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Anyone cured of GERD please share your story!!!!! In desperate need of help!!#

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 11/28/2015 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hello to all GERD sufferers,

Im a 40 yr old male who was recently diagnosed with GERD after seeing 4 Dr.'s who just gave me the run around. An endoscopy confirmed it. I have been on nexium 40mg twice daily for 10 weeks, but have not done much for me and my symptoms are coming back. It helped with the lump feeling in throat but the pain/burning in chest and stomach that radiates to my back is getting worse. My initial symptoms were not as bad, but now it feels worse with the PPIs. Read about GERDO being cured but understand she hasnt been active in this forum for a while. Any help is much appreciated since I am new to this forum and in desperate need to feel better.

Thanks

Suffering but optimistic!
Posted 11/28/2015 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Tomms,

Welcome to the forum!

GERD can be horrible. I suffered with it for over 15 years on various medications and diets that just didn't work any longer. For me, the endoscopy found a weakened LES that nothing but surgery would cure.

I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery done and could not be happier as it has completely solved the problem and I am now living pain and medication-free.

Try sleeping with a wedge under you at night to raise your head at an incline. Keep a food diary to determine what your trigger foods are. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and acidic foods.

Sometimes your gut needs a bit of a reset, too. Some have had good luck stopping the PPI's and starting a probiotic regimen for a short period of time. Sometimes our gut bacteria gets out of control with medicines, especially if there's gastritis/esophagitis involved.

Ask more questions!

Be well and take care,
-TonyG-
Posted 11/28/2015 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
I'm new to this forum. I've been diagnosed with Gerd for two years. I've been losing a lot of weight. I've been having back pains,sore throat, neck pain, chest pains, sometimes my legs and thighs and I did my test and it came back normal. So is this normal for Gerd patients. I use to weight 150 lbs now it's 138 lbs and I'm 40 years old. I've also working at the post office and I heard that you can't bend over or pick up objects if you suffer from Gerd. So should I be concerned or nothing to worry about and is this disease life threatening. Thanks

Tell me what to do

Post Edited (Lionsden) : 11/28/2015 12:14:16 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/28/2015 9:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks TonyG.

Im trying to manage the GERD with alkaline diet but what teally gets me is the back pains. Sometimes they are mild but other times its excruciating. I feel stress has alot to do with this. I really dont know how everything spiraled out of control from nowhere. One day im fine the next wham! I felt better w/o thw PPIs. Im eating all alkaline foods. Juicing and vegetables with fish and chicken nothing fried. Maybe I need to give it time.
Posted 11/28/2015 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hey LionsDen,

Welcome. I too am new and have back pains as well. Did have the neck and chest pains with difficulty breathing. Since being on PPIs for ten weeks [nexium] only back pains are left with ocassional heartburn. The difficulty swallowing or lump sensation also went away. Lost 45 lbs since July though. Started at 234 lbs and am only 5'5". A bit overweight. All kinds of tests done. Blood, urine, ultrasounds, and ct scan. Nothing but good ol GERD.
Posted 11/30/2015 4:08 AM (GMT 0)
I'm another victim of gerd and the back pains/ pressure are bad. You can do the low acid low fat diet and lifestyle changes such as sleeping elevated, not eating within 3 hours of bed ETC. I do it all and still have issues of sour taste, post nasal drip, voice breaks, throat clearing and the back pains. For me I think it's non acid reflux because the medication addresses the acid. I'm seeking surgery because nothing is eliminating my symptoms and now I have IBS from the meds.
Posted 11/30/2015 4:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Forum, I've been having GERD related issues an symptoms for 10 months now. I've been through all the doc exams you could think of. I'm now trying to cut back on the IPP crap!!! Those IPP are a very good plasters! They hyde the pain but causes other issues and problems.

I've been trying "Slippery elm" powder for 2 days ... and it really relieves the burning and slump feeling you have in throat. Try it!!!

http://articles.herballegacy.com/natures-miracle-for-the-digestive-tract/

Slippery elm is the herb of choice for all gastrointestinal disturbances. I have seen it cure ulcers, colitis, leaky gut syndrome, intestinal bleeding, and diarrhea.

