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Some advice, pretty please!

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 1/4/2009 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hello

I am new here, but am a long-term GERD sufferer.

I was first diagnosed 8 years ago (also with hiatus hernia), and was put on Prilosec 40mg a day. It really worked wonders for mw after a difficult start that involved a few 60mg days and intermittent antacids. Over time I reduced it to 20mg a day. Then, for a while I was put on Nexium once a day, then back on Losec again after a few years. I could eat pretty much what I anted, but avoided tea, coffee, alcohol, gassy drinks, spicey food etc religiously...only hot milk drinks gave me even mild symptoms.

Anyway, 3 months ago I (stupidly!) decided to try to reduce my dosage to once every 2 days. For 3 weeks I was fine, even with high risk foods. Then, one day I was doing a very tough yoga position that put a lot of pressure on the chest, and I had a reflux episode. I went back on Losec 20mg immediately, but it didn't work. Then I tried 40mg: limited effect. Same for 60mg, better, but not a patch on what 20mg (or even 10mg?) was doing just weeks before. I am now on Nexium 40mg a day (for a week at time of writing) and things are a bit better, but not what they were (have ample throat mucous, some reflux, much burping) even though I am on the plainest of foods.

In other people's experience/opinion is this a temporary phase of mega acid rebound (9 years on PPIs in total) that is lagging? Or have I perhaps worsened my hiatus hernia so that a higher dose of PPIs is required? I don't want to go the fundoplication route, but I am open to hiatus hernia repair via massage and/or yoga.

I desperately want to get back to the way things were recently were 1 tablet a day let me have a 95% normal diet!!!!!

Any advice would be deeply, deeply appreciated.



Thanks a million

Padthai


:-) :-)
Posted 1/4/2009 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Padthai, and welcome. Everyone is different and situations will cause increasing symptoms, but (and I'm sorry to say), my experience showed that this was not an isolated incident for me. Once things got worse, they stayed worse and I ultimately had the Nissen done last summer in Cleveland.

Different strains and stressors on your body can and will increase the damage, be it from a hernia or a further deterioration of the strength of the LES. It may be that the yoga position was more than your body could take, but I am not a Dr. though and I could be totally off base. I wasn't clear on how long this has been going on since the yoga episode, but it infers that it's longer than a few weeks; in my mind a temporary episode should clear itself up in a week or two's time.

I truly feared this surgery (which is very much unlike me), but it has been worth it and my life, the quality of my life, has been greatly enriched since recovering from it.

IMO, it would be worth seeing your Dr. for a qualified opinion, if for no other reason than to settle your own mind.

Let us know how you are doing.
Janice
Posted 1/4/2009 10:26 PM (GMT 0)

padthai

Welcome to HealingWell. Janice has given you good advice as she is right every person's boady handles stress in different ways.

I am so sorry this has become and issue for you and I pray it will settle down once your PPIs get sorted out.

Again a warm welcome.

Kitt

Posted 1/5/2009 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks guys. It has been 4 weeks now since the episode. 1 week on Nexium 40mg, which made a decent impact on GERD but not the LRD, then a horrible week on Losec 40mg that saw GERD come back, then a week on Losec 60mg that saw another slight improvement, and now another week on Nexium 40mg that is again helping most of the GERD but not much at all with the LRD (burping, throat clearing, "cold" mucous in throat, constant throat clearing).

I have seen the Dr., and am following his instructions so far, but sadly am abroad and not dealing with my old physician.

I am going to go back to yoga today for the first time, but limit my postures. I have been told that this can really help with a hernia. Maybe what broke it, can fix it?

Here's hoping!
Posted 1/5/2009 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
I'm jealous that you can do yoga!!! I hope that it works for you. If you're more comfortable with your former physician, can you communicate with him/her and have them work with the new one? May be worth a try!
Posted 1/7/2009 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
Prilosec stopped working for me, although I wasn't limiting trigger foods like I should have been. Now I am on 40mg of Nexium and it seems to work very well. I'm also avoiding the trigger foods as much as possible. I've given up the fried stuff, fake sugar and sodas, but still enjoy decaf green tea and salsa now and then. I like the bubbles from soda so I've started to mix about 5oz of 100% juice with 2-3oz of club soda. Hopefully the Nexium will continue to work. The lump in the throat feeling and belching have been WAY down for me.
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