A few questions

I've had heartburn a few times in the past, but back in October I had a day where the heartburn was pretty much unbearable, and since then I have had it every day. Some days it is not as bad as others, but sometimes it's terrible. The first time I had it in October it also felt like there was a lump in my throat and when I tried to eat it felt like the food burned back up into my throat and mouth. I had that lump feeling in my throat for a few days. The weird thing is that I seem to get the heartburn at the same time every single day, regardless of what I eat (or don't eat). I can eat breakfast and be fine, and then eat lunch and by 2:00-3:00 the heartburn hits hard. It usually subsides around 6:00 or so, but occasionally comes back after dinner. Is this normal? Does anyone else get heartburn at a certain time of day?

The only thing I have been taking is Rolaids when it first starts, which really don't seem to do much and I should probably take something stronger, but medication makes me nervous and I don't like taking anything that I don't know much about. I know what some of the triggers can be and I do not drink coffee (never have), rarely drink soda, and have cut out my OJ and other acidic foods. I know alcohol triggers it too and I made the huge mistake of having 2 glasses of wine at our office holiday party...I was up ALL night with the burning in my chest, and when I finally fell asleep I woke up a little bit later with some nasty tasting liquid in my mouth. It really scared me and that's why I'm now seeking more information about this.

I just can't figure it out, it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. Peanut butter sandwich = heartburn, chicken noodle soup = heartburn, crackers and water = heartburn! I also have no idea why it just popped up in October and has stayed with me ever since. Should I see a doctor?

Any thoughts/advice on this would be really helpful!

Hi Tammy,

Thanks for the response. Just to clarify, I'm not eating lunch at 2 or 3, the heartburn just starts at 2 or 3. Normally I will eat breakfast around 8:00, a snack around 10:00 and then lunch between 12:00 - 1:00. Then I get the heartburn at 2 or 3. I have tried not eating as much and eating more small meals/snacks but neither seems to make a big difference. I know I should go to the doctor but I hate going to the doctor at this time of year -- I feel like I'm going to pick up something worse than I went in with, as terrible as that sounds. The liquid antacid is a good idea, I'll have to pick some up at the store and see if that helps.

hello Short,

I went through the same thing for years. No matter what I ate it caused me problems.  I ended up eating rolaids, tums and chewable immodium(I know it's for diareah, but it helped).  I did everything to avoid the doctor and that was a big mistake.  The acid ended up eating holes in my esophagus and it got to the point where I could not eat anything or drink anything without heart burn.  At night the acid would race up my throat and I just kept on masking the problem with antacids.  Please see a doctor before you have a bigger problem, plus the medicine they give you can really change your life for the better.  No one likes to take medicine, but sometimes we must.  I hope that you will take our advice and see a doctor.  I had open fundo last February as a last resort and due to the damage done.  Best of luck to you and hang in there.  Let us know how things are going.