New here. :) Gerd---Coffee---and this horrible LUMP in throat

its not hopeless. will you ever be "perfect" again? odds say no, but many here can attest to improvements thru lifestyle changes. then again there are surgical procedures which offer, in many cases we are told, near cures... but some continue to reflux but only every few days and with modified diets do quite well.

much depends on choices. many here , not all, have found most of the list below to be valuable

eat 5 or 6 small small meals a day instead of 3 (small , small meals)

loose weight if you are overweight to any degree

avoid fatty foods

make a list of trigger foods, test the list by eating just that one food and wait and see

many have found that the following foods weaken the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and or trigger reflux...carbonated drinks, coffee, alcohol, chocolate, tomatoes and sauce

dont smoke

dgl, slippery elm, aloe vera juice, carafate, and others protect and heal epithelial - mucous linings...some say ginger increases motility and moves food down the track faster!

get a long wedge pillow ( dont bend at neck or abdomen with propping up your own pillows. better yet incline bed with bricks or books under head board so you sleep inclined 8 inches or more at the top.

see a good doctor, see if acid reducing meds are right for you and dont loose hope healing will take time

best wishes
mock turtle

Post Edited (mock turtle) : 4/19/2011 10:18:27 PM (GMT-6)

helpwantedplease

Hello and welcome to HealingWell.  I am so glad you found us.  Great advice from mock turtle.

Properly known as GastroEsophageal Reflux Disease or GERD, your pain is a result of food or liquid travelling back up from your stomach into your esophagus. This condition can irritate the esophagus and cause a number of symptoms. Heartburn, belching, regurgitating your food, sore throat and difficulty swallowing are often experienced. Some people have an upset stomach or uncomfortably full feeling, a cough, or sensation of a lump in the throat.

It’s may be  helpful to keep a food journal for a couple of weeks, since certain foods can sometimes trigger an attack. Not everyone is affected by the same foods, so it’s in your best interest to know which ones bother you. Sometimes acid reflux can even be a result of a prescription drug you are taking.

A diagnosis of acid reflux disease doesn’t have to mean living with pain every day for the rest of your life. Although most people are helped with lifestyle changes .

I wish you peace,

Kitt

Thanks mt. I started keeping a diary of foods that I can and cannot eat. Chocolate and carbonated drinks are a definite no for me. The crazy thing is I dont even care about that anymore... but that coffee. :( Fortunately the lump from last night has vanished again, lesson learned.

I've heard people are good with the watermelons, have not tried that but canteloupe does give me a bad problem.

Thanks Kitt. This is all reassuring to hear. I was on a different forum for this and hardly anyone offers suggestions. I felt really lost there.

Jeronimo my GP is sending my to a gastro dr and I am not sure what to expect on the first visit. The endoscopy maybe? Anyway GP says he's pretty sure its Gerd, but wants to be 100%. So Im still on the prilosec but I was wondering if their is something better out there. I went to GP because of chest pains, choking/swallowing difficulties/lump and the feeling of food coming back up after I ate.

i absolutely agree about todays world and the food out there, especially at restaurants. That is my real challenge. Going to out eat. I've been ordering salads without onions and tomatoes. I can tolerate certain dressings but I just dip here and there. Also its helpful when the place has the take home containers. I've been asking for them with the meal so I can immediately throw at least half in the box before I start eating.

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice!