I've tried just about everything. All the things listed, yes apple cider vinegar, pineapple, PPI's blah blah blah. Nothing works. It gets better then it gets worse. Entire summer really good, fall really bad. Right now my mouth is burning. Made the mistake of eating pizza and not washing it down with anything, now I have mouth on fire that won't go away. I'm sick of this. I can figure out anything but I've tried almost everything. If this keeps up I may end up going back to a doctor and we all know how desperate you have to be to go to a doctor. They don't listen to you and then they throw PPI's at you that don't work any better then any of the other crap you've taken (DGL, ACV etc. etc.). It almost feels hopeless. And what kills me is I have a friend that had the same thing, his started close to the same time as me, his went away 4 months ago and he is now eating like a pig. No symptoms at all. Booze, pizza, hot wings you name it he eats it. It really pisses me off. Sorry for the choice of words, just mad as hell.

I've tried just about everything. All the things listed, yes apple cider vinegar, pineapple, PPI's blah blah blah. Nothing works. It gets better then it gets worse. Entire summer really good, fall really bad. Right now my mouth is burning. Made the mistake of eating pizza and not washing it down with anything, now I have mouth on fire that won't go away. I'm sick of this. I can figure out anything but I've tried almost everything. If this keeps up I may end up going back to a doctor and we all know how desperate you have to be to go to a doctor. They don't listen to you and then they throw PPI's at you that don't work any better then any of the other crap you've taken (DGL, ACV etc. etc.). It almost feels hopeless. And what kills me is I have a friend that had the same thing, his started close to the same time as me, his went away 4 months ago and he is now eating like a pig. No symptoms at all. Booze, pizza, hot wings you name it he eats it. It really pisses me off. Sorry for the choice of words, just mad as hell.

Hey, I feel for you! Ive been MISERABLE the last 5 to 6 months. Ive gone to the gastro a whole bunch of times, to the ENT a bunch of times, and have had my medicine changed and increased at each and every visit. Tests and results and more tests and results. Neither doctor knows why I still suffer so they bounce me around. The Gastro says: Go to the ENT it's all in your throat, the ENT says: Go to the Gastro it is where it starts...and meanwhile NONE of them are helping and I continue to pop pills that are NOT helping and continue to suffer with no help in sight. So I understand how you feel, and on top of all this I have to be careful NOT to be upset and NOT to eat the wrong stuff! Grrr!! Enough to make you scream which of course is something I can't do though because my throat would croak.

So...Yes, a lot of us have tried everything and are at our wits end. I'm drinking oil! How desperate?? BUT...it is working. Fingers crossed.

Cheer up. :)

I understand exactly how you feel. I've finally given in and been on the purple pill for a month. Don't really think it has helped but decided I would give it a fair shake for a few months. Now the docs wanting to check out the gallblader I'm not sure what's next after we confirm that the gallblader is fine.

I'm going to get allergy testing done. I know milk really seems to bother me so I want to see if there is anything there. Otherwise I'm out of suggestions. Not sure what to do anymore, I've tried just about everything.

when mine gets to the point of throwing up, I just mix a couple grams of baking soda with 8ozs of H2O. Down it right after mixing. You will be belching and bloated a bit after, but the burn is usually gone.

Good Luck

Hi Everyone,

Neddy, What did your friend do that his went away all of the sudden?

I know how frustrated you are. I have been dealing with this for 2 years now and I too have tried everything. I feel like I am going to go out of my mind. I'm not sure what to do next. Going to the doctor doesn't seem like much help, I just get a different medicine that doesn't seem to help each time.

I am so frustrated now that I am having trouble staying upbeat that something might actually work.

Let me know if the allergy testing tells you anything. My husband was talking to a friend of his on the golf course and he said that he was eating tums and drinking mylanta from the bottle along with trying meds and none of it worked. Then he had some allergy testing done and found out he was allergic to wheat. He took wheat out of his diet and he has been fine ever since. I think taking wheat out of you diet is a little easier said than done. I started looking at ingredients in different things and found wheat in a lot of things. But if it means getting on with my life and being pain free I think it is worth it.

Laurie

I've recently discovered that I'm sensitive to wheat. Not sure yet if its all gluten, but definitely wheat. And corn. And sugar, of all things. Still trying to figure that one out. I'm doing an elimination diet and it seems to be working. Still have some more foods to test (dairy, citrus, peanuts, eggs, barley), but at least its helping to narrow it down.

Interestingly enough, the first way I can tell if I'm sensitive to something is that my stomach starts to cramp and my GERD acts up. Other symptoms have followed, but that's always the first sign.

The problem with the elimination diet is that your basically starving yourself. Yes your acid reflux improves but I think thats becuase you stomach is empty. Earlier post asked how friend of mine eliminated his reflux, he told me he didn't eat past dinner and started exercising. I've tried that and it hasn't worked for me, though not eating after dinner does help. I'll let you all know how my allergy testing goes, though I think I'm just meeting with doctor this week, not getting testing done till next appointment.

LOL! I've hardly been starving. I've been eating extremely well. It just takes a little more effort and creativity to prepare meals.

I make a big batch of brown rice at the beginning of the week and it lasts the whole week. Quinoa is a great cous-cous substitute and a cold quinoa salad with grated carrot, raisins, fresh mint and a light homemade dressing is delicious. There's plenty of rice-based pasta out there, and its not too bad. I eat a lot of raw and steamed veggies. Meat's not an issue and I eat chicken, fish, or the occasional piece of red meat or pork once a day. Rice milk is surprisingly good. Nuts, seeds, and fruit have taken the place of most of my usual snacky food. Since I also have blood sugar issues, I have to eat something every 2-3 hours anyway. While all this might sound bland, it isn't. Spices and herbs can be used. And thank goodness for garlic!

