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Sorry if this is gross, but my acid reflux has been acting up again. I just had the urge to vomit and I feel a huge lump in my throat.
I took Prilosec but it isn't working.
I'm thinking it's probably stress related...I havent been eating as fast as I used to and I try to make sure I chew a lot...
Anyone else have acid reflux? If so, how did/do you treat it?
i had it for YEARS AND YEARS. Hated the prilosec bc of it's side-effects....so i cured it the "russian-remedy" way - oatmeal, every morning. Something about oatmeal (and maybe the milk you make it with? i go lactose-free milk now) coats your tummy and makes it happy. My cousins, sis and I, all spent some time doing this and haven't had problems since. I occasionaly still have flare-ups, and when i do, I spend some mornings eating Oatmeal, and just watch my acidic food intake- coffee, tomatoes, chocolate - that kind of deal.
@Margaritachka: Oops...didn't know chocolate was a no-no...lol. I just had a huge cup of hot chocolate (with low fat milk though!).
I don't like prilosec either, so I try not to take it unless my symptoms flare up.
I love oatmeal, so I'll try to incorporate it more often! Thanks for the tip. :)
I was having an issue about a year ago, the doctor prescribed Prilosec and although i didn't mind it, I started working out and one day forgot to get my script, was off it for a week and haven't had major issues since. I've found that if i work out for at least 30 min 3 times a week i don't get it!
@mmr66: Oh man, I've been caught! Haha Ive been supposed to be exercising everyday but the past few weeks I've been slacking...errrr I guess I better get back to it.
Thats interesting that exercise makes a difference.
I can get it bad, but if I avoid Acidic things as others have said, including alcohol, I am OK.
tomato sauces, oranges and other citrus, vinegars (pickled things), soda, coffee, satly foods, spicy foods all do it to me.
If I have a bout of it I will drink a shot of 1/2 and 1/2. I know it sounds gross, but its basic which will push down the acid in your stomach and do a great job of coating the stomach. I then eat a pepcid complete (tums regular dont work)
@lefeymw: ill try the 1/2&1/2 and pepcid...
Crap, do I have to stay away from oranges and tomatoes? I can easily avoid coffee and pickled things, but man...i love lemon, oranges, and tomatoes! Sigh****
@Evie19: those are the worst culprits! Think about it. citrus is acidic, you are having problems with acid reflux. You are making the problem worse by eating more acid.
This means vinaigrettes made heavy with vinegar, orange juice, oranges, tomato sauce, tomatoes,
Try to avoid anything acidic until its under control, then you can experiment with how much you can handle and how to combine it.
IE, you want tomato sauce with spaghetti? Pair it with a whole wheat pasta and add some brocoli to the dish.
(make sure its Pepcid Complete) I swear by it.
@lefeymw: Thanks for the tips!
I eat acidic foods a lot and I don't always get these awful symptoms...so I need to figure out what exactly are my triggers.
I actually do always eat whole wheat pasta with my tomato sauce! So good to know that that helps. :)
Ugh, why am I in the mood right now to eat oranges? lol
I tried EVERYTHING to beat my acid reflux...in the end, it turned out that it was caused by the birth control pill.
Yup, I do. I take omprazole and ranitidine (zantac). I have also changed my diet.
No soda (really bad acid wise and the gas in the carbonation make it easier to reflux into the esophagus)
Only 1 cup of coffee per day
Avoid all citrus, tomato, pickles, anything canned or preserved if I can (they raise the acidity in canned foods to preserve it)
Avoid alcohol where I can
Avoid high fat foods (anything fried, full fat cheese, milks, chocolate, etc)
Avoid onions, pepper, and other spicy foods.
Now I eat most of these in moderation, but I don't exercise within 2-3 hrs of eating, don't eat within 3 hrs of bed time, and if I remember drink a little non-fat milk before dinner to have the last thing I ate or drank be basic so the acid doesn't sit at the junction of my esophagus and stomach all night.
