No more doctors - Acid Reflux / GERD Message Board

neddyflanders · 03-26-2007, 12:27 PM

If your like me you've been to the family doctor, ENT and the gastro doctor. None of you have been helped by anything they did and they don't know anything more about reflux then you and I (less I think). All we can do is try to stop it ourselves. Those strong PPI's don't seem to work (but they do give you a good amount of side effects). If your main symptom is LPR when sleeping like me here's what works best.
1) raise head of bed
2) sleep on left side (also good for sleep apnea if you have it)
3) Take Pepcid Complete before bed and then again at 3AM. I take half at 3AM, antacids of any kind seem to give me nightmares at high doses, but if you can tolerate it take full 2nd dose.
4) Don't eat for 3 hours before bed
5) take probiotics and digestive enzymes. Not sure if they work but I take them just the same.
6) Big RULE (do as I say not as I do). When you improve do not go back to eating like you use to do, stay with good diet. Avoid pototoes, tomatoes and god help you lay off the BBQ sauce. That did me in this time, I love the stuff.
7) only drink 1 or 2 beers on weekends, if you can tolerate it.

Thats more then any doctor will tell you and it helps you more then any doctor. Your better off going to a ***** doctor.

snowflake11 · 03-26-2007, 06:01 PM

i agree neddy - if doctors could cure this they'd be out of business so they throw ppi's our way which cause side effects and keep us coming back to them. i think acid suppression does more harm than good and makes things worse. so yes,its up to us to find our own solutions like you are doing. thats why i like this board because we can all share own fixes and help each other. personally i find that when i don't focus on acid problems, i feel alot better. i have been eating alot more greens and fiber and that is helping me too. and one more thing about bed elevation - weirdly, i tried that for a spell and the relux was worse! now i lie flat on my side and i am doing much better so go figure - everyone must experiment for themselves and listen to their own body wisdom.

chikkie14 · 03-26-2007, 08:19 PM

I also ma tired of going to this doctors.. been a long time and I dont feel any different if not i feel worse! But does any of you have any sugegstions how I wil manage this pressure in my head and ear... it makes me feel so drowsy and like I have no control of my body and that I am about to have a seizure! I am really at my wits end I am so scared but going to the doctore just dont seem to help me

CHALUPA · 03-26-2007, 08:30 PM

Hi everybody i also have had it for 11 months and it is driving me crazy. I have shortness of breath all the time, pain inthe middle of my chest, bloating in upper abdomen,nut in my throat and sometimes i get burning in my throat like i feel like my throat is closing. I can't believe but i was fine one day and then woke up this way. The shortness of breath is what kills me the most. I have been on every ppi there is and every other med and nothing seems to work. I watch my diet very carefully and raise my bed 12" i feel that sometimes i fall of when i am sleeping. With all of this nothing seems to help me at all. IF ANYONE HAS SOME HELP IT WOULD BE GREAT>>

scott1360 · 03-27-2007, 09:57 AM

I saw my GI doctor this morning who basically told me he doesn't know what else to do and refered me to another doctor who supposidly is a specialist with esophageal problems. I feel so helpless.