Heartburn

[cbain 0]

Okay, I've been getting terrible heartburn for a few months now. I think it started in October. It's almost every single day. Nothing I take seems to be working. I max out on Tums almost everyday!

I have a doctor's appointment (with a gastrointerologist) on the 15th, that's the soonest I could get in. I'm so not wanting to get an Upper GI done.

I only get it during the day, like after breakfast or lunch. Never after dinner it seems and it doesn't bother me when I lay down like most people say acid reflux does. I had a yogurt for breakfast this morning, which is supposed to be good for heartburn, and I'm still sitting here with my chest on fire!

Anybody have any suggestions until I get to the doc on the 15th?

Christina

[wmw999 2,158]

Yes. Gaviscon is something that can help with reflux. It's an antacid, but it also forms a sort of layer at the top of the stomach that keeps the reflux from doing anything.

Take 2 after a meal, and drink a small glass of water with them. Don't eat anything else for awhile, and it should help.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[bbarnhouse 0]

Quote

Anybody have any suggestions until I get to the doc on the 15th?

read this?

[soulshine 0]

Try finding some aloe vera juice. Any healthfood store should carry it. Just tell them what the problem is and they'll know what kind of juice that you need. Try to avoid buying it from GNC.

Also, you can drink the stuff all day and it won't interfer with anything else that you're taking. There is one brand called George's Aloe that has no taste to it, none of the bitter after taste either.

This is what I use and I find that it helps greatly. Good luck.

Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity!
~DEVIOUS BEEF~~FGF #69~

[cbain 0]

Thanks for the link. And Thanks Wendy for the suggestion for Gaviscon, haven't tried that one yet.

I've obviously tried the antacid thing, which works most of the time temporarily but not always. I've tried the H2 blocker stuff, pepcid, didn't really help. Today I'm getting Prilosec OTC, the Proton pump inhibitor. We'll see if that helps but I guess it takes a while to kick in.

I've changed my diet. Completely cut out caffeine and chocolate. Been trying to eat healthier, I've been working out and trying to lose weight too.

I've also been keeping a record of what I eat when I get it and so far (3 weeks) I haven't seen any direct correlations except time of day. It's always in the morning/afternoons, never at evening/night.

Again thanks everyone for the suggestions. Only 12 days tell the dr's appointment. Maybe the Prilosec OTC will kick in by then.

Thanks again,
Christina

[tigra 0]

Any change in your diet? About a year and a half I ago, I was eating really crappy and gaining weight. I was also getting really bad heartburn pretty regularly. I finally decided I decided I needed to lose weight and started cutting my carb intake. The heartburn went away. When I "fell off the wagon" this fall, it came back with a vengeance. And, now that I'm limiting my carbs again, the heartburn is gone. I'm not saying don't eat carbs, but do take a look at what you are eating on a daily basis and see if there is any pattern.

Sorry- I guess we were posting at the same time and you just adressed my question......

[wmw999 2,158]

I have the same thing sometimes, and yes it's in the afternoon. I drink a lot of water, and it's worse then. But drinking water is good for me... I do find that filtered water is much less of a problem than regular tap water.

The Gaviscon isn't a particularly good antacid; it's really the foamy layer it makes that does the job.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Lindsey 0]

Sometimes when people think they have heartburn, there's something else going on. I'm assuming that you've seen your primary care doctor? You've had bloodwork done? Cholesterol checked? Some things that antacids won't help that may feel like heartburn....

Gallstones!
Cardiovascular problems. How's your cholesterol?
Problems related to lungs or pleura...

If it's heartburn that you've noticed for a few months (came on pretty suddenly?), then it's probably not just reflux. Won't hurt to take antacids, though, if it takes the edge off a little bit.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[cbain 0]

Quote

Sometimes when people think they have heartburn, there's something else going on. I'm assuming that you've seen your primary care doctor? You've had bloodwork done? Cholesterol checked? Some things that antacids won't help that may feel like heartburn....

Gallstones!
Cardiovascular problems. How's your cholesterol?
Problems related to lungs or pleura...

If it's heartburn that you've noticed for a few months (came on pretty suddenly?), then it's probably not just reflux. Won't hurt to take antacids, though, if it takes the edge off a little bit.

linz

I haven't seen my PCP for this. My insurance doesn't require referrals so I figured I'd go straight to the specialist instead of paying two copayments for office visits. (Plus I just moved recently so I don't have a pcp in my area yet) But I did have a complete physical through work in November. My cholesterol was fine and nothing really stood out in the bloodwork. But I plan to take the results with me (if I can find them) when I go to the doc.

