GERD (acid Reflux)

angelll

Hope it's ok to bump this thread,i'm 31,female and have been suffering from acid in the throat and ibs for years but now it's getting worse. For the last 3 weeks i've had a lump in my throat,tightness in chest, cough, tonsillitis, palpitations etc and it's all pointing to gerd. I drink too much coffee,eat crap food and smoke so big changes have to be made. Has anyone gone completely cold turkey and been fine or should i eliminate one step at a time? I'm currently on zantac & gaviscon for acid,zirtek for post nasal drip and prednesol steroids (as my chest is tightening a lot and has some sounds so may have aspirated something from the reflux..fun ) Help!

goat2

i have this gerd with about seven yrs now, it cause pain all over the chest, and sometimes the shoulders and joints when it is very bad,
when the acid is at its worst for me, i take a half teaspoon in water and it helps very fast,
i also find it is not good to go without food for a long time,
and also when on long journey i get pain in my right shoulder and arm from sitting there, so to releive it i buy soda water that also helps when travelling.
also red apples help when one needs a snack when travelling, but green apples aggreviate it,
i find that sweet food is a big culprit,
when i was diagnosed about seven yrs ago, it took doctors 4 months to come up with answers, i had to be transported by ambulance as they thought i was having a heart attack, at that time i could not breathe and had the chest pain, but the pain had come down both arms, being worse on the right arm,
i was put on heart medication, and asprin was one of the tablets, they nearly killed me, it was not bad enough having ulcer but having asprin every day drove it worse,
so i had to have an angeogram as they could not work out why i was getting worse instead of better,
that showed i had a perfect heart,
so they did that test where they stick a probe into the stomach and there the answer was found,
when blood tests were done, the acid was so high that they had not seen that reading before,
i was on a host of tablets for a while, and got my health back,
and today i know i have to keep off the spirits and beer, but i do drink guinness and it is ok, but it is seldom that i drink anyway,
i loved wine, always had a few glasses at weekends, but now if i have a glass, i am in agony the following day,
i also find cheese, beef, lamb bring on problems for me, so i have little meat with plenty veg, and i get away with it,, and i loved my steak and roast beef, i lived on it, and also lamb, but now i would have half a steak and just one slice of lamb and wanting more, but know that it would bring on pain and that is enough of a deterrent.

hdowney

goat2 wrote: »

i have this gerd with about seven yrs now, it cause pain all over the chest, and sometimes the shoulders and joints when it is very bad,
when the acid is at its worst for me, i take a half teaspoon in water and it helps very fast,
i also find it is not good to go without food for a long time,
and also when on long journey i get pain in my right shoulder and arm from sitting there, so to releive it i buy soda water that also helps when travelling.
also red apples help when one needs a snack when travelling, but green apples aggreviate it,
i find that sweet food is a big culprit,
when i was diagnosed about seven yrs ago, it took doctors 4 months to come up with answers, i had to be transported by ambulance as they thought i was having a heart attack, at that time i could not breathe and had the chest pain, but the pain had come down both arms, being worse on the right arm,
i was put on heart medication, and asprin was one of the tablets, they nearly killed me, it was not bad enough having ulcer but having asprin every day drove it worse,
so i had to have an angeogram as they could not work out why i was getting worse instead of better,
that showed i had a perfect heart,
so they did that test where they stick a probe into the stomach and there the answer was found,
when blood tests were done, the acid was so high that they had not seen that reading before,
i was on a host of tablets for a while, and got my health back,
and today i know i have to keep off the spirits and beer, but i do drink guinness and it is ok, but it is seldom that i drink anyway,
i loved wine, always had a few glasses at weekends, but now if i have a glass, i am in agony the following day,
i also find cheese, beef, lamb bring on problems for me, so i have little meat with plenty veg, and i get away with it,, and i loved my steak and roast beef, i lived on it, and also lamb, but now i would have half a steak and just one slice of lamb and wanting more, but know that it would bring on pain and that is enough of a deterrent.

Can I ask 'what' you take half a teaspoon of in water?

