How a tiny necklace of magnets ends the misery of heartburn
Having suffered with acute and painful heartburn at the relatively young age of 21, Russell Theobald did everything he could to resolve the problem of GORD (Gastro Oesophageal Reflux Disease) by himself. Cutting out bread, white flour and pastry. He had managed to tide over the symptoms with the use of PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) for 15 years, suddenly, they stopped working. He was then diagnosed with Barrett’s Oesophagus. The idea of getting fundoplication surgery worried Russell as, a this point, he was 37 and fretted about a major, irreversible surgery at that age.
Russell’s mother recommended LINX to him. He got in touch with a private hospital where his doctor suggested they undergo appropriate testing to see if he was eligible for surgery. These tests included being monitored for 24 hours to see how the acid affected his stomach. After his surgery, he experienced some discomfort which spanned over a 4 month period at differing intensities. This was his body getting used to the device according to surgeon Mr Majid Hashemi (a member of the multi-disciplinary team).
With careful monitoring from his surgeon and dedicated aftercare, he was back to normal. Though he did need to be careful about thoroughly chewing food and will need a gastroscopy every few years to check on his Barrett’s Oesophagus, he felt the operation was a success. Despite not taking medication, he hasn’t had a single bout of heartburn and is able to eat the foods he wasn’t before.