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Agonising heartburn

23 replies

stitchwitch84 · 20/09/2019 00:02

Wide awake with agonising heartburn (25 weeks). It hasn’t been this bad for ages! DH managed to fall asleep with me crying in bed beside him, lucky sod. I don’t begrudge him, but it's lonely and cold in the kitchen drinking ginger tea and praying the pain away.

Don’t know why I’m posting this really, except that I am feeling like crap.

Also have just discovered that DCats have located some food packets and shredded them all over the utility floor. I’m leaving that for DH to deal with in the morning 😆 (at least it isn’t a pigeon corpse, for a change)

Ugh, heartburn, go away.

OP posts:
Titsywoo · 20/09/2019 00:06

Where is the pain? If it's right under your boobs in the centre it helps to hold a hot water bottle there. I also drink plain hot water and take some paracetamol.

mawbroon · 20/09/2019 00:09

Plain Greek yogurt really helps me.

stitchwitch84 · 20/09/2019 00:09

Oh thanks so much, I’ve not tried any sort of heat etc - just taken a ranitidine and ginger tea and hoped for the best. Pain is right in the middle, front and back (it was all the way up my oesophagus earlier but it's settled). I shall go and get my hwb and see if it helps.

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mawbroon · 20/09/2019 00:10

Has to be full fat though

Titsywoo · 20/09/2019 00:24

If it's front and back try the hwb on both to see which calms it most. Sounds like indigestion and reflux.

stitchwitch84 · 20/09/2019 00:32

It's working brilliantly, thank you so much for the tip! I’m back in bed now, switching between front and back. Hopefully it'll feck off before too long.

DH is sleeping impressively soundly even though I’m not being considerate re noise and light! Fingers crossed I will join him soon Smile

OP posts:
Redcherries · 20/09/2019 06:29

Hope you feel better this morning. I suffered for years and had to have surgery in the end, lots of people say to drink milk which helps in the short term but encourages the stomach to produce more acid to break it down so it can become worse. Lots of water is better as it dilutes the acid.

Glad the hwb helped, I’ll be borrowing that tip when I get trapped wind.

Likethebattle · 20/09/2019 06:49

Buy some ranitidine (Zantac) you can take it whilst pregnant and it helps massively. If it’s a recurring problem just now the go can give you omeprazole. I am on omeprazole long term due to awful reflux, it makes me sick and I have damage to my throat from the acid.

LifeIsGoodish · 20/09/2019 07:16

I think ginger makes heartburn worse. It's good for nausea, but if the stomach acid has left sore spots in the oesophagus, the ginger burns the sore spots.

You can take Rennies in pregnancy. I was popping them like popcorn at times. The best thing I found was drinking icy water - a couple of gulps, not sipping like you do for nausea - before taking a Rennie.

intermittentfasting · 20/09/2019 07:20

The gp gave me omeprazole when I had the same, it was amazing.

stitchwitch84 · 20/09/2019 07:41

Thank you, everyone! I am definitely going to avoid lactose before bed from now on (apols to a PP who suggested yoghurt, but I know that lactose products do not help my heartburn when it hits!)

If it gets more frequent I will see the GP - I get it this badly but not so far during pregnancy, just the milder feeling burny sort. Hopefully I will remember to avoid triggers before bed in future.

Now I’m just dealing with the horrible afterburn feeling, like there!'s a painful lump in my mid-back. I’ve never found anything that works for this - any tips, please?

Hwb was genius, really helped. DH is currently rubbing my back - think he feels guilty for sleeping so soundly while I was in so much pain!

OP posts:
peridito · 20/09/2019 09:40

Try ranatadine on daily basis ,follow instructions re when to take .Might be an hour before eating ? Not like rennies that you can take when indigestion hits .

Gaviscon plus is good for calming an attack and can be taken as and when but you'd need to check if ok in pregnancy .I find tablets more palatable than the liquid which makes me heave .

MrsMozartMkII · 20/09/2019 09:43

I used to 'take' Ambrosia Creamed Rice Pudding... Worked wonders for my heartburn when pregnant (admittedly a million years ago now).

Titsywoo · 20/09/2019 09:59

Oh good, glad the hot water bottle helped Smile. I once gave myself 2nd degree burns from one when I had really bad indigestion Grin. Top tip don't take the cover off and put it on bare skin!

Pinkywoo · 20/09/2019 10:09

I'm 35 weeks and have omeprazole on prescription, it's amazing! You just take one a day and no more heartburn.

