Acidy Stomach?? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Gordon]

CBC: Complete Blood Count

Basically, a catch-all blood test.

 

[Ron-P]

Been there done all that. I have a mild case of GERD. It was causing a slight inflamation and soreness in my throat around the voice box area. I had the camera and all the other associated testing. Everything is fine and I'm on, oh heck, I cannot remember. I'll have to check the bottle when I get home. It's not an acid blocker it quells the amount of acid the stomach produces.

Good luck and have fun


Peace Out~

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

mmmm, Upper Endoscopy. Thoes are just so much fun. You get knocked almost out and wake up with a sore throat for a few days. I had one done when I was diagnosed with my Hiatal Hernea.

At least they didn't have an upper GI done, thoes aren't too fun. Big old Barium drink and a ton of x-rays.

Sounds like you are on good track to getting it taken care of.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

Well I had the procedure done. Wasn't the best experience of my life. I was awake for most of it but really didn't feel a thing. The only major problem I had was my doctor. He was supposed to come out after and tell me what the story was. He left and booked me to see him in 6 weeks to talk to me about it!?! During the operation he mentioned that the Ranitidine is doing nothing for me, so he prescribed me a different drug called Prevacid. Anyone know anything about it? All he said was that there was a problem and that the current drug is not working. Please someone here, explain Prevacid a little more and should I be worried about this whole thing? If the doc thinks I can wait 6 weeks to hear the news then perhaps I shouldn't be.
Thanks

 

[Parker Clack]

Chad:

Nexium (a coated version of Prevacid), Prevacid, Prilosec and Protonix are all PPIs or Proton Pump Inhibitors. They all tell the stomach to stop producing so much hydrochloric acid. They are all prescribed when there is evidence of GERD (gastric reflux disease). In today's medicine other than the PPIs there really isn't much else they give or do.

It used to be that many of the PPIs were not given for the long term but they are being given to be for periods of several months to years now a days. It depends on your condition and your doctor and only he/she will be able to tell you how long they want you on it. For now take it every day until you go into see him/her and they will tell you how long to continue to take it. The fact that you threw up "dark" emesis sounds like blood to me and probably means you are working on or have an ulcer. Which could very well have been brought on by the alchohol that you drink.

You should seriously consider really backing off the drinking altogether. I too liked to party a lot and drank more than my share of 5ths but since you have GERD and a possible ulcer drinking is only going to aggrevate the situation and make things bad all over again. At least don't drink until you have seen your GI doctor again and have given your gut a chance to heal.

You are going to be a ok but you need to allow yourself some time to heal and get better. This is only going to be done over time.

Parker

 

[Bill Williams]

Chad,

Two and a half years ago, when I was formally diagnosed with acid reflux, my physician prescribed Prevacid to me. I had to take it once a day for a month in order to curb the side effects of GERD. When I first began to take it, I considered the possibility of going on it long-term, but notations in the Physician's Desk Reference clearly stated that Prevacid cannot be taken for the long-term because of possible side effects to the medicine.

Since then I've not taken Prevacid again, though I've had two more bouts with acid reflux, one serious (last October), one minor (on my honeymoon, of all times!). That latter time I took a couple of Tums and slept for about 12-13 hours, and by the afternoon I was able to eat light foods.

Seriously, if you're planning to take Prevacid, make sure that you don't go on it long-term. It can only be taken in short-term doses for no more than a month. The other thing is to really regulate what and how much you eat and drink. I have to do that now that I'm approaching 40 in a couple of years.

 

[Kevin Farley]

I agree with dropping coffee. Made a HUGE difference.
Also, look at acidic foods:
orange juice
coffee
cheese
dairy

pretty much everything. Coffee and OJ each are very acidic. Look at these before going to medicine.

 

[StephenK]

Chad, sorry to say this but your doctor's an asshole. To not even consult with you, post procedure is ridiculous! Especially since an endoscopy is mostly a visual exam. He could have also taken a biopsy during the procedure with the endoscope if he saw something he didn't like. Maybe he's waiting for those results before he gives you a final diagnosis but he should still have given you a preliminary opinion.

Couple quick points to add to everyone else.

I had the same problems as everyone else here. My endoscopy revealed a duodenal ulcer. Went on prevacid, helped a bit, controlled diet, helped even more.

The biggest improvement for me though, was to stop eating late! I always ate dinner around 9:00 and was going to bed around 12:00 to 1:00. My gastroenterologist suggested controlling both diet and timing of my meals.

A few other foods to stay away from. Tomatoes are a very acidic food, try to stay away from them (really hard for me). Chocolate is also bad.

Lastly,

Zen, it's Demerol

 

[Bill Williams]

Minute Maid has a pulp-free low acid orange juice that is a good substitute for regular orange juice. I've had it in the hours after I've gone through acid reflux, and it doesn't upset my stomach. But as I posted in an earlier post, each person's body chemistry is slightly different.

