GERD Sufferers..I feel good...let me tell you why...
I almost feel guilty for feeling so good and not sharing the info, cause I know it might help someone. For quite a while now I have been reading posts on this board and it seems like we all have the same symptoms in one way or another, but the doctor's can't find anything that could explain all of the pains we feel. Although I have been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia almost 9 years ago and I still had it 1 month ago when I had another endoscopy. There is nothing else physically wrong with me. I have had a colonoscopy, CT scans, ultrasound, barium, everything. My symptoms were pain after I eat, terrible, horrible heartburn that made me miss work and walk the floor all night and it got to the point that I just could NOT eat anything except white rice. My body was in a constant spasm and it felt like someone was twisting a knife under my ribcage Someone on this board suggested I try some Magnesium supplements to calm the nervous system. I can't even believe how good I feel. NO MORE NEXIUM! Did you all know magnesium was necessary to activate protein digestive enzymes and it is a natural antacid? and a deficiency of it will cause spasms (that under the ribcage pain). I have also been taking a pancreatic digestive supplement found at the health food store and the gas and bloating and heartburn is GONE. Now, I can't stop eating, because nothing bothers me anymore. The PPI's I have been taking so long, prohibt your stomach from producing stomach acid which prohibts proper food digestion, which supports heartburn. I take the pancreatic supplement to help breakdown the proteins and fat from foods. Get the book the Miracle of Magnesium by Carolyn Dean and I'm sure it will change someone elses life. I hope this helps.
[This message has been edited by bluepumkin (edited 07-26-2003).]
You find magnesium supplements in the same aisle you would find vitamins. They sell it with calcium and zinc together in one pill, I also have some of those but I find I still need the actual magnesium supplement by itself first. I take the other one just for the calcium benefit. Are you having that same pain on the left side under the ribcage? Good luck to you.
The Following User Says Thank You to bluepumkin For This Useful Post: Soup kitchen (09-03-2012)
Hey Suzy and Boo-Boo,
my experience has been that the pain was a gnawing type pain that was constant under the ribcage. I also think that the many years of using ppi's to reduce acid was a major factor in all of my problems. the medicine reduced the amount of acid your stomach produces and then your food can't breakdown, then you get heartburn, bloated and gassy from the food backing up and take more antacids. It's a cycle, the supplements help so much it's incredible. They help to activate digestive enzymes and breakdown your food. My pain was on the left and somewhat in the middle and it went straight through to the back and it was painful.
[This message has been edited by bluepumkin (edited 07-31-2003).]
I have never heard of that before. What does your doctor say about it or has he/she said anything at all. My doctor just gives me another script for another pill and never listens to my symptoms. I don't have constant pain on the left side but I have had it before and it is no fun. My biggest problem is more with reflux than burn. I always feel the food sitting in my throat. I always feel like I have bad breath. Does any of this sound familiar?
Martinifreak,
I showed the doctor everything I was taking and told him that I discontinued the Nexium. He looked everything over and said "fine". I couldn't figure out what that pain was at first but then I realized it was a spasm when I went to the hospital and morphine took it away for a little while. The food getting stuck feeling... It's like you beat your chest trying to make it go down, right... if it's even really in there. No more spasms and no more heartburn. I really really think that those PPI's and antacids have a rebound effect just like painkillers. They work for a while then you take more and more with no relief. Everything is gone and I feel better.
The Following User Says Thank You to bluepumkin For This Useful Post: bob195819 (10-21-2011)
Harry,
I'm still a little upset that I had to suffer for so long with something so simple as a magnesium deficiency. I even found a book about it and it breaks down the symptoms and they were exactly what I had. I never would have guessed that someone would write a book about it... I see the posts about trying so many different ppi's and now I really realize why they don't work after time. Maybe now I should change my user name to Happypumkin...Thanks again.
[This message has been edited by bluepumkin (edited 08-03-2003).]
You know the way I got involved with nutrition and alternative medicine was I had Protate problems for several years and went to see several doctors including 2 Urologist.
A regular family doc told me about his Dad that had the same problem and was cure with vitamin/ mineral supplement and he gave me some Zinc/ Vitamin C capsules ---- 3 days later I was well!!
