August 2002

Previous issues

This is a new addition to our website - Runner's Corner!  Each month we'll offer a new article by Kitty Consolo, Ph.D.   Kitty is a veteran runner and exercise physiologist.  She has been running and racing since 1975, and has won over 400 road races ranging from the mile to the marathon and went to the first women's Olympic marathon trails in 1984. Kitty has a PR of 2:42.46 for the marathon and 35:02 for the 10km,  She now enjoys shorter races and masters running.

Enjoy, and please let us know your thoughts about the Runner's Corner!

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Dear Readers,

This months Runner's Corner is a bit of a change from the others in that I felt it might be helpful to share my personal experience with acid reflux (which I featured last month) rather than a strictly advice column.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding acid reflux, feel free to contact me and I will try to help you.

best wishes

Kitty

In Search of Closure  August Runner's Corner

by Kitty A. Consolo, Ph.D.

     It was 3am and I still hadn't fallen asleep as my body lay anxiously awaiting the recurrence of my acid reflux.  Despite my pleas to reassure it that I was now on newer medication that should greatly decrease the acid formation, it had lost trust having tried so many different ones in the last 3 years.  My heart was now trained like a Pavlov dog and at the least sign of acid reflux, would begin pounding at 90 beats a minute, making sure that I would be alert and able to breathe.  Even my elevated bed, 2 pillows, diligence of not eating 2 or more hours before bedtime and giving up chocolate, tomatoes and fruit had not stopped the rise of acid reflux from taking hold of my sleep and my life.  It often traveled from my stomach high enough to reach my vocal cords, throat and eats, giving me the sensation of choking and causing a great deal of congestion and discomfort.  Yet I knew that in just 5 hours, somehow I would be on the starting line of the Granville Firecracker 5 mile race held every 4th of July.  Why subject myself to running 5 miles on no sleep?  Because this was the race that started it all, the race that began my career 27 years ago and in which several friends and neighbors ran just because it was.

     As I jogged the mile from my home to the start of the race, I could feel the incredible heat and humidity begin to close in on my breathing which was already somewhat compromised by the uncontrolled acid reflux.  Doubts of ever finishing arose and all thoughts of competition seemed so unimportant.  I began to see many friends and knowing we would all be experiencing the oppressive heat together, I decided I would run, but not race.  I had actually never done this before, I had an internal rule that I would only go to the starting line to race, otherwise don't go.  But this was the Granville Firecracker 5 in which taking part in any fashion was better than not taking part at all.  I was so happy to find my dear friend Jack McClain who had run Granville with me in 1975 and now at 81 was still competing.  I also say my dear childhood friend Laurie Joseph and her dad Arnie, 70 something, and decided if they could finish, I! could too.  I lined up with them and began with Arnie and Laurie.  About a mile into the race, I moved up just a few yards to join Jack.  He was looking great and welcomed me introducing me to his son Craig, actually Dr. Craig McClain. There is no doubt that God had directed me to join them as in the ensuing mile, I learned that "DR" McClain is a gastroenterologist at the University of Louisville.  I am rather ashamed to admit it, but I monopolized the conversation the next 4.5 miles regarding my acid reflux.  I learned that U of Louisville had a new technique called the "endocynch" in which they could put a stitch on either side of the valve between the esophagus and stomach.  "Fantastic I thought, I could go down to U of L, have my valve tightened and finally get the closure I'd been looking for in regard to my acid reflux."  I did manage to refocus on the race in the final stretch as we cheered Jack on (though he was so ! strong he really didn't need it) finishing in a possible age group record. 

     Dr. McClain encouraged me to have some patience and to try out my new acid-blocking drug a little longer before I jumped into surgery options.  While the drug helped more than the countless others I had tried, it also came with huge side effects for me, painful headaches, nausea, dizziness and a dry mouth that no amount of water would quench.  After much persistence, and assistance from my allergist Dr. Waickman and family physician Dr. Tracee Karaffa,  I was able to get an appointment with Dr. McClain and headed down to U of Lousiville.  There I was met by an incredible team of medical personnel.  They were the kind of support you wanted in those last few miles of your first marathon when you have no glycogen left and your legs are on fire.  They were just what I needed having gone through 3 near-death experiences at other hospitals from misdianoses and wrong medications.  However what still awaited me was ! a test I had worried about for 3 years, the endoscopy.  This is a procedure where they insert a tube with a light and camera down your throat to look at your stomach and esophagus.  I was terrified for two reasons, for one, I had had a near-death experience in being overly sedated at another hospital and tow, after years of uncontrolled acid reflux, had recently develop panic attacks at the least thing of throat pain and closure.  Facing this test was my Mt. Everest, and no matter how much I tried to comfort my body, my heart again was on red alert to the tune of 90  beats a minute lying down.  (My normal resting heart rate is 56 beats a minute).  Fortunately, Dr. McClain had scheduled me with Dr. Kristine Krueger, an energetic, positive and highly skilled gastroenterologist who agreed to scope me using a child-size scope and no meds at all.  With her incredible encouragement and support, along with coaching from nurse Jodie Coholich and assistant Pat Hazard, I made it through the test and without ANY medication.  I was shocked to find out that despite many bouts of searing burning pain from the acid reflux, that the recent meds had still done their job and that my esophagus and vocal cords were in good shape.  They also found my hiatal hernia, all 4 centimeters of it which prevents me from being a candidate for their special cynch surgery.  There would be no closure for me, at least in terms of surgery.  Other surgical options at present would bring even more problems than benefits.  I was forced to accept that for now, the best treatment would be medications to shut down the acid production in my stomach, diet restrictions (no chocolate), continuing elevating my bed and not eating close to bedtime.

     Before I left, Dr. McClain gave me a new medication to try.  Since I had done so well with the endoscopy, I went ahead and tried it, waiting for the typical side effects of headache, dizziness, nausea or abdominal pain to set in.  To my surprise, nothing happened, not even dry mouth.  On the way home, I reflected on my experience and decided that I needed to accept that sometimes in life, we don't get the closure we think we want or need.  But I didn't have to continue to live my life closed in.  I didn't have to live in fear of my reflux to the point where I didn't travel or go to races.

       The next day, armed with my new medication and an empty stomach, I drove to the Greenwave 5km at Newark OSU.  There I ran into an old friend Ken Hall who had brought his new friend Bob, a blind runner.  This was there second race together. I knew immediately I was supposed to meet them as I thought If Bob can run blind, attached to Ken with a dog lease, I can run with a hiatal hernia and partially open valve. I can accept that I don't have closure and I won't feel perfect.  I now know the truth about my body and why I have felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, burning apin, anxiety and an increase in my allergies.  I know I am not just "hysterical" as one hospital diagnosed me three years ago and that I have a great medical team in Louisville who is willing to continue to work with me so that I can get my life back.  And who knows, there are new options already being tested such as an inert substance that c! an plug up the valve.  There could be closure in the future.  But for now, it's up to me to accept the lack of closure and go on.  Hope to see you at the races.