Also, I had a problems with heartburn in college. And was treated for acid reflux the pcp then wanted me to go to a specialist for an Upper GI but it was my senior year and who had time for that. Then after I graduated it went away (until now) so I never even thought twice about it. And after having an Upper GI described to me by a few people I figured since I didn't have symptoms anymore why go through that! Of course who knows if this is related or not but I'll tell the doc about it.

It started when things at work were really really stressfull and I was working tons of overtime to get this big project finished. It finished at the end of the year and I was hoping once the stress let up it would help. But I'm still experiencing the same symptoms even though I haven't worked any overtime in Jan.

Christina

[Lindsey 0]

The upper GI will be a little uncomfortable, but not too bad....a little Versed goes a long way to helping you relax. If you have ulcers, the antacids may not be enough to help. If your poop starts looking black, go on in to see someone before then. It's a sign that an ulcer may be bleeding

He may want to do at ultrasound to look at your gallbladder if he doesn't see anything with the EGD....

Good luck!

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[mnealtx 0]

A couple things to think of -

1. The possibility of an ulcer. Hopefully the visit to the doctor will rule that out!

2. Try cutting out diary products for a couple days and see if it eases up - you may have developed lactose intolerance.

3. You could just have an irritated stomach - do you eat a lot of spicy food or greasy food?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[mar_tin 0]

Manuka Honey from New Zealand... there's a coupla online vendors that you should Google. It worked for me and i was a big smoker then to boot.

[cbain 0]

I've had a peptic ulcer before and there was no mistaking that for heartburn! The ulcer made my stomach as hard as rock and was very painful in my stomach not my chest and throat like the heartburn is. I guess it's still a possibility though.

I've also had a gallstone before (at least that's what the doc thought it was) and that was nothing like heartburn either. That night I ended up in the ER screaming in pain and they put me on demirol to knock me out. Then in the morning I was ok. They did an ultrasound in the morning and didn't see anything. So the doc said it was most likely a gallstone. Don't know for sure what it was.

I'll be sure to give the doc my whole history to help figure it out. I'm just having a tough time with it this week and it seems worse than usual.

Christina

[mnealtx 0]

I wish you the best of luck with it, and hope that it either goes away or the doc finds out what is causing it....

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[cbain 0]

Quote

Try finding some aloe vera juice. Any healthfood store should carry it. Just tell them what the problem is and they'll know what kind of juice that you need. Try to avoid buying it from GNC.

Also, you can drink the stuff all day and it won't interfer with anything else that you're taking. There is one brand called George's Aloe that has no taste to it, none of the bitter after taste either.

This is what I use and I find that it helps greatly. Good luck.

I'll definately check into it. Thanks!

[cbain 0]

Quote

Manuka Honey from New Zealand... there's a coupla online vendors that you should Google. It worked for me and i was a big smoker then to boot.

I'll check into it. Thanks for the suggestion!

[cbain 0]

Quote

I wish you the best of luck with it, and hope that it either goes away or the doc finds out what is causing it....

Thanks, that's all I'm hoping for too!

The lactose thing, I thought about but I get it all the time not just after dairy.

And the spicy/greasy foods thing - I've changed my diet and even those frozen little lean cuisines give me heartburn! Chicken noodle soup gave me heart burn yesterday! Even the blandest foods seem to give me heartburn.

Christina

[mnealtx 0]

I had the same sort of thing happen to me as a kid, after a course of antibiotics - I had a SERIOUSLY sour stomach for almost a month.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Nightingale 0]

I've been managing heartburn for four years now.

Tums don't do anything to control the cause of the problem. They just treat the symptom. They're ok to treat an acute attack, but they do nothing to keep it from coming back every day. Personally, I've found Pepto Bismol Liquid works better, as it coats your esophagus and makes the burning stop almost immediately. Tastes terrible, but when you're in pain, you don't care.

Personally, I had to try Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Zantac and a couple of other meds before I found Aciphex, which worked for me. They're all PPIs (except Zantac), and they take up to three weeks to work. So, you can't just take one OTC Prilosec and expect it to work. While they're all PPIs (proton pump inhibitors...they turn off the acid pumps in your stomach), they're not the same. One will work for someone and not for someone else. For many people, the first one they try works, but other people are like me and try six or seven different medications before they find one that works.

