To ask about your acid reflux symptoms (with TMI alert)

[Flowerpower36]

If anyone else suffered with acid reflux, and if so, how does it affect you? And what has worked in terms of treating it?

my symptoms are:

bitter taste in my mouth especially first thing in the morning

lump in throat feeling / globus sensation

throat spasms after eating, leading to occasional vomiting of saliva (sorry)

excessive saliva production

waking up coughing in the night with water in mouth :(

can anyone else relate at all??

Had an endoscopy not long ago which was normal. Symptoms have been put down to reflux. I’m really struggling!!
been on omeprazole for years but it’s never been this horrendous before, this has recently been changed to lansaprozole.

Yes camera, pH test, multiple scans but no, they don't actually know. They even took my gall bladder out even though I knew that wasn't it. I was offered the hiatus hernia surgery the day before we left the UK and I'll pick it up here in France now I'm in the system. But I am not sure I'd want that as a friend of mine nearly lost her husband after the same op.

You can get famotidine on prescription. It's the same type of drug as ranitidine. I take it as well as lansoprazole.

You can get famotidine on prescription. It's the same type of drug as ranitidine. I take it as well as lansoprazole.

Useful to know, @ofwarren , thank you. If my symptoms start to come back I’ll know what to ask for.

I’ve also had Famotidine on prescription and taken it with Esomeprazole. It helped but adding in Amitriptyline to the Esomeprazole has been a game changer.

Previously I’ve had hiatus hernia repair and a wrap, a Nissens Fundoplication. Neither of these procedures cured my acid reflux but have left me unable to vomit. I really wish I hadn’t had the surgery.

Just a note for @Flowerpower36 and anyone else on proton pump inhibitor medicines (like omeprazole). I was on a low dose of omeprazole for a few years and had very low iron levels towards the end. After many scans and worries that I was losing blood somewhere (limited periods due to contraceptive so not that!) it was put down to issues with iron absorption due to the PPI.

There is a lot of research suggesting this effect exists but more in very long term use, and its certainly not a reason to not use PPI. Just a heads up that if you're feeling the classic aneamia symptoms and you're on longer term PPI might be worth getting iron levels checked!

I have dreadful reflux and, in the past, was
diagnosed with a hiatus hernia which was partially repaired (crural repair not Nissans fundoplication as I was having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy at the same time and couldn’t have both done)11 years ago. After a few years I needed to go back onto omeprazole when pregnant with my twins and expected things to resolve when I had had them - but it didn’t so I was back to GP who upped dose until I was on 40mg twice daily with regular nights of waking up choking and feeling like I had aspirated on vomit; it affects my asthma as I then become wheezy and risk chest infections. I have 3 pillows on the bed at night and sleep almost upright.

Last December I had a gastroscopy that showed bile reflux into the bottom of my stomach despite being on such high dose omeprazole and they recommended a gastric bypass if a change of medication doesn’t help. They prescribed Esomeprazole twice daily and famotidine once daily. In general it has reduced things but I still regularly get nights where I wake up coughing on acid and feeling as if I’ve aspirated on it (last night was one) so I’m now on the pathway to having the revision surgery to gastric bypass which the hospital thinks will be within the next 12-18 months.

I was diagnosed via endoscopy with a hiatal hernia and Baratts oesophagus

Symptoms, nausea, acid reflux coming up into my mouth, stomach pains.

Advised to avoid various different foods that trigger acid. Take 30mg Lanzoprazole every day.

I.prop myself up in bed

Not much else to be done unfortunately

I was on 40mg omeprazole daily, but now take one a week at the most if I know I'm going to be having a heavy meal or I get a flare up. Beyond that, Peptac does a good job of keeping things at bay.
I overhauled my diet, removed loads of things from it, and then gradually tried things individually to see what triggered the reflux.

I also discovered (thanks to an amazing nurse practitioner who unlike the multiple GPs I spoke to, didn't automatically dismiss me and insist taking naproxen twice a month for my horrendous periods must be the cause) I'm allergic to Calcium Propionate, a preservative found in processed bread in the UK, and also used in some dairy products. The symptoms from this allergy were stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting and not being able to eat at all. I make my own bread and always check the ingredients before eating something.

Other things I've cut out are crisps and corn snacks like Wotsits (suspect it's a certain kind of sunflower oil and Walkers are the absolute worst), any raw onions including spring onion, onion and peppers themselves have to be really cooked down soft although even cooked onion does sometimes cause it, vinegar based dressings or pickled items, heavy cream and high fat products like pastry. If it's been deep fried I can tolerate it as long as it has been well drained. And last but not least, I can't eat anything too spicy anymore and definitely no raw chilli.

I read somewhere to eat pineapple before bed. I thought that was the most ridiculous advice ever but it works for me. No idea how. 🤷‍♀️

She 'overhauled my diet, removed loads of things from it, and then gradually tried things individually to see what triggered the reflux.'

