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Posted 3/11/2023 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone,
I am a 35 year old male. Very in shape and athletic. I started having some heartburn in October and it would go away after taking otc ppi but would come back after a weeks. The ppi medications worked like a charm until early February. They stopped working and I have had heart burn everyday since then
I changed my diet and saw the specialist who did endoscopy and only found inflammation of esophagus and minor inflammation of the stomach.
She put me on nexium 20mg once a day and carafate once at night. After 3 weeks of that my symptoms still there. She upped nexium to 40mg a day and carafate 3x a day. Still no relief after 1 week of this regimen.
It’s has been more than a month now.
This has taken a huge mental toll on me and I can’t workout and be the person I was. I must mention that I am going through a stressful time in my life now as well.
My question for you all is.
Do you think the med is strong enough for my case?
What’s the possibility that I will beat this? Has there been cases of persistent heartburn for over a month that go away?

Thank you everyone
Posted 3/13/2023 10:48 AM (GMT 0)
Unfortunately, GERD doesn't go away as quickly as most people would like - and a month is not a long time. Also, you can't expect your symptoms to disappear in a week after changing your medication. Sometimes it's as simple as choosing the PPI that works for you. For me that drug was Protonix. Tell your doctor if you think the medication continues not to work. Keep up the strict diet, and keep a food diary to try and pinpoint your trigger food. Keep in mind that stress or anxiety will cause/make your symptoms seem worse.

Sharon
Posted 3/18/2023 6:54 AM (GMT 0)
Psalem7,

Your experience sounded exactly like how I got GERD.

PPI medication is meant to heal the inflammation by blocking acid secretion. It does nothing to address the weakness in the valve called lower esophageal sphincter. As at now, doctors are still unsure of what might have caused the weakness and they are prescribing PPIs to manage the symptoms.

It took many years of lifestyle modification, stress management, tuning the medication to finally treat my GERD.
Posted 3/20/2023 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone for your replies. I truly find this forum helpful and it makes me feel like I am not alone.

A very important update that I really feel like it’s important to share.
I went on vacation for a whole week, where I was reunited with my loved ones. My heartburn was gone for the whole week. I was even drinking and being more relaxed with my diet.
I have been back home since last night and I feel my heartburn coming back again.
I don’t know how I can put this into words. My doctor did mention that stress may make my symptoms feel worse but stress can’t cause heartburn.
With all due respect to the medical community, at this point I am almost certain that stress can definitely cause heartburn.
P.s. I am a dentist myself and believe in science, but the fact that my heartburn was gone almost completely when I was on vacation leads me to believe that stress can definitely cause heartburn.
Posted 3/21/2023 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
also, you maybe taking on a different diet while on vacation.
also the sleep cycle plays a part too, melatonin is an inflammation suppressor.
Posted 3/21/2023 10:59 PM (GMT 0)
I hear you, but I was definitely not following the strict Gerd friendly diet that I had at home when I was on vacation.I was having 4-5 drinks a day and my symptoms were almost gone.
Back home I had no alcoholic drinks for more than a month.
Posted 3/23/2023 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
It is exactly happened to me:
I have heartburn and bloated stomach on and off for years.
I was totally free of all the symptoms during my vacation away from home, I ate a lot of fat food too.
As soon I returned home the heartburn came back.
The Gastroenterologist once prescribed to me the depression/anxiety medication Lexapro, but I didn’t take it for long because of the side effects.
Posted 3/24/2023 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
During the time you were taking Lexapro was it helping you with your heartburn symptoms? Were they gone ?
Posted 3/24/2023 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
I’m not sure, I didn’t take it long enough to see the effects.
My doctor prescribed the OTC Omeprazole/PRILOSEC for me, they helped somehow.
Lately the blood test showed my liver enzymes were way high, so I stopped those PPI Pills cold turkey.

I’m waiting for the colonoscopy and endoscopy.

FYI, I have a history of high anxiety !!
Posted 3/26/2023 8:08 PM (GMT 0)

SharonZ said...
Unfortunately, GERD doesn't go away as quickly as most people would like - and a month is not a long time. Also, you can't expect your symptoms to disappear in a week after changing your medication. Sometimes it's as simple as choosing the PPI that works for you. For me that drug was Protonix. Tell your doctor if you think the medication continues not to work. Keep up the strict diet, and keep a food diary to try and pinpoint your trigger food. Keep in mind that stress or anxiety will cause/make your symptoms seem worse.

Sharon



Hi Sharon,
Completely unrelated question. I just noticed you mentioned in your other posts that you switched to protonix at some point and that med helped your symptoms.
How quickly did you notice the difference?
Also, if I may ask what did you switch from? I am currently taking nexium 40mg and still have symptoms after a month and half.
Thank you
Posted 3/27/2023 11:41 AM (GMT 0)
I suffered from acid reflux for most of my adult life. I believe I started with Protonix, I may have switched to another medicine but always came back to Protonix. It took many months of taking the PPI properly, and following a strict GERD diet. You should take it in the morning on an empty stomach and then eat 45 minutes later. Eventually the Protonix stopped working. I then had the Nissen surgery, after developing additional medical issues. Surgery should always be the last resort, and I don't think it's even a consideration in your situation. Your disappearance of symptoms while were on your vacation were probably due to your stress/anxiety level being lessened.

Sharon
Posted 3/27/2023 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sharon
Thank you so much for your reply and for being so helpful and active on this forum
Posted 3/28/2023 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Psalem7
I hope you are making progress in dealing with your heartburn. Thought I would toss my hat into the ring with my story from a few years ago. There might be something in it that can add some relief. The link below is my thread in this forum. If you have any questions I’ll do my best to answer them.
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=4246740[url]
Posted 4/3/2023 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Marksplace22,
Thank you for sharing your post.
The forums for acid reflux are very helpful.
I learn a lot from Reading those forums.
Nguyen
Posted 4/13/2023 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Stuart:

Are you seeing a gastro doctor or your PCP? What were the results of your endoscopy. Did you have a barium swallow? My suggestion would be to add a O-T-C Pepcid at bedtime and see if that relieves some of your symptoms. Unfortunately stress/anxiety cause cause or make your symptoms seem worse. Sometimes switching the PPI can help, one drug doesn't work for all people. I had the most success with Protonix. I tell everyone that surgery should always be the last resort. The fundoplication is major surgery, and the recovery can be lengthy and difficult. I didn't feel a lot better until 6 months and the "new" me at a year. You can no longer belch as you could before surgery, so you can experience a lot of flatulence as it's is the only way to exit. I also lost the ability to vomit. It didn't bother me, but it could be an issue for some. I would keep following a really strict GERD-friendly diet and try keeping a food diary to try and pinpoint your potential trigger foods. Give the medication more time to work.

Sharon
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