I've just recently developed heartburn or acid reflux...Blah! It seems to be something that stayed with me after my pregnancy. I'm taking Pepcid right now, but it doesn't seem strong enough. I don't know if I should see my Doc or not. Crazy thing is I checked out all the foods that cause acid reflux and I eat all of those things caffine, spicy foods, tomato based, chocolate. The first time I had the heartburn I thought I was having a heart attack and it scared the shit out of me...which gave me a mild panic attack.

Anyone have any advice on what works for them or any natural rememdies that help?

__________________
Looking for: Seriously I'm on a Ban I caved for some Nakita Dojos
The Spirit of the Dojo
DHV As 26 for sale in the the mall

Talk to the doc, you may even have an ulcer, which can be fixed in some cases!

__________________
On ban until further notice

my brother has acid reflux, caused by his not eating properly. if i remeber right, he took nexxium for two weeks.

acid reflux also doesn't allow milk or any milk by-product, soda, and no alcohol (or is it just beer?) either. good luck and i hope you get it under control soon!

ps. i had heartburn once and was surprised i didn't have it sooner, i eat all the stuff that causes it, and in excess. i'm not sure what i took for it, maybe midol and an antacid, but it just went away after lingering a couple days.

I have Acid Reflux now and it's been here for about 4 months. Nothing seems to work. I am on prescription meds and exercise daily (which helps a tiny bit) and I dont eat the foods that cause it. It's gotten so bad that it is around all the time. I got my doctor to send me to a specialist so that an endoscopy can be done to look inside and see what's not working correctly in my upper digestive system. It's next month, and I hope that tells them something. Some bad cases of it need surgery to correct it.

Eating properly could be my problem. I eat on the go and sometimes skip meals. I do notice that when I'm at home on the weekends no stomach problems but as soon as I go back to work on Monday it comes back. Maybe I just need to eat

I drink milk..soy milk, sprite..I however don't really drink

__________________
Looking for: Seriously I'm on a Ban I caved for some Nakita Dojos
The Spirit of the Dojo
DHV As 26 for sale in the the mall

First thing anyone will tell you is to try to avoid the 'trigger' foods. fat chance, I know. I have this poster about reflux, and it suggests - avoiding 'the' foods, eating several small meals a day, sleeping with your head 6 inches higher than your feet, not eating before bed, decreasing fat intake while increasing protein, quit smoking (if applicable), and avoid wearing tight clothing.
From my perspective (I'm an obnoxious, know-it-all patient), I'd go see your doctor. I would have a test to ensure that this isn't a heart problem, first of all - to be safe. Then, I would get checked for H. pylori (Macchick, have you been checked for this?), which is a common bacteria that is associated with ulcers. There are TONS of medication options - this might be something to consider if you are having symptoms frequently. The meds are taken daily, and are generally very effective. I used to be on a prescription strength of Zantac (available OTC), which I was told to take every day as opposed to what it said on the package.
Could it be stress causing it? Taking care of stress in your life would probably work wonders for this condition

I haven't had a test for that pylori thing... I am seeing my doc tomorrow and I will ask. I tried Zantac, it didn't do squat.. I am on the max dose of Prevacid now, and was on the max dose of Prilosec, and neither do anyting. Nope, no heart problems here, got checked for that. I will ask about the ulcer thing tomorrow. That is an awesome idea, thank you!

no problem - I actually 'diagnosed' a friend with this - her doc couldn't figure out why she had stomach problems...
It's a blood test to check. H. pylori is sometimes thought to be *the* cause of ulcers, but it's really just high incidence of the two together. The treatment is a pretty hefty regimen of antibiotics and proton-pump inhibitors (zantac/prilosec/prevacid/etc.). Good luck! I'd have to have you have an endoscopy if it's not needed!

Ugh, I don't want an endoscopy either. Ugh... I have to have some blood test done anyway for a thyroid thing I have going on... so I will ask about that tomorrow. I am actually printing this thread out so I remember. I also get that feeling in my throat of a pill or something being stuck back there, and there is nothing there... I have heard that this is the feeling of when the esophagus gets damaged from the acid. that feeling is awful, and it won't go away. I am just miserable

I have acid reflux,too. I have to avoid anything citrus-y (if that makes any sense), fat, sugar, caffeine, sparkling drinks, yogurt, white bread, to much tomato, most exotic fruits.
I eat only whole-wheat stuff (and avoid rye, that is bad for me,too), I eat muesli with fat- reduced milk and banana for breakfast.
Apart from avoiding those foods, only prescription helps me, which is so not worth it for me. If I avoid those foods, I'm better overall, I tone up, loose a little weight, get leaner. Right now I'm not really following through (ate sweets, duh!), and the reflux is back, and I gained weight.

