Eak said...
Hi. I was diagnosed with silent reflux due to using a CPAP device 1.5 months ago. I have never had heartburn in my life and the ENT spent about one minute examine me and putting a scope down my nose...then sent me on my way with a PPI Rx.
I started taking the PPI's and started feeling like I wasn't digesting food properly. My bowel movements stopped for a few days and were very irregular. I saw my family doc and switched to nexium, hoping it would work better. I am still having major issues and no relief. I feel like I need to burp all the time but can't and my throat feels like I am being strangled and can't breath. Also feels like I have something stuck in my throat. If I am not sitting upright it feels like my throat is collapsing.
I have lost 10 lbs and eat a clean GERD diet with the exception of 1 cup of coffee in the AM that I spike with PH balancing drops to reduce the acid. I have grid aloe Vera gel and apple cider vinegar.
Has anyone else had problems with using PPI's? I am now worried that there might be more to this. I am thinking of trying to get a CT scan. Any ideas or advice...this has really become a huge impact. I can't sleep, I can't live a normal life anymore.
Thanks for reading.
Unfortunately, PPIs only deal with one thing: acid production. They don't necessarily deal with the root cause of GERD. Once you begin taking PPIs remember that you are producing little to no acid, depending on the dosage your doctor has prescribed and how your body responds to it.
The one thing that irks me about many GI and GP doctors is that they don't give their patients a comprehensive guide on what and how to eat. And I don't entirely blame them because that's not what they were trained for, they were trained in Western medicine and how to treat many ailments with a pill, not necessarily trying to fix something with diet. With such low acid production in your body it's causing an imbalance in your entire digestive system, primarily in your stomach, and possibly your esophagus and your throat.
You should definitely stay away from coffee for now because the caffeine in it relaxes your LES (lower esophageal sphincter) and you need that to be working as optimally as possible. Coffee or any drink with caffeine in it should be avoided at all costs. I went to the ER once for drinking too much coffee, so I don't recommend it. I feel your pain since I used to be a daily coffee drinker and quitting it was very tough to do.
Drinking decaf is not a solution either because it still has some caffeine and coffee still irritates most people's digestive tracts anyway. Don't even get me started on how much pesticide residue that they have (coffee beans are some of the heaviest pesticided crops around).
PPIs are like a marathon, not a sprint, and may take anywhere from several days to weeks before you notice any results. In some very severe cases, it could take months (even though they weren't initially designed to be taken that long). This is assuming if high acid production was a problem, hopefully they tested you for this. Too many doctors prescribe PPIs to patients who already produce too little acid and it causes them problems.
Once you begin taking PPIs you have to help out your digestive system. Which means you should only eat certain foods. Check out the book DROPPING ACID by Dr. Jamie Koufman for some more detailed information on what to eat. My general guideline is this: eat soft foods, stay away from processed foods, stay away from all canned foods, and focus on nutrient-dense foods such as organic vegetables, organic fruits (stay away from fruits with seeds like strawberries, blackberries or citrus fruits like oranges), organic chicken, turkey, or fish.
It's critically important to eat very small meals throughout the day and equally important to chew your food so thoroughly that it's almost liquefied in your mouth. On my rough days I only eat organic baby food or I make my own. Some people will boil vegetables, mash them, and eat them that way with a dash of sea salt.
Now apple cider vinegar helps out some people but it has also been known to make people worse. I personally do not take it any longer as I have found peeled red organic apples to be much more effective in dealing with my symptoms. Your mileage may vary.
Help out your digestive symptom by slowly adding probiotics to your diet. You can take a supplement which you can find at any healthfood store, though I prefer getting my naturally through fermented vegetables and organic kefir or organic greek yogurt. Start off slowly and slowly increase the dosage. What this will do is give you good bacteria to help break down the food in your gut.
Lastly, make sure you are sleeping at night with the head of your bed elevated. Do not use pillows to prop up your head as your entire body should be elevated.