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Posted 2/18/2006 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
I have heart burn really bad and I have been prescribed 2 nexiums a day because I would get chronic laryngitis  and keep it for 2 or 3 months at a time. My question is does anyone know if lifting free weights about 5lbs would cause heart burn to be worse and a lump in the throat from the acid, I thought maybe that the weights might cause extra strain  somehow and causse the acid to come up more. I have also been diagnosed with an hiatial hernia
Posted 2/18/2006 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi pk,
It's my understanding that if anything causes you to strain (even a little), it can worsen your reflux. And with your hiatal hernia, I imagine it's even worse. Are you sitting when you lift those weights? I would say that if lifting those small weights is real important to the health of the rest of your body, go ahead with them, but do it with an empty stomach, and be aware if you feel pressure in your chest/throat after doing them. I can't think of how heavy 5# would be.....but it might also help to be sure you are exhaling while you're lifting them, to help decrease any bearing down you might be inadvertently doing.
Posted 2/18/2006 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
I read somewhere that lifting weights can make acid reflux worse. The reason is that when lifting weights you typically tighten your stomach muscles. That tightening can force acid back up. I'm sure that's not helped by a hiatal hernia.

I started lifting weights after a long hiatus just before getting very ill with acid reflux in the fall. I've been afraid to start again. However, I was lifting more than the five pound variety -- more like 30 to 40 pound weights. I really don't know if 5 pounds would hurt -- I suppose it depends on whether you tighten your stomach muscles. Again, this is what I read somewhere and I'm not an expert. It wouldn't hurt to ask a doctor.
Posted 2/21/2006 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
I have GERD for 4 years now. I actually lift pretty heavy weights regularly. I go up to 230lbs on the bench. Lifting weights for some reason does not bother me, but doing sit ups really aggravate my acidity.

Posted 7/9/2007 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I'm new to this site. A middle aged perimenopausal woman with major reflux. I have been exercising at least 5 days a week for about 20 years, I have also lifted weights for the past two years, and in the past few months increased the weights to 20lb per each hand weight. I had no trouble strength wise and really enjoy weight lifting, but I have found that my reflux has gotten much worse from the increased weights and the particular weight lifting routines (no muscle man stuff, but toning and mixing the weights with stretching exercises, ect.). I have been to the drs recently because of heart flutters and a strange sensation under my diaphragm, like a quick tiny loss of breath (like getting the wind knocked out of you). An EKG and a physical showed that my heart was fine, lungs clear, healthy except the reflux. I'm going to stop the weight lifting for a couple of weeks and see if possible I pulled some muscles in my chest, under my ribs and if those strange sensations go away. Anyone else ever had problems like this due to weights? Or is it just perimenopausal-reflux me?!
Posted 7/10/2007 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
I don't lift weights but I can relate to the feeling under the ribs! I always blamed it on my bra but it is there braless. It is an awful pressure and I think it is related to the Acid Reflux.
Posted 7/10/2007 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
I too believe a bra can effect that, in fact even my dr said those wire bras are the worse! So I've been trying to buy new ones without wires. Them, the reflux, over exercising on the abs (for me anyway) and perimenopausal or otherwise difficult periods can really have a negative impact on the way a woman feels physically, I'm learning. I'm on Nexium for a while to clear up my latest reflux issues, regularly use Aciphex. Do you take something for the reflux and follow all those rules, no eating after 8:30 p.m., lift the head of the bed 3", watch certain foods?
Posted 7/17/2007 9:25 PM (GMT 0)

Ambers, I have that same thing - extreme shortness of breath, heart palpitations, tachycardia, etc. I have been to the ER twice complaining of a heart attack.

I had GERD 8 years ago and it went away, but it came back this year thanks to body building. I had several EKGs, blood tests and an upper GI that showed inflammation in my esophagus and my duodenum. So now I'm on Aciphex again.

I know for certain what brought this on was the heavy weight lifting.  I have been doing weight lifting for the past year and I could feel myself progressively get worse, to the point where the reflux caused tachycardia and fainting spells immediately after working out.

The 450lb deadlifts and weighted ab crunches was the culprit. I was doing 75lb curls with one arm, now I cannot even lift 20lb without getting sick. I can't do anything. I have heart palpitations shortness of breath, bloating and stomach pain 24/7 now.

Hope this aciphex helps undo some of the damage.

Posted 7/18/2007 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting, thanks for your words. I too have had the reflux for the past 15 years, it comes and goes in bad spells. I haven't had a bad spell in years but in the last two years really started getting into the weight lifting, of course I don't do the heavy duty stuff like you did. I was doing 20lbs with each arm and mixing the weights with other stretching exercises. I really think it attributed to my sudden really bad reflux and IBS also, very bloated the past two weeks, stomach hard as all my muscles are sort of spaazing out, which is what I think caused that wind knocked out of my feeling. I haven't lifted a weight in more than a week. I suppose it's going to take time to get better, heal so to speak. Did yours take time to heal also? Did you get that tight stomach? For my age, 50, I've always been in great shape, after two babies delivered caeserian, my stomach was always pretty flat, so the bloating scared me. But it is going down, a little every day. I'm back to my cardio, took a week off, hard to do after exercising 5 days a week for 20 years! I'm taking the Nexium for another two weeks and then back to the Aciphex until I can successfully appeal my insurance co to cover the Nexium. Geeze, getting old ain't much fun! Thanks again, blessings by comparisons are always helpful.
Posted 7/18/2007 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
The first time it healed on its own after about a year. But I'm not healed yet from this recent bout.. I can't even do cardio right now. That's a switch from doing 1 hour of cardio and lifting several tons of weights each day of the week (earlier this year). I'm only 32 and now I can't even run on a treadmill - thanks to GERD. I suppose I should have just stuck with the cardio. I wish I never did the weight lifting, I would be feeling better. Woulda coulda shoulda.

