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Mege
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Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 522
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 Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 1:31 am Post subject: Re: GERD/Acid Reflux |
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| lakergal16 wrote: |
I've been feeling really gross after meals the last week and a half and finally decided to see my doctor and he diagnosed me with reflux.
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I been going through what you described since I was 17 (for over 20 years) and finally figured out that it was the gluten in my diet that was causing it. I don't have Celiac disease but I did find I have an intolerance to gluten. Try cutting out wheat products for a while and see how that works. This includes breaded products, soy sauce (unless labeled gluten free), teriyaki sauce, gravy, and thick soups. If you need to find gluten free bread, Canyon Bakehouse makes the best I've tried (better than UDI's by a long shot). |
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Janggoon8
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Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 1552
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:24 am Post subject: |
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First had GERD when I was 19 years old (5'11 and 190 lbs). I had a sensation in my throat as though a golf ball was lodged in there (level of discomfort was nearly unbearable). The doctor prescribed prilosec twice a day (one in the morning and one before bed). I had to sleep nearly upright for 2 straight weeks. Wore loose fitted pants. No acidic/spicy foods. Couldn't drink soda and/or coffee. Didn't eat after 7pm and just worked out mildly by walking for 30 minutes around my neighborhood 3-4 times a week. It took a month and a half for the feeling of a ball lodged in my throat to disappear. It took around 6 months, 30 pound weight loss, and a new diet for me to feel completely healed.
Every once in awhile, it comes when my health conscious diet tends to slip. It was pretty severe last year (age 28) and it took around 5 months for the GERD symptoms to dissipate.
I feel for anyone who has to deal with this level of discomfort. |
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Heartburn
Star Player
Joined: 04 Oct 2001
Posts: 6347
Location: The Titanic that is the USA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:44 am Post subject: |
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I've had it for years - hence the username.
It gets worse when I've got extra pounds on. |
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CBaller8
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Joined: 17 Feb 2002
Posts: 14876
Location: Reseda, CA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 10:01 am Post subject: |
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| God, imagine how people dealt with this crap 100s of years ago. |
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halosage
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Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 701
Location: Hollywood, Ca.
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| lakergal16 wrote: | | C M B wrote: | Did your doctor order an upper GI X-Ray series and an endoscopy? If not, demand it...just to rule out other things like peptic ulcers.
Are you overweight? Losing weight will help the mechanics of your esophageal sphincter.
Did you take antibiotics recently? You may have eliminated a natural bacterium (h.pylori) in your stomach, the absence of which has been associated with increased risk of developing GERD.
Do you eat a lot of crappy foods (simple sugars, fat)? If you do, try cutting down or out and see if that helps. More fiber and fruit, less donuts. This is a universal cure-all, although you should talk to your doc about which foods, specifically, could act as triggers.
Do you eat on the go? Eating fast = stomach doesn't get a chance to empty before it tops off, which creates a food and acid backup into your esophagus that looks like the eastbound George Washington Bridge under Chris Christie's watch.
Did your doctor say anything to you about diaphragm exercises? Puff out your belly upon inhale; suck it in when you exhale.
All of these might bring you back to "normal". Maybe you just had a really stressful week and in combination a bunch of factors gave you heartburn. Full recovery is possible if your lower esophageal area isn't physically defective.
Your doctor has already tried acid blockers/proton inhibitors and a motility agent (reglan). Reglan empties your stomach...when you say your body didn't react well to it, what does that mean? |
Not overweight- I'm 5'5" and weigh between 115-117 lbs (yes, I'm a girl).
As for my job...I'm a teacher on summer break, but I return to work August 1st.
I went and saw my primary care physician- and he didn't recommend or refer me to a GI. My biggest symptom was nausea after meals and discomfort 2-3 hours after eating. I did the diaphragm exercises upon my doctor's visit and nothing was said. He concluded it was a case of reflux based on the discomfort and pressure in my tummy area.
Pretty sure it's not Barrett's esophagus because I still get hungry, not vomiting blood, no pain in the sternum, etc.
I have not taken any prescription antibiotics...unless you count Advil, but that's pretty standard for me (and women) every month for about a week if you get the picture.
I eat relatively healthy. Fast food is not a staple part of my diet. The last time I had pizza was mid-June, I haven't touched a burger since I 10 years old, I'm a social drinker and will go months without touching alcohol. I eat a balanced diet with fruits, veggies, etc.
