This seems logical but they prescribed me the emergency inhaler 4 times a day.
That could be. I was just pointing out that there is an inhaler used to treat HH that is designed to be swallowed when puffed. Not inhaled. Just make sure you are using them as directed.
i have Gerd and a Hiatal hernia.
I control it 99% of the time. My doctor advised against omniprosole as its not good to take every day.
I take 2 zantac (ranitdidine) a day, cut coffee intake in half, and consiously attempt to eat less food. Also the biggest no no is eating after 8’oclock.
doing so has greatly reduced my symptops to the point where it gets irritating only about once a year.
the true answer per my doc is a better diet and more exercise.
If I took 2 Zantac a day I’d feel great too. The problem is that any acid reducer/blocker is now being identified as a cause of the major health issues that come with GERD. The lower esophageal sphincter is triggered by stomach acid in order to constrict. If your stomach lacks the proper ph, the muscle doesn’t close and you get constant reflux, although at a lower ph. That lower ph is still unhealthy and does cause problems. Lowering stomach acid reduces your bodies ability to absorb minerals, this is well known and is a listed side effect of most of these drugs.
Bottom line of what I’m learning is that your body is an extremely powerful thing. It can heal itself if you follow the symptoms to the root cause. The problem in today’s modern medical world is it might take 3 different specialists to find it and none of them are even working together.
Who needs a specialist when you got IDO.
Fitaholics on HWY 65 can help you with the exercise and healthy meal plan. And for a lot less than a specialist and handful of pills.
Zantac isnt one of the problem drugs. Its why my doctor said to stay away from the prozoles.
Time for a quick check in.
I’ve been work with my chiropractor/holistic doc for close to a year on this and she’s been on my case pretty hard about going gluten free. In the past I’d removed most of the gluten from my diet but never all of it. I never saw a benefit from it so I slowly stared adding it back in until it was back to 10-25% of my diet.
Not only do I have th HH and EE, but I have a sore left shoulder, neck and odd shooting pains from the bottom my sternum following my sternum up to my collar bone and to the left side of my neck. This all seems to be originating from the area of the HH.
She’s still on my case about it so I finally decided to get really serious about it. I’m doing adjustments twice weekly and am successfully removing gluten from my diet.
I also received more test results from the allergist. They performed an IgE blood test. I show slight sensitivities to gluten, peanuts and walnuts. She says this is significant and is a likely cause of all this.
I am now 100% convinced that gluten is behind my digestive issues and possible behind the allergy issues that came up in the skin tests.
The past 3-4 days have been the best stretch in the past 18 months. That includes when I was on Zantac and omeprazole. Less body soreness and no strange side effects from the drugs. I still have some reflux but it’s very manageable. I manage it by manipulating my stomach back to where it’s supposed to be.
I’ve done a ton more research regarding HH, reflux and gluten. The links between gluten and seemingly all chronic illnesses is undeniable. I’m going to wait for 6-12 months of symptom free life before I call myself cured but I have to say that I’m pretty optimistic at this point.
Here’s some videos I found intriguing. The first one shows some HH manipulation techniques. The other is a very good vid on gluten.
Another update. Going on 3 weeks gluten free and can definitively say that it is making zero difference. I’ve also been at least one week coffee free and still zero difference. Indigestion, reflux, discomfort, burping, etc.
I’ve been eyeing Betaine HCl for almost a year now. The theory is that the vast majority of reflux issues are caused by low acid production rather than high acid production. It’s a fact that your stomach produces less acid as you age so it only makes sense that this is the most common factor behind reflux. I hadn’t gotten any because of the warnings about using it when you shouldn’t and overdoing it.
It’s finally starting to make sense that I don’t get reflux if I drink red wine. It has a ph of 3-3.6. You stomach acid has a ph of 1-3.
I got sone Betaine HCl from my chiropractor today and had it after lunch and again after dinner today. All I can say is wow. I feel like a different person. I don’t feel sluggish and bloated after I eat and zero reflux. It’s pretty early yet but I really think it’s going to help without the devistating long term side effects of ppi’s and h2 blockers.
