acid issues?

[Zoe Girl]

i wonder if i need to see a Dr, i am notoriously bad at figuring this out i think. So i started taking acid reducing medicine. it was a combination of feeling food kinda back up and an apparent connection to my asthma symptoms. so i have been taking it 1-2 times a day. right now i had acid come up and burn my throat, it has been hurting awhile and finally calmed down. do you see dr's for this? Can i just keep working with different acid meds on my own? that is what the dr is likely to do anyway, i really hate going in and getting that look that says i was super sensitive and there is not a real good reason to go in.

[Tradd]

Zoe, a friend was having some acid issues, and she found sleeping with her head elevated with a wedge pillow when sleeping really helped.

[Zoe Girl]

thanks tradd, i have been trying some of that but i slip down with just pillows. i will look for a wedge deal.

[Tradd]

It's just a foam wedge she uses with her regular pillow on top.

[sweetana3]

The wedge is a possible help but it depends on your sleep position.

So many of the acid relivers are now non prescription and generic, you can try and moderate the acid on your own. If it lasts thruout the whole process after modifying diet for acid items, coffee and soda for example, and taking the OTC medicine, see a doctor to ensure your esophagus is not being damaged.

[Kestra]

I had a major problem with reflux before I went gluten free. Something to consider trying .Also I've heard that reflux can be from stomach acid not being acidic enough so acid decreasers aren't always effective.

[CathyA]

I was on Aciphex for 5 years, and I swear it messed up my stomach. Also, in retrospect, I realized it caused my horrible migraines. I will never take it again.
There's a book that a man wrote about how carbs can cause this. (I'll try to find the name of it). Our bodies just can't deal with all the carbs in today's diet, and they ferment.
You can raise the head of your bed by putting lifters or wood under the head posts of your bed. Don't eat within 4-5 hours of laying down.
Caffeine/chocolate/tomatoes are really bad for it. Lots of reasonable info on the web about it.

[lessisbest]

Like Kestra, when I went gluten-free, that ended acid reflux, and SIBO (small intestinal bacteria overgrowth). I'm just getting into the book, "Digestive Health with REAL Food" by Aglaee Jacob, M.S., R.D. I would suggest this book if you have any "gut" issues, including GERD/acid reflux. She addresses some issues that affected a brother-in-law. He ended up with Barrett's Esophagus (pre-cancerous) from GERD, and the cause was from being too "tight" (literally) to purchase new jeans after he gained some weight. The tight jeans were causing his acid reflux. Then he struggled with H. Pylori bacteria that likes to settle in your stomach. The author also addresses different tests you may need (some can be done at home or with OTC items).

And yes, it can be you don't have enough acid, not too much.

[CathyA]

Okay....here's that book I mentioned: "Heartburn Cured:The Low Carb Miracle" by Norm Robillard. Makes a lot of sense.

[Float On]

I'm going to order those books. There is a history of esophagus issues including cancer caused by acid reflux on my husband's side of the family and one of our boys is having lots of acid reflux problems, including painful, horrible hiccups that last for hours and he can't sleep. I don't know if gallbladder ties into it or not but every man in that family has had to have gallbladder removed.