Anyone heard of GERD
Discussion
I've been suffering with a sore throat on and off for a couple of months and the longer it went on I started to worry. It wasn't bad but most of the time but then unbearable on other occasions. I've never had indigestion or heart burn so couldn't say if it was like that and other than the sore throat it was hard to explain the symptoms.
Last week it became really bad, it felt like I had a lump in my throat and was painful to swallow and just generally hurt.
My wife forced me to go to the Drs and it was a relief to explain how I felt and the Dr told me what it was. She explained it is gastroesophageal reflux disease. It means the valve at the bottom of my throat leaks the stomach acids back into my throat causing the sore throat symptoms and bringing food/acid back up.
Only thing is, Ive been taking the medication for a week now and it feels no better, infact worse. When I lie down, bend over or basically have my head lower than my middle.
I've also been taking gaviscon to try and ease the pain but it only works for a couple of minutes.
Last week it became really bad, it felt like I had a lump in my throat and was painful to swallow and just generally hurt.
My wife forced me to go to the Drs and it was a relief to explain how I felt and the Dr told me what it was. She explained it is gastroesophageal reflux disease. It means the valve at the bottom of my throat leaks the stomach acids back into my throat causing the sore throat symptoms and bringing food/acid back up.
Only thing is, Ive been taking the medication for a week now and it feels no better, infact worse. When I lie down, bend over or basically have my head lower than my middle.
I've also been taking gaviscon to try and ease the pain but it only works for a couple of minutes.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH000131...
I suspect my dad suffered from this but ignored it given the location of his cancer.
I suspect my dad suffered from this but ignored it given the location of his cancer.
If gaviscon works, try getting a prescription for 150mg Ranitidine - or just pick up Zantac - they're 75mg. 300mg is what I told was a safe maximum.
It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
falkster said:
BliarOut said:
Lol, welcome to getting older 
Try Rennie, I find they help a lot. I tried all the 'scrit stuff, it didn't do much for me. One thing that helps me is to raise the head of the bed.
It was my 38tj birthday when I went to the GP, does that make it worse or better? Try Rennie, I find they help a lot. I tried all the 'scrit stuff, it didn't do much for me. One thing that helps me is to raise the head of the bed.Stu R said:
If gaviscon works, try getting a prescription for 150mg Ranitidine - or just pick up Zantac - they're 75mg. 300mg is what I told was a safe maximum.
It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Gaviscon doesn't seem to do anything other than sooth it for a few minutes. It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Omeprazole is the one she gave me.
Is it a long term thing or will it just go?
you may need to look at your diet and lifestyle etc.
Also you may want to ask your gp if its worth looking at any other tests. ultrasound and 'scope may help to determine why you have the reflux.
You may be able to reduce the meds to an as and when affair if you deal with diet and lifestyle
Also you may want to ask your gp if its worth looking at any other tests. ultrasound and 'scope may help to determine why you have the reflux.
You may be able to reduce the meds to an as and when affair if you deal with diet and lifestyle
falkster said:
Stu R said:
If gaviscon works, try getting a prescription for 150mg Ranitidine - or just pick up Zantac - they're 75mg. 300mg is what I told was a safe maximum.
It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Gaviscon doesn't seem to do anything other than sooth it for a few minutes. It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Omeprazole is the one she gave me.
Is it a long term thing or will it just go?
I've dropped 2 stone in recent months and it's helped a hell of a lot. While I still eat my fair share of crap and enjoy a few drops of whisky, I know what foods and drinks get my acid levels up, and I know that if I eat late at night I'll feel like I've gargled lava if I go to bed.
Gaviscon barely gave me any relief, but because it gave me some my doc put me on Ranitidine for a while (he had the same problem and it worked for him too).
If you're on Omeprazole give it a chance and see what happens. I wouldn't bother taking anything with it just yet, took me a few days to get the best from it and a few more to get the dose right, but it worked well (I got some side effects after a few weeks so switched to Lansoprazole). These days I don't bother with a PPI and just take an H2 blocker (Ranitidine) when required.
Do you smoke? That apparently loosens the muscle and makes it easier for acid to get back up.
My brother apparently had this and had an op that wrapped a piece of muscle around the pipe to help it close better. It was a pretty major op for him and he wasn't best pleased for a few weeks after but I think it's much better now.
I get heartburn sometimes quite bad but often it's diet related - Pastry and beans are two of my trigger foods. Not always but often they cause a flare up of acid burn.
My brother apparently had this and had an op that wrapped a piece of muscle around the pipe to help it close better. It was a pretty major op for him and he wasn't best pleased for a few weeks after but I think it's much better now.
I get heartburn sometimes quite bad but often it's diet related - Pastry and beans are two of my trigger foods. Not always but often they cause a flare up of acid burn.
The "valve" is effectively the junction between the bottom of your esophagus and your stomach. Given your age, your problem is unlikely to be anything bad but if you've had it for several months and a PPI like omeprazole isn't doing a lot, it won't do any harm to get back to your GP and to ask for a referal to a Gastroenterologist. They'll put a camera down your throat and take a look. You'll have an anaesthetic throat spray so it doesn't hurt, and you can have a sedative if you like to take the edge off the whole experience. It's no big deal. Good luck.
Edited by SunDiver on Sunday 24th June 21:53
Z4monster said:
Do you smoke? That apparently loosens the muscle and makes it easier for acid to get back up.
My brother apparently had this and had an op that wrapped a piece of muscle around the pipe to help it close better. It was a pretty major op for him and he wasn't best pleased for a few weeks after but I think it's much better now.
I get heartburn sometimes quite bad but often it's diet related - Pastry and beans are two of my trigger foods. Not always but often they cause a flare up of acid burn.
