Surviving GERD without being dependent on meds?

Hey WhiteCat,

Welcome to HealingWell.com. I'm sure you've noticed that this is a great site with lots of advice, I hope you can get the answers you're looking for here.

There are others who have tried more than I have to kick the Nexium, but I did it once and the rebound was so bad that I ran back to them instantly. I also tried switching PPI's just about a month ago and it didn't work. I'm scared to think that I am dependent on the Nexium but I don't really know how else I would live if it I didn't have it.

Also, I follow a vegan diet now with no trigger foods and I still have the "tightness in the chest" feeling. My symptoms are very similar to yours - when I started Nexium, the actual heartburn went away, but in its place are the tightness and the nausea and occasional bloating.

That being said, we are all different, and maybe you would respond better to kicking PPI's than I did. Just be advised that the "rebound" period (where your stomach goes nuts and starts producing pre-medication acid levels) can be quite severe. This is where most people give up - it can last for quite some time. Most of us get it anywhere between days 10-14.

Please feel free to ask ANY questions you may have.

Take care,
Ashley

I survive without any meds and doing pretty good.

You should avoid all citrus fruits, what you need to eat proper Ph food, there was a link to a document from someone which helped me keep the right Ph.

The pH information can be found on Sunbeam's thread "Try the Koufman diet........." - it's a diet combining pH neutral and low fat foods. It is not to be confused with "acid/alkaline balance" type of naturopathic diet which is based on a concept (not proven scientifically) that foods that leave an alkaline residue in the body are healing. The Koufman diet is a strategy developed particularly for patients with LPR and the idea is to eat foods which are of low acidity (i.e. their pH is near neutral).

Have a look at Sunbeam's thread https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2210975

MMM

Thanks everyone for the reply. I'm going to try to watch what i eat now according to those symptoms. I've stopped Nexium for two weeks now and just take the occassional Gaviscon.

So far the symptoms i have left are minor (almost negligible) heart burns (i take blackstrap molasses when i feel a heartburn coming on and it seems to relieve it) minor tightness at the chest and dry mouth and i feel like my stomach is acidic but there's no strong pain or anything, nausea when i eat more than five tablespoons.

Hi lanab,

I didn't have an endoscopy yet (so far the doctor hasn't recommended it and just gave me Nexium for three weeks.) But the doctor said I most liley have GERD and told me to distribute my food to 6 times a day of small portions and to avoid the usual trigger foods--since the day before i went to the hospital for my first ever heartburn, i did eat a lot (Christmas dinner) then lied down to sleep after not knowing that doing such things are a no-no for GERD sufferers.

The three weeks have passed as I have stated and Nexium helped, but not without side-effects (rashes, hyperacidity after finishing the course of the medication.)

Right now i'm avoiding the usual trigger foods coffee, chocolate, citrus fruits, sour food, spicy, dairy etc., and am working towards eating mostly alkaline foods. So far my stomach feels like it's better unlike the first few days after i finished on the Nexium and i'm hoping it will get better in the next few weeks.

Post Edited (whitecat) : 1/23/2012 7:32:34 AM (GMT-7)

Whitecat - did you get tested for Helicobacter?

As Lanab says, if you do get listed for endoscopy they may recommend stopping the acid suppressing medication beforehand. Having said that, I wasn't asked to for my last one - it depends on what tests they plan on doing during the procedure.

MMM

mudmagnetmum,

I didn't get tested for Helicobacter yet, also the way I ate before was TERRIBLE, i ate large amounts at a time (though thankfully did not gain much weight as my metabolism is high) in sight and loved coffee, spicy, dairy--everything recommended against acid reflux sufferers and ALSO would sleep after eating..I guess it's no surprise that i have acid reflux right now..

Thanks for recommending the Koufman Diet. Right now the Koufman Diet seems to be working and i'm only taking Gaviscon at night. It hasn't even been a week yet but I feel much better. I really hope this works and I hope I'll be able to get a copy of her book.