I took reglan/metaclopramide when I got the stomach flu back in March along with the other meds the doctor prescribed and there was no side effects.
The metaclopramide AND the famotidine together made me anxious, nervous, increased by heart-rate, dizzy, sleepy, and tingly in the arm.
Now I'm on omeprazole aka prilosec. Today is Day #3 for this med. Pharmacist said it takes about 3-4 days for it to kick in. |
I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux Disease in 2007 - went thru all kinds of test and prescription medicine. Suffering thru the year, in 2008 I went with the family to see opening day Iron Man and a meal at Baja Fresh....that night my Acid was intolerable. Vomiting acid like crazy that night and finally...My Gal bladder burst and needed surgery.
I opted not to have a prosthetic Gal Bladder bag ( That needs to be replaced every 8 -10 years) so I don't have one. After that, I never had Acid Reflux disease.
Go figure....So my $0.02 get your Gal Bladder checked.
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"Changes aren't permanent, but change is." - Rush, Tom Sawyer |
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Ted
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Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 3477
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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Just fyi long term Prilosec use can lead to osteoporosis and c.dif diarrhea, but you're young so you should be alright (mainly for the older folks here). Don't take it if you don't need to, or can downgrade to an H2-blocker like Zantac (less side effects). Prilosec takes a few days to work, but make sure to finish the 2 week course. If your symptoms recur, get tested for h.pylori, it's a blood test. If positive, you will need the triple therapy which includes two antibiotics.
Also don't eat 3-4 hrs before bedtime. |
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ssiknick833
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Joined: 02 Jul 2009
Posts: 13858
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:18 am Post subject: |
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Have dealt with it for years. It's no fun at all.
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| akola wrote: | KILL BILL Artest.
R.I.P. wheelchair |
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tlim
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Joined: 26 Jun 2002
Posts: 6649
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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| CBaller8 wrote: | | God, imagine how people dealt with this crap 100s of years ago. |
It was a lot less common then due to how people are these days.
1) Less stress. Less stress. Less stress! (Highest contributing factor to the problem, imo.)
2) More exercise.
3) Less obesity.
4) Less sugars and fats. Remember, sugar wasn't abundant for a heck of a long time until they were able to process it from sugar beets.
5) Better eating habits.
6) More rest.
All those contribute to the problem. And my GI says take Prilosec only during acute flare ups because otherwise, it messes up your GI tract. Motility drops, and aggravates it. Things that might help are probiotics, and _some_ caffeine (for motility). |
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leor_77
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Joined: 23 Mar 2012
Posts: 21920
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| Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2014 7:55 pm Post subject: |
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Figured I'd bump this thread. 2nd day on a new job, and had to leave at lunch because of this. Sucks because it's a nice paying job, and the people are so nice there. Had really bad pain in the upper-left portion of my torso (most people would probably think it was a heart attack, but I've dealt with this long enough to know it was/is a bad reflux attack). It was actually so bad that I could barely talk when calling a family member about it.
The most troubling symptom isn't even the pain, but the uneasy feeling in my stomach. The uncontrollable feeling that you need to throw-up, especially while sitting. Not sure if I said already, but I tried Prilosec a few years ago, and not only did it not work, I felt like it made my condition worse. Going to give Nexium a shot right now. Even though it's the same class of drug as Prilosec, some have reported really good success with it. Hopefully, it works for me. |
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tlim
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Joined: 26 Jun 2002
Posts: 6649
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| Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 5:34 am Post subject: |
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My doc(s) all say the same thing with this stuff. Medium and Prilosec should be taken only when acute attacks occur. Staying on them long term will aggravate the problem due to reduced GI motility.
This is the standard recipe that I get:
- a good night sleep every night
- LOTS of fiber. GI docs seem to pound on this a lot.
- Eat at regular intervals.
- No greasy or spicy foods that increase acid.
- No alcohol as that is also an irritant.
- No juices or soda as the pH on those are very acidic.
- Do not eat 3 hours before you sleep. The acids will touch the top of your stomach and that's the part where once damaged, will feel the nausea.
- reduce use of pan killers. Again, stomach irritant. I can't take NSAIDs very often because of this.
- Oral steroids. Increases stomach acids so your doc should know about this. This is one of the few times I take H2 inhibitors.
That's about it. Generally, attacks for me occur when I don't follow a few if those items on that list.
And the suckiest part: it's a lifetime regimen. Don't kid yourself that it'll go away forever and you can stop doing those things. |
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