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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 8/9/2011 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
Okay so in order to avoid the doctor I've googled numerous times and usually end up here but I seen a topic about those who have ibs and gerd, I think I might. But just so I'm clear gastritis and GERD are they the same thing? Because I dont think I have experienced heartburn, when the pain first started I thought it was just a bad cramping stomach ache that I could sleep off. But I ended up in the E.R. because the pain was crazy, it was in my upper abdomen. And occassionally I get a almost stabbing like pain in my lower left abdomen around my hip, and got results for ibs on google. Has anyone had this type of pain with IBS?

All of this sucks bad when I go out i'm scared to drink I just recently had a few and the next day I made it halfway through a mikes hard lemonade and I felt a dull pain so quit. I was fine and now yesterday the full on pain started so I popped a pepcid and it helped but I dont want to rely on meds. So any advice I've seen some people say more.fiber? I went and got metamucil to try but I get soo gassy from fiber supplements. Im ify on using it during the day, my diets been crap lately too though. So i've drank water and gatorade constantly and went back to a semi bland diet but todays been rough.

But would love to hear stories about getting thru this, I'm new to all this gerd/gastritis/reflux stuff it just started a few months ago for me back in march and I must admit its slightly disappointing that at 21 I need to start all this crap lol
Posted 8/9/2011 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
hey there SickOfit

welcome to the HealingWell forum

i believe Gastritis and GERD are not the same thing but i am no doctor

by the way google and other web searches are no substitute for professional medical advice either

did you see a doctor after your medical emergency that sent you to the er?

the symptoms you describe could fit a number of ailments that are not GERD and

increase pain after drinking is an important warning sign for several ailments

your diet, and metamucil and PPIs if not subject to medical advice might be just shots in the dark

i strongly recommend you see a doctor...in my humble opinion it is far from certain that you have GERD and not getting a proper diagnosis is a risk to your self

gastritis , i have been told , can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption

as for you request about wanting to "hear stories about how to get thru all this"...that depends on what "all this" is , so you got to find that out first

i wish you the best of good luck
take care and get back to us

mt
Posted 8/9/2011 4:02 AM (GMT 0)
True I just mean gerd and the stomach pains etc.. And I dont drink a lot when I did between the 2 days probably 2 mixed drinks altogether and I did see a doctor after the er she just gave me some nexium samples andafter I finished that and my prescription for pepcid from the er I was fine and now things are going all outta wack again
Posted 8/9/2011 6:58 AM (GMT 0)
i dont handle the gerd all that well. ive had reflux in one form or another for more than half my life...and im old

seems like you are saying that after you ran out of the pills you were given by the er and the doctor, then the pain came back?

some people are on medication for a long long time....ive been on and off several times

but i deal with it most of all by making diet and other changes

there is a list of foods and drinks that are "known" to make things worse...really worse

heres part of the list...coffee, carbonated beverages, beer especially, alcohol especially hard liquor, and oh yes wine has stuff in it that makes the burn even worse (sorry booze is real bad), no chocolate no spearmint no peppermint, tomatoes, onions garlic and citrus fruit and other very acidic fruits are like gasoline on a fire

it helps to eat real small meals,,,i eat 5 times a day and try to not eat more than what can fit in my two cupped hands held together during any one meal

dont lay down after eating...give it at least two hours for the food to get out of your stomach

i inclined my bed 8 inches at the head board so stuff doesnt flow up my throat when i go to bed

i keep a diary of what foods work for me and what foods give me acid reflux...and the best way for me to figure that out is i make a meal out of just one thing when im testing to see if i can eat "that"

when you ask how do other people deal with this ...or get thru it... i can only speak for myself....one meal at a time, and i pray for a miracle, and hope for a medical break-thru

have you told your doctor about all the symptoms you described above? im no expert but it sounds like something else besides gerd is going on with you...a trip back to see your doctor might be a really good idea

best wishes
mt
Posted 8/9/2011 8:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hey there,

Getting through this is usually a day by day basis, at least for me. I have also had very similar symptoms as you - I've been to the ER twice for intense stomach pain (my simile: it felt like a basketball on fire was lodged in my stomach) but by the time I saw a doctor, it was over (usually lasts for about 20-30 minutes). So all I got out of my two trips were prescriptions for Gaviscon.

My triggers are spicy foods (even a little paprika does me in), tomatoes/red sauces, water (when I drink it on an empty stomach), chocolate, and though I never noticed a problem while I was drinking them, I now completely avoid coffee, tea, and soda. I only drink water.

Booze is a huge problem for me, which sucks because I am young and love to drink. I haven't had any alcohol in two months now. Wine (red or white) bugs me, as does beer, and hard liquor. That doesn't leave many options, lol. My GERD flare-up's don't happen until the next day, though... very strange.

I was put on Nexium 40mg/day, which stopped me from being up all night with heartburn (but I think it was more because of my lifestyle changes, not the meds) and I felt like poop all the time. My stomach always felt bloated and distended. I'm doing a little experimental hiatus from the Nexium right now... It's going well. I am feeling very pre-heartburny but nothing serious. I hope it goes away :(

I have to agree with the very wise MockTurtle that you should see a doctor. Your symptoms are all over the map. I have not been diagnosed except for my doc giving me a PPI to 'try out' for 6 months. I understand that you want to stay away from the meds, but no meds can permanently damage your esophagus with the acid baths it gets every day.

Best of luck to you!
Ashley
Posted 8/9/2011 8:23 AM (GMT 0)
And no, GERD and gastritis are diseases.

GERD:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GERD

Gastritis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastritis
Posted 8/9/2011 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
My reflux/GERD started in my early 20s and I went pretty much undiagnosed till about 11 years ago. If you really have GERD in my experience I haven't run into too many people who got too much better without real medical intervention and I've pumped the well dry talking to friends and acquaintances and even a few family members.

Some people do get better on proper medication with dietary and lifestyle changes such as the alcohol restrictions but too many continue to get worse as time and the years go on.

Having lived with mine, seeing GPs and GI docs through that whole time, they and I together could come up with nothing that slowed down the progress of my GERD/acid reflux.

You're really young to be going what you're going through but I'm here to tell you I know exactly what you're talking about and it is no fun at all.

Get to a good GI doctor as soon as you can and have the testing done to see if you really have GERD and follow whatever he or she suggests. They deal with it all the time and you'll know soon enough if their instructions are going to help.

Like the others above have said, you need a proper diagnosis.
I wish you the best.

Rita
Posted 8/9/2011 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
You're getting some excellent advise, Sickofit74.
Thanks for the help, guys.
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