Lamb is a complete cnut for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE lamb, but it hates me. A little bit and a I broke up from it. Dairy is another. I can have a smidge in my tea, a smidge for my cereal and a bit of butter. but if I have even a small amount of say ice-cream, I am dying in next to no time

goat2

i take the bread soda because it turns the acid alkali, when it is burnign the throat off me, breadsoda is the only answer, it works the fastest when in a rut,
and you are right about the lamb, of the meats i mentioned, it is the worst for me too,
i find deflatine handy to have if i have to eat out,
and eating out is hard also, as we need to know that is included in a dish down to the last herb,

hdowney

goat2 wrote: »

i take the bread soda because it turns the acid alkali, when it is burnign the throat off me, breadsoda is the only answer, it works the fastest when in a rut,
and you are right about the lamb, of the meats i mentioned, it is the worst for me too,
i find deflatine handy to have if i have to eat out,
and eating out is hard also, as we need to know that is included in a dish down to the last herb,

God yes, eating out is a minefield. Particularly Chinese!!! Pretty much everything in the Chinese is bound to kill I must look into bread soda.

I'm getting another scope Monday week, cos I have been REALLY suffering and they wanna see what's up

Kayly

I suffered daily from acid reflux for years, and tried many of the mentioned remedies and medicines. Last year I went on a healthy diet, lost 2.5 stone and havent had a symptom since. It might not be the answer for everyone, but it worked for me, and I feel better than I have in years. I know thats not as easy as it sounds, but if I can do it, anyone can.

goat2

hdowney wrote: »

God yes, eating out is a minefield. Particularly Chinese!!! Pretty much everything in the Chinese is bound to kill I must look into bread soda.

I'm getting another scope Monday week, cos I have been REALLY suffering and they wanna see what's up

i can understand your prediciment, but i find that christmas is a very hard time for the likes of us, i love socailising and entertaining at christmas, and then there are those boxes of chocolate and i cannot stop at one, i do ask family to keep them out of my sight, have them when i am not looking, and i always suffer for up to six weeks after,
yes chinese is a killer, i avoid that, and did love it,
i have got the feeling that it is the food that take longest to digest that gives the most trouble, like red meat and cheese,
i also found that cod liver oil which i took for a while to help with joints it just brought the acid on worse, had to scrap that idea,
as for the person who said losing weight does the job, well this illness just knocked all the weight i had to lose, and it did not do the trick,
i have a friend who is whip thin, and he suffers from this also, and makes no difference, as he was always thin,
i beleive that sometimes people mistake this disease with artherites, as it causes pain in joints when acid as at a high level.
when i was to a doctor lately and complained of the joint pain, they thought i may have artherites, but i upped the ante and started taking deflatine after each meal and bread soda at night, and after about 3 days on that the joints felt perfect, i am on a 20mg losec per day,

not yet

Tried bread soda last year for a while, and whilst it did work I was talking to my dad one day about it and he said, Your grand dad took that 50 years ago before rennies etc. He said it completely ruined his stomach. When I thought about it it made sense when you think about how caustic it is so I stopped taking it.

locum-motion

dunsandin wrote: »

... because this is natures antacid...

Hmmm. Vinegar is "natures antacid", is it?
Bit odd, given that vinegar is an acid.

goat2

if i eat anything that contain vinegar, it just burn the stomach and cause real acid reflux,
i do see on here where people say cider vinegar was good, but i cannot say the same

LegacyUser

goat2 wrote: »

if i eat anything that contain vinegar, it just burn the stomach and cause real acid reflux,
i do see on here where people say cider vinegar was good, but i cannot say the same

I have recently been diagnosed with barretts osephagus, hiatus hernia, severe acid reflex, ulcers etc...and at age of 34 with 3 children it is REALLY hard. Im on nexazole twice daily and motilium s
the same but i still have symptoms but it is bad flactulance that demonstrates effect except wen have big meals and then im really poorly (pain/diarrhoea) for @ least a week. Cut out dairy, caffeine, wheat (nearly all except weekend treat of one bottle corrs light) alcohol but interested in apple cider vinegar i thought vinegar acidic so how does it help. Docs/healers/herbalists reckon mine is from stress and can't take that from lifestyle

Viola85

Hi

Where in Dublin can I do in private impedance ph-monitoring? How much does it cost? What the doctor gastroenterologist recommend?

