Acid reflux help

[GelatoPistacchio]

I've always been prone to acid reflux but usually sorted with a healthy diet or a short course of omeprazole.

This time nothing seems to be helping. I've been referred for the camera test but as the consultant has already cancelled on me once I have no idea how long this is going to take.

Is there anything else I can be doing?

• Tried omeprazole and famotidine. Neither has helped.
• I have a food diary and I'm basically living off porridge, banana, salad, grilled chicken and brown rice. You know it's bad when banana is triggering reflux!
• Bought one of the those wedge pillows
• Lots of gaviscon
• Weight isn't an issue. I'm just over 8 stone but nervous that I'm going to lose more weight on this limited diet.

I'm really fed up now and worried. I think stress triggered this with talk of redundancies at work as month or so ago. The company I work for is in a much better place now but the reflux isn't going away.

Is there anything else I can try while I wait for this appointment?

I can’t offer any help you haven’t already tried but I suffer terribly on and off. I know my triggers (mainly chocolate heartbreakingly), always sleep on my left and drink milk before bed.
I’ve had the Gastroscopy which showed a small hiatus hernia. Don’t assume the procedure will provide answers, I’m not taking any regular medication and have to just manage it on my own.

Dr Mandell is fantastic.

Don't eat anything close to bedtime, I try not to eat after 6pm and nothing fizzy even water. You have my sympathies, it's rotten. Is there any reason why you can't take omeprazole all the time? I'm supposed to take 40mg every day

Bananas give me heartburn. Very yellow ones so maybe make sure they're soft/going brown. Apologies if you already do this.

Thanks everyone. In reply to a few points:

I've cut out coffee, not a fizzy drink fan anyway and try to have my last meal of the day as close to 6pm as I can but tricky on the days I'm commuting back from the office.

My GP hasn't suggested going on omeprazole long-term and I would be reluctant to do so at the moment. They make it difficult to absorb some micronutrients and I was hoping to try to conceive our second child next year (all being well with my health) so ideally I would be building up a micronutrient store. Plus the (admittedly not conclusive) link between long-term omeprazole and dementia.

Maybe banana is a trigger for me too. It's hard to be sure when everything I eat at the moment triggers it. I can't see a pattern from my food diary yet.

Has your GP tried you on metoclopramide as well?

Nope that's a new one! Worth a try