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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 1/22/2012 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there

Before having reflux I would drink about 1 liter of carbonated drinks per day (mainly diet coke), and maybe 2 liters more of water. (I always got very thirsty, even though I live in quite a cold place)
Since I started having GERD a few months ago, I started experimenting with my drinking habits and noticed that not drinking immediately after eating helped a bit with the symptoms.The less I drank, the less acid that made it to my mouth. By doing so, my tongue stopped being so burnt all the time, but I'm constantly thirsty and I assume that is not good for the body either.

I still don't seem to find how much should I wait after eating to drink safely. After 2 or more hours, I suddenly drink half a liter of water and then I stop drinking until about one hour before my next meal.

Also I'm not drinking anything 2 hours before going to bed (so actually I'm finding very little time frames where I believe I'm allowed to drink).

In your experience, is this approach correct? Sometimes I'm very thirsty after lunch but I hold it in order to avoid symptoms.
Are there any tips you would like to share regarding your drinking habits? Or you keep drinking without problems with lunch?

how long before eating do you stop drinking?
how long after eating do you resume drinking?
how long before sleeping do you stop drinking
And what do you normally drink? It seems that besides plain water (which I love but sometimes gets a bit boring), any drinking options are either citric, loaded with sugar, are sparkling or else have caffeine on it :))


Thanks for sharing your knowledge :)
Christian

Post Edited (ChrisJ) : 1/22/2012 11:40:49 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/22/2012 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
Chris,

I am a big Diet Coke fan even thow I know I should drink more water blush .  Drinking with eating is not a problem for me but I am sure others may have input for you.

Your comment, "I always got very thirsty"  made me wonder if you have had your fasting blood sugar tested lately. You did not say you had "unusual thirst" which is a sympotom of Diabetes so I am sure you are fine.  Just FYI.

Kindly,

Kitt

 

Posted 1/23/2012 12:46 AM (GMT 0)
My understanding is that with GERD we should drink a lot of water, especially with meals, because it will dilute the acid.
Posted 1/23/2012 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
Chris,

i am pretty strict (or i try to be most of the time) with my eating and drinking timing? I find if i put in the Effort my Quality of Life is way better.


how long before eating do you stop drinking?
30 min.

how long after eating do you resume drinking?
1 hr
how long before sleeping do you stop drinking
i dont. i only factor in how long was dinner. i try to wait 2-3 hrs... sleep inclined.

And what do you normally drink? It seems that besides plain water (which I love but sometimes gets a bit boring), any drinking options are either citric, loaded with sugar, are sparkling or else have caffeine on it :))

bottled water. room temp. i stay away from carbonated, cola, caffeine, my experience it makes my reflux worse.
Posted 1/23/2012 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Chris,

Before I had GERD, I used to take my fluids in big slugs a few times a day and usually with a meal. I'd just fill up a big glass and chug it down.

What I do now is I sip water throughout the day, rarely drinking more than a few swallows of fluid at a time. If you have too much liquid in your stomach, it's much easier for it to slosh out or be pushed up by the increased pressure in the stomach.

Carbonated beverages are probably a bad idea, since the gas will carry acid up the esophoagus, plus the high sugar content is not healthy. I pretty much stick to water now and avoid the sugary drinks. I used to like them, but now they taste sickly sweet to me. I also used to like hamburgers, but now find them to be super greasy and heavy. One positive to GERD is it makes me eat a little healthier. :-)
Posted 1/23/2012 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi! thanks for replying :)

Kitt: Good observation thanks. Indeed I get my blood tested once a year and never got a problem with sugar. I did suspect I might have something with my glucose levels because my mom is diabetic and it might run in the family. But so far so good, my sugar levels are normal :)

Sunbeam: Thanks for your tip. True, I read that somewhere too.
I was thinking that concentrated acid might be good at meal times because it will digest food faster, and by drinking one dilutes the acid, making the food sit longer in the stomach. Therefore eventually the body produces more acid until everything gets digested, increasing the chances of a painful episode. Just speculating as I'm not a doctor myself. Tks for sharing

Sk55: Today I used your 'schedule' at work, of drinking up to half an hour before and an hour after. At least with a light meal it seemed to work just fine. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Speden: Me too! Big drinks with food. Like those super-sized coca light glasses with tons of icecubes at mcdonalds lol. Oh they were so good. During summer in the city sometimes I just went inside for a glass of coke and went out again. oh I miss it still a bit :) But you are right. One does get used to it.
When my mom became diabetic, we stopped buying candy around the house, all homemade juice was non sugar added, no deserts, no normal cola and so on; and for longer than 10 years I find sugar-added products or pastries way too sweet. Maybe lucky because as a consequence I lost my habit of eating chocolate before even having gerd :))
And I guess it will be the same with the rest of the 'forbidden' food.

You are right that GERD does bring positive things to life. Not only it makes you change your perspective on lots of personal subjects and maybe appreciate more simpler things in life (like a good night sleep); but as you say, it more concretely makes you eat healthier and probably more aware of what do you get inside your system.
Posted 1/23/2012 8:01 PM (GMT 0)
Best method for me is to never drink to eating, i drink about 1 hour after my meal, at that time i take Proviva, i try to drink 2L each day before going to bed.

You need to plan the whole day, like not eat 3 hours before bed, not drink before 2 hours before bed.

I also minimize sleeping time, i sleep about 6 hours each night, never goes to bed during daytime as that would be a killer for acid.

Keep the bed elevated at least 15cm or more if you can.

That is some changes that helps getting less GERD.
Posted 1/23/2012 10:49 PM (GMT 0)
Chris

I am glad to know your BS is normal.  Great responses from the members.  I guess I am lucky and the PPI I am on helps me do pretty much what I want as far as drinking.  I know my trigger foods that are guaranteed to cause reflux so I just don't eat them. 

Good luck and take cae,

Kitt

Posted 1/24/2012 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, I never knew there were so many ways to drink water! It is amazing what I continue to learn here. Thank you for this thread.
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