GERD/Acid Reflux + IBS symptoms...what the heck can I eat? lol

Verity1111

My stomach is killing me. My chest hurts severely. I'm still getting over being sick for the last 4-5 days. I don't mind not eating all day, but with a history of ED I know it's not particularly healthy to eat absolutely nothing. I'm a vegetarian, but otherwise eat pretty much anything. I want soup, but it really bothers my reflux. Is there some kind of food that might not be as bad?

HippySkoppy

Oh dear I am sorry you are going through such a rough time.

I have suffered with IBS/acid reflux, still do on occasions and honestly it is trial an error. Everyone is so individual as to what they can tolerate.

One of the best things that I found was to avoid gluten (I have many reasons for this), eating smaller meals more regularly helped too, having an empty tummy often compounds the issue. I don't know if lactose is a problem for you but if not what about yoghurt, milk based things etc. Jelly/jello too stay down Ok too. Oatmeal is another thing you could try....Old wives tale coming by I have read that grated apple is supposed to calm stomachs down, I have never tried this but when you are desperate, all things are worth consiering (maybe the pectin in it).

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cut down on smoking if you smoke....

Try relaxation techniques, I read your other thread where you sounded very upset and despondent over something someone had said, letting things like that get to you will only make the reflux worse. When resting either sit propped up a bit or raise the top end of the bed if you can. Avoid tight clothing.

Verity, I think that if you are struggling with this it's time to seek a Doctors help. In the meantime you could try over the counter antacids to get you through but in the end you may need supportive care with your tummy woes.

The biggest improvement I found with GERD was losing weight...that is a long term project and taking proton pump inhibitors in the mean time could give you relief.

All the best.

ETA: Re-reading your post, maybe it's time to go to your nearest ER, reflux to this severity where it is causing chest pain may be a sign of something more sinister and you need checking out, especially in light of being so sick for several days. They also may be able to give you some medication to stop this attack.

Verity1111

HippySkoppy wrote: »

Oh dear I am sorry you are going through such a rough time.

I have suffered with IBS/acid reflux, still do on occasions and honestly it is trial an error. Everyone is so individual as to what they can tolerate.

One of the best things that I found was to avoid gluten (I have many reasons for this), eating smaller meals more regularly helped too, having an empty tummy often compounds the issue. I don't know if lactose is a problem for you but if not what about yoghurt, milk based things etc. Jelly/jello too stay down Ok too. Oatmeal is another thing you could try....Old wives tale coming by I have read that grated apple is supposed to calm stomachs down, I have never tried this but when you are desperate, all things are worth consiering (maybe the pectin in it).

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cut down on smoking if you smoke....

Try relaxation techniques, I read your other thread where you sounded very upset and despondent over something someone had said, letting things like that get to you will only make the reflux worse. When resting either sit propped up a bit or raise the top end of the bed if you can. Avoid tight clothing.

Verity, I think that if you are struggling with this it's time to seek a Doctors help. In the meantime you could try over the counter antacids to get you through but in the end you may need supportive care with your tummy woes.

The biggest improvement I found with GERD was losing weight...that is a long term project and taking proton pump inhibitors in the mean time could give you relief.

All the best.

ETA: Re-reading your post, maybe it's time to go to your nearest ER, reflux to this severity where it is causing chest pain may be a sign of something more sinister and you need checking out, especially in light of being so sick for several days. They also may be able to give you some medication to stop this attack.

I just figured chest pain was normal? I guess maybe I should see my Dr. It got better through the day and I just ate normally (a pasta meal with some veggie balls). I had nothing to drink so I had to drink a monster which kind of upset my stomach but I was so thirsty... I have water now. Our tap is kind of gross so I ordered some from Amazon PrimeNow. lol. Thank you for all the advice. One of the most sincere comments I've read on here actually. You sound very nice. I'll keep this in mind next time because this happens pretty often.

HippySkoppy

Verity1111 wrote: »

HippySkoppy wrote: »

Oh dear I am sorry you are going through such a rough time.

I have suffered with IBS/acid reflux, still do on occasions and honestly it is trial an error. Everyone is so individual as to what they can tolerate.

One of the best things that I found was to avoid gluten (I have many reasons for this), eating smaller meals more regularly helped too, having an empty tummy often compounds the issue. I don't know if lactose is a problem for you but if not what about yoghurt, milk based things etc. Jelly/jello too stay down Ok too. Oatmeal is another thing you could try....Old wives tale coming by I have read that grated apple is supposed to calm stomachs down, I have never tried this but when you are desperate, all things are worth consiering (maybe the pectin in it).

Avoid alcohol, caffeine and cut down on smoking if you smoke....

Try relaxation techniques, I read your other thread where you sounded very upset and despondent over something someone had said, letting things like that get to you will only make the reflux worse. When resting either sit propped up a bit or raise the top end of the bed if you can. Avoid tight clothing.

Verity, I think that if you are struggling with this it's time to seek a Doctors help. In the meantime you could try over the counter antacids to get you through but in the end you may need supportive care with your tummy woes.

The biggest improvement I found with GERD was losing weight...that is a long term project and taking proton pump inhibitors in the mean time could give you relief.

All the best.

ETA: Re-reading your post, maybe it's time to go to your nearest ER, reflux to this severity where it is causing chest pain may be a sign of something more sinister and you need checking out, especially in light of being so sick for several days. They also may be able to give you some medication to stop this attack.

I just figured chest pain was normal? I guess maybe I should see my Dr. It got better through the day and I just ate normally (a pasta meal with some veggie balls). I had nothing to drink so I had to drink a monster which kind of upset my stomach but I was so thirsty... I have water now. Our tap is kind of gross so I ordered some from Amazon PrimeNow. lol. Thank you for all the advice. One of the most sincere comments I've read on here actually. You sound very nice. I'll keep this in mind next time because this happens pretty often.