Hugsgalore · 20/09/2019 10:13

I find peppermint tea better than ginger.

Liquid gaviscon. Peppermint flavour. It's a lifesaver for me.
(I'm not pregnant but I suffer with my stomach a lot)

Hugsgalore · 20/09/2019 10:14

Also avoid chocolate before bed. It relaxes your sphincter muscle to allow axis to escape when you lie down.

Hugsgalore · 20/09/2019 10:14

Acid not axis!

Titsywoo · 21/09/2019 22:07

Peppermint makes my acid worse. It's very much trial and error unfortunately. Hopefully for the op it will go away after pregnancy though!

stitchwitch84 · 22/09/2019 08:53

Thanks very much everyone for the tips and advice! I shall try to keep track of what triggers it (it's only happened three times, two of those before I was pregnant) but I will definitely be on to the GP if it gets substantially worse in the next couple of months.

OP posts:
peridito · 22/09/2019 09:50

I think peppermint tea is good for nasuea and bowel cramps but bad for reflux/heartburn as it relaxes the sphincter at top of oesphageous .

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223119/

and
"Peppermint has long been a highly controversial herbal treatment for acid reflux. You’ll find that some naturopaths highly recommend careful and controlled dosage of peppermint to cure a mild case of heartburn. An equal number of health enthusiasts don’t recommend peppermint for GERD as it further relaxes the LES (lower esophageal sphincter), which could allow stomach acid slosh back up the esophagus. Knowing how to use peppermint for acid reflux is crucial to it’s success.

How Peppermint Helps The Gut
Peppermint has been used in traditional folk medicine to cure indigestion, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and IBS for ages. This is because peppermint has a soothing, cooling and relaxing action that helps the gut relax. Additionally, it is mildly antibacterial and antifungal, further keeping stomach infections at bay.

The various benefits of peppermint for digestion include:

Peppermint is a wonderful all-natural cure for non-ulcer and functional dyspepsia or indigestion.
Chronic heartburn leads to ulceration and inflammation of the gut mucosal layer, causing pain. The analgesic compounds contained in peppermint soothe the gut walls and bring relief from the pain.
Peppermint oil has been shown to be an effective antispasmodic natural drug, reducing spasms in lower gastro intestinal tract.
For those who feel very full after a meal and suffer from excessive bloating, peppermint can bring relief. A cup of peppermint tea reduces the feeling of fullness post meal and aids digestion.
Peppermint also increases the rates of gastric emptying, which reduces the incidence of gastro intestinal distress, including heartburn.
The soothing and cooling effect of peppermint can bring relief from the burning sensation that accompanies reflux.
Peppermint For Heartburn: When It Can Harm
Despite the fact that peppermint has a soothing effect on the gut, it can be a tricky herbal treatment for those with acid reflux. Since peppermint ‘relaxes’ the gut, it can harm at higher doses – especially those who suffer from GERD. High doses of peppermint can relax the lower esophageal sphincter or LES, which is a muscular flap between the esophagus and stomach. A relaxed LES allows acid and other stomach contents to flow back up the esophagus and into the mouth, triggering acid reflux. In fact, this mechanical fault is one of the key contributors in most people with chronic acid reflux.

Also, if you are on antacids that reduce production of stomach acids, peppermint gets dissolved in the stomach too quickly, causing heartburn. However, when your stomach produces an adequate quantity of acid, the soothing effects of peppermint are more noticeable. So if you are on antacids long term, you may want to work with your doctor to wean yourself off those as you begin to use peppermint.

Peppermint For Acid Reflux: When It Helps
For the above reasons, peppermint may work best as a preventive for acid reflux, rather than as an SoS measure after the heartburn starts.

You could have a cup of peppermint tea an hour before the meal or make your own refreshing beverage in the morning . Take a glass of warm water, add a drop of peppermint oil, ½ teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon of Manuka honey and stir it up. Sip this slowly at the start of the day to give your digestive system a boost.

If you are in the throes of an acid reflux attack, don’t ingest peppermint, as it may further relax the LES. Instead, try rubbing a drop of peppermint oil on your belly. Many mothers swear by it for instant relief from bloating, burning and pain of reflux"

www.sepalika.com/gerd/peppermint-for-acid-reflux/

needsahouseboy · 22/09/2019 10:39

Gaviscon advance was the only thing that helped me.

peridito · 22/09/2019 10:52

Gaviscon Advance is particularly good for acid reflux when the acid is coming back up into your throat . It forms a layer/raft over the stomach contents . Good for taking when you are in the throes of an attack .

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