I have it bad and was on tecta. i stopped taking it one day, and I just haven't taken it since (been a few months) and I haven't had a flare up.
I cut out orange juice completely (I used to live off of it) and avoid coffee and tomatoes where possible.
Interesting that I stopped taking my bcp around the same time....
@KatNYC2011: Thanks for the tips! I can lay off the fatty foods, but tomatoes and onions are in 80% of my recipes! lol
I also drink soda water and perreir, so maybe i should cut that out as well...:-/ annoying.
@jouissance: Mine started because of my bc pill too! I always had some stomach issues, but the pill made it so horrible. Now I have far more frequent issues with it, even though I've been off of it for years :(.
I've also heard that you shouldn't drink (liquid, not just alcohol) while you eat, and that tends to help as well. The advice about milk is great, but I'm also slightly lactose intolerant so I never know if it will make it better or worse.
Does anyone else get sick (as in, physically losing your meal) kind of frequently? I'm getting better now, but before I knew I had GERD, I was losing it at least every other day for awhile.
@Evie19: Cooked onions are better than raw, but tomatoes are a real no-no for reflux. I hate that because I LOVE tomatoes but avoiding it can help if you have some bad episodes.
What helps me when I really want tomatoes is thinking, do I want this tomato more than I value my health?
Chronic reflux can lead to Barrett's Esophagus and Esophageal cancer especially if you are having severe reflux at a young age. There is surgery that can fix the issue as well, but you'd have to talk to a doctor to see if you are a good candidate.
@jo.lee: I've only had the urge to vomit, I've never vomited. But I cant express how uncomfortable its been to feel like I have a HUGE lump in my throat. I gag, but nothing comes out.
Jeez, I love to drink lots of liquids as I eat. Im like the poster girl for bad acid reflux behavior.
@Evie19: My gyno told me I was being an idiot, so I went off every medication and vitamin in my cabinet, worked with a nutritionist...and the reflux was still there. Then I dumped the pill. It went away in a matter of 3-4 days and has not returned.
@KatNYC2011: Crap that is so scary to think it could lead to cancer...
How about cooked tomatoes in moderation? Like in 5 meals a week?
@jouissance: wow thats interesting. when i go off the pill when we start TTC in a year, i wonder if it will go away!
@Evie19: It all depends on the severity of your reflux. I'd recommend seeing an ENT and having them take a look at your larynx. That way they can see if the acid is coming all the way up and can help with medication and diet recommendations. They put a small scope (camera) up your nose and into your throat, not the most comfortable thing, but not terrible either.
If it's just occasional flareups you should be fine, but if it's something more serious then you can get on the right treatment.
With the meds I take, I don't have to be as careful about what I eat, but if I go off the meds, then the symptoms start up again.
@KatNYC2011: I didnt want to take my prilosec everyday so I take it only when I have symptoms...but maybe I'll start taking it everyday. Im going to talk to my doctor.
I did a test last year where I had to drink this gross stuff while they took xray pics...the doc just told me i had acid reflux and prescribed me the pills.
I need to have another discussion with her.
I get reflux... prilosec didn't work for me so I went on nexium (similar but Rx drug). Mine seems to be related to hormonal fluctations and some of the weirdest foods trigger it: yogurt, black pepper, green onions. I am fine with tomatoes and lemon helps my heartburn (have to have acid-free oj though, very odd!). I cannot really have any alcohol at all but chocolate is fine.
Tums make it worse for me so I use gavison. I use alka seltzer gold (it's basically just baking soda), throat discs (something in them stops some heart burn), papaya enzymes, apple cider vinegar, ginger candies. Basically just seeing what triggers it for you and what helps most is my advice.
This may seem like an odd remedy, but a spoonfull of apple cider vinegar is amazing at treating acid reflux. I take a spoonfull and wash it down with water. I try to do it everymorning since there are so many other benefits to it as well (including speeding up metabolism). Make sure to get the organic kind Briggs with mother. I have turned so many people on to it and they have all had amazing results. Good luck!
