Acid Reflux is owie...

[bicentennial_baby]

Unless I'm getting an ulcer too... :o

Don't mind me, just the hypochondria talking... :D

[guitar man]

1. amen to that

just went to the doc monday for reflux/massive heartburn. She prescribed Aciphex, so far, it's not too bad.

[av8rdave]

2. Been there, done that..was able to treat it herbally for a long time, but

Doc finally put me on a prescription med for it, though he wants me off if it in three months.

[bicentennial_baby]

3. I don't want to take meds...

It comes and goes...I've been super stressed lately, and it's acting up frequently... x(

[av8rdave]

8. I don't like them either (neither does my Dr) Here's what he told me

He said that herbal/diet is the preferred way, but if you have ulcers/erosions it's important to let them heal, which is where the prescription meds come in. He said the makers would love to have you as a dose-a-day lifelong customer, but he believes that's dangerous and unnecessary. He has me taking protinix daily for three months, then every other day for a couple of weeks, then that's it unless the erosions recur.

Good luck with your situation!

[Mrs.Matcom]

11. Honey...

you don't eat or drink and artificial sweeteners do you? Those kill me! Try about a teaspoon of Baking Soda dissolved in half a glass of water. Pinch your nose and chug! then leave the room and wait...you will do the biggest burp, but it will feel sooooo goooood! :hug: :loveya:

[bicentennial_baby]

12. Nope, never...

I can't touch artificial sugar...I'm too much of a foodie for that... :P

and I'm an alphabet-belching champ at my parents' house :D

:rofl:

:loveya:

[Mrs.Matcom]

13. Awwwright!!!

you and I are on for a belch fest next meet up!! I used to have belching contests with my grandfather! Such fun to watch my grandmother cringe!!! :rofl: Try the BS & Water, only thing that gives me immediate relief.

[bicentennial_baby]

14. It's ON!!!

:rofl:

[Skittles]

46. when I'm super stressed I take an over the counter Prilosec every other day

works good

[Porcupine]

41. I eat brown rice EVERY day. It works for me.

Actually better than any of the meds but that's me. I have to eat some kind of soluble fiber every day like brown rice or oatmeal; apples and such dont' cut it.

It's a good idea anyway to eat brown rice. Anything else you would be eating is more caloric or won't give you the smooth blood sugar.

[Parche]

4. ACID REFLUX

I FEEL YOUR PAIN

I have it too sometimes, and it is horrible....

I have had ulcers before and they no fun............

[ScreamingMeemie]

5. Awww...

:hug:

But please keep an eye on it, hypochondria and all. I don't know if you know much of my "story" (if you want to know PM me) but it all started with a little bit of reflux.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. Hmmmm...Being a raging hypo, I have to ask,

how scary is it? If it's wicked scary, then I shouldn't. But, also being a hypo, I'm curious :P

[ScreamingMeemie]

9. I'll PM it to you in a minute.

It's not so very scary just a lesson in not taking reflux lightly ever. :D

[Kajsa]

6. I have it too and it's the pits.

After trying herbal remedies, I had to
get Nexium, the only med. that will help me.

Good luck, I hope you get relief soon.

:pals:

[mainegreen]

10. Ever try baking soda and water?

Edited: Actually probably a better idea for just heartburn.

[Rhythm]

15. i've been on reflux meds for a couple of years...

my mom had the same symptoms all of her adult life, too...
i remember her complaining all the time about having 'indigestion'.
i had no idea what the heck she was talking about until my reflux started a few years back.

yay for advances in medical science... even for the 'little things'.

[Rosemary2205]

16. Acid Reflux can cause death - no really. Esophogeal Cancer.

First you get Barrett's Esophogus then you get cancer and then you die.

Ask Ann Richards.


Every damn one of you who gets heartburn anywhere near a regular basis should have your big butt in the doctor's chair if you can in any way shape or form afford it. Don't just self treat with Prilosec OTC or even worse, Tums and hope you get lucky unless you really are too poor to do something about it. You'd be better off living off Ramen noodles for 6 months to pay for the doctor. Seriously.

