Steven Ladd – Reflux Care

Steven Ladd of Palisade found heartburn relief and advanced care for his acid reflux disease close to home.

“Twenty-some years ago a coworker on a roofing job commented that I was taking a lot of antacid tablets and mentioned reflux disease, but I didn’t think anything of it. I just kept taking Tums and Rolaids and experienced many years of upset stomach, heartburn and indigestion before I got relief.”

Following hospitalization for severe reflux symptoms, Steve was diagnosed with gastropesophageal reflux disease. He was referred for an endoscopy with a reflux specialist with the Minnesota Reflux and Heartburn Center at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin. Steve has a precancerous reflux condition called Barrett’s esophagus.

Over the last two years, Steve has undergone a series of ablations to destroy pre-cancerous cells in his esophagus in an effort to prevent the progression of reflux disease to esophageal cancer.

A few years ago, Steve retired from construction work due to health reasons and has congestive heart failure with a defibrillator implant and takes a blood thinner. While these factors add to the complexity of his reflux care, he’s been impressed with how the MRHC team has made accommodations to make the endoscopy and ablation procedures go smoothly for him.

“Now I have no chest pain and am able to enjoy my diet without too many restrictions. I greatly appreciate the comprehensive care I’ve received for my acid reflux.”

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