I’ve just about had it. I’m on Zantac, I’ve given up everything that bothers my stomach (except coffee, but I’m tapering down and expect to be completely off in a week or two), and I still feel like there’s a live coal in my esophagus most of the time. I guess I’ll have to go back to the doctor, but I assume she’ll just give me the three-minute blowoff as usual. Fuck HMOs, too, while we’re at it.
Anyway, what could any doctor do, besides telling you to live on milk and boiled rice for the rest of your life? What could continue to cause bad heartburn even if one’s taking medicine for it and watching what you eat? It sucks, it really does.
For one thing, he could prescribe a different medicine. I had severe heartburn, and was prescribed two different medicines which did not work (one made me feel like I had a live volcano in my stomach). The third one was the charm, and I have been heartburn-free ever since. If Zantac is not doing the trick for you, let your doctor know and ask if there is something else you could try. Be persistent, especially if insurance issues come up. Your doctor should give the alternatives a chance before consigning you to milk and rice.
Sodium Bicarbonate works for a lot of people. Heapo household remedy.
Yes, heartburn is a real swine. I used to have it what seemed like all the time, but for some reason, have been without it for about ten years now - lucky me, and smug me. Sorry for those who have it though.
Get thee to the store and score some Prilosec OTC!!!
It’s different than Zantac, trust me. I used to have to be careful what and when I ate stuff…somethings I just could not eat. But Prilosec changed my life (and I had been to the doctor, got the blow-off speech).
Get a 14 day supply, it takes a few days for it to really kick in. It says to only take it for 14 days in a row max, then I guess you need to go to the doctor and tell him it worked (if it in fact did) and get a prescription.
I feel so much better, get to eat whatever I want without too much worry (still no late feasting or I get reflux) but I did gain weight from once again enjoying stuff I had been avoiding for years. Stuff like a donut in the morning, one of the girls would bring some donuts and I KNEW it’d be instant heartburn. Not any more.
So try it, it’s around $10 for a 14 day supply, $25 for 6 weeks (if you haven’t gathered, I went a little past the 14 day period. I’m not advocating you do this.)
I had mine out when I was around 35, and for many years I could eat what I wanted, too. Now I’m 48 and the damned heartburn is back again with a vengeance.
I did use Pepcid Complete, Liberal, and they worked well, but the doc said that if I was popping them twice a day, it was time to go to something stronger.
Prilosec OTC, eh? Thanks, Duke of Rat and zoid. I believe it’s time to give that a try. Is there any particular strength I should be using?
It’s not like I stuff on pizza and doughnuts and greasy crap. I don’t like junk food and tend to eat a lot of Asian dishes and homemade recipes. But it seems like just about everything starts the fire now, whereas before it was just: Soda, beans, citrus juice, chocolate and coffee. I even stopped drinking alcohol, thereby getting rid of two irritants in one blow - alcohol and ibuprofen.
And while coffee was one of the other “morning triggers”, I can happily drink it now. And beer in the evening. And spicy food. And chocolate (not that I’m a chocolate lover, but it’s nice to be able to eat a candy bar!)
And citrus juice! I love OJ, but it might has well have been battery acid. And I read where it wasn’t “supposed” to cause heartburn, the stomach acid was so many more times stronger than the OJ. Well, let me tell ya. OJ and pancakes in the morning and I would litterally want to puke from the heartburn.
I’ve had bad heartburn (GERD) for several years. I used to take a few Pepcid AC’s every day, and would still have heartburn fairly often. I also used to eat a lot of Tums (bad idea, not good for your kidneys over a long term).
Close to two years ago I started taking prescription Prilosec, which worked fairly well, but I still had heartburn from time to time with it. Shortly after that, I switched over to Nexium (40 mg), take one a day, and rarely have even a hint of heartburn. I highly recommend giving Nexium a try if other things aren’t working for you.
I am not a doctor. However, I have suffered from GERD for all of my adult life and know a little bit about it. IN THE END CONSULT A DOCTOR. Here is what you can talk to him about. They can test you for a hiatal hernia. A bad one can be repaired, usually laproscopically. If it is severe (more than 30% of your stomach in your chest cavity) it should be reviewed again to see if it is a paraesophgeal hernia. The two are similar and are treated in a similar way, but the latter needs more specialized treatment. Note: Many doctors will not be familar with the latter term. This can be detrimental. If you have a severe hiatal hernia, make sure you consult a doctor who knows the differance between the two.
There are some promising new therapies as well. One that I am familiar with is called Enteryx Treatment. It is considered experimental by many insurance organizations, but the company who is marketing it will often work closely with your insurance to try to get any issues resolved. Contact them to find a doctor near you.
Again, be sure to consult a doctor, as I am not a trained medical professional.
I second chewing your doc a new asshole and making him pay attention to you. I have a hiatal hernia and acid reflux. I have been taking prescription meds (Protonix) to control it. These burning spots in your esophagus can GET CANCEROUS if ignored for a long time. Don’t let him push you around.
WARNING!!!, I AM NOT A DOCTOR!!!, THE FOLLOWING IS ANECDOTAL!!!
Fine,
Now that’s out of the way I will tell you Unclviny’s “gut story”:
After struggling with Heartburn, Reflux and generally bad gut troubles for years I started doing some “self medication” and it changed my life. Get a bottle of liquid Gaviscon (the one with the red cap, ~ $9.00) and over the next 3 days or so drink the entire thing (you will know when it “hits bottom”). A little experimentation will tell you how often you must do this.
I eat like I’m 14 again and very seldom do I ever have problems (BTW my schedule is about every 2 months).
For classic “heartburn” that doesn’t respond to conservative treatment (weight loss, avoiding tight clothing and trigger foods, not lying down right after eating, antacid tablets), I usually move on to treatment with acid blockers like Zantac (ranitidine) or others (Pepcid, tagamet). If this does not achieve adequate relief with adequate dosage (Zantac 300 twice a day), I’ll re-think the diagnosis and consider testing for H. Pylori, the bacteria that can cause stomach ulcers. While doing that, I may move on to a Proton Pump Inhibitor (omeprazole, aka prilosec, or protonix, or nexium, or etc etc). If still not relief with adequate dosages, and no evidence of H. Pylori that needs treating, I’ll push the omeprazole to 20 mg twice a day along with Zantac 300 twice a day. If symptoms are still a problem, I’ll often ask my friendly Gastro-Enterologist to do an Upper Endoscopy, to actually take a look in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, and biopsy for H. Pylori and anything else that looks suspicious. Also to put in his 2 cents regarding treatment.
Now remember I only follow this pathway for patients I’ve interviewed and examined, and I base my choices on my clinical judgement. But that’s sort of the template I often follow.
This is what it took for me. I, however, only had occasional heartburn, but when I got it, nothing much helped. I would also ‘choke’ on food once or twice a month, unable to get it, or anything else, like a drink of water, down (I would usually end up coughing it out). My GP sent me to a Gastro-Enterologist, who scheduled me for the Upper Endoscopy, and planned on doing…the procedure where they run the tubes down your throat to stretch out constrictions. Whatever that is called. They put me out, I woke up, went home, and the next time I ate, I felt like I could swallow a keilbasa whole without a problem, if I was into that. It was great! And I haven’t had any of the heartburn or choking since.