[DainBramaged]

20. That's why acid-supression is important

Definition of Barrett's esophagus


Our Barrett's esophagus Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Barrett's esophagus

Barrett's esophagus: A complication of severe chronic GERD (gastrointestinal reflux disease) involving changes in the cells of the tissue that line the bottom of the esophagus. These esophageal cells become irritated when the contents of the stomach back up (refluxes) and there is a small but definite increased risk of adenocarcinoma (cancer) of the esophagus. The diagnosis of Barrett esophagus rests upon seeing (through endoscopy) a pink esophageal lining (mucosa) that extends a short distance (usually less than 2.5 inches) up the esophagus from the gastroesophageal junction and finding intestinal type cells (goblet cells) on biopsy of the lining. Treatment is, in general, essentially the same as for GERD both medically (with acid-suppression drugs) and surgically (with fundoplication).


http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=31353

[naturalselection]

26. Amen to that!

I am having an esophageal biopsy in a couple of weeks because of years of acid reflux.
Doc scoped my esophagus, stomach, and intestines and said everything looked good, but wants to check just to make sure with a biopsy. She said that people with acid reflux are 30 TIMES more likely to develop esophageal cancer than others.

[yewberry]

37. I have Barrett's.

And I wish I'd known about the danger of GERD sooner. Also, I wish I'd gotten treated sooner because--dang!--feeling better changes your whole life.

[dEMOK]

17. Just Don't Fall Into the Cooperate Trap...

...where "acid reflux" is called a disease.

Diseases are bacterial, viral, cancerous, et. al.

Chronic indigestion is not a disease; regardless of how painful it is.

We don't need cooperate America's expensive drugs to cure indigestion. We need to eat the foods that don't stress our systems.


It's dirt simple.

[DainBramaged]

21. Gee, I guess you don't understand what it is to have bile

in your throat wake you up burning and gasping for air, and preventing you from breathing till you nearly pass out. It is a disease, and it's difficult to control. And most of us have a hiatal hernia (which occurs in 80% of patients with GERD), which in many cases is too large for surgical repair.

Want mine? I'll gladly trade. had it since I was a kid. Imagine waking up in a hotel room on a business trip and the police come because you are coughing and gasping so loud you wake up everybody in the surrounding rooms because the hotels don't understand the need for raised headboard to tilt the bed so the bile doesn't run back to your throat.

I guess you know it's just another way to rip us off.:eyes:

[Connonym]

27. Bullshit, you don't know jack about this

As someone else stated, unchecked acid reflux can lead to throat cancer. Acid reflux can exacerbate asthma. Acid reflux can destroy the enamel on your teeth. Acid reflux can contribute to chronic sinus and upper airway problems including, but not limited to, chronic sinus infections and ear tube dysfunction. Acid reflux can cause ulcers in the esophagus and mouth. This is only a partial list of the damage it can do. Not all fatal but all very damaging.

Occasional heartburn isn't the same thing as reflux.

[billyskank]

18. Try drinking more water, babe

I was becoming dependent on Gaviscon, not realising that it was actually causing more acid in the long run, and also getting side effects from it like dizziness. Then I heard that heartburn and such problems were (possibly) indicators of dehydration. Anyway, I figured it couldn't hurt to try, so I started drinking more water. It really did help.

[DainBramaged]

19. Raise your headboard they sell risers just for that

in Bed, Bath & Beyond, plastic 4". Oh, and Prilosec kills it but it's every day forever. I have bben taking it since 1991 when it was $140 for a month (and was until it went OTC).

[LostinVA]

22. It'll go away when you finish your degree

My ex had horrible acid reflux while she was getting her Master's and working full-time. NOTHING worked. She had test after test, prescription after prescription. But guess what? Within a month after her thesis was accepted and she got the diploma, it went away. ALL OF IT. She's had it once since then.

[Bassic]

23. Hypocondriacs unite!

It sucks sometimes, does it not? :)

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Rosemary2205]

31. Your post REALLY bothers me.

because part of the progression toward Barrett's esophogus is when it magically stops hurting anymore. What happens is the incredible amount of acid splashing up into the esophogus damages the lining so bad that the cells turn into colon like cells out of self defense. After that the constant heartburn seems to go away because you can't feel it anymore, but the damage is still getting worse. This happens in a matter of weeks.

I'm not saying this is you, I'm just saying.

Yes, I feel passionate about this. I am losing someone I love because "it's just heartburn" and eventually it went away and now he's dying - quickly and incredibly painfully.

[conscious evolution]

42. You right to be bothered

now that I think about it so I asked the mods to delete it.
Reflux is a serious problem.What worked for me could easily cause complications in others.

