Silent reflux nightmare

[elizbake]

Hi all , I’m not sure it’s really linked to menopause , my GP thinks not . But I’m 49 and having lots of other peri symptoms so thought I’d post here .

So, I’ve been having nr constant acid in my mouth from around August this year , sore and burning throat , bad taste in mouth , salivating . No problems with swallowing or weight loss . I’ve been feeling really miserable and had a lot of panic around eating , mainly because I was worried about the burning sensation.

Anyway , went to the Gp , she prescribed me 4 weeks of omeprazole which worked almost immediately. I felt 100 times lighter !

Bloods and stool sample came back normal .

I've since finished the course and the symptoms are now all back . Ive cried all evening as I feel so miserable. I’ve cut out all caffeine and alcohol ( which I rarely drink ) tomatoes, onions etc . I’m looking at low acid diets and feel completely by it all .

I'm going back to GP on Monday , I expect I will be referred for an endoscopy.

I’m worried and fed up , anyone had any similar experiences ?

Are you on HRT? I developed acid reflux in peri due to the impact of progesterone in my hrt on the relaxation of the lower oesophigial splincter.

I manage mine by elevating my bed and sleeping on my left which stops the acid rising. Gaviscon advance is the best acid blocker as it forms a protective raft but I also make sure I don't eat post 6pm and eat largely low acid. I refuse to take PPIs as they are damaging long term and don't solve the problem. When you try to stop them you will get rebound reflux which you will need to work through.

If I stopped the hrt I think mine would go away but you really need to get to the underlying cause. For example if a hiatal hernia you could try muscle strengthening devices like the iqoro.

No Im not on HRT currently . This issue seems to have come on overnight , I’ve never had issues before . My dad has a hiatus hernia so this has crossed my mind .

Thanks for your reply x

• hiatal

Laryngo-pharyngeal reflux

Look this up.
Along with the usual stuff I found an article which said use diaphragmatic breathing which has helped me a lot. I think they suggest 5 mins of d breathing before and after meals.
I also avoid gluten which might also be helping.

Thank you . I’m just not sure what my triggers are at the moment . Seems to be everything 😊 I did have some cheese today and I have since learnt this is quite acidic !

• cottage

I find cheese can trigger mine largely due to the fat rather than the acid which slows digestion Mine is a lot worse in the evenings so I eat any cheese at breakfast and lunch. I did think for a while it might also be due to histamine intolerence which can present sometimes with reflux symptoms so that might be worth condering if you find you react to aged cheeses, avocado, fermented foods etc.

When mine was really bad the acid watchers diet helped. Overview here.
entsurrey.com/dietaryadvice-for-laryngopharyngeal-reflux/

There is also a Facebook group which is quite helpful.

Also slippery elm powder is really soothing for the oesophagus. You can buy it on amazon to mix with water.

Thank you x
is just seems like its like one of those things . It’ll be good to have an endoscopy though . I’ll push for a referral

They took you off and didn't taper you off? No suggestions of gaviscon or anything?

It's called rebound effect really common after short courses of omaprazole etc you should have been told to taper or use gaviscon for a few days it can come back worse than it was before

I had similar symptoms and an endoscopy (following a blood test) confirmed coeliac disease.

Agree about the rebound - it can be brutal. I'm on permanent omeprazole but still need to use Gaviscon several times a week. If you've got to wait for your GP, you can buy omeprazole from a pharmacist, and the very similar esomeprazole is available off the shelf.

Bummer about the cheese. I developed dairy intolerance with menopause (and a couple of new allergies). It hasn't gone away so, rather tragically, I'm facing the rest of my life without cheese, butter or cream (fortunately, soya yoghurt's good these days). Wishing you a better dairy-related outcome.

I’m due to see go on Monday for follow up . I’ve tried to do my own taper , after 3 weeks trying to take a dose every other day . I’m not sure that was a wise decision but I’ve read so many negative things about PPIs I got a bit scared ! I’m not overweight and exercise everyday so I’m not sure what other lifestyle measures I can adopt .

I read that weightlifting may exacerbate symptoms but not sure how true that is !

Yes. I think many of us have similar problems. It’s very common to live with hiatus hernia, reflux, GERD and heartburn. You need to calm down and learn to manage this.

until you see the dr again and get more omeprazole you can buy Nexium over the counter or try Gaviscon. Some people find almonds soothing. There are lots of food/ drinks to avoid and you can look them up online, everyone is different, but anything acidic or fatty or alcoholic drinks can be irritating. Once you get used to it you can just take more omeprazole if you go out, have a big dinner or whatever 🥰

I won’t say that this too shall pass. Just get used to it and learn how to deal with it. It’s really not the end of the world.

soaking oats overnight I find a soothing start to the day.

you will learn to feel better and your GP can prescribe lots of different medications but as omeprazole working well, be grateful about that

Thanks 🙏

Why are you off omeprazole ? Surely the 4 weeks was a trial & it worked. Why hasn’t gp prescribed more ? I’ve been on omeprazole for years & it’s life changing. The symptoms of acid reflux are truly grim

I got the impression it was only prescribed as short term measure .

I’ll see on Monday . Thanks for your reply .

I got the impression it was only prescribed as short term measure .

I've been on omeprazole for two years. My GP's been on it longer 😂

That is reassuring , thanks 🙏

Over 10 years on omeprazole here!
I think it’s really common

8 years of omeprazole kept my acid at bay beautifully, but caused B12 and magnesium deficiencies.

It took a while to realise they were the indirect cause of slowly increasing symptoms I'd been having as the Dr never mentioned they could be - told me we all get niggles as we get older 🤔 Dread to think what they have done to my bones.

A bed wedge under the mattress (to tilt the head higher) has really helped me.
putnams.co.uk/products/bed-wedge-mattress-tilter?_pos=8&_sid=6492873ab&_ss=r

I would really think hard before committing long term to PPIs OP. They might help you feel better but are really just a sticking plaster. It is not healthy to artifically raise the PH of your stomach. Acidity is needed for nutrient absorption, to keep bugs like h pylori at bay and for a healthy gut microbiome, there are even some links to dementia from long term use.

Push for the endscopy to identify the root cause and then treat that. H2 inhibitors could help in the mean time, they are less potent than PPIs without some many long term side effects but you will still notice some acid so will need lifestyle measures alongside. This podcast is quite helpful for suggesting some lifestyle measures (15 min in)

Thanks so much . Just watched , really informative x