Anyone suffer recurrent acid reflux/heartburn?

[jalopy]

Need to hear postive experiences/outcomes. Feeling very despondent.

i suffered v. badly with this as a student. i was smoking too much and v. stressed. doctor told me to chill out, stop smoking and swill some gaviscon. did the trick then. only recurred while pregnant or if i am over weight. you do have my sympathy as it is a total misery. how long have you been suffering?

Urgh, it's horrible isn't it?

I got it when I was student, as like pesme, I was moking and drinking too much, and eating shite. It is also definitely stress related. I get the odd bout if it now if I am stressed. Gaviscon is deffo good.

What treatment has your GP advised?

I have never moked igw! although i did mope and smoke.

Thanks guys. I've had touches of it over the years but it has always resolved on it's own. This episode is a biggie. Started off with lumpy feeling in throat and belching seven weeks ago. Rapidly got acid reflux in throat, burning sensation, disgusting taste in mouth, so bad affected my sinuses and ears. Gradually worsening and now have sore upper tummy. Worse at night, despite elevating bed and sticking to all the other things they recommend. I don't drink or smoke and not overweight. Saw GP and ENT specialist. Prescribed lanzoprazole but this gave me colicky, upset stomachaches. Gaviscon helps short-term. Had a barium swallow last week, couldn't see a hiatus hernis. Am going to be referred to gastroenterologists soon. Feeling down about it all.

oh sorry to hear about this. sounds alot more serious than anything i suffered. i did have a small hole at the top of the tube from my stomach which resolved itself. hopefully the gastroenterologist will be able to help.

take care.

sounds awful

have they tried you on omeprazole? it's the same type as the other one they tried you on

you can actually get a low dose of it over the counter now (called Zanprol) while you are waiting for your gastro appointment

Gosh Jalopy, that sounds horrid.

I hope you do get something sorted. Tis horrible, I know.

Thanks, fox. I might have to try the low dose one.
Yep, Walrus, it's hideous. I'm quite stressed about it which obviously isn't helping

have they given you general advice? small meals - little and often. Don't eat too near to going to bed etc. etc. What did the barium swallow show?

Yes, I've followed all the advice about reflux over the last few weeks. The barium swallow was normal. They couldn't see a hiatus hernia. I trawled through the health archives and found one mumsnetter who has also had it badly but I believe she hasn't been on mumsnet for quite a while.

I had it badly around 10 or so years ago - had a barium swallow which was normal other than showing that I had a hyperacidic stomach. They then did a blood test (have they done this yet? sometimes they do a breath test?) where they looked for something in my blood that could mean I was more likely to get ulcers (cannot remember the name!). I didn't have that so was on omeprazole for months and then gradually came off it and was better.

It has returned to some extent now (hate that taste in my mouth!) but not bad enough for me to be worried about it yet.

I imagine they will need to check you don't have an ulcer

I had the blood test a couple of years ago but it was negative.
Also worried about dental erosion from the reflux as well.

Apparently Zantac is good.

hi I have it bad but had an endoscopy a few years ago and I have a hiatus hernia. I take lansoprazole every couple of days and I am fine. Have they checked you for H Pylori- the bug in your tummy which can cause ulcers- believe they do this via a blood test-if you have it you take antibiotics very strong ones and lansoprazole for 10 days. Sounds like fox in socks had this
Was terrible when I was pg, had to take gavisgon everywhere then eventually took ranitidine so can really sympathise

hi jalopy

was wondering if your specialist appointment had come up

annoyingly, since I last posted on here, I've been filling in a diary (for gynae bloke) and have realised that for a week out of everything month, I am hoarse in the morning - I hadn't put two and two together but it looks like this is as a result of bad acid reflux at night. I'm off to see the GP on Monday because I took some nurofen plus (as I had a migraine) and it felt like I had burned a hole through my stomach it was so painful.

Looks like no more nurofen for me and prob another prescription for omeprazole gggrrrrr

hope you are ok

Fellow sufferer here...had hiatus hernia when pg with dd, and the heartburn never quite went away. I took Omeprazole for six weeks, then had an endoscopy - then moved on to Zantac in the evening which, for me, did the trick sufficiently.

Here I am, 30 weeks pregnant, been on maximum dose of Zantac plus Remegel ever since about 10 wks pregnancy - grrrf!

Sympathies to you all....and yes, I had hoarseness/cough/slight sore throats which were definitely connected to the reflux. I have the cough now, especially when I eat

Lucy......yeah, if you can get it, eh?!

Thanks, Fox. Feeling absolutely rubbish today. Unfortunately my reflux problem has snowballed into IBS symptoms as well (see latest IBS thread). Have bad upper tummy pains at the mo. Zantac has helped but still uncomfortable.
Am seeing specialist early next week and will get blood results back too. Thanks for enquiring.

Sorry to hear about your hoarse voice, hope it's not too problematic for you.

Elibean, my sympathies

((jalopy)) do try the omeprazole (over the counter version), its definitely more effective than Zantac. IBS is bad enough on its own, you poor love.

Thanks, Elibean, reluctant to try omeprazole because I felt so bad on Lanzoprazole.

Sorry...hadn't seen rest of thread, did'nt realize that. No wonder you're reluctant. Hope the doctor is able to help, and soon...

Just wondered...have you been under particular stress with this flare-up? I don't mean from it (obviously you'll be stressed by all that discomfort) but before/during it?

Had it quite badly during late pregnancy - the only thing which helped was cutting out fatty foods like cheddar / icecream and rich / refined foods like chocolate, completely and cutting down on the sizes of meals quite drastically. Simple food meals like brown bread, tomatoes, an avocado etc about 4 or 5 times a day.

I also am a sufferer - bad reflux. Diet is a huge help, and I read that simple carbs easily digested are good as they don't cause so much acid production, so white rice, mashed potato, pasta etc. Seems to settle stomach after a flare up.

I had all the tests years ago, gastroscopy etc but they didn't find anything. It seems to run in my family my brother is esp. bad and we think it is just a "hyperactive" stomach producing too much acid!

Hi jaolpy, any more news?

I am back on omeprazole for 2 months and already feeling the better for it. No more hoarse voice and waking up with that nasty taste in my mouth!

Hope you have had some good news.