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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 6/19/2010 4:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi - I don't post often - usually only when I get a bad flareup of GERD like now... Anyway, I recently raised the head of my bed up from the usual 4" to 8" (my husband made some out of wood with inserts in the tops for the bed legs). Anyway, even with this and sleeping on my left side, I still have nighttime reflux.

I used to know someone that told me she had to sleep sitting up for years. I don't know if I can do that. I tried sleeping on a long Greyhound bus trip once and it was horrible.

My question is - has anyone raised their bed up anymore than 8"? Do any of you have to sleep sitting up? And if so, did you find you adjusted to it after awhile?

Thanks for any feedback.

Posted 6/19/2010 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
My parents sleep at 10 inches.
The only problem is my mom slides off her pillow during the night and has to crawl back up. ;))
She's only 5'4 and dad's 6'3. She says it's because they have no footboard to stop her from sliding off.
They sleep fine otherwise.

Joy
Posted 6/19/2010 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
My bed has 7 inch risers and I wake up all crunched and stiff. I also have to prop up on 3 pillows, one on bottom and two on top so they are like stairs and I bend at my hips instead of stomach.
Posted 6/19/2010 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Joy - wow, 10 inches! I know how your mom feels as several years back when I first was diagnosed, my husband somehow tilted the entire mattress up at quite a steep angle and I kep sliding down to the end of the bed in the middle of the night. Aggravating, but I guess it ended up helping.

Michelle, thanks for your input. Does that system work for you on decreasing the reflux?

Posted 6/19/2010 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
I've got my bed elevated by 10 and a half inches (that's 7 blocks of 1.5 inch thick wood). Anything less than that and I get a lot more pain. You do slowly slide down when you elevate it that much, but over time I've learned to shimmy back up once in a while without completely waking up. Sure, it's lousy, but you do what you have to do, right?

I haven't gotten to the point of sleeping in a chair yet. When I get to that point I have a recliner chair I'll try using.
Posted 6/20/2010 1:35 AM (GMT 0)
It does help for me. I can't fall asleep on my side so it does work. I normally wake up on my side but have problems otherwise.
Posted 6/21/2010 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
My husband put blocks of wood under the top legs of the bed making it about 5 inches.    I am not really sure if it is working yet or not.

This makes my hips and back hurt.      I cant imagine raising it any higher.

Posted 8/1/2010 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I got the bed raised up to 10 inches now but still not relieving symptoms totally. Thinking of getting a wedge pillow, the long kind that tapers down at the bottom. Maybe between the two, that will be sufficient. Otherwise, it's to the recliner...
Posted 8/1/2010 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
Coreysmom,
Have you decided on the surgery, yet? If I was at your stage I'd be yelling, "fix me doc!"

I didn't get near as bad as you seem to be and I went through the surgery. I just coughed constantly.
Posted 8/1/2010 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Joy,

I'm really glad the surgery has helped you. :)

No, I haven't even gotten to the point of going to the MD yet this time around. I usually only have GERD flare-ups every year or two. The last time was about 1-1/2 years ago and I handled it then with natural remedies, lifestyle changes and some Tagamet. Am working on the same tactics this time around, plus a regimen with my naturopathic doctor, who has me taking specific digestive enzymes. However, this time, the symptoms have been a lot worse. Raising the bed has at least helped in the respiratory symptoms - a lot less acid getting in the lungs, or maybe none at all.

The only diagnostic test I've ever had was about 15 years ago - a barium swallow, which detected a small hiatal hernia, which apparently isn't considered a big deal. I have to admit I'm petrified of having an endoscopy or any of the other invasive tests. My father-in-law died of complications from one of those. So that's a really last resort type of thing for me.

I guess if my symptoms don't improve pretty soon, I'm going to have to go to the MD. I just prefer to use natural remedies and I hate drugs and surgery unless absolutely necessary. I also know I need to lose a lot of weight, which should help.

But then, I guess if the LES is damaged beyond repair or something, I'll have to consider it.
Posted 8/1/2010 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
You must live outside the U.S.

Have you consider another barium swallow to make sure your not worse?
I know your scared of the more invasive tests, but they're really not that bad. I'd be scared of developing barrett's from the constant acid. Not to mention the acid damaging your lungs. My surgeon was an excellent bariactric (sp?) surgeon. He was very experinced in operationing on obese patients. I was 100 lbs overweight at the time of surgery.

What's that old saying? "A stitch in time saves nine"

Please for the sake of your health, get a check up with your GI.
Posted 8/1/2010 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry guys I always bang on about this but Coreysmom have you had your gallbladder checked? I had bad night time reflux for 5 years that came and went I used to keep a bottle of gaviscon beside my bed to chug a lug at night. Finally after getting acute pancreatitis the doctors diagnosed gallstones and I had my GB removed. Since then I only get slight indigestion which digestive enzymes fix in 5 mins. I never get those horrible buring attacks anymore.
Posted 8/1/2010 5:24 AM (GMT 0)
Joy, points well taken. I do live in the US - not sure why you thought otherwise. :)

Moo'sMum - haven't had the ol' gallbladder checked in a few years. Back then it was fine, but one never knows, I guess. Sometimes it is hard to tell where the pain is coming from, as there are even referred pains in the abdominal cavity, apparently, where it actually hurts one place but you feel it in another.
Posted 8/1/2010 8:33 PM (GMT 0)
You mentioned a naturopathic doctor. I heard they were mostly in England. Mea-culpa.
Posted 8/1/2010 8:47 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, okay. I didn't realize that. I guess I tend to think of the words holistic and naturopathic as being synomymous (referring to doctors of chiropractic and others of similar nature) but perhaps not. Some people refer to their "natural" practitioner as homeopathic, but that is actually very specific type of medicine, as far as I'm aware. So there can be a confusion in terms.

I have trouble describing what this practitioner does because she's a chiropractor but I see her for her specialized practice in a field called Nutrition Response Therapy (NRT), and it is cumbersome to explain it each time. I guess I could say, my "nutritionist" or "holistic doctor."

In any case, so far seeing her I have been able to get my high blood pressure down to normal and get off my medication for that, as wel as get rid of other symptoms I'd been treated for last year by an MD that didn't know how to help me except give me drugs. That's why I've been hoping that this will help heal the GERD. But I do know sometimes things are past the point of no return and require medical intervention. I just hope that's not the case with me just yet.Will know soon enough.

 

Posted 8/1/2010 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, I understand now. But please see the GI and see if you've developed damage since you've last seen him.
Posted 8/2/2010 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
I live in NZ and we have Chiropracters that do that kind of thing too. We call them Kinesiologists.
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