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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 11/29/2012 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
So I have about a week before I see Dr. Kaufman (can't come soon enough) In the meantime the Prilosec x2 (40mg) is doing ZERO. The second I put my mouth on anything at all with flavor I start to cough. Here is what I've been eating afraid to try new things and need stuff that is easy to grab.

These are the only things that don't burn and make me cough:

plain salmon
egg white omelette with a little no fat cheese
apples
dipping cracker in water (yes I've been doing that)
Alkaline water

Based on this can anyone think of one or two other things to try? I will say my body is less sore from coughing which means the violent cough must be better. I have noticed that if i gargle i can' reduce the cough (when that stinging have to cough feeling comes). Also I've "spit up" a few times because believe it or not, it's better than this raging cough that is killing my muscles and who knows what else?

I ordered that book about acid but i really need to know what i can try NOW. Thanks for any help you can give me!
Posted 11/29/2012 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
chicken and turkey are fine to eat, potatoes are fine, melons, papayas, veggies like peas, lettuce, carrots, cellery, string beans, broccoli are all fine. Oat meal is fine (I use gluten free as I gave up wheat). Stay away from spices or marinades. I also eat edamame (soy beans) and soy ice cream (low fat and so good). Make sure you are eating red apples. Gluten free pasta does not bother me as it is made from brown rice which is fine with me as well. Start there and see how you feel.
Posted 11/29/2012 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. Anything dry also makes me cough....wonder what that's about!
Posted 11/30/2012 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe the dry food irritates your esophagus and throat. Remember to chew thoroughly. You may also benefit from papaya enzymes, Ginger, magnesium, calcium, b12, vitamin d and chamomile tea
Posted 11/30/2012 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
You can also try drinking boost or ensure (vanilla) for extra protein and missing vitamins.
Posted 11/30/2012 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
Usually oatmeal is OK for me when things really act up and you can adjust the thickness.
Posted Yesterday 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you. Today I ate eggwhites again, two apples and that's it. I'm just too scared to try anything else though I think i will try oatmeal in the am.
Posted Yesterday 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
You could try mixing dry foods with apple sauce to try to make foods go down easier. Also adding Aloe Vera Juice 2ounces twice a day may help since Prilosec is not doing good. Table spoon of pure honey can't hurt either. Good luck and Best wishes.
Anne :-)
Posted Yesterday 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know if this will help you or not but recently I have gone through a horrible time with heartburn to the point I was vomiting and broke blood vessel in my face due to violent vomiting. I have been babying myself all week and haven't had a episode of heartburn since. I have been eating boiled white minute rice with boiled chicken breast diced up. It seems like the rice absorbs the excess acid.
I have also been taking slippery elm.
Posted Yesterday 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks nofun, it really isn't is it :( My problem is a little different. My cough is from acid vapor coming up into my throat. I can't stop until i get something out and man it takes a lot out me and is very violent too. The biggest issue right now for me is not diet believe it or not ALL I can eat is egg white with a little non fat cheese sprinkled ontop or apples (I can kind of eat this no fat lactaid cottage cheese too). I can survive this (sort of) but it's talking. My work, my relationships, my life relies on it obviously and if i wasn't seeing Dr Kaufman this week i'd really lose it. in fact i have to do a presentation tonight and i have no idea how i'm going to get through it. I think i also have a neuropathy in my throat where it's super sensitive. If i feel a hair in my mouth, if a crumb hits my throat, even air will make me cough. I'm praying she can help me. Meanwhile even though I'm on Prilosic (which i don't think is working) i was so desperate that today in the supermarket I grabbed a bottle of Pepcid AC and popped one. I had relief for a few minutes but I know i'm not supposed to take the two together so won't do that again. Even honey in my throat MAKES me cough! Will try the chicken and minute rice. I happen to have some for my dog who was sick lOL, thanks....
Posted Yesterday 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
the minute rice feels soooooo good going down :) too bad i can't put anything on it! Thank you so much!
Posted Yesterday 11:06 PM (GMT 0)
I think it's great you can see Dr. Kaufman. I saw her on Dr. Oz and she seems like she really knows her stuff. I hope she can help you. I'm glad you were able to eat the rice. I give it to my dogs when there sick too. Found out from the vet it's very easy to digest. That's how I got started on it lol...
I have had the acid gases up the throat. It burns so bad theres not much you can do to make it stop.
I hope you get some relief soon.
Posted Yesterday 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
I have to be honest, i'm really depressed tonight. I'm a total foodie and the thought of a lifetime without wine, chocolate, and all the lovely foods I've learned to cook and appreciate. Also I can't talk. So I'm in a really miserable place at the moment. I am literally choking on mucous in my throat which leads to some pretty dramatic coughing and some puking too. Which scares my kid.
And I'm hungry. I know it's not cancer but nothing is helping! I think maybe gargling might help head off a really bad coughing episode but all this is making me feel extremely unhopeful about the future and isolated from my social life. I know it's not cancer. Just so cut off.
Posted Today 5:50 AM (GMT 0)
It sounds like the acid is really high in your esophagus.
Can you try doing the double swallow method?
The next time you're eating take a small bite, chew very well (don't swallow until fully chewed),then tilt chin down to chest, and do a double swallow to get it down.
Posted Today 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
i tried oatmeal (made the acid vapors), lettuce (got stuck somewhere in my throat and when i coughed like twenty minutes later out came some lettuce (ew)

I am making minute rice and baking chicken to cut into cubes.