 

[Chad Ferguson]

The end result of this at the moment was that they found 3 ulcers.I've been prescribed Prevacid for a 1 year term now. Also, he booke an appointment for a year later. So right now, I plan on avoiding most bad things for at least a month. I've changed my diet pretty much, no eating past 9, no pop, no junk food. I will have the odd Fast food but that's about it. Also, I'm working out and taking Whey Protein and L-Glutamine, I believe this stuffs actually helps with ulcers as well. I've avoiding boozing for a while, mainly cause of lack of funds. The doc alos mentioned that if it continued, it could lead to some pre cancer things like "Herberts"(think that is the term he used, will double check) Just thoguht I post this in case anyone else is going through something like this and also I have a couple more questions. In two weeks I was thinking about starting Creatine, does this hurt ulcers in anyway or stomach for that matter? How long does it take ulcers to fully heal? I have not felt one bit of burning or anything since this prevacid started. Anyways, that's the longest paragraph that should have been 5. Thank you very much for all your help

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

mmmm, Upper Endoscopy. Thoes are just so much fun. You get knocked almost out and wake up with a sore throat for a few days. I had one done when I was diagnosed with my Hiatal Hernea.

Dredging up this ancient thread to say it's a relief to hear someone say that the sore throat persisted for a few days. I've had GI problems for several years, and difficulty swallowing the last couple months.

From a barium swallow test a couple weeks ago, they identified a small hiatal hernia and a narrowing of the esophagus. I had an upper endoscopy Friday morning to investigate the narrowing of the esophagus. Based on that it appears that I have Barrett's esophagus and/or eosinophilic esophagitis.

After the swallow test, my GP put me on 40 mg of omeprazole daily. The GI doctor said that the esophagus actually looked improved in the endoscopy versus the swallow test, which would seem to indicate that the omeprazole is doing its job. I missed my dose on Friday because I got nauseous from the anesthesia, and ended up sleeping for several hours once I got home.

Today, the sore throat was worse than yesterday, so I was freaking out as I approached the 48 hour mark. Sounds like it's not uncommon for that to take a few days to abate -- especially since the doctor performed a dilation on the narrowing and took several biopsies.

 

[JohnRice]

Since Adam dredged this topic up from 15 years ago, I figured I might as well chime in that I started having reflux a couple years ago.
After trying several OTC solutions, which could help, I kept seeking out better options. I finally found out that I simply don't drink enough fluids, and probably never have. I drink water and unsweeted (home brew, loose leaf) tea almost exclusively, so what I drink isn't the problem. It would typically hit me at night and after a few bites of food at the beginning of meals. I can't believe how simple it is, but I just make a point of drinking plenty of water, especially before meals. Sometimes I'm surprised how much I can drink and still not feel like I've over done it. Often I don't feel thirsty, but I can still easily down a 20oz or more tumbler of water. I also significantly increased how much water I drink with meals.

 

[greenscreened]

So much conflicting info on medical sites as to which foods are acidic or alkaline, as well as their percentage rates, I could scream. It's all a trial and error.


Don't know if these have been mentioned for people with symptoms:

Try to avoid taking OTC antacids for more than a couple of days in a row...Tums, Rolaids, Gaviscon, especially the flavored ones, as mint etc. can also trigger symptoms in some.

According to some studies we need a balance of acidic and alkaline foods, so if they are doing their job, the antacids of course remove the necessary acid.
Never take them before meals (unless stated on pkg.) as they offer no help for the upcoming (sorry) meal, just the previous, at best.

Flavored gum and toothpastes as well, for some.
A healthier alternative to gum to promote saliva is one or two bites of celery.
Keep the stringy part in the mouth to chew or move around in your mouth indefinitely.
Maybe even better for the teeth and fillings as well.

Sometimes a glass of warm water right after the meal helps, if not directly for Gerd or Reflux, then upset stomachs.

Don't forget posture when sleeping, too, as a good amount of digestion takes place during sleeping

If you sleep in the fetal position, make sure you only have the legs bent w/o scrunching the abdomen/intestines.

It takes some conscious effort if you haven't been doing it previously.
From the top of the head to the bottom of the buttocks...as straight as a comfortable 'Attention' profile as you can (another challenge if you like to spoon).

Bottom of the butt to the toes, do whatever you want, although keep blood circulation in mind.

Tucking your chin into your body is also not advisable, as some may swallow and breathe differently.

Eat more than three times a day, but smaller portions at one sitting.

 

[JQuintana]

I was on Omeprozole for many years but the silent acid reflux returned 2 years ago and doc switched me to Dexilant and it seems to be doing a nice job and fewer side effects. A co-worker is determined to get me on a regiment of apple cider vinegar with The Mother as a daily gut cleanser so I MAY try it at some point.