I take ginger and that helps me a lot. I get it in capsules from Whole Foods. It is a lot of trial and error to see what works and what doesn't. I also eat healthy probiotic yogurt, and stay away from things -like high fat stuff I know will make it go wild.
I cut out all grains and went low-carb. All acid reflux gone within 24 hours.
For me, I tend to get it on the days after I overindulge or on days where I don't have a lot in my stomach (yet I continue to drink coffee all day).
Either way, I start chugging a lot of water and take tums.
@juliasoko: I will have to try apple cider vinegar!
I have it, badly. Milk definitely helps.
I was just diagnosed with GERD, and EVERYTHING that I generally eat aggravates it (tomatoes, caffeine, spicy foods, chocolate...). I've been taking 40mg Pepcid twice a day (which I think is double what is usually prescribed? I don't know; it's crazy) for the past month and a half and supposedly can drop down to once a day before dinner in another few weeks. It's been helping me to stop taking some of the supplements I'd been taking before (fish oil, turmeric), start taking probiotics, and drinking more water throughout the day.
@jo.lee: My mother has it really made, and has gone through phases where she couldn't keep it down. I think now that she has her medications (Nexium I think?) as long as she avoids most acidic foods, she is much better.
@Evie19: Prilosec isn't effective if you DON'T take it every day!
@juliasoko: I am sorry but this is a really bad idea! Any type of vinegar is actually acetic acid, and the last thing you want to put in your body if you have acid reflux is more acid!
I don't have reflux bad yet, but my mother has it horribly so I am afraid I will some day. My big problem is OJ, but I can get away with the low acid type. Other things it's hit or miss whether it bothers me, so I haven't cut acidic foods yet, trying to enjoy them while I can!
@spaniel: That's what I take as well. OTC drugs are 20mg and I think you take them once a day. So it's 4x the OTC dosage. Plus I take a double dose of Zantac at night as well. It's a lot of meds but it has kept things under control for a year or so.
I will eventually have surgery to fix the reflux problem but for now the drugs are working ok.
@KatNYC2011: I think Im going to ask my doctor as well about the possibility of surgery. The fact that this could lead to cancer scares the crap out of me.
It has been much better today and yesterday- I am eating more healthily and making sure to eat slowly and chew a lot.
@Evie19: It's worth getting looked at, but could just be run of the mill occasional reflux where you have an odd trigger you have yet to figure out.
Glad you are feeling better today!
If you are curious about food lists, google LPR and GERD diet and you can see what foods you should and shouldn't be eating.
@KatNYC2011: Yeah I think I may be able to treat it myself because I notice I get symptoms when I overeat or eat quickly.
I eat tomatoes and citrus a LOT yet do not always have flare-ups...
@KatNYC2011: Are you proud of me? I just ordered lunch at the office and I didn't get diet soda like I usually do...:) And I got a chicken salad with NO acidic ingredients. :)
@Evie19: Good! Cutting out soda was the hardest part for me. I used to be a 2-3 diet coke a day drinker.
I didn't drink soda at all for a full year. Now I very occasionally have some, but it actually hurts my throat going down because I'm not used to the carbonation/acid in it.
Chicken salad sounds really good. I need to start thinking about what I want for lunch.
@KatNYC2011: :)
I had actually cut soda from my diet for a year and recently started drinking it again. So once again, I'm cutting it out! Sigh***
If I were in England like you, I'd be ordering Indian food!! :)
@Evie19: Mmmm... LOVE Indian food.
I'm either going to meet DH for lunch near his office or have some vegetable soup in the fridge and a last slice of potato and goat's cheese tart from Sunday night.
@KatNYC2011: Me toooo, is Indian food bad for acid reflux? I refuse to give up spicy food, seriously.
@Evie19: Haha usually because it's high fat and has lots of tomatoes, onions, and other "aggravating" spices. I'd say the grilled tandoori items are probably much better than the saucy curries or fried pakoras/samosas.
But, I do eat it in moderation.
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