topic Re: Anyone with Gerd? in Wellness

Anyone with Gerd?

CherryHugs — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:48:32 GMT

Wondering if anyone has Gerd (Reflux) or what ever you want to call it. And have you had Success on any special diet program? I have to be very careful what I eat . Its not fun at all when you cant eat what everyone else is having but if it helps, than its worth it.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Rachb — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:51:22 GMT

I take Nexium but find when I lay off dairy my symptoms subside.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

CherryHugs — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:53:18 GMT

I have nexium but my dr says it is not for long term use. She says you really should not use it more than two weeks, that there are risks if you do? But i know alot of people that take it every day.

I might try not having dairy and see how that goes. Thank you!

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

chickenbutt — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 21:58:43 GMT

I hope you are doing ok. I took Prilosec (but only one 2wk therapy every couple of months) for a while. But when it went beyond GERD that stopped helping, so I stopped doing it.

My esophagus seems to be pretty messed up at this point and I have a lot of pain down there so I am just careful. It seems like bready type foods and sometimes meat, especially beef, don't do very well and I usually cannot get them down so they have to be refunded.

Sometimes I can get away with eating these things but sometimes it's just a no-go. The pain is beyond excruciating and sometimes it takes a while to bring the food back up.

I just deal with it. I don't have pain more often than I do, so far, so I'm glad for that. Sometimes it's just an acid-type thing so I take some Tums 1000 and that will help. Chew them up really good and then chase with water. Also, try and avoid foods/drinks that are acidic. Coffee, tea, soft drinks - probably the worst. Even chocolate is highly acidic. How awful is that!

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Newgate — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 22:05:12 GMT

Have you been told by a doctor that you have Gerd? Have you had your esophagus looked at? If not I would!

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

MKR14 — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 22:15:04 GMT

Sad to say I have GERD and esophageal spasms. I have to watch foods with acid-tomatoes and food with vinegar and spices. Luckily I am not a spicy food person. I also eat 6 small meals a day and never eat meals later than 6 pm. I have had it for over 10 years and developed the esophageal spasms a few years ago. That is under control now. I have drank bottled water now for two years. We live in the city and chlorine can mess your throat up when you have GERD. I also take Nexium. Most people are on short term Nexium. It is safe for me to use due to having pancreatitis also. If I eat any foods with acid it is in moderation and several days in between. There are diets if you Google GERD and the local hospital gave me a copy of what they use. I had to have a consultation to get the diet at the hospital. My husband is seeing my Gastroenterologist on Thursday as he was sent to see him and a my heart doctor to see what is causing the burning and pain in his chest. Anyone having problems should see a doctor as to not cause damage to your esophagus. Good luck.

@chickenbutt Have you ever had an ERCP? It is an endoscopy down your throat to see if acid from GERD has done any damage? I have to have them with ultrasound every few years to check my pancreas and the doctor checks the GERD at the same time. It is not painful and you are put to sleep to do it. Good luck feeling better and finding an answer for you.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

JeanLouiseFinch — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 23:21:28 GMT

Just wondering, @CherryHugs, have you been under any ongoing long term stress? I know this sounds weird, but one of my children was working a full time job while attending a very demanding full time college course. The course was a two yr. program. Honestly, I don't know how he did it, surviving on very little sleep and what sleep he did get was broken into a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there. He ended up with GERD, took medication that hardly fazed it. Once he graduated and life normalized again, the GERD went away. Weird, huh?

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Melania — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 22:19:06 GMT

@chickenbutt wrote:
I hope you are doing ok. I took Prilosec (but only one 2wk therapy every couple of months) for a while. But when it went beyond GERD that stopped helping, so I stopped doing it.

My esophagus seems to be pretty messed up at this point and I have a lot of pain down there so I am just careful. It seems like bready type foods and sometimes meat, especially beef, don't do very well and I usually cannot get them down so they have to be refunded.

Sometimes I can get away with eating these things but sometimes it's just a no-go. The pain is beyond excruciating and sometimes it takes a while to bring the food back up.

I just deal with it. I don't have pain more often than I do, so far, so I'm glad for that. Sometimes it's just an acid-type thing so I take some Tums 1000 and that will help. Chew them up really good and then chase with water. Also, try and avoid foods/drinks that are acidic. Coffee, tea, soft drinks - probably the worst. Even chocolate is highly acidic. How awful is that!

Pain is not good. You should be on something...if let go it can turn into Barrette's Esophagus.

I have been on Proton Pump inhibitors for years as I have Gerd plus a Hiatal hernia. I also take Ranitidine at night.

I watch my diet but still have issues. It happens...but to NOT treat your symptoms is far worse than taking something.

Gaviscon chewables are far better than Tums...it really coats your throat and Tums doesn't.

Even if you take over the counter Prilosec, it's something.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Nightowlz — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 15:16:32 GMT

I have never been diagnosed with GERD. I have had acid reflux. The only time I ever had a problem was in the middle of the night when it woke me up. I never did have it in the morning/afternoon/evening. I don't know if that's how it works or not. Foods I know bother me I only eat earlier in the day. I don't eat after 6-7 pm. I also take Andrew Lessman's Ultimate Friendly Flora (probiotic) & Digestive Enzymes. I have not had any problems since I started doing this.

DH started taking Betaine HCL. It seems to be working for him because he's not eating Tums all the time like he used to. You can read about the Betaine HCL challenge test if you Google it.