I still have the issue of the HH but it seems my bigger issue may have been low acid. We’ll see.
To summerize:
A gastroenterologist diagnosed you with HH, EE, and acid reflux.
The gastroenterologist recommends omeprazole which is known to treat EE and acid reflux. I would bet the cause of the HH was from the acid reflux but I’m no Dr.
Therefore all three symptoms could be controlled or cured by using omeprazole.
Instead you are choosing to ignore the recommendations of a specialist in their field of work, and scientific research that backs up their recommended course of treatment and chose to listen to a chiropractor to take care of your internal medicine problems on anecdotal evidence and youtube videos.
The new plan to treat damage caused by too much acid in your gastrointestinal tract is to raise the acidity level by taking an acid supplement.
I wish you luck.
You forgot seeking expert advice on a fishing forum.
I have a HH also. I was diagnosed with it about 12 years ago. I take the acid reducer called “ACIPHEX”(Rabeprazole) it is a little different than the over the counter acid reducers. I had tried all of them with no results and allergic to them all. I would get hives, rashes, fever, itchy skin. This might be something to try? It seems most doctors won’t prescribe it because it’s not over the counter. It cost’s me $84/month for 2 pills a day, however I only take one per day and 2 as needed.. Diet and exercise definitely helps with re-flux. Also “never” eat anything after 8 pm., take a walk after supper for 15 minutes, sleep on your left side(this prevents food/acid from leaking out of your stomach). just a couple things that work for me. hope you feel better soon.
To summerize:
A gastroenterologist diagnosed you with HH, EE, and acid reflux.
The gastroenterologist recommends omeprazole which is known to treat EE and acid reflux. I would bet the cause of the HH was from the acid reflux but I’m no Dr.
Therefore all three symptoms could be controlled or cured by using omeprazole.Instead you are choosing to ignore the recommendations of a specialist in their field of work, and scientific research that backs up their recommended course of treatment and chose to listen to a chiropractor to take care of your internal medicine problems on anecdotal evidence and youtube videos.
The new plan to treat damage caused by too much acid in your gastrointestinal tract is to raise the acidity level by taking an acid supplement.
I wish you luck.
I’ m not gonna lie, you’re not far off base. Except where you say damage was cause by excess acid. Low acid production leads to a relaxed lower esophageal sphincter allowing stomach contents to enter the esophagus. The problem lies in that for every 1 study that supports the benefits of acid reducers as a treatment for reflux, there are 10 others that either disprove their benefits or show very serious side effects of long term use.
I started this thread because I was at my wits end and was looking for people with similar experiences that may have cured this ailment through a more natural approach. Of everyone I’ve talked to about their experiences with GIs, all have been treated exactly the same. Here’s some omeprazole to reduce stomach acid, come back in two months to have another endoscopy to see how it looks.
I have 2 coworkers that went through this process with vastly different symptoms. One has ulcers and gastritis, the other has hardening of the esophagus. All three of us were treated the same. Double dose of omeprazole and come back for an endoscopy.
The attitude toward acid reducers, specifically ppi’s and H2 blockers is rapidly changing. Unfortunately the medical community is slow to change while waiting for more research to come in. Do me a favor and check out these links before you pass judgement. If
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-ppis-have-long-term-side-effects
I have a HH also. I was diagnosed with it about 12 years ago. I take the acid reducer called “ACIPHEX”(Rabeprazole) it is a little different than the over the counter acid reducers. I had tried all of them with no results and allergic to them all. I would get hives, rashes, fever, itchy skin. This might be something to try? It seems most doctors won’t prescribe it because it’s not over the counter. It cost’s me $84/month for 2 pills a day, however I only take one per day and 2 as needed.. Diet and exercise definitely helps with re-flux. Also “never” eat anything after 8 pm., take a walk after supper for 15 minutes, sleep on your left side(this prevents food/acid from leaking out of your stomach). just a couple things that work for me. hope you feel better soon.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll keep it in my back pocket.
Update.