If you've been trying Prilosec OTC (or another PPI), you should take it in the morning. A lot of doctors/pharmacists forget to tell you that.

An upper GI is no big deal. You swallow some chalky tasting liquid and they take x-rays. They use it to diagnose hiatal hernia, which is a major cause of heartburn, as well as look for various abnormalities in the stomach and esophagus. It's totally painless. The worst part is being in a hospital gown in a cold room.

Also, make sure your doctor checks for cardiac problems too. Sometimes heart trouble can mimic heartburn.

[cbain 0]

Quote

I've been managing heartburn for four years now.

Tums don't do anything to control the cause of the problem. They just treat the symptom. They're ok to treat an acute attack, but they do nothing to keep it from coming back every day. Personally, I've found Pepto Bismol Liquid works better, as it coats your esophagus and makes the burning stop almost immediately. Tastes terrible, but when you're in pain, you don't care.

Personally, I had to try Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Zantac and a couple of other meds before I found Aciphex, which worked for me. They're all PPIs (except Zantac), and they take up to three weeks to work. So, you can't just take one OTC Prilosec and expect it to work. While they're all PPIs (proton pump inhibitors...they turn off the acid pumps in your stomach), they're not the same. One will work for someone and not for someone else. For many people, the first one they try works, but other people are like me and try six or seven different medications before they find one that works.

If you've been trying Prilosec OTC (or another PPI), you should take it in the morning. A lot of doctors/pharmacists forget to tell you that.

An upper GI is no big deal. You swallow some chalky tasting liquid and they take x-rays. They use it to diagnose hiatal hernia, which is a major cause of heartburn, as well as look for various abnormalities in the stomach and esophagus. It's totally painless. The worst part is being in a hospital gown in a cold room.

Also, make sure your doctor checks for cardiac problems too. Sometimes heart trouble can mimic heartburn.

Thanks for the info! It's nice to know that eventually something "should" work.

I haven't tried the prilosec OTC yet, but I'm starting it in the morning (thanks for the warning or I may have started tonight!). I have tried pepcid and zantac (OTC). I hadn't tried the prilosec OTC yet because it says to only use it for 14 days and if heartburn returns to see a doc and since this has been going on for 5+ months I figured it wasn't going away in 14 days.

Thanks for the encouraging words about the Upper GI too, it wasn't explained quite the same way by some others I've talked to.

Thanks again to everyone who replied or PMed.

Christina

[Lindsey 0]

The upper GI can refer to Barium swallow, but in your case, I bet you'll be getting an EGD, which is an endoscopic procedure. They'll look with a scope at your esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. They'll be able to see if there is inflammation, anatomic problems (stricture, hiatal hernia), or ulcerations. Also, they'll be able to take small samples of the lining. They'll see if you have H. Pylori...the bacteria that causes most ulcers of the duodenum....though may people have H. Pylori without ulceration...

The procedure is short, and a little uncomfortable but not all that bad....

You'll get PICTURES! Be sure to post 'em!

Linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Nightingale 0]

they almost always do the barium swallow first. It's much cheaper and easier on the patient. Scope comes second, if they can't find out what's wrong with the barium and it's not responding to medication. I had barium, but didn't need the scope.

[Lindsey 0]

ummmm....it depends on what they expect to find. In her case, a barium swallow would really be pointless....

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Nightingale 0]

not if they're checking for hiatal hernia, which is one of the most common causes of heartburn. Shows up very well with a barium swallow.

[Nightingale 0]

Well, you could just go to the ER and say "my chest hurts. I think it's heartburn, but I don't know." Because it is chest pain, you won't have to wait, and they'll check your heart with an EKG and a blood test, and if that's ok, they'll give you what they call a "GI Cocktail" which is liquid lidocaine, maalox and something else, which will knock out heartburn almost instantly (first time they gave it to me, I was begging to take some of it home. Nastiest thing you'd ever taste, but it works so damn fast...numbs your tongue and throat, though) If that works, you'll probably come home with a prescription for a PPI and told to make an appointment with a gastrointerologist. At the very least, you'll probably get your PPI prescription two weeks earlier. Plus, you'll know that it's reflux and not cardiac or gallstones or whatnot.