Slippery Elm
Slippery elm has a soothing, calming effect on inflamed and damaged gut lining. It is used widely for a range of gastrointestinal disorders. This soothing action can be attributed to its antioxidant action in the gut which has been proven in a number of clinical studies, some on inflammatory bowel disease patients where severe inflammation is present12, 13. In addition, slippery elm provides mucilage which coats and protects the intestinal lining from toxins and pathogenic organisms.
Posted 11/30/2015 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I was diagnosed with GERd last June 14. Been to E.R., Urgent care and all check up possible. Did Cat Scan as my doctor wants more detailed info. All were normal but I was feeling so horrible and lost a lot of weight, total of 22 lbs. Took PPI for 6 weeks but this did not help me. I wean myself, from PPI to H2 blocker (Zantac) then Tums/Rolaids. I went to Acid rebound and battled with it. Did the strict diet and was taking notes on all my intake. I was just eating steam fish and white rice (what I can tolerate). Different on each one of us, but the most was prayers.

Reclining bed helped my sleep better. I was drinking food supplements and probiotics. I had Manuka Honey 2x a day fro 7 days and aloe juice (organic/inner filet) 30 mins before my meal. Weaning myself from medication might be tough but at least I would not be dependent to it for life. After I wean from meds, took three months for me to eat most food. I was so thankful to God that I was able to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner.
You will get better just do your diet and be patient. All the best.
God bless.
Posted 11/30/2015 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hello tu wang, eric, and rick.

Thanks for all the feedback. I am trying a drop acid diet and taking raw field honey sent by a relative from Mexico and it has done wonders. Also, I'm weaning myself off of the PPI s. I think they do more damage than good. They are not meant to take long term. Im going for the natural approach and giving my body as what it needs to heal on its own. I know it wont be easy but with Faith and prayers I will succeed. Im determined to get better. I will have all GERD sufferers in my prayers. Will definitely give slippery elm a shot too.
Posted 11/30/2015 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tomms187,

All remedies had worked better for me when I was not taking PPI. It might be different to each one of us but those PPI medications did more bad than good to me. Even taking Melatonin helped me but I stopped after 6 days as it gave me dry mouth. Lecorice is good too.

GERD is a horrible feeling that no words can describe it. A lot of site in this forum that you will learn. The moderator have a lot of info on food to eat and not. Mine was so bad that I have to eat just to survive.
It will take time, just do it right and Yes you will get better.
Thank you for your prayers. God bless.
Posted 11/30/2015 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hey tu wang,

Thanks for the advise. How is your GERD now? And did you have esophagitis or back pains? It seems that for the most part I am getting better but the PPIs jerk my stomach around hence the back pain I think. The pains arent that bad any more but come and go. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Posted Yesterday 5:41 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Tomms187,

I am doing well. GERD is gone Praise God. i'm eating normal now. I am eating in moderation and can eat almost all food. I still stay away from raw unions, too much tomato, spicy or pepper. Yes I developed esophagitis and back pain. Try to massage your back area. I use warm compress to ease the pain. Acid rebound is not easy but time will heal. I also developed lump on my throat. All these went away. Do your strict diet and take notes on what you eat. Some food even those non triggered foods would be so sensitive for you. I am still taking probiotics which is good for me.

I have an adjustable bed. If not try to elevate your bed (with bed riser). The wedge pillow gave me back ache. Here's some site that might help you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvSWgwKJavw

All the best. God bless.
Posted Yesterday 10:55 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you tu wang.

