Acid Reflux, Hiatal Hernia, gluten-intolerance

skinnybefore

I've been suffering from acid reflux for the past year & a half, and have had a "squeezing" feeling in my upper throat which has gotten worse the past few months. I've had my esophagus stretched and have been on 4 different meds since this all started and lately nothing helps. Recently, a couple of other bloggers said that they had been diagnosed with the same thing and have found relief by following a gluten-free diet. Anyone else have success with beating this???

rogerhany

Hi, I was diagnosed with a Hiatus Hernia about 12 years ago and have recently gone gluten -free and have noticed REAL Improvement in my life !! I noticed it immediately, and my symptoms of Hiatus Hernia have almost disappeared !! I have also gone Dairy free for some months too, and am looking to stop my medication very shortly !!!
If any of you have ANY kind of digestive problem, nervous problem, or respiratory problem, (and I know this obviously could mean a shed load of problems!) I would VERY strongly suggest going GLUTEN-free and DAIRY-free for at least 2 months to see how you respond to dietary changes.
I had fairly concerning issues with all three of these systems in my body, for the majority of my life, and by simply changing my diet have seen MASSIVE improvement in a very short space of time. If you have problems that are persistent that the doctor just gives you a pill for, (I think we all know them).. then you have to try this! You won't regret it !

meghanner

Have you tried grain free (paleo)? I may provide the relief you're looking for and give your digestive system a chance to heal.

angulasalajillo

Hiya, sorry to hear you are going through this - it's so painful isn't it!

Your symptoms sound a lot worse than mine but hopefully these suggestions may help a little :flowerforyou:

I was advised to cut out gluten. It was a massive help and I still avoid gluten now as I cannot be going through that pain again.
Alcohol and tobacco can also exacerbate the problem so if you drink/smoke it is advisable to cut these out too.
I was prescribed Omeprazole which helped, but as you've already tried 4 different meds I imagine this was one of them!

Interestingly, my doctor also told me that stress can be a large contributing factor. Again, it's easy for others to say but reducing your stress levels can have an alleviating effect.

All the best, and I really hope you feel better soon. Remembering when I went through it makes me shudder... it was so painful and I was so miserable. It's no fun living on Rennie!:sad:

toddis

My advice would be to try an elimination diet. ( http://www.precisionnutrition.com/elimination-diet )
I personally ate simplistic foods for awhile and kept a food diary of what I ate and the symptoms if any.
Turns out caffeine, tomatoes, sugary pastry things(but not breads/tortillas, etc), and dairy cause symptoms for me. Your may
find other foods that have similar effects.

Anita_hoar12345

I have acid reflux and i lost some weight it not acting up as much. For some reason eating toast or bread in the morning sets it off maybe I should try gluten free diet. I have to take pills twice a day for acid reflux

bpotts44

You might want to try grain free and sugar free. Add in some beneficial fats (butter, coconut oil) and try to keep dairy to a minimum.

FerretBuellerr

I do not have issues with acid refulx or hiatal hernia, but I have been living with my boyfriend for over 2 years and he has had terrible acid reflux issues since he was a child (I believe he was born with digestive track problems). Although he's much too stubborn to do a real elimination diet to determine what foods are the most triggering, what we have found has helped him the most was eating much less of your typical "processed" foods - refined carbs/sugars, anything with high levels of artificial sugars or other artificial ingredients, and almost any type of pre-packaged or convienience food. When he doesn't eat those and just sticks to a simple diet of vegetables and meat, he has little to no issues whatsoever.

chani8

All you need to do is add fresh citrus fruits to your diet, that you eat before you eat your meal. Ideally, take a fresh organic lemon and squeeze the juice into a cup, add some water to taste, and drink that before eating. Grabbing a tangerine or grapefruit before, during, or even after your meal will help resolve the reflux also, as long as you don't overeat too much.

ETA - it must be FRESH citrus because otherwise it turns acidic after sitting around for more than a day.