Anyone suffer with GERD or simular affecting eating exercise

So Iv always suffered with heartburn but lately I’m Really suffering with all the time and it’s now lead to me burping up forth and very uncomfortable all the time affecting sleep and just day to day everything

If I exercise I get heartburn and burping froth
If I eat normal meals same

Only thing that don’t make me get heartburn is crisps and snacks high calorie food.

Been doctors and they just have me heartburn stuff which don’t work!!!

I find it hard to exercise as I get heartburn and sick

But I’m piling on weight as crisps and small a are only way I don’t get symptom

Anyone else had same issue an any help please

Replies

  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    What kind of work-ups have you had at the doctors' offices? If you haven't had an endoscopy (it's a scope to actually look at your esophagus and stomach - under anesthesia - and take tissue sample if necessary) then I would return to the doctor in the new year and talk with them about this.

    In terms of diet and nutrition, if you are finding that high-carbohydrate foods are the ones that you tolerate best, look at rice, beans, potatoes, bananas, oatmeal. I personally find that plain kefir (look it up if you don't know what it is) soothes my chronic stomach inflammation whereas straight milk and yogurt just makes it worse.

    In terms of "heartburn stuff," some medications take a few days to actually work and then have to be taken consistently, and response can vary to medications even within the same class. When ranitidine got pulled off the market I went to another in the same class - famotidine - and it doesn't work as well for me. Work with your doctors on this.

    Good luck.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,331 Member
    edited January 2020
    I suffered from GERD to the point I never went anywhere without a barf bag in reach.

    My Gastro doctor prescribed Pantoprazole, which helped for a while and but then became ineffective. Luckily, he was also kind enough to give me a short lecture about weight loss being the best solution, and to my surprise told me his own story, telling me if he could do it, I could do it.

    That’s not the reason I did finally start. However, once I did buckle down and pay attention to what I ate, following the elimination diet provided by my GP, the GERD stopped within two weeks and has only been back once in 14 months, after a major attack of hot sauce gluttony.

    Every time I walk or run past his office, I think of detouring in and thanking him for the honest evaluation, and one of the pushes that made me honest with myself.

    ETA: and can I just add, life without GERD has been life changing. The day I threw out the barf bags and took the extra panties out of the glove compartment was a red letter day.
  • juliebroughton34
    juliebroughton34 Posts: 4 Member
    I have it too, my doctor gave me lansoprazole which is something you take which works over time ie a week-ish to become effective, but it really does work. Also I found toothpaste irritates the condition so be careful not to swallow any and rinse really well. I hardly eat anything spicy, fizzy, creamy and cream on anything is a no no, last time I ate cream I thought I was going to die, the reflux that caused nearly choked me. So now, starting today I’m going to loose the 20lb I’ve gained and I’m going to get fitter as apparently loosing weight and exercise will help! Springerling62 what is the elimination thing your dr told you please?
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    Yeah I had gerd for years. I tried many meds and only one worked well for me. I definitely went through months of trying to find the right med.

    As far as trigger foods go, I find that most of us have different triggers. For example I always heard about tomatoes and tomato sauces being triggers but they never were for me.

    Happily, after losing 60 pounds I no longer suffer from this illness. I've reintroduced coffee into my diet which makes me so stinking happy. 😁
  • wmweeza
    wmweeza Posts: 319 Member
    Mine turned out to be a gastrointestinal infection masking as GERD. For a long time all I could eat was an ounce of plain chicken and an ounce of rice.
    You might want to see a gastro doc for an endoscopy
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    I first got bad heartburn when I was pregnant with my daughter, she is 27 now and I have had it ever since. Your doctor should have a range of things for you to try, diet changes, raising the head of the bed, avoiding certain foods etc. I tried all of these things, I have never been more than 20lbs over my ideal weight, and losing weight has no effect on my symptoms.
    I was diagnosed with GERD, have had the camera down my throat twice whilst asleep, to check for scarring and cancer. There is a some scarring. So I was offered many medicines, none worked very well until they gave me Nexium (Esomeprazole) which works perfectly at the lowest dose. I have never been able to stop taking it without the symptoms returning, I've tried several times but nothing works. They told me my two best options are surgery (which I don't want) or stay on the Nexium, which is not ideal as it can have long term effects including osteoporosis because the Nexium neutralizes the acid somewhat, which can interfere with how nutrients are absorbed. The last specialist I saw recommended I stay on it for life.
    Sorry, I don't have better suggestions, but honestly, I have zero symptoms while taking Nexium and I take extra supplements that the doc prescribes to help with the nutrients. My labs are all good so I am sticking with this, at least unless I find another alternative that actually works.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,052 Member
    I developed heartburn and GERD suddenly, after never having had it before, and it turned out to be caused by gallbladder adenomyomatosis (not the same thing as gallstones or sludge). It was only diagnosed after . . . gee, I forget whether it was a CT or ultrasound, but an imaging procedure. Taking out my gallbladder resolved it completely.

