View Full Version : Anyone else have this?
At 3:00am Thursday morning I drove myself to the ER because of chest and back pains. I was nervous that it might be my heart. Long story short, after various tests I was diagnosed with GERD and sent home with a prescription. I have not filled the prescription yet because I want to try to eliminate symptoms by eating correctly, i.e., eliminate caffeine, tomatoes, chocolate, sodas, and not eating before bed.
I already feel better, although I belch or have the feeling to belch.
Anyone here have GERD or acid reflux, and how do you deal with it?:( Thanks.
Linda
My DH has acid reflux. Supposedly apple cider vinegar provides some relief (although it did not work for DH at all--in fact, it worsened symptoms). He has had great luck with ginger tea, though. He drinks it in the morning and has been able to discontinue the use of prescription medication.
Thank you, Kat. I will get some ginger tea.
Linda, it's weird---I had the very same thing happen to me last week. I awoke with what I thought were chest pains. I kept getting them off and on all morning when I would cough or as I was eating/drinking breakfast, then at work.
Back story: I got a crappy virus about Christmas and it hung around and turned into a bronchial cough. Well, the virus went away, but I was still coughing.
Called the doctor and she had me come right in. Described all to her and she checked out the lungs, heart. All A-OK. She said I was experiencing acid reflux which she associated with my prolonged coughing. She prescribed Prilosec once a day before dinner AND to lay off acidic foods. Well, a week on the Prilosec and now my cough and the acid relux are not bothering me at all.
She said there was a cycle going on like this: My excessive coughing had messed up my esophageal muscle, which was allowing acid to come back up my esophagus especially at night when lying down. Also, the acid has a tendency to travel into the very small bronchial vessels while you're sleeping and that was why I was coughing. It did hurt more on the side I primarily sleep on.
Anyway it kinda made sense. Glad I wasn't having a heart attack or pneumonia. She did tell me she thought I only needed to be on this stuff for a month til my esphagus settled down.
KayLRZ, thank you for the info. I do a lot of coughing also, so maybe that's why I all of a sudden have acid reflux. Based on what you did, I think I'll get my prescription filled.
A teaspoon of ordinary honey fixes my indigestion almost instantly. Supposedly it coats the bit of the oesophagus which is causing your discomfort. A teaspoon before bed helps greatly if it hits you at night - or even a teaspoon at night if it wakes you up.
For me GERD symptoms are telling me it's time to lose a bit of weight, which helps too.
I have had this for some time and because I knew my mother had been told to elevate the head of her bed I thought using a couple of pillows would give one the same results.
NO....the extra pillows cause a bend in the area of the esophagus and makes things worse. I have gone to one memory form pillow and a little better a night (not completely but at least some relief)
I've had this off and on for about 15 years - and my mom has it as well. I suspect it is due to some sort of hereditary structural issue.
Things that help me:
Sleeping on my left side (you can google this - it's supposed to prevent acid from going up the esophagus)
No food after dinner. Finish dinner a minimum of 3 hours before bedtime. Best to not drink many liquids, even water, after dinner, too.
No chocolate, citrus, acidic salad dressings, pickles, tomato-based sauces or soups, or very spicy foods.
(I can 'cheat' a little on this on days when symptoms aren't bothering me - I can, for instance, use a little ketchup or eat a raw tomato or a tangerine. BUT I can never have a plate of pasta w/ marinara sauce - that's asking for trouble.)
No exercises that put pressure on the stomach or involve lots of bending. I stopped yoga and pilates classes.
Eat smaller portions. Increase frequency if necessary, but too much food and/or liquid in the stomach puts pressure on that valve.
Chew food very thoroughly.
No soda, beer, wine.
I take the meds when symptoms recur for a few days or longer, but in general try to be mindful of this as an ongoing condition that I need to be wary of. Flares can be very severe for me and the medications definitely help then.
Big affirmative on the no food after dinner. And any overeating in general. At least for me.
Sad Eyed Lady
1-17-11, 10:14pm
I took my DH to an Urgent Care a few years back, and they rushed him in ahead of everyone and treated him as if he was having a heart attack. After tests and other things he was told that he had GERD's. The doctor went through the usual avoid caffeine, no large meals, no eating late or laying down after eating, etc. Also a suggestion was to raise the head of the bed. We tried this but didn't find it too successful, so one day I found a wedge pillow in a home medical supply store and he has not been without one since. It goes with us if we travel and he is now on his 3rd one I think. Dana mentioned here how using a couple of pillows was worse for her because it caused a bend or something, and I can see where that could be the case. However, the wedge pillow gradually increases in height and therefore you don't get the "bend" like you would with the abrupt increase by two pillows. Oh, and a very pleasant plus to this wedge pillow? He stopped snoring!
Thank you all for these wonderful tips. MaryD, fortunately I have been losing weight. I think you are right about that one. Rosemary, no soda or beer? No problem, but no wine? I love a nice pour of red now and then. Creaker and Shalom_Poet, I was told also to watch the late night eating, large meals, etc. Maybe I'll look into the wedge pillow.
The last couple of days have been much better, because I am not eating before bed. That has really helped.
Oh Gerd!
Have also read that GERD may be aggravated or even caused by use of NSAIDs like Advil.
DH was having abdominal/back pain that his PCP couldn't diagnose, following blood work, ultrasound, CT. I told him to go to a gastroenterologist and on the basis of an upper endoscopy he was just last week diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus, which is caused by GERD. He also has some H. Pylori which is a bacteria that resides in the stomach. So he is now on antacids and antibiotics, but I'm glad that at least we know what was causing that pain.
Thanks for the suggestion about the wedge pillow. I may suggest it to him!
So sorry about your GERD but good for you that you were proactive and got to an emergency room. They say many women suffer heart attacks but take a "wait and see" attitude thinking its only indigestion I know when my husband was having lots of GERD problems he experimented with different foods - it was hit or miss for a while but he found he was allergic to oats and that has helped alot.
Jab
Many different food intolerance's can cause GERD/reflux, grains are a biggie, in particular gluten containing grains. Generally people who have an intolerance to gluten also have other intolerance's too, in particular to milk based stuff, and corn. One of the things that helped me, was to take digestive enzymes, in addition to avoiding foods that I was sensitive to. Often it is due to not enough gastric acid, which tends to decrease as we age, and the doctors will put you on gastric acid reducing drugs, that make things worse in the long run, as your GI tract can not properly digest your food. Good luck!
Shalom I have not seen those I think I will look for one they sound like a good idea....
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