I will take your advise. I thank god that one of us got better and I will definitely stay on track with the diet. I will keep posting my progress on this forum to help others as well. Once again, thanks for the advice. Its great to know there's someone out there to talk to of your difficulties with this disease.
Posted Yesterday 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
hello tomms i have back pain like you i had treated my other symptems by eating boild helathy food and chewing alot and tried my anti acid pills beside its the third time burping and feeling pressur despear or limited but now this time i exprience mild back ache above and on middle i relaly tried my best but this pain is making me worry and upset some time it goes and another time it happens again please if you find any improvment notify me thank you
Posted Yesterday 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Leili,

According to Dr. The pain in the middle of shoulders is due to esophagitis which is swelling of the esophagus. It will go away according to other gerd sufferers. Just have to keep eating a gerd diet and meds for now. It just takes time. Sometimes its a a quick recovery of 8-12 weeks sometimes its months. I was very bad in the beginning and just started noticing that it was diminished to sometimes instead of all the time. The pain in the middle of the back is gastritis or inflammation of stomach lining which usually goes hand in hand with gerd. Im not a Dr. Just advising of my situation and what is working for me. I drink aloe vera juice in the morning and afternoon. For the chest and back pains i eat raw unpasteurized organic honey 1 to 2 tbl spoons. Make sure you are not allergic to any of this stuff. Its a slow battle but its gonna take some time. All stress to a minimum as well. I know its hard to do but anything helps at this point. Will keep everyone in my prayers and god bless.
Posted 12/3/2015 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hello tom thank to inform me itry your segustion i know stress is making my situation worth but i have this pain problems for 5month now first it was started by just burping and pressure on troat and now it changed to back pain i had an upper gi it wasnt any ulcar but now i think mybe there is ulcer last nigh i was in a party i eat aliitle more than befor i felt the pressure on my back again a mild one like bloating then when i eat pomegranate i know i shouldnt but try a little when it was passing on my troat i feel a kind of sharp knify sore on my front right on my troat did you exprience such pain it made me anxious again and i couldnt be happy to end of party oh im so sad that i can not eat like with out problem
Posted 12/3/2015 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Leili,

I just had an endoscopy done two weeks ago and showed no ulcers just gastritis which can cause the back pains and a swollen esophagus can do that also and cause throat spasms. I too would burp alot in the beginning and still do after a meal but hope that with time and as the body heels it will go away. I have also been dealing with this since Aug. This year but been on meds for 11 weeks. I've heard it takes sometimes months up to a year to heal if you keep a good diet and exercise and take meds and try to be stress free. I will pray for you and take care and be patient.
Posted 12/4/2015 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
tommy,

i cured my gerd. just popped in for a quick visit..

first you need to understand you got a gut problem.

first you need to eat foods easy on your stomach which also don't make you reflux...

examples kale, califlower u can steam that

and sushi rice (Easiest to digest)

chicken breast fried in virgin olive oil.

white bread.

2. try to figure out what is making you reflux?
dairy, milk? avoid that see how you feel?
does drinking too much water do it? drink a full glass wait 30 min see if u have symptops.

avoid soft drinks...

3. stay in and cook everything till your gut is healed...

a few good books:
wheat belly diet
breaking the vicious cycle.
fodmap diet.
paleo


4. find a good doctor...goto jamie koufman if u can.... i went to 20 different doctors... goto a universtiy hospital doctors tend to be smarter...

5. take a food log...

6. excercise...biking... running.. you need to strengthen LES indirectly...

7. stress...? anxiety? this needs to be handled go see a psychiatrist and get appropriate drugs..

summary: something your eating and your lifestyle (work stress,etc) got your gut sick.

change your diet (easier said then done).... repair your lifestyle issues and the body will heal itself....

its okay to take PPI, sometimes you need to experiement with different PPI if one doesn't work.... but basically you don't want to take these things forever, you want to figure out your diet... fix ur gut.. and scale out... otherwise they cause other problems if u take them more than 2 years etc...


my throat use to feel like someone stabbing me... i couldn't bend down... my quality of life was terrible... worse LPR doctors ever saw.... endoscopy showed barrets esphogus (now its fine) i took every PPI known to man.... now i take none...

now i can eat what i want ( i don't sorta doing paleo right now)... drinking alchol ( 2 a month).... bend down... but i don't eat crappy food cause that will cause you to get sick again..

quote dr koufman. "no doctor going to cure you.." In other words meds might help the symptopms but basically your diet is gonna determine how you heal.... all she did was scope my throat with an expensive device every month to make sure i was doing the right thing..

its a gut problem, the only way to heal it, easy to digest foods, that you make at home...