    Since this is uncommon, it's probably not what's causing your symptoms, but I mention it to underscore how many different things can be behind these symptoms, so it's pretty important to be seeing your doctor and pushing for follow-up until something specific is diagnosed, if you haven't already done that.

    I hope you find some relief!
  • jmf286
    jmf286 Posts: 32 Member
    Have you been tested for heliobacter? It’s a common cause of persistent “heart burn/indigestion/reflux” symptoms and is easily resolved
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,331 Member
    @juliebroughton34 It is the Elimination Diet from the Institute for Functional Medicine. The actual handout is only a couple of pages long if you scroll down, however, the entire PDF is interesting reading. They are an association of healthcare professionals with an interest in combining holistic medicine with "regular" medical practice, so there is nothing to buy from them, no "woo woo" instructions, fasting or oddball ingredients. The food list is simple and easily available. They do believe in organic, but I stopped buying organic after several months.

    The premise is that you eliminate potential trigger foods for several weeks to give your body an adjustment period, and then you slowly add them back to try to identify your triggers. Permitted foods are very simple- chicken, fish, fruit, vegetables, legumes, some teas and spices, etc. To me, it seems very similar to the food pyramid.

    Once I started, my GERD literally vanished within days.

    I found it so easy to follow, that I still stick to it for the most part, except that I do eat cottage cheese and greek yogurt again, and as well as some wheat products. I make my own almond milk now in lieu of the gallon of milk I used to down every couple of days. I can now eat anything I want, including spicy foods and tomatoes, with no consequences.

    I had the colonoscopy, the camera down the throat, the bloodwork, the whole shebang. It basically came down to weight, but then, I already knew that in my "honest mind", because it would always flare up once I reached a certain weight.

    I totally understand you about thinking you are going to die. I woke up many times choking on acid and unable to catch my breath, and with painful raw burns in my throat once I finally did. It was terrifying to me and upsetting to my poor husband. Oh, I can tell you GERD stories....horrifying, embarassing, mortifying GERD stories. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Best of luck in your search for a solution!
  • equidivine
    equidivine Posts: 101 Member
    Thank you everyone I went to doctors and they gave me Lansoprazole and so Iv just started it.
    Iv also done a week of soups and this week started adding smoothies and tuna to diet which it’s been ok but not great.

    The smoothie in particular gave me a little bit of symptoms but far less than normal.

    Any ideas on best diets with Gerd?

    I’m going to Ask doctor for further tests after a month with the Lansoprazole

    Going to maybe have once a week something spicey as I do love spice.

    My family suffer with chrones and ibs plus my mum had her gallbladder out due to stones and infection plus me and my kids all suffered reflux so looks like I have allot of tests ahead of me!

    Doctor also told me to lose weight so yay nothing like being told your overweight haha

    Just find is especially difficult to exercise without burning my throat or bringing up froth so need to find something to help. Love walking but I need spare 3 hours a day lol
  • Crafty_camper123
    Crafty_camper123 Posts: 1,440 Member
    So, I have suffered from GERD for quite some time. I tried taking pepcid for several months and also panteprozol. But I didn't want to be on panteprozol long term because I have concerns about it absorbing certain nutrients. Also, while being on PPI's or H2Blockers would help my stomach and esophageus heal, I felt like it was just a bandaid solution. I got off the panteprozol and stuck with pepcid for a while. (Just to cover the rebound heartburn.)