Thanks
Viola

Omega28

I've also suffered with this for a long time now, so I've complied a list of foods that I feel are safe and foods that make it worse, for me, but everyone is different though.

Triggers:

Chocolate (Dark and Milk)
Heavy Dairy, such as greek yogurt, full fat milk, cream.
Onions
Peppers, green, red.
Spicy Food
Curry sauces
Green Apples
Mash Potato (in large quantities)
Popcorn
Fatty/Greasy/Fried Foods

Foods that help/I eat on a daily basis:

Porridge (I eat tons of this, have done for years, I make it with water every morning, topped off with berries/flaxseed/stevia/honey)
Red Apples
Black Berries, Raspberries
Bananas
Rice (Wholegrain)
Eggs
Low Low Sliced Cheese
Fish
Chicken/Turkey
Red Meat (not too much)
Veg
Digestive/Rich Tea Biscuits are fine for me, for now anyway, I'd have 2 a day.
Brown Bread, multi-seed bread
Almonds, Almond butter, I swear by them.
Manuka Honey
Brown Pasta
Stevia instead of sugar

My Tips:

1.Drinking lots of water, Peppermint Tea also works wonders too!

2.Try eating a Red Apple after a big meal, works a dream.

3.Almonds, these are amazing too and help the pH levels in your stomach.

4. Chewing Gum, mint flavor, helps digestion, remember digestion starts in the mouth.

5.* Exercise/Walking, this for me is key, helps digestion so much, combined with some stretching/yoga.

6. Slow your eating down

7. Don't leave yourself too hungry

Personally, this diet has worked for me, it may not work for you. Keep the exercise up and fiber up in your diet, and see if there is any change in your GERD.

Keep a food diary, that's key, and start eliminating foods that aggravate your GERD.

goat2

the stuffing in chicken and turkey is another food that puts me in agony,

hdowney

burnt to a crisp here now at the moment. started very suddenly and i hadn't eaten anything in ages. goodness knows what brought it on but dear god

goat2

fasting or not eating is very bad with acid problems, acid build up in stomach with no food to absorb it ,
do people get pain in jaw, also pain out right shoulder blade and out right side of back, that is one of the signs i get, also the joints can get painful if it is let get too bad,
i find cheese is another no no, or steak and lamb, foods that take longest to digest,
Chinese food which i also love is also an awful culprit.
fries, chips,
i guess the motto with what we have to do is a very healthy diet, which is hard when there are more living with us that dont know what this thing is like,
they buy all this food which i love but should not eat but i do, and then suffer

Hello Lady!

I can totally sympathise - when I was pregnant I had pre eclampsia and the high blood pressure gave me heartburn that would literally take my breath away and feel like I was being ripped in two, through my chest and out through my back. And if you've never had such bad reflux then you can't understand just inward it can be and calling it 'heartburn' or 'indigestion' just doesn't convey the terrible pain of it.

My poor babies, only 11 weeks old have silent acid reflux since 4 weeks old. It took quite a while for the symptoms to get extreme enough to be certain it was acid reflux, initially it could have been a few things (wind, constipation, type of formula etc) so we had to exclude things till we knew it was reflux. At 6 weeks it was clear it was reflux and by 8 weeks they were put on losec. They have been doing well on that, but I am dreading when teething starts as it increases the acid in saliva so even sucking their soother which helps now will make it worse!

I am looking into various non-medical solutions and today had them at craniosacral therapy/osteopathy to see if that might help. They both have very tight diaphragm's which, while it doesn't cause reflux, it doesn't help. That and also helping their posture is the plan.

It has also been recommended that they try some probiotics to help minimise acid production so that they only have enough to digest food and not overproduce acid. Udos choice is the brand that was recommended.

Just a thought for those of you suffering with reflux.

Also, some of you probably already know this, but if you are taking rantidine (common brand is Zantac) you shouldn't use Gaviscon or similar within 30 mins of each other. If you are on losec or some other brand omeprazole then drink some orange juice or something acidic just after taking it and avoid anything milky for 30 mins.