I thought that if I am lacking Zinc and Vitamin C in my diet then I must be lacking some others nutrients as well. So, I bought a book " Let Eat Right To Keep Fit" and since then I have gotten alot more into Homeopathy, Herbal medicine and Nutritional Medicine, Bach Flower remedies, Cell salts as well as regular Medicine.
I now am a big believer in--- Lack of Knowledge is poor excuse for Bad Health !!!
Your life has been truely changed by a mineral --magnesium!!!
Harry
[This message has been edited by Harry (edited 08-03-2003).]
The magnesium idea sounds great but....I have been doing some research and it's to my understanding that too much of it can react as a laxative and also can cause kidney damage. So how much would a person know to take plus all the magnesium a person would get from food?
Jacklyn,
Part of the problem is that we are not getting it in our foods, the soil is so depleted we don't get nearly the nutrients are grandparents did. Yes, magnesium can have a laxative effect if you take too much... but why would you overdose on a magnesium pill. Have you ever noticed that some antacids have magnesium in them. Look at the label. That's why it's makes more sense to just take the supplement to cut the neutralize the acid. If I have said it once I will say it again. Those acid reducers are the problem. You need acid to digest your food. Without it we get more heartburn and more gas. It has worked wonders for me. Get the book I mentioned on Amazon.com. you'll see.
Harry,
This whole "illness thing" has really turned me on to homeopathic medicine too. I have been seeing doctors for years with no good advice. They prescribe more acid reducers and I thought I've been on Prilosec, tagamet, zantac, prevacid, aciphex and nexium and STILL have heartburn, is this how I'm going to have to live the rest of my life and I'm only in my early 30's. They are only masking the illness by treating the symptoms but not getting to the root of the problem. I'll still go to the doctor, but I know to educate myself if I really want to feel better.
Bluepumkin,
Thanks for replying. I agree with what you said about acid reducers. That's just why I didn't fill my prescription for them. Instead, I am trying CidaBan DGL
which is a dietary supplement for indigestion and heartburn. The key ingredient is licorice root. If this doesn't work, I will try magnesium. Thanks for sharing.
Hi
Thank you for your"e reply I think I will try your advise.Mine just seemed to have gotten worse over the last 2 months. I think the Nexium was making me worse.I think I have a new ang different pain every day .Thanks again I'll let you know how things go,
The following user gives a hug of support to ds49: bob195819 (10-21-2011)
Bluepumpkin,
I have been suffering with the exact same thing as you (symptoms). Have had numerous tests and blood work-ups. I have been dealing w/ Gastro. doc and most recently a surgeon (hiatal hernia/gallbladder??). I have taken Protonix (did NOTHING), Donotol Extendtabs (abdominal spasms) and most recently Nexium which after 2 days I quit as I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed !
Harry (member here) suggested on Saturday a.m. that I get "Magnesium Phosphorica" @ the health food store. I immediately went there (desperate for some sort of pain relief) and got a bottle. They are tiny little round pellets. The clerk told me to put 3/5 under my tongue, 3 times per day (they taste like sugar pills).
Apparently they are very popular according to the clerk. It says on the bottle, for abdominal spasms.
I responded w/ a post to Harry yesterday morning expessing my gratitude for recomending them as I was ALREADY feeling better ! I have been using them since and I have to say I agree w/ your comments, I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER !!! I am still cautious to eat as it has been sooooooo long that I've been afraid of what and what not to eat for fear of increasing my pain. I'm beginning to feel like my old self again, doing household chores and normal everyday activities that last week I wouldn't think of attempting to do !!
I am not 100% but I am feeling the best I've felt in a long, long time ! I'm still taking my script for Donotol Extendtabs also.
Bronti,
I couldn't find the kind you put under your tongue so I got the magnesium pills, and they both seem to work just the same. I am so happy to hear of another person who has found relief from this phantom illness. I can't even begin to describe the pain I was in. I'm sure you already know. The doctors thought I was crazy because all of my tests came back negative. I think the PPI's have a lot to do with the spasms, because now that I've quit taking all prescribed medicine I feel a lot better.
sounds great,now what im wondering is how do probiotics work into all of this? is it somethign we can stop taking or take them along with the magnesium ? and is this helpful with the gas and bloating from IBS ?
[This message has been edited by EchoeB42 (edited 09-29-2003).]
I won't get into all the problems I have been experiencing but they have been pretty much in line with everyone else's experiences. And yes I have also had all the tests which all came back okay.