Its actually a good thing that I've started shopping/cooking/eating this way anyway. Its not like I can go out for fast food anymore, due to the reactions to wheat and corn.

Hi Nyxie, I was talking about myself. I really can't cook and don't have the time to cook so when I try to eliminate foods I end up in a constant state of starvation. Also even if it works unless it's a food allergy your not really eliminating the problem, more like avoiding it and in the process eliminating the joy of eating. I want to eat food that tastes good.

I'm starting to feel better again with my acid reflux. Why? I have no freakin idea. Last week horrible, this week not so bad. Wait till I eat all that Halloween candy tonight, wonder how I'll feel after that? Bad? who knows, I might feel great. No reasoning behind this. Sometimes I eat horrible and don't feel bad, other times I eat well and never felt worse.

Are you keeping a food diary? While it may seem to be extra work, its worth it in the long run. Sometimes food intolerances show up 2-3 days after eating the offending food and its tough to think back to what the culprit might be. If you keep a notebook handy and jot your food/physical symptoms down, it'll also be an aid to your dr in dx-ing any potential intolerances.

I have been experiencing bad reflux for the past 9 months. Have been on various medications which have not worked for me. The last week or so, i have been eating steamed fish and vegetables. I bought a steamer and it surprisingly easy to prepare food. Plus it saves on the washing up. I have also been making soups. Butternut squash and pumpkin are my favourite at the moment. Cant use stock cubes, garlic or pepper - gave me serious problems. I am going to keep it up and hopefully the day will come when i can have a glass of wine and spicy food again. For now i'm feeling the best i've felt in ages

I've been told to try to avoid milk of any kind. Since I had problems with milk when I was little that went away when I got older the doctor thinks it may help to avoid milk of any kind for awhile. I have been feeling much better (about 90%). Is it avoiding milk or something else? Who knows, I've been through this before and I wasn't avoiding anything.

Neddy,

I have the same problems as you do. I never know when the gerd is going to act up. Sometimes I get tired of "watching" what I eat, especially after I have been feeling good for a couple of days, and I eat what I want and it doesn't cause any reaction.

I'm interested to know what happens with your allergy testing. I'm not sure anymore if mine is wheat or not. I seem to be able to eat it just fine right now and not have any problems.

I have been feeling pretty good for about a week now. I have no idea why. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to this.

Thanks, Laurie

Hi laurietrib, I still have the form to get the allergy testing done. I'm hoping to get it done by the end of this week or early next week. Either way I have been avoiding any kind of milk at all for a couple weeks. Seemed to feel better in the beginning and now it seems to make no difference. I think the thing is by avoiding milk I also avoid chocolate which seems to make my reflux worse. Yes I have a problem with milk (messes up my stomach) but I don't think it is the cause of my reflux. I'm running out of ideas.

Laurie,

You hit the nail on the head with the comment that you were having a good week with no rhyme or reason why. Of course, I'm thankful for a good day much less a whole week but it's so hard to really plan anything not knowing how you're going to feel the next day. I think in the description of GERD it says faulty sphinter muscle releasing acid into the esphogus without cause more than normal. We all have reflux at times especially after eating but I honestly don't think Dr's really have a clue as to why some more than others. There are things that have shown to cause reflux (overweight, big meals, certain foods, etc) but it can happen in a skinny person with a glass of water.

Charla

I'm skinny as you can get so losing weight wouldn't help me. The problem with reflux is once you let the genie out of the bottle it's almost impossible to put it back in. Mine was started by extreme stress and anxiety along with antibiotic use, of this I have no doubt. Problem is I haven't taken any antibiotics (and never will) and have absolutly no stress but nothing stops it once it starts. Also no way will I get that operation, thats sounds like it's a roll of the dice depending on your surgeon. I don't take any medication for GERD and also never will. It was worse when I was on it. Either we need to figure out how to strengthen that LES muscle or we need to make sure there is no pressure on the LES muscle that makes it open up. I have heard a million idea's on how to do these things, so far none have worked.

Hi neddyflanders, I do agree that if I eat chocolate my reflux will act up. I try to avoid any food after 7 pm and that seems to help. I hope your allergy testing goes well. I'm starting to wonder if mine is a wheat allergy now since I have been doing pretty good for a little over a week now which is amazing for me and I have had wheat products. I still have a burning throat and pain in my chest when I sleep that wakes me up and goes away when I sit up. I can't take meds for GERD either, it make me feel worse. Lately I have taken Pepcid AC before eating if I feel bad and it seems to be working as long as I dont take it too many days in a row.

I too Charla can never plan anything because I don't know how I will feel. I dont know about you, but when my GERD is really acting up I get scared. I'm afraid to be alone. I always have to be with someone just in case it isn't GERD and is a heart attack instead. I know I sound crazy. I have had all the tests for my heart and they are all fine. I do have high blood pressure so I see my cardio every 4-6 months and he says to let him worry about the heart attack, but that is easier said than done.

How long have you been suffering with GERD? I have for almost 2 years now. It started when my BP was very high and a different doctor gave me a different med than usual. I haven't taken that med in almost 2 years, but cant shake the GERD.