have acid reflux - incl. substantial day time reflux. had h-pylori diagnosis (via endoscopy) + treatment 4 yrs back. 4-6 months later, endoscopy says no h-pylori, but gastritis. took 2 ranitidines/day for 6 months, then prevacid for 1+ yrs, nexium 40 mg since (2+ yrs). also take rhinocort aqua nasal drops every day for past 1.5 yrs for sinus/allergy.
reflux better than 4 yrs back but still substantial: white coated tongue every morning (mouth feels yucky) and intermittent foul breath, after naps and 1-2 hrs after meals. breath seems to get bad few hours after meals and worse in morning. dentist says i have good oral hygiene (brushing, flossing, tongue scraping). Docs/GIs say in general no proven link b/w GERD and breath. frequent tongue scraping tongue and masking it by eating cookies helps breath a little while (30+ min). can't sleep much recently. eat small portions. no coffee/tea/milk/caff. drinks/alcohol (only water and maybe oj or aj sometimes) and avoid many (probably not all) reflux inducing foods. tried listerine mouthwash/mint/sugarless gums for a while. short lived relief. talking a lot also seems to make it worse.
use 2 thick pillows for head and 1 for shoulder. next, plan to increase head of bed by 3" for a start and stricter food regimen. breath worse social problem than reflux. very self conscious. avoid close contact with co-workers et al. some days are better than others. could it be thrush? or mucus/sinus related? or GERD/acid reflux related? Please HELP diagnose this problem!
- vic
ps: glad to find a group of people with similar problems.. it is such a relief