I knew theolidays would suck for any significant dietary changes so I took a little break from all the chaos of trying to find a solution. Something interesting happened in the meantime. In mid November, I got strep and was prescribed amoxicillin. While on amoxicillin, most of my symptoms of reflux were either gone or greatly reduced. 2 or 3 days after the prescription ran out, I was back to where I started.
Fast forward to January, I had an appointment with a naturopath about 2 weeks ago. She seemed very confident we can get control of this and put me on a very restrictive diet. Basically avoid all inflammatory foods. She also had me take a H Pylori test because of my reaction to the amoxicillin. No results on that test yet. I’m taking DGL, enzymes, probiotic and slippery elm.
Right now I feel like I’m eating like a rabbit but I have zero reflux. I have also quit all alcohol except for the occasional glass of wine.
I’m not it sure if I could maintain this diet forever but it sure does feel good to feel good.
If this doesn’t work out I’m gonna look very seriously into fasting. I see there are actually 5 day fasting kits that are designed to heal your gut.
I just hope someone finds this helpful.
Brown rice and salmon once a week will solve it…
Hope the H-pylori test turns out “positive” for you. That would be an easy fix! Otherwise, it sounds like you’re making good progress and figuring out more pieces of the puzzle that will resolve this. One thought about when you were taking the antibiotic, did you change your diet or add yogurt to your diet while you were taking it? Sometimes yogurt, etc. is recommended to prevent diarrhea when taking antibiotics and that may have been part of what helped you.
Good luck!
did you change your diet or add yogurt to your diet while you were taking it? Sometimes yogurt, etc. is recommended to prevent diarrhea when taking antibiotics and that may have been part of what helped you.
Well, I was actually eating a good protion of plain Greek yogurt everyday already. I’m guessing that either the antibiotic suppressed the H Pylori (assuming I have it) or it reduced inflammation. I was told that antibiotics are anti-inflammatory.
Either way it’s proof that this can be solved without drugs. My chiropractor kept telling me she can’t perform the hiatal hernia adjustment because I was too inflamed. I’ve also lost about 5 lbs in the last week. This may sound miniscule but I only weigh 155lbs.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bassn Dan wrote:</div>
did you change your diet or add yogurt to your diet while you were taking it? Sometimes yogurt, etc. is recommended to prevent diarrhea when taking antibiotics and that may have been part of what helped you.Well, I was actually eating a good protion of plain Greek yogurt everyday already. I’m guessing that either the antibiotic suppressed the H Pylori (assuming I have it) or it reduced inflammation. I was told that antibiotics are anti-inflammatory.
Either way it’s proof that this can be solved without drugs. My chiropractor kept telling me she can’t perform the hiatal hernia adjustment because I was too inflamed. I’ve also lost about 5 lbs in the last week. This may sound miniscule but I only weigh 155lbs.
If nuts are ok with the diet you’re on, they have a lot of fat and protein to help maintain your weight if they aren’t irritating. Otherwise, creamy peanut butter is usually tolerated well. If you have a cheese plant nearby FRESH cheese curds have enzymes that are good for your gut and they can stop excess regularity – a problem that often accompanies stomach issues and causes weight loss.
If it isn’t h-pylori and is “just” inflammation, the stomach regenerates all the cells that make up its lining frequently, but only part of it at a time. The challenge is to avoid irritating the inflamed part or the process can go on for a long time. Even strenuous exercise was enough to irritate my stomach when I had inflammation caused by pain meds. Carbonated drinks are one of the big things to avoid.
Good luck. It can be a frustrating puzzle to figure out, but you sound like you’re getting closer to a solution.
Update.
I am still on the naturopathic anti-inflammatory diet. Just had a quick appointment with her yesterday and I have to say I haven’t felt this good in probably 5 years if not longer. I also haven’t weighed this much since maybe just after high school.
I’ve lost about 14 lbs which puts me at 148 lbs. I knew I was carrying at least 10# at my waist but it surprised me how fas and easily it went. I am absolutely certain that no less that 75% of that lost weight was simply inflammation from what I was eating.