[Rosemary2205]

49. Not that you posted it but that it is your treatment plan

I hope that you will see a doctor if you in any way can. If you were having regular heartburn and the spicey food made it much worse and then it got better after a few weeks this is the classic progression to Barrett's esophogus. I'm just passionately encouraging you to have it checked out with the endoscope and enjoy being told that Rosemary is all wet. :)

[conscious evolution]

51. I have had it checked

A few years later I ahd heart problems due to stress.While trying to diagnose problem they scoped my esophagus to check for erosions to rule reflux out as a cause.It revealed no problems what so ever.
The heart problems were found during another test.Actually found when my boss called during the test.Everything was fine till he called.The sound of his voice set it off!After I quit the job the problem went away!Asshole bosses can kill also.

[musiclawyer]

38. most spices are very high alkaline and anti inflammatory

[swag]

25. Don't know if it would help you,

but I switched from lattes to green tea, and the fucking heartburn went away.

Good luck with that.

[Rising Phoenix]

28. my poor girl

I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

[baby_bear]

29. Proton uptake inhibitors are associated with loss of bone density

A new study published in JAMA last month showed a pronounced association between these
GERD drugs and loss of bone density.

I had been taking Prevacid daily for 14 months and had a bone density scan. I lost 9%
of bone density during that period of time.

I stopped taking the Prevacid immediately, since that 9% put me into osteoporosis at age 53.

This isn't to say that those with moderate or severe GERD should stop taking the pills, but
if you are borderline GERD as I am, with a mother and grandmother with osteoporosis, you
might want to think about it all.

b_b

[grasswire]

30. there's also a higher incidence of pneumonia with proton uptake inhibitors

I stopped taking them a year ago when I read about that. Here's a link to one article on the subject -- the study was originally published in JAMA.

http://www.med.nyu.edu/patientcare/library/article.html?ChunkIID=86970

Essentially, what happens is that bacteria are not killed in the stomach when acid is decreased.

[Dirty Hippie]

47. Aspirating the contents of your stomach into your lungs

can lead to pneumonia too.

Twice I refluxed while asleep and ended up sucking the stuff into my lungs.

Though I was gonna die from coughing.

If you have acid reflux, TREAT IT!

[hedgehog]

55. Was the Prevacid causative or coincidental?

Clearly you have a family history plus you're about the right age.

I came across one site that said that long term use of proton pump inhibitors could increase the chance of hip fracture by 245%, but it didn't say what the actual chances were.

[graywarrior]

32. Are you bleeding out of the mouth or out of the ass?

Just comparing.

[bicentennial_baby]

35. ....

:spray:


:rofl:

i might be dying.... :D

[graywarrior]

48. Might be?

[youthere]

33. I've had it a couple of times and it's nasty NASTY.

You have my sincere sympathy. :hug:

If it keeps on do please see the doc.

[musiclawyer]

34. I ended by gastro problems when I went high alkaline.....

low acid food. google acid/alkaline diet. It's not really a diet, it's just a matter of what you eat. My pH was real low. After strict low acid eating, my pH shot up into healthy range. It changed my life. I still can get away with a little dairy, wheat and caffeine etc, but they are now treats instead of staples. I eat "raw" regularly now. (And that doesn't mean just veggies.... google it. or ask some of the people on the alternative health/spirituality forum here) It changed my life. I was a 40 year old man eating like I was 20. My body was literally convulsing telling me it was time to change what I put in my mouth . I also lost 15 lbs for good........ Just my story with a happy ending and no harmful drugs with side effects along the way.

[riona]

36. Ginger tea is helpful

I use Yogi organic

[SPKrazy]

39. It's E-Coli Is All

it will just fester, and then rot your stomach and esophagus out.

seriously

acid reflux is owie!

I've had to be dilated 3 times and I'm only 45 years old

luckily for new drugs that prevent acid from forming and causing reflux! :shrug:

Acid Reflux Hurts!

:hug:

[martymar64]

40. I live on Prilosec

If I miss taking it for more than a day or two, the AR returns.
It sucks. Bad.

[Skittles]

50. says on the box to take Prilosec for 14 days

I did some research to find out if it was bad to take it daily - it would seem that there's no evidence to suggest there's any real danger, and of course it's better than the damage caused by daily reflux

[DainBramaged]

53. I've been on it since 91 or 92, no problems

Without it I am SURE I'd be with my pets over the Rainbow bridge.

[hedgehog]

56. I think that was the compromise needed to make the stuff OTC.

I used to get it by prescription. I'm still taking it under instructions from my doctor, but now I buy it OTC instead of through my prescription plan. I really get sick of opening the individual packets every day, but it's better than hurting!

[astral]

43. Here is what worked for me

I read that acid reflux is actually caused by not enough hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and the thing to do is to replenish the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, not to curb it with antacid stuff.