And next time you are dying with it, just spare a thought for my 11 week old girls who are going through what you are and are totally helpless and reliant on adults to try and figure out how they're feeling.

feargale

Has anybody tried soda water?

feargale

Vain wrote: »

Hi guys what alcohol can you drink when you have acid reflux, im only 22 and after getting this so its a pain, I heard guinness wasnt as bad as others?

I'm no expert, but the general consensus is that lager is very hard on the stomach.

Dilly.

goat2 wrote: »

fasting or not eating is very bad with acid problems, acid build up in stomach with no food to absorb it ,
do people get pain in jaw, also pain out right shoulder blade and out right side of back, that is one of the signs i get, also the joints can get painful if it is let get too bad,
i find cheese is another no no, or steak and lamb, foods that take longest to digest,
Chinese food which i also love is also an awful culprit.
fries, chips,
i guess the motto with what we have to do is a very healthy diet, which is hard when there are more living with us that dont know what this thing is like,
they buy all this food which i love but should not eat but i do, and then suffer

I'm mid 20's and have had this since I was about 16/17. Was hooked up to a heart monitor as the pain was so bad in my chest, arm an jaw the doctor was concerned it was a heart problem! Thankfully I haven't had the jaw pain recently, it scares me as I don't know anyone else who experiences that!

My trigger foods are:
Tomatoes and orange juice (both of which I totally avoid now)
Alcohol
Spicy food
Fizzy drinks
Too many take away foods etc
Stuffing...not sure if it's the fat or onion!

When I am bad with it foods I eat to get back to normal over the next few days would be:
White rice
Potatoes
Milk
Rice pudding
White bread
Bananas
Plain chicken/chicken in a creamy sauce

Comparing my list to one of a poster above me just proves the foods that trigger it greatly depend on the individual so it really is a matter of trial and error.

I take protium 20mg when needed. Some weeks this is daily, sometimes not at all!

goat2

Dilly. wrote: »

I'm mid 20's and have had this since I was about 16/17. Was hooked up to a heart monitor as the pain was so bad in my chest, arm an jaw the doctor was concerned it was a heart problem! Thankfully I haven't had the jaw pain recently, it scares me as I don't know anyone else who experiences that!

My trigger foods are:
Tomatoes and orange juice (both of which I totally avoid now)
Alcohol
Spicy food
Fizzy drinks
Too many take away foods etc
Stuffing...not sure if it's the fat or onion!

When I am bad with it foods I eat to get back to normal over the next few days would be:
White rice
Potatoes
Milk
Rice pudding
White bread
Bananas
Plain chicken/chicken in a creamy sauce

Comparing my list to one of a poster above me just proves the foods that trigger it greatly depend on the individual so it really is a matter of trial and error.

I take protium 20mg when needed. Some weeks this is daily, sometimes not at all!

i am glad to hear someone else ended up in icu with suspected heart problems, i went through the same as you, and funnily enough your list is also same as mine,
i had been taken to hospital two times in ambulance when family thought i was having heart attack, when pain came very bad i cold not speak, it took seeing a few doctors while in hospital when one said that their bet was that i had gerd, and so they put that camera thing in my stomach and lo and behold they got the answer, and i could start living on the protium
also,
i do fall off the wagon and pay the price now and then, and have tests every few yrs now.
at least we know our problem, but it can be a pain when eating out, having a few drinks and christmas time

goat2

Vain wrote: »

Hi guys what alcohol can you drink when you have acid reflux, im only 22 and after getting this so its a pain, I heard guinness wasnt as bad as others?

doctor who is friend said guinness, but he is a family friend and that is my poison since with past 10 yrs, and it is still going well.

i asked him as a friend, as i was a lager drinker, he said lager is one of the worse for my complaint, but guinness is ok

angryangel

Hello,

So I was recently told I had GERD thanks to weight gain. Was suffering for a month and yesterday had an endoscopy to check what was going on. The doctor said my weight is the main cause because my esophageal sphincter, the valve between my esophagus and stomach, won't close. He said if I lose the weight the problem will stop.

