STORM2K

Does anyone suffer really bad from this? I've had heartburn a couple of times before from over eating before I go to bed and know how uncomfortable it is but some people have this on a daily basis. I can't imagine how uncomfortable and annoying that would be.

Fortunately, that's one gastro ailment I don't suffer from. I know some people that have it and they do take medication for it. I can't imagine living with that constant pain either.

Yes, unfortunately I inherited a hiatal hernia from my Mom's side of the family
and as a result after eating (usually something heavy so to say brings it on) I get to...well, how to put it mildly...*belching*...and have to reach either for the Alka-Mints or the Axid.

Eric

i have it bad. nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with stomach acid in your mouth.

roarusdogus wrote:Does anyone suffer really bad from this? I've had heartburn a couple of times before from over eating before I go to bed and know how uncomfortable it is but some people have this on a daily basis. I can't imagine how uncomfortable and annoying that would be.

I get acid reflux pretty bad on occasion, and usually have an attack or two a week ... sometimes it gets so bad that it actually BURNS my throat, and I know that I should get some medication for this problem, especially with the lifestyle of eating that I have ... (on the go, fast food) ...

SF

Oh, my! I keep Tagamet in the cabinet, at home,
and, I do believe that is Zantac rolling around
in my purse! You don't know HOW many folks
that I end up sharing some with!

The best cure, of course, is to note what tends
to bother you, and, don't eat it - simple as
that. But, some of us tend to complicate
things....(*waving my hand in the air)

I have bouts with it occasionally. NO FUN!!

My dad had it so bad(almost constantly)that the pain masked a couple of the heart attacks he had according to his doctors. If it is bad enough it can scar your esophagus and narrow it making it difficult to eat/swallow or to get food down to your stomach for digestion, thus the full feeling in your esophageal region sometimes.

I had an endoscopy done a few years ago in Richmond, VA to see if I had a condition called Barrett's Esophagus and thankfully the results came back negative...but I still have to be careful with what I eat and how much at a setting.

http://www.gicare.com/pated/ecdgs40.htm

Eric

Yes, I've had it for years. I took Prevacid for a long time until it quit working for me. Then I tried Aciphex and some other one, and they caused worse problems than I had before. I've been on Nexium for a couple of years, and it has been a miracle drug for me. Good luck with your problem!

I started getting severe heartburn over 5 years ago. The pain was terrible! It would just rise up, and if I didn't take Gavisgon/Pepcid it would just get worse. As if an elephant was sitting on my chest. About this time I was diagnosed with colon cancer. A routine pelvic cat scan ordered before my surgery revealed hundreds of gallstones. I was told it was just a matter of time before I would have had a major gall stone attack. My gall bladder was removed while under for my colon resection. Thank God for that cat scan! I would suggest calling your doctor and asking for testing - endoscopy (scope down your throat) or cat scan. I just chalked the heartburn up to age (early 40s then) and not being able to eat spicy foods anymore. I was told my heartburn symptoms were a direct result of the gallstones.

Hope you feel better!

Mary

One natural way to help deal with heartburn is to raise the head of your bed. It's harder that way for stomach acid to travel up your esophogus. Sorry you've had to deal with this, I know it's just terrible.
...Jennifer...

rainstorm wrote:i have it bad. nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with stomach acid in your mouth.

Talk about a bad feeling. One of the worse feelings you can imagine.

Jim

Well...here's a seasoned vet of acid reflux. Been suffering from it for about 30 years! Only when the purple pills came along was I able to find relief. Also, changing my lifestyle made a big difference the last ten years.

I eat lighter meals, will rarely eat anything after 5pm (I can get away ONLY with popcorn as a snack). I am on Nexium now which was preceded by Prevacid with was preceded by Prilosec. One pill a day works for me.

This is a hereditary condition. My youngest son who was once 6'2" and 150 lbs got it even as a very thin kid at age 15. He takes Nexium once a day also...and is now 27 and 185 lbs!

I have learned from a number of very scary experiences (where I wake up from a sound sleep gasping for air) that the acid entering the lungs is a serious problem....so I JUST DON'T EAT after 5 pm. Nada...nothing...zilch! And I am fine then with the pills and the lifestyle change.

Surgery is still not an option according to every doctor I visit.

I do have an endoscopy done annually to check for Barrett's Esophagus syndrome (precancer) but have passed the test each time.

While I can surely appreciate what you are going through I can tell you that if you can get help with those life-changing purple pills and the lifestyle change, you will be just fine...and can eat virtually anything without heartburn.

I suffer from acid reflux. As long as I can remember, I've had to deal with heartburn on a regular basis. I went through a series of test in the mid-80s and was told I had ulcers. I was put on Axid. It helped, but didn't completely stop the problem. Then pepcid became available over the counter. I lived on them until november was a year ago. My wife and I were getting ready to go to church and as I was walking down the hall to the living room I started having severe chest pains. Being a nursing school student, she thought I might be having a heart attack. So we went to the ER. I was put in the hospital and put thru a series of tests. Turned out to be acid reflux and I was put on Nexium. It works great. Only prob is it is WAY too expensive. Without insurance, I am back to popping pepcid and chewing tums LOL.

Ditto on the no food after dinner rule, as Steve pointed out. Very good advice! I think my husband would benefit from that rule. I've noticed if we have a very late dinner, out with friends who drag the evening out with drinks at the bar and then dinner seating after 9 p.m., he does poorly. All that food sits in his stomach, just when Jim's ready to turn in. There have been nights where he's sat up long past 1, watching TV just to feel better so he can sleep. I try to fix dinner at home by 6. I feel much better, colon wise, if I don't eat anything solid after dinner either! I just drink water after dinner up until bedtime and I feel much better, but for other benefits. I also sleep much better without evening snacking. Another added benefit, something I never would have thought of before.

I should add that my heartburn is just about gone, after my gall bladder was taken out. On occasion, I feel it creeping up, so I just take a rolaid or pepcid. It is mild, when it does happen, nothing like it was before my gall bladder surgery. I can remember running out of gaviscon once and rushing to the grocery store. This was before u-scan's, the clerk couldn't check me out fast enough!

Mary

Try Prilosec. One pill everyday and no heartburn. My dr recommended it.

Go easy on the Tums, Tim. You might want to try Rolaids for a change and see how those work.

Tums are packed with calcium. Even though they try to push it as a calcium-supplement, you can get too much if you're popping the Tums a lot for tummy trouble. If your body doesn't absorb it correctly, it can lead to kidney stones.

Then again, if you use it moderately and it helps control your stomach acid, no need to change.

Thanks for the advice, Duck. I don't eat 'em like candy. I've never taken more than 5 or 6 in one day. Usually I'll chew a couple of Tums EX (assorted berry flavor cause I HATE that chalky taste) before taking a pepcid. After that, I'm usually good for about 6 hrs.

My husband has acid reflux. He's been on Nexium for about a year now and it is keeping it under control.

I get it from time to time...its disgusting when it happens and I hope I dont get frequent attacks of it.