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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 3/18/2017 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

This may be my first time posting to a forum ever but I need to open up to someone who can empathize with what I'm going through.

This all started about a month and a half ago. I started getting a few bouts of minor heartburn throughout the week and having never had heartburn before in my life, I thought it might be heart related so I went to the ER stressed out thinking I was having a heart attack. They did all the standard heart tests, ECG, chest x-ray, etc... all came back normal. Doc told me it was heartburn, prescribed me pantoprazole and sent me on my way without explaining ANYTHING to me. I figured that I take this drug for a few weeks, problem goes away and I move on with my life... HOW WRONG I WAS. For the first few days of taking the drugs, I noticed my heartburn symptoms occurring more often throughout the week with little relief from the drugs. I started doing some research and learned it can take 1-2 weeks for the drugs to kick in so I stuck it out for about a week until I started getting reflux at night. Which hadn't happened to me before. At this point I concluded that it was either the drugs making it worse or it was getting worse on it's own and the drugs were doing nothing for me so I stopped taking them.

I did not experience any "rebound" symptoms probably because I had only been on the drugs for 5-6 days but my symptoms didn't reduce either. I bought and started reading Dr. Robillard's Fast Tract Digestion: Heartburn book and thought what he said about SIBO made a lot of sense since I've dealt with IBS and adominal bloating my whole life but nothing I ever considered too serious as it didn't cause me much pain or distress. I was confident I could deal with the GERD on my own and for a week and a half I had some success but did not progress as quickly as I had hoped. There were meals I could eat without causing symptoms but it was still getting bad from time to time and I was still really stressed and anxious about it. How could someone who never had heartburn before (as far as I know) go from 0 to severe in 3 weeks. I eventually saw my GP about it and told him I was still getting symptoms despite the diet change and he recommended I give the meds another go. It seemed like he wouldn't be willing to take me seriously until I had been on the meds for a month or more so I reluctantly started taking them again, hoping that the meds and the diet would give me some relief. No such luck. the next 2 and half weeks I saw my symptoms get progressively worse again and this time my GP recommended doubling the dose which horrified me but I've become so obsessed with finding relief I caved and gave it shot... big mistake. I went from bad to even worse with nausea everytime I ate and more severe symptoms. I don't understand why it seems like these drugs are doing this. It doesn't make any sense scientifically that these drugs would make symptoms worse.

I finally decided I needed to take charge and trust my own gut and instincts so today is the first day I've been off the PPI and my very first meal of the day was horrid. One of the worst reflux attacks I've had since this all started and it made me second guess my decision to stop taking the PPI. I've already dropped it from 2 pills a day to 1 about 2 days ago now. I had been doubling my dose for about 4-5 days before I made the decision to stop. I just have a few questions for you guys in regards to dealing with this issue.

Has anyone else gotten WORSE on PPI's before with side effects like nausea, increased anxiety, lack of appetite, etc...? I wish the original doc had told me what I might be getting myself into. I probably could have just cut out a few things fight from the beginning and possibly have been able to deal with the issue with lifestyle changes but now it has taken over my life. I'm debating on asking the doc for a different drug but I know all the PPI's are basically the same. If this is day 1 off the drugs and this is how I feel, I can't imagine what I'll be like in 2 days when the "acid rebound" starts.

Has anyone else gone through acid rebound and was successfully able to treat the symptoms with OTC, naturopath and lifestyle changes? I feel the acid rebound may do some serious harm to my esophagus and I'll never be able to heal on my own. What are your guys thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Adam
Posted 3/19/2017 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Adam,
I was on PPI's for 15 years or so and they just out of the blue stopped working. I also developed reflux in a days time. One day I was fine, and the next not. So it can rear it's ugly head quickly depending on what is going on whether it be stress, overeating, bad diet, or maybe something strenuous to cause a hernia. I have read other's accounts that low carb is a good way to go and I would agree 100%. I use an excellent resource called Foodary Facts (you can search on the Internet) to find foods less likely to cause heartburn. It has helped me tolerate things until I decide on surgery. I can tell you that for me, all grain/bready things (even gluten free) give me a terrible flare. Even rice gives me heartburn. I can tolerate gluten free starchy foods maybe once or twice a week but not daily. There is one grain left I'm going to try and that is Quinoa. Not my favorite, but I'm desperate! I don't know what dietary things you've tried, but maybe try hard to go very low carb and see if that helps?

I'm not surprised you aren't responding respond to the meds. Many people who are refluxing bile will not respond well to the meds or some say you have too low acid rather than too much. Or maybe that particular medication is not strong enough. From what I've heard, pantoprazole is one of the weaker PPI's. I don't know for sure, but it didn't work for me. The one that worked best for me at the time was Nexium 40mg. You could try a digestive enzyme or apple cider vinegar before each meal to see if you have too much acid? Or try different dietary changes first (once you stop rebounding) and see if you can't get it under control. If not, I would see a GI specialist for an evaluation. The doctors are so quick to hand out the meds and it is really bad. As far as getting off PPI's, it is not easy and it will hurt badly. I took Tyelonol, carafate, and sometimes Zantac, but just basically lived with it until it calmed down some. I was on them a lot longer than you so you should not experience a long rebound period even with the doubling for just a few days. Good luck.
Posted 3/20/2017 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Law, thanks for your reply and just connecting with people who understand what I'm going through makes me feel a little bit better. I didn't stay off the PPI's long. I made the conscious decision to simply try a different one. I went to the ER and spoke to the doc and she told me to try Nexium though mind you it's only the 20 mg version. I bought some OTC as my insurance doesn't cover it and popped my first one this evening. I'm going to try one every morning before breakfast and see if it makes a difference. I haven't had much reflux so far tonight but I'm not sure if that's because of the drug, what I ate (plain chicken wings with some Blue Cheese sauce, basically 0 carbs) or the pink lady drink the ER doc gave me but an evening of relief has been nice.