Just trying to understand the mechanics of this. If I lose the weight, does that mean the esophageal sphincter will begin to close normally again? Or is it permanently damaged and will never close properly again. He didn't explain it and I was quite drowsy after waking up from the endoscopy to ask.

I'm also on a two pill combination that is supposed to help. Not sure what they actually do i.e. reduce acid production or antibiotics. Any insight is much appreciated.

Quint2010

angryangel wrote: »

Hello,

So I was recently told I had GERD thanks to weight gain. Was suffering for a month and yesterday had an endoscopy to check what was going on. The doctor said my weight is the main cause because my esophageal sphincter, the valve between my esophagus and stomach, won't close. He said if I lose the weight the problem will stop.

Just trying to understand the mechanics of this. If I lose the weight, does that mean the esophageal sphincter will begin to close normally again? Or is it permanently damaged and will never close properly again. He didn't explain it and I was quite drowsy after waking up from the endoscopy to ask.

I'm also on a two pill combination that is supposed to help. Not sure what they actually do i.e. reduce acid production or antibiotics. Any insight is much appreciated.

Has anyone ever found GERD affects their ears? Mine are in bits from silent reflux. Bizarre

jsabina

ears no but throat yes.
actually I have been diagnosed reflux by an ENT after laringoscopy.
I tried to watch diet for a while and went up and down for few years.
Last month big flare up with some stress events.. went back to doctor and been given pantoprazole.. tried for a week and does indigestion worse!
I am waiting for endoscopy but waiting list is 6 months :O
watching carefully my diet and loosing weight for that

Omega28

Omega28 wrote: »

Foods that help/I eat on a daily basis:

Porridge (I eat tons of this, have done for years, I make it with water every morning, topped off with berries/flaxseed/stevia/honey)
Red Apples
Black Berries, Raspberries
Bananas
Rice (Wholegrain)
Eggs
Low Low Sliced Cheese
Fish
Chicken/Turkey
Red Meat (not too much)
Veg
Digestive/Rich Tea Biscuits are fine for me, for now anyway, I'd have 2 a day.
Brown Bread, multi-seed bread
Almonds, Almond butter, I swear by them.
Manuka Honey
Brown Pasta
Stevia instead of sugar

My Tips:

1.Drinking lots of water, Peppermint Tea also works wonders too!

2.Try eating a Red Apple after a big meal, works a dream.

3.Almonds, these are amazing too and help the pH levels in your stomach.

4. Chewing Gum, mint flavor, helps digestion, remember digestion starts in the mouth.

5.* Exercise/Walking, this for me is key, helps digestion so much, combined with some stretching/yoga.

6. Slow your eating down

7. Don't leave yourself too hungry

Personally, this diet has worked for me, it may not work for you. Keep the exercise up and fiber up in your diet, and see if there is any change in your GERD.

Keep a food diary, that's key, and start eliminating foods that aggravate your GERD.

Excellent post. I've had much pain with this for the past few years. I went on the Moviprep yesterday and had an endoscopy and colonoscopy today. There are trigger foods, especially curry (which I love). But the consultant today told me to give up all fizzy drinks, including sparkling water. I don't drink alcohol or coffee or smoke but I'm addicted to Coke Zero.


From reading almost everything here and elsewhere the focus is on what we shouldn't take. It would be helpful if people with experience could, like you, start listing things they could take because I'd like to, for instance, find an alternative to Coke Zero. Is there any positive side to this seemingly endless self-denial?

Also, somebody here said these diet changes are only short-term changes until acid levels in the body decline. Is this true? I was under the impression they are life-long changes.

goat2

Quint2010 wrote: »

Has anyone ever found GERD affects their ears? Mine are in bits from silent reflux. Bizarre

Took me a while to realise that the GERD was the cause of mine, but when I realized it was a relief, glad someone else had this problem

italodisco

Fats in general really trigger it for me. Good and bad fats.
Avocado and salmon really upset my Gerd, omega 3 fish oils too

goat2

Lamb and mutton for me is very hard, and have also found out that this meat is one with most amount of fat, that could be the reason, I love salmon, so I steam it, it takes away the fats, while frying and grilling only adds, did not know about the avocado,