@Verity1111 Thank you very much for your kind words.

SLLRunner

Verity, I suggest you get a referral to a GI. I have GERD, acid reflux gastritis and IBS. I was put on a low fodmap diet, which has helped.

yirara

I would suggest you run a reflux diary: write down everything you eat, if you get problems, how long after eating and how strong those are. If you have bog standard reflux then you might react to caffein, alcohol, sour and spicy food. Then there's no reason to not eat gluten, really. You might also have atypical reflux and react to things like protein while sour and spicy food, and tee and coffee might actually help. Find out what works and what not.

dragon_girl26

SLLRunner wrote: »

Verity, I suggest you get a referral to a GI. I have GERD, acid reflux gastritis and IBS. I was put on a low fodmap diet, which has helped.

This was what I was going to suggest. A friend of mine has these issues, and that's exactly the diet that her GI put her on as well. It's an elimination diet that cuts out mainly things like nightshades, dairy, glutens, brassicas, and many other things. Slowly, you should be able to reintroduce things into your diet until you find out what affects you. It's not an easy or cheap diet, but my friend said she felt so much better.

Verity1111

I know this is weird but I seem to get more GERD the less I eat sometimes. Like if my stomach is empty, it hurts worse? I also can get it randomly....I eat spicy food all of the time. I really am not a fan of food that isn't spicy. I'm sure that doesn't help. However, it doesn't all bother me. Just certain foods. Like my vegetarian Ramen I buy. it comes in a cup and is made by a Kosher brand called Tradition. It comes in fake chicken or beef flavors. Delicious, but not too healthy and awful for my GERD. I can eat some foods that are very spicy that you would think would make it flair up, but it doesn't lol but that soup made it awful... It kind of seems to be random with me, not so much dependent on the food type that much. Could it possible be allergy related? I mean if I have a food allergy, could it somehow trigger GERD? Sorry if that's a stupid Q! Thanks everyone for the advice. I had a Gastro referral but it expired and its a long story. Im planning to get a new one soon.

SLLRunner

dragon_girl26 wrote: »

SLLRunner wrote: »

Verity, I suggest you get a referral to a GI. I have GERD, acid reflux gastritis and IBS. I was put on a low fodmap diet, which has helped.

This was what I was going to suggest. A friend of mine has these issues, and that's exactly the diet that her GI put her on as well. It's an elimination diet that cuts out mainly things like nightshades, dairy, glutens, brassicas, and many other things. Slowly, you should be able to reintroduce things into your diet until you find out what affects you. It's not an easy or cheap diet, but my friend said she felt so much better.

I have spent less money on this diet than ever before. However, the food challenges can be....challenging.

Shelah_A

Hi there, almost a month now since I was in ER. I thought I was having a heart attack but thank goodness it wasn't. Dr did all the test and found out that I have gastritis. Dr give me medication for 3 months and put me on a bland diet food which is hard because I can't eat variety kind of food but at the same time it helps me a lot ( few episodes of stomach pain, gagging, nauseous etc). Just try not to eat spicy food, fatty, fried, coffee, chocolate, alcohol and anything that will cause the pain. I hope that everyone here will get healed.

melaniedscott

I get GERD, too. Yes, sometimes my stomach hurts more when it is empty. And when I eat. Oh heck. All the time. I take medication that frequently results in GERD so my doc recommended omeprozole (?) which is over the counter proton pump inhibitor in the US...don't know about other locales (there's been some negative press on ppi's lately but what's worse...the cause or the cure?). It is a 14 day cycle, one pill a day. My doc recommends I take it all the time. But I resist (too many meds)...when my tummy gets crazy, I start back up.

Chest pain is not normal. See a doctor. Seriously.

What to eat...like others have said, lay off the spicy food and anything fried or high fat. Fried food kills my stomach when it is crabby. Even food that isn't fried but is cooked in a lot of oil or butter...like some chinese dishes and a lot of food in restaurants. I, too, love the spice and heat. Go for more whole food (ramen soup cups are not food). Fresh fruits, veg (be careful of the cruciferous ones like cabbage and broccoli...mmm, love the broccoli) and whole grains, which should be second nature to a vegetarian...I know veg-heads aren't immune to processed food woes. Someone else suggested oatmeal and I second it (and I really don't like oatmeal). Make your own soup...add some pureed white beans to make it creamy, veggie broth with veggies and grains. Keep the sodium down. If you eat a lot of processed food...you might be reacting to MSG. Some people claim MSG can't cause problems...but they're wrong. MSG gives me migraines...I know people it causes stomach trouble for...I cut it out entirely and request they leave it out in restaurants (esp. Chinese!). You might avoid high acid foods (like tomatoes), caffeine and alcohol (all the foods that make life worth living!)

nowine4me

Yogurt and exercise, lots of water plus cutting alcohol entirely helped my IBS. Prilosec for the acid reflux.

KathrynPaulineWilkinson

I'm a vegetarian too and I also have GERD/Hiatal Hernia/Gastritis plus IBS. My advice is to take your medication if you have any. I take a PPI 30 mins before dinner and it seems to help.

Also, for me dairy is the biggest trigger so I suggest cutting it out for a month and see if it makes a difference. I used to eat yogurt or drink milk when my heartburn was bad but it would soothe it for a time, but always came back worse.

Also I would only eat fruit in the morning or afternoon even melons and bananas. For dinner I normally have potatoes, beans/rice or pasta dish with veggies. I also eat smaller meals and when I'm full I just stop eating. If I try to eat more at parties and social gatherings I suffer for days after.