    I tracked my food very carefully and tracked any symptoms that went with the food. I found dairy & sugar to be a primary contributor to a bunch of my stomach problems. Eliminating/ reducing them still didn't eliminate the heartburn entirely though.

    What's wierd is drinking a tbs of apple cider vinegar with water was doing more good then any of the acid blockers I had been taking. It got me thinking maybe my problem wasn't too much acid but not enough, and maybe things were just out of balance. So I began taking probiotics on a lark to see what would happen. Three days later my heartburn was gone. Since then, I've been staying on top of consuming a few sources of probiotics a week such as yogurt, kiefer, or pills. I have to reach for the tums maybe twice a month instead of once or twice every single day.

    Not sure what was going on or why the probiotics and ACV proved so effective. Things to discuss with my doctor on my next appointment I guess.
  • karenscfld
    karenscfld Posts: 38 Member
    Hi! Your condition is awful! I've been in your shoes. For myself, my goal is to lose 65 lbs which I honestly believe will eliminate the heartburn. I take a product called Zegerid. It works best for me. Some of the medication affect my stomach to an extent that I believe it changes the chemistry. Zegerid doesn't seem to have that affect. Anyway....best of luck! I hope you can find some relief!
  • Anasqarman
    Anasqarman Posts: 9 Member
    It started all of sudden 3 years ago. I didnt know what is it, when my doctor said the word GERD. I did all range of tests including endoscopy, breath tests etc and it was all negative, no infections. For three years I was on several medications (proton pump inhibitors). It kept things under control. Starting this year I started to have concerns on the side affect of these medications so l decided to gradually quit while carefully observing my diet. For a month I started to take my medication every second day while observing what type of food will flare up the acidity. Also I started to eat smaller portions of food. Today is my 5th day without medications. I have some acidity but it is manageable. I will continue another month and assess the situation. Hoping with weight loss my conditions will improve.
    Food to avoid for me : all fatty food, coffee, fuzzy drinks, processed meat, spices and fried food

    What I found useful to elevate my conditions: coconut oil.
  • ChrissyLuve80
    ChrissyLuve80 Posts: 5 Member
    When it comes to losing weight, did anyone experience symptoms of throat burns if you sat after a meal? I only get relief if I drink water and walk around until the digestion is mostly done. I eat small meals and I know fried foods are a trigger. But my gut getting pressed down while sitting seems to be the biggest thing. I wonder if losing weight will help, as I’m not able to go under anesthesia for the endoscopy.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,893 Member
    I get reflux, mostly the silent type when my thyroid meds are dosed too low. I'm not sure what exactly the connection is, but many hypo people seem to experience this. If the meds are perfect I'm generally fine.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    When it comes to losing weight, did anyone experience symptoms of throat burns if you sat after a meal? I only get relief if I drink water and walk around until the digestion is mostly done. I eat small meals and I know fried foods are a trigger. But my gut getting pressed down while sitting seems to be the biggest thing. I wonder if losing weight will help, as I’m not able to go under anesthesia for the endoscopy.

    You could have something called a hiatal hernia, which is basically where the stomach gets pushed up through the diaphragm, forcing acid up and out of the stomach. It's pretty common from weight gain, and yes, losing weight should help. In the mean time, try sitting with your legs wider so they don't squeeze your gut.
  • wmweeza
    wmweeza Posts: 319 Member
    I had HORRIBLE reflux. I got food poisoning awhile back, which unbeknownst to me morphed into an infection. I had a slight cough, which led to a consistent bad cough, with diarrhea . Yes I had some of the typical "Battery acid" taste when eating or just after but it didn't add up to me since a bad cough was my main symptom. Things got 10 times worse and I couldn't eat, I'd gasp for air every time I ate anything. I tested positive for H Pylori and was hospitalized.
    That's a long way of say that yes, I know what it means to have burning after a meal or when I wear restrictive clothing. It could be GERD or H pylori.
    YES losing weight WILL help. I've lost 95 pounds and feel so much better! It's a long slow road though, for now try eating smaller amounts and slightly blander foods. GERD and other issues are helped by a bland diet. Wear loose clothes too