Jeanne McLeod – Reflux Care

Diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease in 2006, Jeanne McLeod suffered for 11 years before she got permanent relief.

“Soon after breakfast each day I began having heartburn and reflux,” Jeanne explained. “I suffered symptoms all day long; it was constant. My mother suffered with reflux disease for many years so I didn’t realize there was any effective treatment.”

Jeanne tried different antacid prescription medications and supplemented each with four to five TUMS pills a day. She tried preparing meals using cookbooks with anti-reflux recipes, but that didn’t work for her either.

Then she saw a notice for a Minnesota Reflux and Heartburn Center (MRHC) seminar, which she attended, and signed up for GERD testing at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin.

Jeanne learned from her MRHC reflux specialist that a minimally invasive procedure called Nissen fundoplication could offer her a lasting GERD solution. In August 2017, she underwent this minimally invasive surgical procedure, in which the upper part of the stomach is wrapped around the lower end of the esophagus and stitched in place to reinforce a weak lower esophageal sphincter.

“After my procedure, my symptoms were gone immediately,” Jeanne said. “I feel wonderful. I can eat again in peace.”

A resident of Little Falls, Minn., Jeanne had a 60-mile drive to Aitkin for her reflux care.

“It was well worth the one-hour drive to get advanced GERD care,” Jeanne said. “I would travel twice that distance if needed for this kind of personalized, wonderful care. Everyone at Riverwood–from the people who sign you in to those who walk you out the door—was fabulous!”

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