I'm actually surprised I don't feel like a million bucks since i've eliminated wheat, refined sugar, caffeine in all it's forms, chocolate, peppermint, dairy (well normal dairy) and my beloved excedrin which probably caused this. oh and wine which i used to have a glass of every night. You'd think i'd feel different somehow!
Posted 12/3/2012 2:12 PM (GMT 0)

thegspeak said...
I have to be honest, i'm really depressed tonight. I'm a total foodie and the thought of a lifetime without wine, chocolate, and all the lovely foods I've learned to cook and appreciate. Also I can't talk. So I'm in a really miserable place at the moment. I am literally choking on mucous in my throat which leads to some pretty dramatic coughing and some puking too. Which scares my kid.
And I'm hungry. I know it's not cancer but nothing is helping! I think maybe gargling might help head off a really bad coughing episode but all this is making me feel extremely unhopeful about the future and isolated from my social life. I know it's not cancer. Just so cut off.

cry I know what you mean. I love food, and I never had a history of going out to eat fast food. I never been a junkie, but I do enjoy good food. Food is my passion, my love, and desire. Staying at home with a nice old bottle of wine, cheese, and choclates is my fave thing to do. Believe me I allways bought the best quality of everything. I am not over weight I never got to the point of true over eating. So it sucks to know that at the moment I have to give all my life's pleasures up. I hope with time this situation gets better, and atleast in the future (even a year from now) I can start eating normal again. People tell me don't worry lots of people have this problem, and they don't take it seriously. Gerd is hell!

I am hungry too all the time ever since I am on this diet. I lost alot of weight, because even before I went on Dr.Koufman's diet I was eating little too. So I am afraid of becoming too skinny.

When it comes to coughing I do have that too. The first day it was really terrible, but I am now on Dr.Koufman's diet for 5 days and it is much better. Try to eat a little bit more to not starve yourself, but make shure everything is bland, and not too warm when you eat. I was reading that on the induction fase of the diet you are not supposed to eat apples. So make shure what your eating is correct. You probley have it worst than me, and need more time to heal. cry
Posted 12/3/2012 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sweetie. You could be me! Literally, cooking while sipping on ONE glass of wine, meeting my friends at pretty little spots, i'm even in the food industry (not sure if i wrote that above).

Ive been crying and coughing all morning because i just found out i have to lay out almost $1000 to see Dr. Kaufman. It will have to come from something we've been saving for but I really don't want to see a regular ENT because I believe this is a combo of many things and very complicated and it needs to be seen by her.

Also just depressed because have withdrawn from life basically. I still can't talk (my voice is so weak anyway), can't join for social things (can't raise my voice in a crowd) I basically am a hermit.

Oh and while i'm complaining i have a dog and a five year old and a house to take care of. Yet i can't ever bend over????? ***? and if i'm supposed to be eating five times a day but can't recline for hours after I eat i'm literaly like the tin man in the wizard of oz all day which in itself is exhausting.

I cant' wait until this is over with. The worst part today is the mucous. Thanks for listening i'm obviously in a really bad place.
Posted 12/3/2012 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
oh and btw now i have literally no vices. Not one. No wonder i'm depressed!
Posted 12/3/2012 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi thegspeak,

I know that this isn't on the foods to eat topic, but as I read your posts, I felt I needed to throw you a lifeline.  I also love to cook and eat, and my husband and I go out to dinner a lot.  Like you, I couldn't stand a lifetime of eating those safe foods.

So...go to see Dr. Kaufmann and get her great advice about what you should do.  Give them a good long try and see how you feel and whether or not you can adjust to the changes you need to make to feel better.

Then, if after giving it all a good long chance to work, you're still struggling you have another option.  Surgery.  It's a last resort and not a perfect solution, but it may be the best one.  You need to try everything else first, and if it's still not working for you, and you want more out of your eating/drinking life, it's time to explore the Nissen.

I'm only reminding you of this option, because you sound as if you see no light at the end of the tunnel right now.  There is a light.  After you really work hard at following the great advice and diet of Dr. Kaufman, and you're not happy with either the results of the way you have to live to get those results, then it's time to explore another option.

It won't be easy to get a GI doc to refer you to a surgery (Maybe Dr. Kaufman will be more comfortable with that option because she's so knowledgeable in LPR), but it is something that is worth the effort.

You'll read that the surgery is 70-80% effective in helping alleviate atypical symptoms (LPR).  I had horrible asthma and struggled for 6 years before I finally had the surgery, and it did everything I'd hoped for.  My lungs are healthy again (I do have allergies/asthma, so I still get problems during peak pollen season), and I can eat pretty much anything I want.

It may not be necessary, but keep it in the back of your head as a little light at the end of your tunnel.  Hopefully you won't need to go there, but at least you know it's an available option if all else fails.

Good luck!

Denise

Posted 12/3/2012 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Denise. I know i just cannot wait for anything to change and i guess I'll have to be open to the surgery if that's the only way i'll have a normal life! I'm just really surprised I've been on a VERY low acid diet for about ten days and double prilosec (no mistakes on diet or meds) and while I think the burning is a little better the coughing/choking mucousy thing hasn't changed at all! Just hope a nice long time on the diet will get rid of that too?
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