AS WELL AS drinking alot more water. Preferably not tap water but that is a small detail.

I use(d) Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar added to my water, I love the taste of vinegar but for those who don't just add a teaspoon per 8-oz glass of water, and maybe some juice (or ideally raw honey) to the mix to help the taste. Drink it throughout the day. This is a long-term solution, not a short-term fix.

Additional things for the more ambitious of you: Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and / or organic cayenne pepper. These items also help the body rebuild the hydrochloric acid. The stomach will completely digest your food which will cause an end to the backup into the throat.

You can also benefit, of course, by using the vinegar in your salad dressings and stuff and increase your use of it that way.

(((NOTE! Please use a straw and/or brush your teeth afterwards as the lemon juice and vinegar are not great on teeth enamel and you don't want to leave it there.)))

After sticking with this program for a long time and of course avoiding foods which exacerbate the acid reflux, you will be relieved and will be able to **occasionally** indulge in things like fish & chips and stuff (if you drink extra water!) without having to be miserable afterwards.

The vinegar can start causing relief immediately, but you want to use it regularly so your stomach can normalize itself, and not only when it hurts.

I had the acid reflux for five years or more, not realizing what was going on or that it was serious. I'd just drink extra water, which helped relieve the symptoms but did nothing to make it stop coming back. After learning this stuff I posted above, it is **GONE** except for rare occasions when I eat all the wrong stuff. I also have not been remembering to use the vinegar for awhile now and it still is not coming back, but I need to get back on it. The organic apple cider vinegar has alot of other health benefits as well.

______________________________________
****DISCLAIMER!****
I'm no doctor, and this is in direct contradiction to using the anti-acid drugs doctors give you, and obviously you don't want to to do both at once. So learn more about it if you're interested, or try it if you want, and take this for what it is --- my personal experience and what worked for me. Maybe for some of you just plain following doctor's orders is the way to go.

[crim son]

44. And yet there are people whose bodies do not produce hydrocholoric

acid at all - like my grandmother - and she has no symptoms.

I was an atypical GERD patient. I had a very healthy diet - I was a vegetarian and made all my foods from scratch. All of them. I was slightly underweight but fit, exercising five times a week. My first symptom of the disease was exercise-induced asthma and it progressed from there. Long story short, no medication and no diet alteration relieved my symptoms for more than a few months and in the end I had the nissen fundoplication surgery which gave me three years of peace, until it recently failed.

Anybody who assumes that this disease is always 'cured' by a change in diet, or by eliminating smoking, or by eating fresh vegetables or whatever, is mistaken. I'm not suggesting that you are saying this, of course! :pals:

Another thing that should be considered is bile reflux. There is some evidence that suggests that this compounds the problem and increases the likelihood of esophageal cancer. Anybody who suffers from regular heartburn must see a physician as soon as possible. My humble opinion.

[Skittles]

45. I reduced mine by 90% when I don't drink coffee

but g.d. I loves me my coffee :(

[bicentennial_baby]

52. Same here...

although, mine is pretty on-off...only induced by major stress, it seems.

[IcyPeas]

54. Please check out Aloe Vera Juice

it has healing properties that will actually help heal any inflammation or whatever in your gut.

ALOE VERA JUICE -- look it up for gastrointestinal problems. Works better than prescription "acid reflux" medications.

[idgiehkt]

57. thanks for that

GNC sells it in big containers and if I remember right it isn't that expensive. Good to know.

:thumbsup:

[hedgehog]

58. Umm, just what makes aloe vera juice superior to prescription

medication. Just because it comes directly from a plant instead of a pill bottle doesn't mean it's not a drug! I agree that examining your diet or eating habits or even quitting smoking or losing weight is the first step in treatment. It's just that we shouldn't assume that a "natural" or herbal treatment is morally superior to something that comes out of a pharmaceutical plant!

[IcyPeas]

59. I have nothing against "pill bottles"

Aloe Vera does have healing properties (i.e., it is used on burns, cuts, etc. it does have something in it that heals). I am not against pharmaceuticals at all. But people have tried these meds for acid reflux and many people don't get help from them - perhaps because they mask the pain and do not heal or cure the problem. It is cheap to buy Aloe Vera juice and give it a try. I am not saying anything negative about pharmaceuticals. I didn't mean to give that impression.

[hedgehog]

60. Sorry for overreacting

I have to take a lot of prescriptions and it gets bothersome after a while when people behave as if I'm a dupe of bug Pharma.