When the reflux first started for you, how bad was it? Did it start minor and get worse very quickly? Did the pantoprazole provide you with any relief at all? I have an aunt who was in the same situation as me where her reflux would literally bring her to tears. She did not respond to pantoprazole so the doc switched her to lowsec and for some odd reason, a cocktail of anti biotics. She didn't get tested for h pylori so I don't understand why they would give that to her but within 3 days she was feeling better. They recently took a blood test from me to test for h pylori so I hope it's positive. I know h pylori and it's connection to GERD is controversial but I'll take anything over a bile reflux diagnosis. My scope isn't until April 25th so I'm literally on my own until I get a proper diagnosis. Not knowing what's going on is by far the hardest part.
Posted 3/20/2017 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
I think you are doing all the right things until you know what is causing the reflux. Just a quick thought on the Blue Cheese. Most cheeses are high in acid I believe so maybe try a low fat ranch. It sounded like you did OK with the sauce though so that's good. Maybe keep a food log so you know what aggravates it. Nexium is hard to get, but they now have a generic version and so your insurance may cover it. I went through years of fighting to get it covered and for awhile paid for it out of pocket. Walmart was the cheapest pharmacy I could find and it ran me close to $200 every month. But since it went generic, it wasn't an issue. Ultmately though if you could get away with the smallest dose (the 20mg Nexium) of any PPI or even the H2 meds, that is better. Protonix (pantoprazole) did nothing for my reflux. I tried it for a couple of weeks. At the time, Nexium was the only one that worked and it took about 3 days for me to feel improvement.

It was funny because mine started with randomly coughing up mucous from my esophagus and heartburn/chest pain. Just out the blue. I remember eating a bagel with cream cheese and it happened. . I immediately panicked and it became a problem for me ever since. Nothing I could do would shake it. I remember feeling it so bad in my chest that I drove right to an an urgent care. The doctor said 100% Gerd and to try 15mg of Prevacid before consulting with a GI doctor. And so my journey with this terrible disease began. I would say over the years it has waxed and waned to starting bad but then under control with meds for yearse (except I had bad, bad flares in between calm) and then today to it being its worst because no meds help me. Interesting treatment plan for your aunt. I tested negative for h pylori and my doctor recently said that he doesn't treat it with antibiotics anymore as they are finding the body takes care of on its own. Not sure how right he is, but that's what he told me.

Hang in there. I know waiting to find out is so hard. In the meantime try and relax because the stress (I know everyone says this) does make it worse.
Posted 3/20/2017 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Daz

You need to really be diligent about your food choices. Chicken wings and blue cheese dressing aren't the best possible choices. Try and follow a GERD-friendly diet which includes no fried or greasy foods, spicy, citrus, anything that contains caffeine, including chocolate and coffee. Avoid carbonation and alcohol, try and lose weight, if necessary. You don't want to hope for h. pylori, the combination of antibiotics is really rough on your stomach. Just remember, GERD symptoms don't disappear as soon as we would like them to, just try and keep a food journal to see if you can pinpoint your trigger foods.
Posted 3/20/2017 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I saw a different doctor today and she is taking this condition very seriously. First she's sending me for an ultrasound to rule out any gallbladder issues which I assume there aren't as my symptoms are much more in line with GERD but she wants to do that before trying to have my endoscope pushed to a sooner date. These past 3 days or so have been the worst so far... I've eaten almost nothing and yet every little thing (cornflakes in water, eggs, you name it) gives me severe heartburn that almost brings me to tears and it lasts almost an hour. I'm starting to suspect bile reflux because it seems to get worse when take more PPI's. I'm 1 day on Nexium 20mg and I know it may take a few days to really work but darn the pain today makes me doubt I'll find relief. I currently have 20mg and 40mg tablets. Tomorrow I might have to give the 40mg tablets a try.

The GERD friendly diet I'm on allows for slightly fattier foods like chicken wings because it suggests that complex carbs are usually the source of GERD but at this point it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. It makes me wonder if it's even GERD anymore.
Posted 3/21/2017 10:17 PM (GMT 0)
Just a quick update. I called the doctors office where I'm suppose to be having my endoscope and miraculously, they had a cancellation so I'm now scheduled to go in this Friday to find out what exactly is going on.

Also, my condition has changed a little... I'm wondering if you guys have had this as well. I still don't believe I'm experiencing "regurgitation" into my mouth or anything but I've always had the sensation of stomach contents coming up my esophagus. This would either be a burp or sometimes no burp would be present so the contents would simply travel back down with no discomfort or pain. Last night and today I got a little excited because I've been on Nexium 20mg since Sunday and my heartburn wasn't as intense last night or today and this afternoon very little heartburn at all... but... I have some new symptoms. Now, when I get that sensation of food travelling up my esophagus, sometimes it feels like its about to come up as a burp but then it doesn't. It feels like it gets stuck in my chest. Even though I'm not getting pain in the same area as before, I'm now feeling pain in my chest. Its not as severe as the heartburn but it is very uncomfortable nonetheless. Its happening quite often and takes 5-10 minutes or so to clear. Also, I've been getting a cold sensation in my throat that isn't painful but does seem to leave it slightly irritated. Have you guys felt this?
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