I forgot to say I also eat smaller amounts throughout the day. I hate eating heavy meals.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Kardi — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 23:44:57 GMT

I was getting heartburn or acid reflux every night. Sometimes I'd get up 3-4 times to take Tums or drink baking soda in water. I began to get really concerned about esophageal damage. I went on a low carb diet and it has totally gone away. I stay away from bread, pasta and baked goodies. I have also lost 25 pounds. Trust me, it is well worth the sacrifice. After a month or so you'd be surprised how you don't miss those things.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

LasVegas Dot — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 01:50:36 GMT

I have reflux, but have had a prescription for years. Before that, I was taking an otc pill from Walmart. It did the same thing, but a script is cheaper, and they are never out of stock.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

3suwm5 — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 02:08:52 GMT

I have had this problem for years, I also have a hiatal hernia that was discovered about 3-4 years ago. I have been taking a prescription acid reducer for many years, everyday.

I finally decided to try something else and see how it goes. So far, I have been able to stop my prescription for more than 2 weeks. I am feeling great, no more heartburn for me.

I found a probiotic from 1MD. Complete Probiotics Platinum. Their website is: www.1md.org. They have reviews on there that may be of interest to you. They list, I believe, 5 probiotics and rank them according to reviews and ratings. It's a great website for product reviews.

I can say, without a doubt, it is the BEST thing I have used for my digestive issues, period. Believe me when I tell you, if it can help me, it can work for almost EVERYONE.

It's only 1 pill a day, too! Good luck to all.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

hckynut — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 03:05:00 GMT

(thread title)

@CherryHugs

1st Endoscopy many years ago and I had zero symptoms.Results:

1) GERD

2) Hiatal Hernia

3) Inflamed Esophagus

4) Barrett's Esophagus (precursor to Esophageal Cancer

40mg X 2 Nexium capsules per day.

Last Endo done in October 2015 and Biopsy shows no cancer. 2 years this time before next Endo.

TIP- If you have not had an Endoscopy, you might give it some thought.

hckynut(john)

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

hckynut — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 02:42:37 GMT

@CherryHugs wrote:
I have nexium but my dr says it is not for long term use. She says you really should not use it more than two weeks, that there are risks if you do? But i know alot of people that take it every day.
I might try not having dairy and see how that goes. Thank you!

@CherryHugs

Been taking 40mg X 2 of Nexium since late 1990's. My risks from taking it? Zero. My benefits from taking it? Preventing Esophageal Cancer. Last biopsy was October 2015, no cancer, nothing from Nexium can be traced to any of my health issues.

Read any prescription label closely. I would be surprised if they weren't several risks spelled out for that prescription. Aspirin? Risk. Tylenol? Risk. 'Nough said.

hckynut(john)

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

lolakimono — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 11:00:09 GMT

@CherryHugs

Please do some research. Ecan.org is a good place to start.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

3suwm5 — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 14:18:50 GMT

Let me just add to my previous comments. I have been on the 1MD Probiotics for over a month now, I didn't realize how long it has been since I took a prescription for heartburn. I knew I just took the probiotic in the morning first thing on empty stomach, done for the day. No problems with any heartburn at all, I can't stress that enough. No issues with upset stomach either. My system is extremely sensitive and very irritated, nothing in the past 35 + years has helped like this product has helped me. I have tried other probiotics and they are not cheap. This one for me was 9 bottles = 9 months -- $250. That's $28.00 per month, as a QVC host would say, that's less than $1.00 per day. To me, it's priceless. BTW, I'm allergic to many things and eating almost any fiber everyday would have my system in a tailspin. Check out the website www.1md.org. I'm just a stay at home mom in her 60's, with grown children; with no kickback from anyone for anything.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

meem120 — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 15:06:36 GMT

Just a tale of caution to all of you that have reflux or Gerd. Several months ago, it woke me up during the night. I got a little sick with coughing and sat up in bed the rest of the night.. fast forward one month. I had aspirated into my lungs, developed severe bacterial pneumonia from strep, that we all have in our mouths. I was hospitalized with pneumonia, sepsis, empyema and collapsed left lung.I had a chest tube in for 6 days draining the severe infection. They immediately put me on antibiotics IV and when I was discharged I still had to go to the hospital everyday for 3 more weeks for the antibiotic infusion. Its nothing to fool around with, please go see your doctor and take care of yourself.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Lucky Charm — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 18:04:12 GMT

My sister was diagnosed with Celiac disease a while ago so all of us got endoscopies to be check out.

No one had Celiac's, but my dad found out he had a hiatial hernia and chronic gastritis. No symptoms.

The gastritis may cause him acid reflux, but he didn't know it. He is supposed to stay away from hot spicy food and tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic.

Regardless, he's growing 3 varieties of tomatoes--27 tomatoe plants, and peppers, onions and garlic. My mom is having a fit!

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

esmeraldagooch — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 18:35:08 GMT

Yes I did but I cured it with tips from this book. Many things you eat , drink and medication cause this. Also loss of stomach acid which causes acid indigestion. Once the right amount is put back acid indigestion goes away. Some use HCL with pepsin, others use vinegar.

Re: Anyone with Gerd?

Zhills — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 18:48:56 GMT

I sleep on a 6" wedge (your head isn't that high) and it seems to help.