I'm doing just the opposite btw, I'm appealing to my insurance to cover Aciphex instead of Nexium.
Posted 7/18/2007 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Regarding the weight lifting, my son-in-law, a former marine all muscle with huge arms from weight lifting, just found out this week that he tore his rotery (sp?) cuff. Now he needs surgery, he feels its from the weight lifting. He's 27 and his weight lifting days are over! Are your muscles still tense or tight eventhough it's been some time since your did weight lifting? I know it takes time for the muscles to relax. I'm sure one day soon you'll be able to do your cardio again, I can imagine how miserable that must be. I would hate it if couldn't do my cardio, don't feel right without daily exercise. I really hope you can get back and then feel better about yourself. I'm curious, why the Aciphex instead of Nexium? Do you really think it works better? I'm also looking into something for the IBS, I think that explains the bloating stomach for me right now.
Posted 7/18/2007 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
A rotary cuff injury is bad news. I'm sorry to say, I'd rather have GERD!

It only takes me a couple weeks for muscles to relax after several weeks of intense weight lifting. But injuries take longer to heal, and I have no idea what I did to myself inside.

As far as IBS (I have that too), I find that sitting at a computer night and day makes it worse. Unfortunatley, that's what I do for a living :-\
Posted 7/19/2007 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, me too, at a computer all day and for my part-time night job as well. I'm fine with the IBS in the morning, then I go to work lately and the bloating feels like a tight muscle under my ribs and down my sides. It's very distressing and uncomfortable and I wonder if it's all related somehow, in fact I'm going back to the doctors next week to have him check my stomach again, hopefully get some meds to make certain it is a bad case of IBS and nothing else. Ugh, none of this is any fun and I really appreciate the opportunity to discuss such, well, not such fun things with someone who understands and can empathize. I thank you for that! : o )
Posted 8/21/2007 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Amber, I am slightly older than you and have also been lifting weights since the '80's.  Recently diagnosed with acid reflux and then, horror upon horror, barrett's esophagus, I took a week off from lifting weights, which did result in that nasty scary chest pain so common with gerd sufferers.  Well, no weights, no pain.  How annoying.  I continue to do Pilates though, which can keep muscle tone.  Also, I found ann accupuncturist who gave me some herbs and I have been able to skip a day or two of the otc prilosec.  Hate drugs of all sorts.  This aging thing blows.....

Posted 8/22/2007 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I miss the weight lifting too. It really made me feel like I was molding my body, accomplishing something. I'm now on Librax for the IBS, I take it about 5 dys a week and hope that when this bad summer bout of IBS is over I can get off it until needed. It does help. I continue my cardio 5 days a week, cut my calorie intake and increased the cardio by a few minutes to make up for the loss of the weights. Eventually will get back to some of my other exercises when everything heals up. Good luck with your exercise routine, it is unfortunate the weight lifting bothers us GERD and IBSers, but as long as we stick with the cardio we're still getting keeping our bodies in shape. : o )
Posted 8/26/2007 11:46 AM (GMT 0)

Hi! I am new to the forum. I have had GERD for the last couple of years. Only recently, have I had to start getting my esophagus streatched twice a year.

I think your question is an interesting one. I need to loose a few pounds (20), and was starting to incorporate weight lifting in my workouts. I do get bad reflux at night. I have even cut down on how much food I eat for supper, which is very little... thinking that my lunch would be digested by the time I go to bed. No way! It is very frustrating! confused   Still, the cardio is working well, and I guess I will have to stick with that.

Posted 8/27/2007 3:59 AM (GMT 0)

pkhughes, I would definitely talk to your doctor about lifting the weights considering that you have a hiatal hernia.  I don't know how large your hernia is, but a hernia can strangulate which could mean you might have to have an emergency surgery.

Carla

Posted 2/24/2010 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
I've got that same problem to... Im now 25, the first time I had GERD four years ago... then I remember I started my recovery first with jogging, it worked. After one year I started weightlifting until september last year sad .

I take Controloc (pantoprazol) every day now, and it works so far. I also always try to find a alternative solution, like drinking yarrow tea which helps. As time goes on I feel that the symptomes are fading away, but very slowley... This time I feel it will take months and maybe years to recover completly.

When it comes to weightlifting, I always try to get back, to do some exercises but after 4-5 days the reflux pain starts again, especialy at night. The last time I tried to do some exercises was last week and again pain, and again I swore to my self I won't touch the weights ever again, hope this time I'm gonna stick to my words. Miss It a lot.

Hope that on may or juny I'm gonna be able to do cardio workout at least... we will see, expect the worst and hope for the best smurf


sorry for my bad english, I'm from Sarajevo, Bosnia
Posted 2/24/2010 9:20 PM (GMT 0)
Your english isn't too bad. :)
You speak it better than some english people do. :)

Unfortunately this thread is three years old. These people have moved on. Feel free to start your own thread to introduce yourself.


Joy
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