Does this sound like an acid problem?

[victorioussponges]

I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts! Visited the doctor with these symptoms a few weeks ago and he seemed pretty sure it was to do with acid, but so far I'm not getting much joy from the antacids.

I've had fairly mild burning pain just below my breastbone for maybe a couple of months, pretty much all the time except for maybe briefly after meals. Doesn't stop me doing anything - not that sort of pain - but feels a bit odd that it's almost always there.

What I've had a bit more of since I saw the doctor is pain lower in the abdomen every now and again - that's more crampy and on the far left. That makes me wonder if something else is going on - maybe not eating enough in the day at work?

I made an appointment to to back in the early new year but I don't know if I'd be wasting the GP's time and I just need to experiment a bit more with the antacids. Equally I've never had pain so consistent before which worries me a bit that I need to look at other options sooner rather than later.

Thank you!

Yes it does, but more importantly you need to find out the cause of the discomfort rather than just taking antacids as excess acid can cause damage to the oesophagus and stomach lining. It could be a hiatus hernia which are quite common, it could be gastritis caused by h-pylori which is treatable with antibiotics or a number of other things that will just be masked if you self treat. The doctor will probably prescribe PPIs for a month to see if it helps and maybe recommend an endoscopy to get a better look.

Thanks, Rosie - that's really helpful. I think I misunderstood the Dr and thought if the antacids worked (he suggested Gaviscon for few weeks and then Lansoprazole) that was it. He said to come back if those didn't work.

Perhaps early Jan is a bit soon to go back, with that in mind. I haven't really found a routine with Gaviscon because the instructions don't seem to fit - it hurts all the time rather than around mealtimes, which is what it seems geared at.

That's exactly how I felt when I was pregnant... any chance it could be that?

If you're just taking gaviscon then you want a dose after meals and one before bed as it works by creating a raft on the top of your stomach to stop any excess acid leaking back up your oesophagus. It may be helpful to raise the head of your bed by putting a wedge under your mattress so that you are sleeping on a slope and not eating anything for a 4 to 5 hours before bed.

Thanks @Flippant - definitely not but it did make me think of that! Particularly last week when I was super sensitive to smells all of a sudden!

@rosie39forever - thanks again - really appreciated. I will try to take it a bit more regularly over the next week following the kind of routine you suggest and failing that switch over to the prescription. Eating before bed is a bit of an issue because I get home late from work - often it's only a couple of hours before bed. I'll see what I can do with that in the new year.

This is a good watch... Explains digestive tract.

Gallstones?

Do any foods trigger it?

I take ranatidine for flare ups when needed, but I also have an actimel yoghurt drink every morning and that settles my acid!

I did have the endoscopy to rule out anything serious too.

Could be coeliac disease, or a gallbladder issue?