there light at the end of tunnel... the hard part is having the strength to change your ways and eating habbits.

good luck....
Posted 12/4/2015 4:31 AM (GMT 0)
just skimmed some of the responses...

back pain, neck pain, chest pain is caused stimulation of the vagal nerve by acid... also known laryngeal sensory neurothapy. cure your reflux will help with this... however you can goto a neurologist... at research hospital...( normal neuros are idiots) try 300mg lyrica and cymbalta combo... klonpin .5 mg might help.... xanax is also known to help...

neuro drugs are serious... so goto a neurologist... don't be afraid to try them...you can always scale off ... just need to find the one for you with no sideffects which helps...

if you take PPI, STOP TAKING SWEET FOODS... thats a sure way to get IBS....
when your on PPI... you want to eat easy to digest foods...so they digest early and are not eaten by bacteria...

no calorie sweetners.... feed bacteria...and cause IBS when on PPI....

good fats doesn't cause reflux...

i am just visiting... but its so crazy how so much old erroneous info there still is on the forums... if your follow a therapy.. and your getting worse... then clearly.. something is wrong...

you can get better without surgery its possible!!

good luck all...
Posted 12/4/2015 10:43 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you sk55,

Im glad you cured your Gerd. Im even more glad you still check in on the forum. There have been complaints of people never coming back after being cured an documenting their success to give hope to others. I really appreciate your advice and will definitely work on it. Everything you mentioned is very true and fits to most gerd sufferers. Its just a matter of understanding your body like you said. Thanks on the book referrals too. Dont be a stranger and check up on us from time to time. Any advice is gold to us!!!!!!!
Posted 12/4/2015 4:13 PM (GMT 0)
Tomm,

i appreciate that. forums are great for support... but on the downside its is filled with erroneous information.
people post all this crap that clearly doesn't work cause their not better. and when someone post so information which probably will help..but goes against the general herd... its ignored or discredited. Thats why i left...

i am sure people are still bashing jamie koufman.... do you know the doctor? no well i do... personally... shes 5 years ahead of any doctor on the subject of reflux and lpr.... how do i know this i went to 20+ doctors... and even doctors bash her.... but you know what she gets results...shes not perfect.... but shes the best in the field.. there is another doc in VA... seems to be good... regarding LPR...

i skimmed the thread i saw everyone complaining about back pain: no answers?
its vagal nerve disfunction... think of the nerve getting attacked/stimulated by acid constanlty for years..
its like got PTSD... its gonna start making your back hurt, your chest hurt...collar bone hurt... sound familar?

its a sign that what ever you are doing is not working and you are getting worse....

reflux is complicated when that starts to happen... you got treat all the issues..

disclaimer :first of course goto a physician and i am not a doctor so all information below is for entertainment purposes only..


vagal nerve---- neuro drugs... titrate dose up slowly... goto neurologist...(thats if u can convince one to giveu u the meds)

reflux---- complete change of your diet... thats like impossible for some people but u need to do it.. cause even on PPI you can get barrets.... (this happened to me)....but barrets can be reversed... i reversed mine biopsy confirmed..

if you have anxiety, and stress.... u need to handle it too cause thats a cause.... goto psychiatrist get some xanax....klonpin.... cymbalta... these also help vagal nerve issues...

last excercise.... or get a hobby or something you love... for me i started riding my upright bike, i could do it for hours and it takes your mind away from the pain... also it helps the reflux...

if you do what i say, read the books... you will understand the problem of reflux...ultimately you will cure your self...

but for you poor souls who back pain, vagal nerve issues... u need to look at neuro meds... i know they have a ton of scary side effects... but honestly i could not have gotten better without them...

PPI are not evil... they are tool.. but you dont want to take them for more 2 years... but eating right things you will start taking less and less.. and like me be off of them completely... eating acidic foods... no problems...

when your cured it doesn't mean you go back to eating mcdonalds every day.... you keep the health diet....

i hope these words help others who are suffering... i was in the gutter once... i am just paying forward...

i cured my self.. i am telling you i smarter than 95% of all doctors regarding reflux... not bragging... thats the sad part... going to doctor and depending on them to cure this complicated sickness is depressing...