__________________
If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

Oh- and I had an endoscopy. Was a piece of cake- I had a short nap at my doc's and woke up after everything was over.

__________________
If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

This week I'm going to try the eating small meals reguarly and avoiding the trigger foods and see what happens. If my reflux goes away then it's just my diet and eating habits. If it does not go away, then I'll call the doctor.

__________________
Looking for: Seriously I'm on a Ban I caved for some Nakita Dojos
The Spirit of the Dojo
DHV As 26 for sale in the the mall

^^ Sounds like a good plan.

__________________
If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

I've been to the doctor's so many times, and they kept prescribing the same stuff. After I take whatever they give me to completion, I'm fine for a while and then it comes back and I got back to the doctor's. Pepcid doesn't work for me either. Prilosec does, but it takes 12-24 hours to kick in, so there's really no immediate relief for me.

Finally I got fed up with it and asked if I could just take Prilosec everyday. It's been working great for me. Since it's over-the-counter, you can't get insurance to pay for it anyway. So just buy them at Wal-Mart or online, and it'll cost less than $20 for every month. It'll reduce the amount of acid that your stomach takes to digest things, so there's less of a chance of the acid getting back into your esophagus (which is what causes heartburn).

Some basic tips for relieving heartburn when it comes up is 1) eat bread because it's the easiest for your stomach to digest and makes it release the least acid. 2) sleep sitting up propped up by a pillow. Sleeping with heartburn is the worst, but I've found that taking this particular suggestion from the doctor has helped a great deal.

Hope this helps... I guess it's different from everyone. But I can certainly sympathize with all the heartburn sufferers of the world. It's just about the worst feeling ever!

Your doc should TOTALLY prescribe this for you daily, so that it's covered by insurance... it's normal practice! If you need it everyday, make your doc give it to you!

Since I'm nursing too...Pepcid is the one the AAP recommendeds using. It is a category B, while Prilosec is a C...so until I stop I guess i'm SOL.

__________________
Looking for: Seriously I'm on a Ban I caved for some Nakita Dojos
The Spirit of the Dojo
DHV As 26 for sale in the the mall

I have GERD. Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease. I went to the ER one night because I thought I was having a heart attack. I had all the symptoms which are the same as a panic attack. The sweating, left arm pain, jaw pain, shoulder pain, nausea. It was awful. My aunt had died from a MI that winter and my mother had a MI, too, so I was very well versed on ALL the symptoms.

My reflux was so bad that the burning felt like something exploded in my chest. Then the panic attack set in. It was awful.

I went for tests, found out I was pregnant, and had a EGD with NO drugs! I was awful! I gagged the whole time and I felt them rip sections of my flesh from my esophagus to test for cancer. Pure hell.

The worst thing about GERD is if you don't treat it, it can cause esophageal cancer. My doctor gave my something that was $4 per pill and I took it while pregnant--no side effects! I now take 2 prilosec's at a time mine is so bad. Xantac 75 works good also, but I have to double up on those too.

It is a miserable feeling and I am having a little bit of reflux right now!

They are going to put me to sleep too for mine - afterwards, did it hurt where they had taken a tissue sample?

Lawgal, did it hurt afterwards where they took the samples of tissue, and how long afterwards did it hurt?

It all hurt a little- as in felt a little raw. Wasn't bad, though.

__________________
If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

How long before it went away??

I think I woke up on the second morning after, and it felt fine. Don't worry so much, it really wasn't bad!

__________________
If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would rain from the sky.

I am scared of all the warnings they are giving - stuff like they will damage the inside of your mouth, damage your teeth, damage your stomach..

Okay, I'm tired of it...Doc appointment on Monday!

__________________
Looking for: Seriously I'm on a Ban I caved for some Nakita Dojos
The Spirit of the Dojo
DHV As 26 for sale in the the mall

That is the best idea. But it still may not be immediate relief... meds take time to work sometimes, and with me, nothing (meds, advice, etc) has helped. Off to endoscopy I go.