have you tried wedge pillow and inclined bed?

dcarch

good luck, Barb. I'm taking Prevacid and they're saying it can cause everything from a rash to Alzheimer's, I guess. But it's too uncomfortable to not take it. I stopped drinking coffee, gave up Diet Coke, lost weight, stopped eating tomatoes, onions, fried foods. Stopped using butter, stopped dairy products, stopped using pepper. I used a wedge pillow, put the head of my bed up, didn't eat 4 hours before bedtime. Nothing worked, and I went back to the Prevacid. So, if it kills me, it does.

My daughter, Amanda, has a hiatal hernia. They don't do surgery for repair unless it's really bad, so she takes Prevacid to. Nothing else works.

So, I guess I'm no help. Nothing worked.

Annie

There have been many discussions in Kitchen Table about this. I can't find the particular one I was looking for, but read Ravencajun's post in this old thread.

Acid rebound is a well known phenomenon when PPI's are discontinued and can last up to 3 months. Have you tried tapering off? That may alleviate some of the discomfort that you are experiencing.

Your doctor seems rather dismissive of your concerns. Perhaps it's time to launch a search for one that is willing to work as a team for resolution.

Have you tried simply taking Tums when you get a flair? If that works, it's the medication with the least possible side effects.
Also have you tried a probiotic? One I like is called Digestive Advantage...

Barb - recurring reflux may cause cancer of the esophagus. 2 relatives of mine died from this cancer. I've had GERD for over 15 years. I tried everything Annie did. It didn't work. Antacids didn't work either for me. PPIs work - if I'm careful. I still refrain from eating at least 2 hours (I try to make it 4 but sometimes I'm just starving) before bed because my GERD tends to be night GERD. Dinner for me is dry toast with tea. I stop eating heavy stuff like meat, fried dishes etc, after noontime.

At some point years ago I asked myself which would be better: cancer of the esophagus or cancer of the stomach, which PPIs might trigger according to what I read. Given the 2 esophageal cancer cases in my family, I decided to stick with PPIs. I don't take them on a daily basis. I'm taking them only when GERD gets bad, which means risking an occasional outbreak of the inflammation, which increases the chances for yet another outbreak since inflammation further weakens the esophageal sphincter.

Limiting each meal to 2 cups' volume helps a lot. That includes liquids, i.e. if you have a cup of tea or a small bowl of soup - they count as much as the solids you eat. It's about volume. Avoid lying down or sprawling in a chair after a meal. Sit straight for at least 2 hrs. It works for me. Hope you feel better soon.

I understand treating the symptoms, as everyone so generously shared above, but have you been tested for some of the causes of GERD? H. Pylori, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), food sensitivities, lower esophageal sphincter (LES).... GERD may actually be the result of LOW stomach acid in a large number of cases, not too much acid. Low stomach acid also increases your risk for developing food sensitivities like gluten in grains, dairy, soy, nuts, eggs, or other foods. Ask your doctor to test for common nutritional deficiencies associated with low stomach acid, especially iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and vitamins B12 and D.

SALT: One study found that people who used extra table salt daily were 70% more likely to have heartburn.

I would suggest anyone dealing with digestive issues, including GERD, read the book "Digestive Health with REAL Food" by Aglaee Jacob, M.S., R.D. There are a number of underlying issues that can cause GERD.

Examples of how this isn't a one-size-fits-all condition:

#1 My mother-in-law had GERD caused by low stomach acid and the HUGE number of TUMS she was taking as prescribed by her idiot doctor as a calcium supplement for her osteoporosis. She didn't like eating dairy products (his only idea about what calcium-rich foods were - remember, physicians rarely have much in the way of nutrition studies), so he told her to munch on Tums (like candy) all day long for the calcium they contained. Prior to this, she never had acid reflux. Her GERD issue was caused by LOW stomach acid by taking the acid-destroying Tums, and I'm the one who figured it out - not the physician.

More on the subject: http://www.sott.net/article/265343-The-truth-about-stomach-acid-Why-low-stomach-acid-is-jeopardizing-your-health

#2 My brother-in-law had GERD and eventually developed Barrett's Esophagus and H. Pylori -- all because he was too cheap to purchase larger jeans when he gained weight. His physician treated the conditions, but I was the one who told him it was caused by his jeans, which his physician agreed, AFTER the fact.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, first thing the doc. did with me was H Pylori test. It was negative. Then he tried gastroscopy - didn't work with me, so he sent me for an upper gastrointestinal X ray. It's LES. To the best of my knowledge this is the elimination process here (Israel) in such cases.

He did offer treatment for the root cause - some ghastly operation involving injection of silicon to make up for LES weakness. No way. I'd rather cope with the symptoms, though sometimes it's hell. Sometimes the least of evils is deal with the symptoms. GERD is manageable. It requires a lot of self discipline but it can be controlled in some measure.

GERD can land you in awkward social situations when a hostess insists/acts insulted if you refuse to so much as try something. People who never had GERD are apparently incapable of realizing that even a single mouthful can make you ill. And with some dishes one mouthful is enough. Better get into an awkward situation than go through another outbreak, at least as far as I'm concerned.

I take digestive enzymes either before or after most meals & esp. after a heavy one. I always take 2 @ night after eating, before bedtime. Really seems to help me avoid heartburn. Have you tried that yet?

If you want to go natural, try Aloe Vera juice.

One to two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with a drop of stevia in room temp water, about 8 ounces, does the trick for me.