Don't smoke and other than the odd spicey curry I don't eat anything daft. My brother apparently had this and had an op that wrapped a piece of muscle around the pipe to help it close better. It was a pretty major op for him and he wasn't best pleased for a few weeks after but I think it's much better now.
I get heartburn sometimes quite bad but often it's diet related - Pastry and beans are two of my trigger foods. Not always but often they cause a flare up of acid burn.
falkster said:
Stu R said:
If gaviscon works, try getting a prescription for 150mg Ranitidine - or just pick up Zantac - they're 75mg. 300mg is what I told was a safe maximum.
It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Gaviscon doesn't seem to do anything other than sooth it for a few minutes. It' about the only thing that works for me. It won't take the edge off straight away, but two twice a day works very well. Before that I tried an acid inhibitor which worked very well too (Omeprazole is the common one, but I found Lansoprazole more effective).
Raising the head of the bed was brilliant for me too but I don't need to do it anymore.
Omeprazole is the one she gave me.
Is it a long term thing or will it just go?
I take a lot of heavy drugs for diabetes, ischemic heart disease, severe spinal problems etc about 30 tablets a day. I am very fortunate that my body copes (ish).
It is certainly worth taking all the precautions you can like eating before 6.00 at night, severely limiting spicy food and so on.
I lost 10 stones in a effort to improve my health over some years. It has worked for me so I have been fortunate. I was a fool to ever be 10 stones overweight.
I am not saying this is your fault but I do think it is worth making every effort to resolve the problem. Drugs can mask problems, but lifestyle changes can be just as effective, Certainly worth serious consideration.
Good Luck to you in the result. I do think this can be controlled with care.
This is basically a 'Hiatus Hernia'. As you say, it's the flap / muscle at the junction of the stomach and the oesophagus not closing sufficiently to prevent acid reflux of intestinal fluid making it's way up the tract - hence giving you a kind of 'indegestion' on steroids.
My Mother has suffered with it for years, and I started to get symptoms about 10 years ago when I was 30-odd.
It's a pretty common complaint - at my last work, two other blokes there had it as well.
As said, there are prescription remedes to help control it - but they need to be taken regularly to build up effectiveness over time. Also as said, over the counter Ranitidine also controls it - I find 150mg per day works for me. Regular antacids like Bisodol and Gaviscon might give short-term relief, but are really designed for normal indegestion, and aren't really designed for gastro - reflux medical problems.
If you find yourself somewhere without any medication and the symptoms appear - then for me, drinking a huge glass of milk and making sure you sit upright for a while will reduce the symptoms for a bit.
However, I've found 'lifestyle' controls it way better than drugs.
If I drink any alcohol at all = acid misery all night.
Rich / sugary food, any kind of take-away especially pizza, and strangely high-roughage food like brown bread brings it on.
Then, eating anything within a few hours of bedtime = woken up with acid misery. And sometimes, just for fun, the acid refluxes right up to the top of your oesophagus and then down into your windpipe and lungs, which brings an instant wake-up combined with a coughing fit which lasts for ages, burning lungs and difficulty breathing kinda like asthma! Horrible
I've also found that it's linked to my overall weight and fitness too. When I trained lots and was a normal size / weight, I didn't suffer much. But once I put on a bit of wieght and get a little unfit / couch potato, on comes the misery.
Lastly, I've now got into the habit of piling up the pillows on my bed (now numbering 3 thick pillows) so that I settle down and sleep with my upper body ramped up at a slight angle. This definitely helps - and if at some point I move and slip down to the level whilst asleep - I'm soon woken up by a burning throat!
Hope this all helps.
My Mother has suffered with it for years, and I started to get symptoms about 10 years ago when I was 30-odd.
It's a pretty common complaint - at my last work, two other blokes there had it as well.
As said, there are prescription remedes to help control it - but they need to be taken regularly to build up effectiveness over time. Also as said, over the counter Ranitidine also controls it - I find 150mg per day works for me. Regular antacids like Bisodol and Gaviscon might give short-term relief, but are really designed for normal indegestion, and aren't really designed for gastro - reflux medical problems.
If you find yourself somewhere without any medication and the symptoms appear - then for me, drinking a huge glass of milk and making sure you sit upright for a while will reduce the symptoms for a bit.
However, I've found 'lifestyle' controls it way better than drugs.
If I drink any alcohol at all = acid misery all night.
Rich / sugary food, any kind of take-away especially pizza, and strangely high-roughage food like brown bread brings it on.
Then, eating anything within a few hours of bedtime = woken up with acid misery. And sometimes, just for fun, the acid refluxes right up to the top of your oesophagus and then down into your windpipe and lungs, which brings an instant wake-up combined with a coughing fit which lasts for ages, burning lungs and difficulty breathing kinda like asthma! Horrible
I've also found that it's linked to my overall weight and fitness too. When I trained lots and was a normal size / weight, I didn't suffer much. But once I put on a bit of wieght and get a little unfit / couch potato, on comes the misery.
Lastly, I've now got into the habit of piling up the pillows on my bed (now numbering 3 thick pillows) so that I settle down and sleep with my upper body ramped up at a slight angle. This definitely helps - and if at some point I move and slip down to the level whilst asleep - I'm soon woken up by a burning throat!
Hope this all helps.
Edited by Ray Luxury-Yacht on Monday 25th June 16:20
Gastroenteritis is something else entirely, the main symptoms being nausea, vomiting & diarrhea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroenteritis
What's described here is GERD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_refl...
Do get this checked out. Long term, particularly uncontrolled, reflux can lead (rarely) to more serious conditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroenteritis
What's described here is GERD.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_refl...
Do get this checked out. Long term, particularly uncontrolled, reflux can lead (rarely) to more serious conditions.
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