Acid reflux (sp)

[ironford]

do many of you have this?
i finally went to the doc today for this after living with it for 3 years. it wasn't so bad just some times. the doc says i have to quit smoking i smoke a pack a day. and i have to quit drinking. i drink about a 6pack a day. and quit eating unhealthy (just some bad habbits i picked up in the army). i was just wondering if any of you have this? and what you take, he told me to try pepcid complete for a month and if that doesn't help to come back.

joe

 

[NewToLife]

I've suffered from this in the past.

Losing weight helps as does the avoidance of hot, spicy and fatty foods. Alcohol and Tobacco both aggravate the condition, for that matter even coffee does. I take Gaviscon for the condition when it's a problem ( not often for me these days ).

 

[murron]

do many of you have this?
i finally went to the doc today for this after living with it for 3 years. it wasn't so bad just some times. the doc says i have to quit smoking i smoke a pack a day. and i have to quit drinking. i drink about a 6pack a day. and quit eating unhealthy (just some bad habbits i picked up in the army). i was just wondering if any of you have this? and what you take, he told me to try pepcid complete for a month and if that doesn't help to come back.

joe

Diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) about 2 years ago. Took Nexium for a year. It helped me enormously!!!!!!!! I haven't been on it for about a year now and occasionally I have a problem with it. Nothing OTC (over the counter) helps it when it happens, for me at least. I try to drink a lot of water during the day and I sleep on a mountain of pillows. That's about it.
Murron

 

[ZooMom]

No, I don't have it. One of my children had it mildly as an infant but outgrew it. And they didn't smoke or drink.

I'll be praying for you, especially in your new health resolutions. It can be so hard to change eating and other habits. God bless and keep you!


Peace be with you!

Sandy

 

[AMDG]

Hubby has it--takes medicine for it--think it's the generic form of Zantac. (He also takes Pepcid Complete.) There are a whole list of foods to avoid--alcohol (well that's really a drug), tomatoes (and ANY acidic foods), spicey foods, greasy foods, caffeine, carbonated beverages, mustard, even chocolate. Then there's this thing about reducing stress (since Hubby retired, he's been symptom-free so stress seems to be a definite component), eating small meals and not eating within 2 hours of going to sleep, and then sleeping with the bed elevated 30 degrees!

Granddaughter had it so bad that at only 18 months she required the surgery for it (simply couldn't eat at all.) For a couple of months she had to be fed through a gastric tube, but now she can eat anything.

Still, you don't want it to get real bad--the surgery is NOT fun and something to be avoided if you can, which sounds like you will be able.

 

[Veritas]

I've had it for years. I would deperately love to get off Prilosec, but every time I try, it comes back.

 

[Jamme]

Most acid problems are related to H pylori infection - you need to get a test and if its positive, get eradication therapy.

Also remember to avoid anti-inflammatory medicines

BTW... lol @ GERD
We call it GORD because we haven't americanised our spelling.
(oesophagus is a greek word and begins with an O!)

 

[ps139]

I get this... drinking definitely will aggravate it. So will orange juice for me, lemonade, iced tea etc, I barely drink that anymore. I smoke too but probably half as much as you.
i used to munch on tums and rolaids but ive found that the more you take them, the worse the heartburn gets in the long run. so i am really selective when i take them, and i get heartburn less frequently.

 

[LadyDJ]

We found out the hard way that my father had been suffering from acid reflux for years when his esophagus ruptured in December of 2000. The ICU staff didn't expect him to survive, but he did.

 

[Mulutka]

Well I'm bulimic so I definatly have reflux problems. As gross as this sounds, i drink baking soda after a meal. Tastes horrible but it works pretty well actually.

 

[Michael G]

I have had GERD with a stricture in my esophagus for the past 13 years. It is under control now, but the stricture can make eating very uncomfortable.

 

[AveMaria]

My mom suffered horribly from acid reflux for years, then a few years ago she had a medical procedure called 'the stretta procedure' done, and she was able to go off prilosec and it almost never bothers her anymore. (If I remember, the procedure basically involves creating scar tissue around the LES, to stop the acid from 'refluxing'.) You might want to ask your doctor about it.