The main points of the diet are eliminating gluten, dairy, night shades, sugar and my allergen foods. My allergen foods were soy, wheat, peanuts and walnuts.
I’ve noticed that my concentration level and duration is significantly better. I’ve noticed my energy level is better. Last but not least, I might have a slight reflux event once a week. I have fixed the indigestion problem too.
I attribute most of the stomach progress to the diet but I have also been taking a stomach enzyme called lipotropic complex and I’ve been taking Swedish Bitters before eating a meal. I feel the Swedish Bitters has been extremely helpful.
When I’ve cheated on my diet for a few consecutive meals, I’ve paid the price. One meal won’t do it but a few in succession certainly will. Makes you think it is all about inflammation.
About the only negative so far is that I feel that I’ve done some damage to my stomach whereas I am having trouble stopping eating when I’m full. The mechanism that tells me I’m full isn’t really working correctly. You might laugh but it’s a pretty inconvenient problem because you really have to pay close attention to how much I eat or I’ll suffer with indigestion for several hours.
I keep posting updates because I hope it helps someone who is struggling with it. I highly advise against acid reducers, ppi’s and H2 blockers.
Glade to hear its getting under control. Think it been maybe 2 years since Ive had to take any medications for my stomach. Talk about a relief after years of dealing with issues. It seems now that my stomach has healed enough that its pretty tolerant of gluten. Even with that a few years of eating a lot more vegetables has me craving them. Just wish I could get the weight loss like you are finding.
For me, I really think the gluten and dairy are the most to blame. I think more so than the allergens.
I am also becoming a huge believer in high fat/low carb diets. I think the government guidelines that condemned saturated fat are well know to be very harmful and are only slowly being changed by our government in fear of backlash of being wrong.
I think this video is a very well done and explains a lot of the weight issues plaguing this country. I think it explains a whole plethora of other health issues as well.
Are you still taking the Betaine HCI?
Are you still taking the Betaine HCI?
No. I stopped. I attempted one time about 5 weeks ago when I started getting a little reflux and made it worse.
The doc wanted me to minimize my use of in in favor of Swedish bitters and the enzyme. I have 0 interest in taking the HCL. I believe my acid production is back to a normal level considering how I’ve been feeling.
It really points out the issue with the standard diagnosis and treatment for reflux. Acid reducers/blockers are prescribed for an assumed over production of acid which is a lie.
Eliminated coffee too. That’s a big one.
What about decaf coffee?
I know caffeine is an issue with GERD, but wondering if there is still something in the coffee bean itself that causes irritation.
What about decaf coffee?
I know caffeine is an issue with GERD, but wondering if there is still something in the coffee bean itself that causes irritation.
That’s something I can’t answer. I do believe it is the coffee and not just the caffeine. I say that because I’ve been drinking black tea pretty heavily since the beginning of the year. No issues.
Interesting topic. Years ago(guessing 15) I started to have issues with food getting caught in my esophagus. I always ate super fast, just scarfing it down and then washing it down with liquid(usually soda). meats, and bread the worst. It was weird though, sometimes I could eat almost the whole meal with no issues and then suddenly it would stop and I’d have to either try and force it down with liquid, which is painful, or just trying to puke it back up. Sometimes it would take 10-15 minutes to open it back up. Then finally one time I got a chunk of steak caught, and I couldn’t move it for a couple hours. I couldn’t even swallow my saliva. Finally i went in to the emergency room and they kept me overnite because there wasn’t a doctor in the house that could do the scope to remove it. The next morning it was still stuck, the doctor grabbed it out of there, and looked in my stomach and said she saw some irritation but apparently wasn’t alarmed, because nothing was prescribed. Basically just told me to chew my food better 
As time went on it progressively got worse, more frequent incidents. Then a friend of mine had the same issue, almost had to have the scope one nite but after a few hours it dislodged. On his follow up they discovered a ring of scar tissue and they went in and stretched it out, and put him on omeprazole and he’s been fine since( a few years). So I went in to get it checked out, doc scoped me, saw irritation, but nothing serious, put me on Omeprazole. Now before this I RARELY had heartburn. if I bought a jar of tums, it would literally last for years. A week after I started the omeprazole, I had heart burn so bad I couldn’t stand it. A couple weeks later I went back in and was prescribed a different PPI. Ranitadine maybe, same result. I needed a colonoscopy so the doc did that and stretched out my esophagus in the same visit. problems swallowing gone, but the third PPI prescription did the same thing again, heartburn. So I completely gave up on the meds, its been about a year. But I am starting to have issues with swallowing again at times. Nothing severe yet, usually just a few seconds to get it down, but I’m sure its again getting restricted.