I have silent reflux so no heart burn, and it took years to work out what it was. GP kept saying post nasal drip. My symptoms are:
Tickly cough at night
Throat clearing in day
Low level ear infections - ears just constantly wet
Vomiting saliva after eating

I have unpleasant side effects from all the PPIs I’ve tried and I am worried about the long term effects, e.g. they lower B12 levels, can cause kidney damage, potentially linked with dementia and cardiovascular disease. All probably rare but still… . On the other hand, constant inflammation raises risk of oesophageal cancer.

I had an endoscopy and it showed a small hiatus hernia. My triggers are unfortunately white wine, esp sparkling, chocolate and curry. All of which contribute to me being a stone overweight. It has always been worse the more overweight I was. So there is a very easy solution, I just need the willpower to get there.

It did improve significantly when I did Keto for a bit, which is low carb and high fat. Lots of ideas for diet mentioned by posters, has given me some things to think about. Hardly any of you are mentioning weight though, and I think that is the biggest factor.

I've had surgery for esophageal cancer and now have my stomach repositioned much higher up and no sphincter .

I have found increasing my omeprazole from 20mg to 40mg has helped a lot with reflux .And sleeping propped up with lots of pillows .You may need one under your knees to stop you sliding down the bed . And one each side .

I'm a big fan of memory foam fleece covered half moon pillows like this Though I usually buy for about 12 pounds ,often from Lidls.

And then of course avoiding triggers -food with tins of tomatoes etc .Not eating late at night .Though some recommend popcorn to give the stomach a lining .

I don't get on with Gaviscon ,find it makes me vomit .

@Freltaskelta it was a conversation with a nurse practitioner when I was requesting yet more omeprazole and still not improving. I mentioned that bread seemed to make things worse and she said it was likely to be Calcium Propionate. Apparently it's actually quite common, but people don't realise. There isn't a lot of information about it on the internet, but I was alarmed when I was reading that in its purest form it is banned from use as it was giving those working with it rashes.
I now know if I've had it without realising as within an hour of eating the stomach pains are back. I was caught out with some takeaway chapattis a few weeks ago. Normally they are freshly made and don't contain any preservatives, but it was a new takeaway we were trying and they were far from fresh. I then learned that in some brands, they do use it.

Yes ,I'm sure weight is a factor .I've put weight on and it's worse .Though not eating does make me feel better .So could be chicken and the egg -it's the eating wot does it IYSWIM.

Yep, hiatus hernia sufferer, acid reflux too 😢 take 1 x 40 mg Esomeprazole every morning & Gaviscon tablets (the liquid version seems to upset my stomach). Having some further tests at the moment. Also suffer with Gastritis 🙄

I also seem to be sick after eating sausages now 😢

I know a lot about this.

Being on PPIs long term will end up exacerbating the problem as often reflux can come from low stomach acid rather than high. You might also have a hiatus hernia.

First, prop yourself up in bed to help gravity do its thing.

Secondly, these are the supplements you need:

Probiotics. Probio7 Advance is good, but try any you like.

Kefir every day - I like Biotiful. And not the flavoured one, the natural.

Mastic gum capsules. I use Mastika. They are bloody great. I open the capsules and put them in a glass with some water (I find it more effective this way) and swallow before bed.

Green tea.

The obvious lifestyle stuff like diet and weight. Stress is a major trigger so think about what may be making things worse. Try to get off the ppi’s slowly - they are not doing you any good.

I've had it for years. I'm on 30mg of lansoprazole twice a day and that usually keeps it at bay, but have a breakthrough event every few months when I have a burning stomach, reflux and a sore throat. Currently in the midst of one, not pleasant.

Had an endoscopy which showed nothing of
note. I'm going to look into diet adjustments.

I also struggle keeping my ferritin/iron up, which has been put down to taking PPIs (can't manage without them) and this not being able to absorb it.

This is very similar to me. My endoscopy shown nothing either.
My ferritin is low too and I cannot seem to hold on to vitamin D either.

I've weaned myself of the PPIs for the past 2 weeks and am now just on famotidine and gaviscon and to be honest it's been OK. I do have to watch the diet strictly if I'm not on PPI though.

That's really interesting, I have a hiatus hernia and have been told surgery won't help, I never really believed that.

I also know a lot about acid reflux, I wish I didn’t. I’m sorry but for me everything you’ve said is wrong.

40mg twice a day of Esomeprazole and 10mg of Amitriptyline allows me to live a normal life. The only thing I completely avoid is alcohol.

Are you medically trained? I am.

I’m glad PPIs are working for you - they do not for a lot of people and actually make the problem worse in a significant number. Not everyone who has acid reflux is suffering from high HCL.
Clearly the op is still suffering despite taking PPIs, so it seems logical that they aren’t working for her.