>>> Any advice is gold to us!!!!!!!

advice is only helpful is one is smart enough to listen.... people starting think fundo or surgery is gonna cure LPR.... statistically i don't think so...

if any of my info... helps you feel better... hit me with a email... i think its in my profile... its nice to know i helped someone in deep suffering...

peace.
Posted 12/4/2015 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tomms187

I was cured from LPR, and I will be glad to share my story with you. My LPR was caused by a PPI (omeprazole 20mg). I was taking this medication because I had reflux when eating spicy foods or drinking things with caffeine or citric acid. These are ALL common foods/drinks that cause the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. However,the PPI made things much worse.

After taking the PPI, I developed slow digestion (delayed gastric emptying), which caused serious LPR/GERD issues. I could not even eat a cracker or a slice of apple without having serious LPR issues. Without the correct amount of acid in the stomach, the Lower esophageal sphinchter will remain open and the remaining acid and food in the stomach will be pushed back into the esophagus. You can find more information by googling: Low stomach acid.

Some of your naturopathic doctors believe there is a sensor in the Lower esophageal sphincter that knows when you have the correct amount of acid in your stomach to break down your food. This sensor triggers the Lower esophageal sphincter to close. Without the correct amount of stomach acid the LES will remain open.

Sadly, gastroenterologist do not check for low stomach acid before or after prescribing PPIs. Gastroenterologist do not believe we need acid to break down our food. They believe the stomach contractions alone break the food down and move the food from the stomach into the small intestines. So they will never check stomach acid levels. The PH monitoring test does not check how much acid your stomach is producing it only measure how much acid enters your esophagus.

After I weaned off all acid suppressant medication, the slow digestion (delayed gastric emptying) along with the LPR begin to reverse. But it can be difficult to wean off PPIs due to a withdrawal symptom called acid rebound (hyper-secretion of acid). You can find more information on PPI withdrawal symptom by googling: Acid rebound.

You can also follow my recovery at the link below:

https://www.inspire.com/CAGU/journal/ppi-warning-gastroparesis-delayed-gastric-emptying-proton-pump-inhibitor/

Post Edited (CAGU) : 12/4/2015 10:54:10 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/4/2015 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks sk55 and Cagu,

Any information given here is greatly appreciated. I will take everyones advise and start my trial of getting cured. I know that alot of people think that JAMIE KOUFMAN Iis a great assett to the GERD community and most Dr.s dont even acknowledge her work but she does have great results and I am going by what sk55 is testifying to. There are alot people that will attest to certain things/methods not working for them but very few that will share their success. I thank anyone who haz shared their posts with me and thank god that I am not alone on this. God bless you all. I will recover because I owe it to my body.
Posted 12/4/2015 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tomms187,

A lot of good information CAGU have shared that had helped me too. We are all different but with my experience I learned from each other on this forum. A lot of ideas and I did try what worked for me.

I am healed now, and I'm very grateful to God and to all at this site. The idea is that, you will get better and don't lose hope. Starts with proper diet and if you can take food supplements do it, before you will lose so much weight and get so weak. Have yourself check by a doctoc just to make sure no other complications in your stomach. For me, GERD is a horrible disease and made me feel so scared and horrible during those months of recovery.
God bless.
Posted 12/5/2015 11:21 AM (GMT 0)
i think one important thing that make me this desease was stress and angriness for a short time then my symptoms begun i appreciate your guys too you give me hope to become well i love foods i was a helathy strong girl before this happend i think i had strong stomach i never fekt any pain before but last year i had an emotional and stressful time that was the time my GERD problem started i had a bad acid reflux attack and then for few months i had sore troat then it changed to pressure on my torat burping after each eating i was put on famotidin with panataprazol and it vanished by the time i was happyi could eat agin tehn agin after one year i have teh same senario but this time this bach ache make me hope less maybe i should use some neru medicine i dont like to becaus i used it before and it ahd some few side effect i dontlike to be on that situsation again

Post Edited (leili87) : 12/5/2015 4:47:38 AM (GMT-7)

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