I’ll have to try testing my ph thats interesting. I actually will be visiting my doctor soon and will see what he recommends to address the GERD.
I actually read a study on PPI’s something like 50% got the drug and 50% got a sugar pill. It stated in the study that a large percentage of people who had no symptoms before the study, took the PPI meds. and actually got heartburn! Apparently the PPI can cause your stomach to produce MORE acid! I’m no doctor but I’d say I’m one of those people. PLUS studies show the PPI’s can lead to Dimentia. My dad has advanced Dimentia now, so I’m probably at higher risk. No Thanks.
Well, testing your ph actually involves swallowing a pill that you have to retrieve when you pass it. It documents your ph in your stomach when you’re digesting food. This would have to be ordered by a GI doctor.
What you’re describing sounds to me like the rebound effect. Your reflux tends to get many times worse when you quit the ppi or h2 blocker.
Also, it is well documented that mineral and micronutrient absorption suffers when your are on acid blockers. Your stomach is what absorbs these nutrients so if you reduce the acid too low you don’t absorb them. These are the nutrients that help with healing. Look at the the omeprazole side effects. One is wounds not healing. My mom suffered from this.
Bottom line…
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This probably isn’t a welcome response, but it’s what honestly will help.
My wife suffered from GERD for many years since she was 15 until about 2 years ago. She’s 32. She has always been in shape, D1 soccer player, danced through high school and college and was even on the Vikings Cheerleaders for a season. However her diet consisted of fast food, frozen dinners and diet coke. She was always active enough to where it wouldn’t affect how she looked. Where it did affect her was reflux. She was on prilosec for 12 years.
2 years ago she did one of those beach body programs and it came with an eating plan. We followed it for 3 weeks and by the end her reflux was completely gone. While she doesn’t follow it daily anymore she does an 80/20 ratio on eating healthy and eating what she wants and she hasn’t had reflux and hasn’t taken any prilosec since.
2 years ago she did one of those beach body programs and it came with an eating plan. We followed it for 3 weeks and by the end her reflux was completely gone.
It’s a very welcome response because it agrees with what is working for me. I’d have to assume that this is some sort of low carb diet like Adkins, Paleo or Keto. The benefit of all of these diets is that they are all anti-inflammatory diets which seems to solve the reflux problem in most people.
While she doesn’t follow it daily anymore she does an 80/20 ratio on eating healthy and eating what she wants and she hasn’t had reflux and hasn’t taken any prilosec since.
The more I learn about diets the more I learn how subjective the term “eating healthy” really is. I have learned that the “everybody is different” theory is really the biggest factor behind healthy eating. Different foods trigger inflammation in different people the same way that two people eating identical diets will result in one being fat and the other being lean.
I have been a sufferer for years. Have been on and off omeprozole for years also. Two things to remember for many of you is that most acid reflux isn’t recognized. You may have it and don’t even know it. Just because you don’t feel the “burn” doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. On occasion I get a little feeling that there is a lump in my throat…like a marble in there or something. I was told my GI that that is a little sore that developed from reflux. Only way to heal that is by taking the 40mg omep for several weeks everyday. I found that if I take about 3 pills a week I do well. Seems if I keep it in system I don’t have a lot of issues. At least that Im aware of. Funny after reading all of this, often times I have a hard time swallowing breads. So if I sit down for a meal and eat something with bread it will go down really slow. I then take a drink of water or milk or whatever and it’s like it lubes it up because then I have no more issues. I wonder if i need to have esoph stretched like you guys or if allergy?
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