GERD giving me strange problems.

Last night was Saturday night, and on Saturday nights I tend to be with friends and we drink a little, smoke a lot, and eat some bad foods like pizza and so forth. My GERD has been under control for a good long time. I still have it, but it's manageable, and until recently I felt I could do these types of things because the consequences just weren't bad enough to worry about.

A week ago last night, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling as if I'd thrown up a little but inhaled it while sleeping. I know that's gross, but I'm wondering if anyone has ever dealt with it. I have anxiety disorder as well, so when I woke up so suddenly with my esophagus burning so badly and a horrible taste in my mouth, my body just went out of control. Within a couple of minutes I was dry heaving, not even nauseous.

Same thing happened less than an hour ago. Last night I was with my friends again. There was no drinking and less smoking, but I guess what we ate was bad enough. I'd come home earlier but was burping a lot so I didn't go to sleep until that stopped, fearing a repeat of last Saturday night. Happened anyway, but this time I didn't let my head get into it and never threw up. I just calmly brushed my teeth, got a soda to "burn off" the burning feeling in my throat, and waited. I can still feel it in my throat but it's ok.

And this has happened to me twice before. It's been a while, but those episodes also happened close together like this.

I don't think I'm inhaling very much of whatever I'm regurgitating. It's not like I fear that I will drown. This stuff burns and you will definitely wake up before you can inhale enough to kill you. It is unpleasant, though, and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced it and if they've made it stop. I did everything I knew to do last night. Water and maalox before bed, basically. Anything else I can do?

Sorry I'm so wordy. I'm a bit nervous, and when I'm this way I tend to write a lot in a short amount of time.

I didn't drink at all last night, and I smoked less than I would on a normal night. I actually cut back quite a bit on my smoking about six weeks ago, when I moved.

I have had GERD for years and do know about the triggers. I know that smoking is bad and drinking is bad and that eating most things that taste good is bad. It had just gotten so much better...I'm surprised that it's coming back, and even more surprised that it's coming back like this. I didn't have symptoms last night. Don't have them now. Aside from the obvious I didn't even have them when I woke up so suddenly. The only GERD symptom was the burping from late last night. I did have a bad case of sour stomach on Thursday (that's my normal GERD symptom; I've never had a lot of "heartburn") but that was also before bed and it resulted in nothing like this. And that night I didn't have any trigger foods. Weird disease, this GERD.

Unfortunately I'm unable to elevate my bed. I do put a small pillow under my back and a couple of larger ones under my head. I've been doing that for years and now cannot sleep any other way. My body is flat from the hips down but the rest of me is sort of inclined and that's the best I can do.

Even more unfortunately I had to change insurance a year ago, and GERD is a pre-existing condition because I have had all those tests and have been diagnosed. You know how insurance companies are. If I make a claim for even an upper endoscopy they will deny it after sifting through my medical records. Similar things have happened to me with insurance before, so I have to be very careful or I'll end up in bankruptcy court. Anyway all I can get is over-the-counter Prevacid. Until last week it had been working just fine.

I guess I'm just venting. It's a strange experience when you wake up like I did, and not at all pleasant. I hope it doesn't signal a return of the symptoms I was having years ago, because that would make life very difficult.

Hey debaser,

I also have regurge at night time and wake up with the nasty stuff in my mouth. I know my trigger foods and also no not to eat after 8 PM in the evening.  I find sometimes I just have to try it again and have the snack in the evening and as soon as I go to bed I start to have issues with regurge.  For me it is will-power and just not giving in to the cravings that cause my problems.

Medical insurance is a really big issue for many now days and I am sorry you are not covered for the pre-existing  condition. 

Take care my friend and see you in Trivia. 

Kindly,

Kitt

Hi there,

I think I must be sounding like a broken record by now ... I only have one message for everybody .. are you sure you dont have low acid?    Doctors dont seem to believe in low acid!! High acid will give you bad heartburn, so you wll have no doubt about this when your throat starts burning.   If you dont have sufficient acid,  your food will not be able to be digested,  so instead of pure acid being refluxed ..  you can be bombarded with undigested food containing some acid ...

Have been there .. did research .. now taking enzymes which assists with digestion ...  google this subject ... great reading ... wish our doctors will also take the time ... good luck,

Cecelia

 

Hope you're having a better day -

re my previous posting - do take a minute and check out this website:

http://www.holistichealthbayarea.com/blog/low-stomach-acid-the-underlying-cause-of-common-digestive-problems/

Cecelia

Hi all,
I was reading about the gerd issues because my husband has it very badly.The other night he woke up vomiting. This has been an issue with him for many years. Sometimes just water will set it off. This time it was different because it went into his lungs He was in pretty bad pain for apx.3days.

I;ve also noticed that he gets ill sometimes after making love..I never thought about it as a gerd issue. We just make jokes about it and go on..

Bo;s been diagnosed with Barretts esophagus. This is very dangerous as it could lead to cancer..

I urge anyone who has g.e.r.d. to go to a specialist A.S.A.P. The sooner you start getting treatment the less likely you are at reaching the point my husbands in..

God bless you, Barbara