I finally went to see a licensed nutritionist. He started off by really bashing the PPIs. He said the body has to have a certain amount of acid to break down foods so that we can get the right amount of nutrients. Also foods have to be broken down to a certain level so our bodies can rebuild the protein chains (assuming you are eating animal fats) for our body to use. Most of all your nutrients are absorbed through your stomach and duodenum. If you take antacids and ppis, you are not getting enough acid needed for proper food breakdown. This will lead to other problems such as malabsorbtion which can lead to a long list of other problems.
Anyway, I quit taking the Nexium which I was skeptical to do because I swear that all the pain I had the first time I tried quitting was due to a rebound effect. I started on a program that includes a lot of digestive stuff such as enzymes, omega-3 and omega-6, hydrochloride (to increase acid), ... I was skeptical on taking the hydrochloride pills because that was surely going in the opposite direction that the doctors were going. Since I started the program, a lot of symptoms have gotten better. I am able to eat again and I actually gained some weight which had been a concern. I believe that I was having some malabsorbtion because I could not gain weight and A lot of my stools floated (which can be a sign of malabsorbtion). I am still having some problems which I believe to be related to spasms (I can at times actually feel my upper stomach spasm) because limbitrol has helped (which contains medicines to help ease spasms).
I take a multi 2 times a day but that may not be enough magnesium so I will try adding a magnesium supplement to see what happens. Also, a was a rather heavy weekend drinker before my problems began and I have read that alcohol can really deplete your magnesium along with other vitamins and minerals. I will buy the magnesium today and will keep the board posted on my results.
My other post was lenghthy so I wanted to add some info on magnesium here:
Function:
Magnesium has several important metabolic functions. It plays a role in the production and transport of energy. It is also important for the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Magnesium is involved in the synthesis of protein, and it assists in the functioning of certain enzymes in the body.
Food Sources:
Most dietary magnesium comes from vegetables, particularly dark-green, leafy vegetables. Other foods that are good sources of magnesium are soy products, such as soy flour and tofu; legumes and seeds; nuts (such as almonds and cashews); whole grains (such as brown rice and millet); and fruits or vegetables (such as bananas, dried apricots, and avocados).
Side Effects:
Toxic symptoms from increased magnesium intake are not common because the body eliminates excess amounts. Magnesium excess almost always occurs only when magnesium is supplemented as a medication.
Magnesium deficiency is rare. The symptoms include muscle weakness, fatigue, hyperexcitability, and sleepiness. Deficiency of magnesium can occur in alcoholics or people whose magnesium absorption is decreased due to surgery, burns, or problems with malabsorption (inadequate absorption of nutrients from the intestinal tract). Certain medications or low blood levels of calcium may be associated with magnesium deficiency.
Deficiency symptoms have three categories:
Early symptoms include irritability, anorexia, fatigue, insomnia, and muscle twitching. Other symptoms include poor memory, apathy, confusion, and reduced ability to learn.
Moderate deficiency symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat and other cardiovascular changes.
Severe deficiency symptoms could lead to tingling, numbness, and a sustained contraction of the muscles, along with hallucinations and delirium.
Recommendations:
These are the recommended daily requirements of magnesium:
Children
1-3 years old: 80 milligrams
4-8 years old: 130 milligrams
9-13 years old: 240 milligrams
14-18 years old (boys): 410 milligrams
14-18 years old (girls): 360 milligrams
Adult females: 310 milligrams
Pregnancy: 360-400 milligrams
Breastfeeding women: 320-360 milligrams
Adult males: 400 milligrams
One of the problems of getting many minerals from veggies is that there is no telling how healthy the soil is that the food was grown in--- alot of veggies are grown in mineral depleted soil. I think taking a supplement that is readily absorbed is good. Gloconate , citate, asparate and oratate are all good. The oxide take more stomach acid for it to get broken down.
Hi blue pumpkin and friends, I took a calcium/magnisium supplement after reading the board last night and bam- the gas pain was gone. The supplement recommends 3 pills a day with total of 1000mg calcium and 500mg magnisium. Today I took one at breakfast, lunch and need a pill now but am waiting till closer to bed time. I bought the in store brand of my grocer. Thanks for the info blue pumpkin!
GERD Sufferers..I feel good...let me tell you why... 
