GERD for years- help!

[Gerdynuts]

I was diagnosed with GERD after a clear endoscopy in 2022, also clear on H-pylori. Was given a list of dos and don’ts and sent on my way.

I’ve followed them all, no high fat, no alcohol, smaller meals, elevated bed, not laying down after eating etc

for the first few years it was intermittent and I had bouts which I just put up with, but this year it has been daily and non stop

I constantly have red sore throat, horrible taste in mouth, regurgitation of food and liquid and nothing is working. Nothing over the counter and nothing in my lifestyle

I previously had the omeprazole and another prescribed one but it didn’t stop and eventually dr told me to stop.

I Feel stupid that I’ve put up with this all year without consulting a GP, which I will now do, but I am looking for advice for anyone who has had the same and eventually got on top of the symptoms or stopped altogether

up until 2022 I never had acid reflux in my life ( even when pregnant) I am 44 size 12, large boobs so heavy and construction type bra needed! 5ft 4 and around 10st 9lb genie

Also diagnosed with asthma last year with some inflammation in lungs which I’m not sure if it’s linked but asthma bouts come and go and usually weather or exercise triggered

Ive also got GERD and a hiatus hernia and used to have horrendous attacks, so I completely sympathise. I still vomit occasionally when there is too much acid in my stomach and can get terrible stomach pains. Omeprazole helps and it's always worse after certain foods like cereal, coffee or chocolate, but so hard to cut those out completely! I was a bit overweight but have been taking Wegovy to get back to a healthy bmi which has helped.

Do you take an inhaler with steroids? I got thrush from mine which made my sore throat worse.
I also find specific foods are triggers, and kind of did an elimination diet (I checked on one of the FB groups for ideas). Sadly though I can now eat cheese, chocolate is a trigger and I thought I'd try a florentine yesterday but no.

Oh and also omeprazole doesn't seem to do much but Gaviscon Advance is good. After meals and again at bedtime if you need it. I sleep on my left side too which can help.

I do have an inhaler but I don’t need to use it so I don’t think that’s a trigger. I feel like I’ve eliminated so much food, I can’t get through a glass of wine these days without instant burning so I don’t bother.
what’s a typical diet for everyone?

I also frequently wake in the night choking or feels like I’m swallowing my tongue

When I was eliminating things (I'm quite a bit better now 6 months on) I'd have cereal with oat milk, or toast with peanut butter or a mushroom omelette with breakfast. I skipped butter because it was too fatty. Tended to have a banana and some lentil chips, or a cereal bar for snacks, small lunch of just protein rich leftovers or a tuna sandwich, at least I could then have another snack. I cut down on the carbs with dinner and if the meat was fatty I just had half
The recommendation was for just 350 cals per meal with just 10g fat but to have as many meals as you needed (I had 5 including snacks).

I was the same as you with wine and anything remotely spicy.

Thanks, I may have to look at changing the diet again! I did wonder whether hormones are playing a part here but impossible to know for sure

I found omeprazole ineffective and it gave me a headache. I think I was alternatively prescribed medium or lanzoprazole which worked well. I did have hpylori so was prescribed a double dose and remained on it for several months until the sore throat improved. At this point I think I would be requesting a referral to gastroenterology as your GP seems unable to help you. There are potential health risks to long-term untreated acid reflux so if the GP can't treat this I would ask to be referred on.

*nexium not medium

Thanks, what long term issues can occur? I have already been referred to gastroenterology back in 2022 which is how I got the endoscopy and also another procedure with a camera down my nose to the back of throat. Do I ask for another referral?

that 2nd procedure was ENT department

I have started to get this, it's horrible. Tomato based sauces, red meat and spicy food , bread and oatcakes are all a disaster. I feel your pain.

I was supposed to get a follow-up ENT appointment but if it was supposed to be at 6 months it didn't happen.
I am still taking the Gaviscon Advance when I need to but otherwise I am pretty much on top of it. So I'm not sure I'll bother going back to the GP for a referral but you should.
However the ENT doctor did NOT give me instructions for Omeprazole, Gaviscon, or food, I got those from FB. So it's worth trying on there for the moment.

I first got GERD in 1979 and thought everyone had it. I discovered Rennies in the 90s. When I found out about PPIs I cried, by then I was buying a huge box of Rennies every week and was on Omeprazole then switched to Lansoprazole about 15 years ago.

I still cannot go a day without it, and cannot keep water down unless I have one a day. Yes, go back to the GP and try different meds to see what works.

I have similar symptoms and it’s also been going on for about 10 years. I’m 43, size 8. At the start I could go months with no symptoms but now it’s daily. PPIs sorted out flare ups in the beginning but I was keen to find the cause rather than just masking the symptoms. I had a gap from them for several years but recently had a really bad flare up so tried them again with limited success. I definitely think it’s a bit hormonal, I have other perimenopause symptoms too.
I saw a nutritionist just over a year ago and the diet changes help but I’ve recently been looking into other things like diaphragmatic breathing after eating, vagus nerve regulation, different supplements, and an IQoro device. None of these are quick fixes though so it’s too early to tell but I’ve definitely seen small improvements in the globus sensation.
I’ve found GPs just want to push PPIs.

Thank you for replies. NHS site says in severe cases or ones that don’t respond to treatment then surgery is offered. Has that happened to anyone?

Personally I would ask for another referral rather than leave it untreated. One long-term risk is development of Barrett's oesophagus.

My mum has severe gerd and it has caused Barratts oesophagus and damaged her teeth.

She did have surgery but it only lasted 6-12 months before it undid itself.

She has a limited diet but is able eat more than she used to. She can't have dairy, meat, garlic, onions, and commercial bread. She used to be only be able to drink water but she can now manage caffeine free tea, juice and soda water.

She has been on most medication but she gets difficult side effects. My daughter has been on omperazole since birth and she has very little effect at low doses and needs pretty high doses to get a benefit. She has been on 40 mg (20mg twice a day) since she was 3