully, all was good, but who knows what could have been as I had ignored some concerning symptoms for way too long.

Super happy you are well.

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I am so glad that my story helped you to get checked out. We (guys) are stubborn and can live in denial, to our own detriment. Thank goodness you’re okay!

- Ian

Good news, Ian; glad to hear it.

sheeplady said:

I am totally into naturopathic medicine. It successfully ended my IBS, many years ago. But naturopathic medicine (done right) in my opinion, is supplemental to western medicine. And no good naturopathic doctor would say otherwise...

Most of the herbs and vitamins that they use (that have been scientifically proven) are just as dangerous as conventional meds, with various efficacies. (And some of them are the same darned thing... see Willow Bark as my favorite example.)

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What vitamins have killed people?

EmergencyIan said:

I'm through with everything, for now and hopefully for good. I had the first follow-up PET scan and it was clear. I'll have another in March.

- Ian

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FANTASTIC Ian!!!! THANK you for your sharing this critical information. I stumbled across the thread this morning, (first time) a subject closer to my heart than I would like.

Now 62 (and a half) years of age, I have been dealing with heartburn and GERD since 1967. The big scare? LarrytheCableGuy has been "hooking" unsuspecting people on Prilosec for some time now. About 4 years ago my primary physician told me that since I had been taking Prilosec (or other similarly-working acid inhibitors) for a few years, it might be a good idea to see about stopping for a while. So, I did. What he failed to tell me was that when discontinuing these meds, the stomach often (usually) produces a spike in gastric acid, and so the stopping process almost always requires something of a tapering off, not "cold turkey." Careful as I was to manage my food and everything about how I ate, in exactly two weeks I presented myself to the good folks at a local Emergency Department. I had had a stomach ulcer in the early 1970s, so I knew I was in trouble (that wasn't a feeling you EVER forget). Good thing I followed my instincts that day, as the CT scan revealed a nice new intestinal ulcer, that, had I waited another day would most likely have caused a perforation requiring emergency surgery. The fix? More of the drug (intravenously) that caused the problem. In twenty minutes, I felt terrific, sort of...

I now will be looking into the no-carb approach, thank you @Paisley. What EVER while I eat, if no carbs?!??

Paisley said:

What vitamins have killed people?

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Any of the fat soluble vitamins can have dangerous impacts at too high a dose. People with pre-existing conditions (heart problems, liver problems, etc.) should consult with a doctor (either western or naturopathic) to find the best vitamin solution for their health.

Also some forms of vitamins are known to cause serious birth defects and even death to unborn children (such as certain forms/sources of vitamin A, if i remember correctly).

Then there's the whole other issue of vitamins interacting with prescription drugs...

"Excess doses" apply to anything you ingest. I'm talking about normal doses.

One recent study found a 50% higher risk of death among long-term PPI users compared to people taking H2 blockers. This is in addition to associations with increased risk of kidney damage and other health problems. Those potential long-term health problems are the reason I ditched the PPIs.