Time table

So as to not bore you, I will start with my current round of nexium.  Started it 2 months ago and have been heartburn free since day one.  Still fighting the other symtoms which are always present to some degree.  Some days I am able to function and feel almost normal and other days like today, my chest hurts so bad I can't leave the house. I take the nexium every morning so I have no idea what causes some days to be good and others to be bad.  The hardest part is that it is ALWAYS with me to some degree.  I spoke to my gp's nurse and she said it could take several months for all the symptoms to go away.  So basically I am trying to just hang in there.  Today I am burping and in so much pain.  I have no idea why.  I have been to a digestive disease specialist and he laughed and said the chest pain could not be caused my acid reflux and sent me to my gp for an ekg.  My gp thought it was crazy but did it anyway and seems convinced the chest pain IS due to my acid reflux.  The gp will talk to me forever and seems to actually care whereas the specialist is in and out of the room in a couple of minutes.  He is the one I would have to get the endoscopy from and it is $2500!!  Needless to say, I am putting it off!  I go to interview for a part time job tomorrow but can't help but wonder what I will do on my really bad days like today. I even had to cancel my hair appointment today. This is crazy!!  Sorry to rant.....

I have been trying to figure out what caused today's awfulness. The past couple of days I have eaten two things that I normally don't. I made some oatmeal cookies and some potatoes and onions that I tossed in olive oil and then baked. Today...I feel like I used to feel.....unbearable gas and pressure in my chest with lots of burping and flatulence. I still am heartburn free but these other syptoms are overwhelming. I know I made a mistake eating all those potatoes and cookies....way too many carbs. I wonder how long it will take to get myself straight? I have been dealing with this stuff for two years. I hate the way it is always with me. Some days more than others. I have a job interview tomorrow. Hope this has calmed down!! Thanks...Sherryl....I truly think you are right about the carb thing. I was just feeling pretty good and mistakenly thought I was normal and ate what I wanted!!:)

Hi there, cant help but overhear all this talk about carbs..... I've been suffering with this nightmare condition for a few solid months now (doesn't sound long I know, but its been so acute I just wanted to curl up and expire on a few occasions) and have finally started to get a handle on what, when and what not to eat.

I've noticed that it's got a lot to do with quantities of food and the desire to really "fill up" at mealtimes
(being a food fanitic I've become accustomed to filling myself to bursting point with rich foods and beer which has obviously had to be corrected), moreover, the type of food seems play a big part. The worst foods are those which need the most breaking down at the stomach stage, and therefore trigger the worst acid -producing response, i.e. meats (bad bad bad), fats and anything which you woukld call rich or dense.

For a week or so after it started getting bad I was too scared to eat anything really, and quickly found myself suffering from the effects of crash dieting (depression, strange pains in the liver, lethargy and I lost over a stone in weight!) obviousley this couldn't continue, so I started figuring out a reasonable diet to keep me alive and relatively pain free, this consisted of small, easily digestible regular meals. Now I try to eat every 2 hours and it seems to be going pretty well ............touch wood.

Meal examples:
One slice of toast (lightly buttered) and topped with lo fat macaroni cheese or baked beans (1/2 tin).

A bowl of rice (boiled) with vegetables (possibly dry-fried).

All-bran or weetabix cereals are good if you need to fill up(these seem to promote little or no acid production as they are essentially indigestible -keeps things moving too!).

Smoothies (a personal favorite!!), these really are ace for people like us try this one- 1 banana, 1/2 avocado, 5 brazil nuts, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup plain yoghurt, some honey or maple syrup, outstanding and so filling.

Fish (no breadcrumb or batter!) grilled with broccoli and asparagus.

Soups -can't live without these anymore. Make your own vegetable soups (easy on the onions) and be creative but avoid hot stuff like tabasco. A good one for winter is butternut squash (you know those rude looking pumpkins) and sweet potatoes (yams, kumaras) fry them in a little oil with whatever veg u have hanging around, add stock, cook for 20 mins then blend with a little milk, delightfully digestible.

Lo fat rice pudding with maple syrup -remember sugar is ok and helps you keep alert and alive.

Synthetic vegetarian meat like quorn etc. is tasty and seems pretty innocuous, e.g. 1-2 sausages and a little mash (no butter) possibly even a drop of gravy.

Special nutrition shakes for people with loss of appetite (not me!) are good too, I tend to use more milk(skimmed) than the packet suggests so as to trick my stomach into thinking its just a drink and not food.

Sweets!! Go against everything you've been taught and eat them between meals however nothing with mint, acid or chocolate. Try jelly babies, nougat or liquorice allsorts. Gotta keep that blood glucose up!

Things not to eat:
Fat, meat (especially bacon -oh how I miss thee so), chocolate (miss you too), mints, alcohol (this one was hard! Neat spirits numb the pain while you drink them but it returns with a vengeance unlike that you've ever concieved, trust me. Also if you're drunk then you're more likely to succumb to eating greasy meaty loveliness), pastry (big no no) and anything you consider indulgent like gooey cake -it just aint worth it.

In summary (this was meant to be a quick reply, think I got carried away!) it's seems for me to be a matter of self-discipline, following this routine has been a complete lifestyle change for me -I've gone from bingeing on alcohol and rich food to eating like some body-obsessed hollywood starlet, but sometimes you gotta bite the bullet (no pun intented), and hopefully I'll get better soon and could even partake in some minor indulgence at christmas (I really hope so). Anyway, if you've read all this you have the patients of a saint and deserve to get better, hope some of it was of help to somebody.

Laters,
Rhys.

HI! I have a hiatal hernia AND acid reflux and I just started Nexium 21 days ago. It's working okay, still have symptoms every now and then but I also have IBS and eat potatoes every single day!! I eat potatoes all day long to control the D, and because they are alkalizing to the body, not acidic. They actually have helped my acid reflux beyond belief!! When I was eating a bunch of acidic carbs like rice and crackers the reflux was worse but potatoes are alkalizing not acidic. They have helped me tremendously!!
Just a thought, I don't think it's carbs that are the problem but are the carbs alkalizing or acidic foods?? That's what I pay attention to. If I eat acidic foods, my urine PH goes down and become acidic, therefore, my reflux gets worse! If I eat alkalizing foods, my urine PH raises, therefore, my reflux is pretty much gone! I check my urine PH all day long to make sure it stays between 6.5 and 7.5 and since I started eating potatoes everyday it stays basic. about 7.0 range....Awesome!

Michelle :)

Michelle.
I have been on aciphex for almost a month. My acid has calmed down a bit but i still feel like my throat is swollen or is obstructed. Did you have this problem and does it go away. My dr said it would take a few weeks for this feeling to go away.

Hi everyone I am on nexium also for 2 wks and see a big difference. you have to watch your eating just because you feel better and you are on a PPI does not mean you can eat what you want also if you are overweight even by 10 pounds you need to lose it. this also reduces the pressure and help the from pushing the acid up.

weather your taking nexium prilosec ETC.. you can still take tagamet,zantac ETC> at night before you go to bed if your not already taking 2 doses of your current PPI. stress is a big factor to it produces more acid so try not to get stressed especially with the Holidays here. it is a stressful time of year for alot of people

and if your shopping all day and have to get bite to eat pick something healthy.

Happy Holidays