Tips on testing GERD food triggers

After eating/drinking a potential trigger food, how long do I have to last without GERD symptoms to prove it's not a trigger for me?

When I drink beer, I get symptoms almost immediately (in my case a powerful cough). However, this morning I had my first morning coffee in 2 weeks just to see what would happen. I had no coughs until lunch time. So am I good, or can there be some sort of subtle, long-term weakening of the LES caused by the caffeine? (GI would barely give me the time of day, insisting that a xerox of blanket GERD tips was all i would need, jerk).

My background: After 2 years of symptoms, GI diagnosed me with GERD (actually LPR). I'm 29, athletic, and anxious. I never feel acid reflux, but I do have a chronic cough–apparently my body's attempt to shake off stomach acid bubbling way up into my esophagus. Gone through multiple rounds of Prilosec and Zantac treatments, which helped. Now I'm off of everything to see how dependent on medication I am. Endoscopy coming up in a few weeks.

Anyone have any tips?

Unfortunately I have been dealing with similar issues. I gave up all caffeine, alcohol, and sugar for the last 5 months to try and help with these issues. Now I am working on getting off of the meds. If I were to feel daring and rebellious and enjoy a cup of coffee I usually wouldn't have an acid attack until later in the afternoon. So I would have coffee around 9 or 10am and my stomach would act up any time between 1-3pm. So for me it takes a while. Sorry to hear you are dealing with that kind of stuff. Its really debilitating.

I know you've probably tried a lot of things but some easy things that have helped me are probiotics, digestive enzymes, DGL, and a low carb diet. At least for a little bit to see if the problems flare up or seem better. Also, if you have alcohol or caffeine try and have it with a decent sized meal so its better absorbed. But you probably already knew that :)

Good luck friend!

Forget the "GERD" food rules. Keep your own food journal! See many posts in the archives = the search box at the top of the page.

If you already know a food that you don't tolerate, don't eat it. Start making your own list. When you get your list google it with the term "food allergy" or "food intolerance."

It can take seconds or minutes or hours to react to an allergen or trigger. I have had sunflower seeds start my mouth and throat swelling while I was chewing them up in a cake (where I didn't expect them). I didn't even swallow! I have gotten tachycardia 8 hours after inhaling albuterol. Some people react as long as 2 days after consuming food containing sulfites (usually those who get headaches). My usual stomach reaction (feeling of gas and reflux) to sulfites is half an hour to 2 hours.

There is no test for sulfite intolerance.
Beer contains sulfites, but a lot of other things also.

Get out a notebook or even a daily calendar and write down what you eat, and the time, then any reactions any time. It takes a month if you have some ideas of your triggers, much more if you have no idea.