Barb, I don't post often but this has been my experience with my GI problems. I'm in my mid 60s just to let you know. About 5 years ago I developed a chronic cough. I do have vasomotor rhinitis so I figured it was just drainage, but the cough would not go away so I saw my PCP. She suggested it might be (silent)reflux and put me on a PPI. The cough went away in about a week but the script was for 30 days so I kept taking it. After another week I developed an angry rash on my face and neck. The only thing different in my regimen was the PPI so I stopped taking it. The rash cleared up in a couple of days but scared me enough that I will never take PPIs again. I was very lucky this happened to me as I started to research these meds and found that they can cause lots of problems due to interfering with a person's digestive process. Your stomach needs acid to digest and utilize the nutrients you take in, especially B vitamins. PPIs shut your little 'acid pumps' down, so your stomach tries to produce more pumps. This is why you can get severe rebound acid if you stop taking PPIs after a long time.

Sorry this is so long, but foward a few years. My cough returns and I'm actually feeling irritation in my throat. I see a GI doc and get an endoscopy. I have LES, I have a small hiatal hernia, and there are cell changes that are "pre-Barrets". I had a swallow barium x-ray and a motility test(a sensor down the throat to measure swallow pressure). I was told I has achalasia, where my esophagus muscles don't move things properly. But I wasn't having any problems eating or drinking so DH nagged me to get a second opinion in a different health care system. So I did. I had an endoscopy, barium swallow x-ray, motility test and in the same day. The results were that my hernia was very small, I had no achalasia and no cell changes in my esophagus.

So, PLEASE get a second opinion! Research what those PPIs do to you. While I still get some reflux, it's usually from eating or drinking too late at night. One thing I got from the first GI doc is the use of Gaviscon. If I'm having some indigestion in the evening I use that at bedtime as it produces a layer of antacid at the top of your stomach and protects your esophagus from any acid that might come up. I don't need it all the time, but it does work. Otherwise, the baking soda water helps.

Also, I don't want to anger anyone with a specific diet recommendation, but I have found that for me, limiting carbohydrates helps with my digestion. Please read about GERD and Low Carb. It is a hard road finding a way of eating that helps and that you like.

Again, sorry this was so long. I hope it helps a little.

From natural treatment perspective, DGL (deglycerized and peppermint oil helped my DD with acid reflux. She had to use it for about 10 weeks before it stopped the reflux. It did sooth her stomach almost immediately. Nothing else worked. She also followed the rules about eating and also took probiotics before starting on the DGL and peppermint oil. She still takes the probiotics and now it's enough to stop the reflux. She's never had to take the DGL and peppermint oil in the last 9 years. She feels she's cured. :)

Gaviscon is counterindicated if using warfarin (coumadin):

http://www.drugs.com/cdi/gaviscon-chewable-tablets.html

I'm pointing it out because many people here are seniors, some of them possibly taking anticoagulants.

I would strongly suggest checking out this website.

I heard Dr. Robillard on
the People’s Pharmacy several weeks ago. His work focuses
on SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. And he addresses all
sorts of gut issues:

I passed on the information to my daughter in law who has several of the problems he discussed. He himself developed his treatment after being very unhappy with traditional doctor's treatments for his own reflux. And I know several people who have been treated for the SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) with huge success. http://digestivehealthinstitute.org/

DH and I each had issues when we were eating eggs daily. If you eat a lot of eggs, you may want to eliminate them for awhile and see if it helps.

I'm sorry to read of the issues many of the CF members are experiencing. I have been following this thread in case there are symptoms and treatments that apply to my HG.

"Gaviscon is counterindicated if using warfarin (coumadin):

http://www.drugs.com/cdi/gaviscon-chewable-tablets.html

I'm pointing it out because many people here are seniors, some of them possibly taking anticoagulants."

Thank you for pointing that out...I was not aware. I don't take very many drugs, luckily. I do take probiotics and DGL(Fred Meyer often has a two-fer sale) when I can afford them. I don't get full blown heartburn, but usually what I consider mild indigestion with certain foods, even some low carb foods(usually onions which I love, yet horseradish doesn't bother me). I've read about PPIs reducing stomach acid that is needed to kill bacteria in the gut and the resulting overgrowth. There's a lot of good info out there if you have the time to research it...lots of things to know about the digestive tract that you normally wouldn't think about. The "mind-gut connection" is pretty interesting. Finding relief is a very individual thing and I hope Barb can glean some helpful info from everyones' posts.

Wintercat_gw,

Have you read about the Nissen fundoplication surgery? I was researching this before I got my second set of tests.If your LES is very lax, they can take up some of your stomach tissue and wrap it around the LES to help support the sphincter. I was actually looking for a surgeon to do this when I found out my LES is not that severe, but rather normal for my age. I won't rule it out for the future if it gets worse since I was told it is usually caused by age. HTH

Thanks everybody for your comments. I tried the vinegar thing and it did help but noticed it is on my list of bladder irritants. I'll have to think about all of this but I do appreciate your sharing wit h me your tips and troubles. I know I have a hiatal hernia although my own doctor did not tell me. It was the doctor who gave me my mammogram results. Thanks, you are all my "support" group. Barb

noinwi, thank you for the suggestion, but just reading the words "they can take up some of your stomach tissue and wrap it around the LES to help support the sphincter" makes my blood curdle.

As long as I'm managing - and I'm more or less managing - any operation is out of the question. Scares me no end.

So I'll keep on having dry toast and tea for dinner and sitting up straight. Heck, GERD does wonders for your figure. Slim and trim. No middle age spread. I'm considering opening a weight loss farm. Infect the customers with H. Pylori (not everyone is blessed with lax LES). No PPIs or antacids on my farm. Once they've lost all the weight they need to lose - put them on an antibiotics course.