NEXIUM 40MG

Have you raised the head of your bed???

treblig

I have had Reflux for over 20 years (hiatal hernia) and had to frequently get my esophagus "opened up" many times. I found that by raising the head of my bed 10-12 inches helped me greatly. If you lay flat or even close to flat acid will find it's way into your throat while you sleep. Even when I go out of town and sleep in a hotel I take a large foam wedge with me because I haven't had to go back to get the procedure redone for years. I also used to lie under cars to do mechanic's work, I don't do that anymore either. In fact, if you have a full stomach and simply bend over you'll get acid in your throat. I exercise but not one exercise requires that my head ever be lower than or level with my stomach. I take 40mg Prilosec as a precaution but have noticed that as long as I never bend over or sleep flat or over stuff myself by eating too much the prilosec is not necessary.

treblig

I was only depressing until I figured out the main cause of the reflux. Also, it always did feel much better after they performed that procedure which I thought was "the cure". But after a lot of reading I realized that the acid in your stomach actually erodes the lining in your esophagus which can eventually cause esophageal cancer. After further research I realized that the majority of my symptoms were at night or right after I woke up, especially after eating a big meal or having a few drinks then laying down. As it turns out, raising the head of my bed also helped my vertigo and sinuses (I have real bad allergies). I also thought about sleeping standing up and found articles about people who thought themselves how to do it and actually made beds that facilitated sleeping upright. But now I have no reflux because I avoid the things that cause it: don't eat until your stuffed, don't eat a lot then drink alcohol on a full stomach, avoid food that makes the sphincter muscle (at the bottom of your esophagus) relax, NEVER LIE FLAT (or close to flat), never bend over with any food in your stomach, never do anything strenuous on a full stomach because when you tighten your stomach muscles you can force food/acid up into your throat.
Sleeping at an angle takes some getting use to because you tend to slide down as you toss and turn so your always having to pull yourself up during the night but it's a very small price to pay as opposed to being "knocked out" every year or two to get your esophagus repaired!!

Treblig