Acid indigestion!!

[hyphenate]

I've taken my antacid meds, but my stomach is still twitching from acid. Anyone got a cure for it? I'll take some baking soda for it, but other than that, I can't think of another remedy.

[Maestro]

1. I go through periods when even my prescription meds

for acid reflux do not work. Do you have a hiatal hernia? That little flap at the end of your esophagus may be open letting large amounts of acid flow upward into your throat.

[hyphenate]

2. GERD

and for many years. Had an ulcer more than once, but because of NSAIDs not H. Pylori. Even as a teenager, I used to get indigestion quite a bit more than normal. Been on the new drug, Protonix now, was on Prilosec for many years. My mom has had an ulcer for over twenty-five years, with the H. Pylori thrown in for good measure. And yet after all her trips to the hospital, they haven't done much about it. I told her all her doctors were quacks.

[Maestro]

3. I've had three ulcers of which I know;

No H. Pylori though. I take Prilosec and that seems to work except for occasional bouts of really bad GERD. I've learned to live with it. I have found that drinking some water and making sure you stay upright can help the situation a bit, possibly even some crackers and 7-Up.

[hyphenate]

4. In the past I've tried some soda, either 7-Up or ginger ale

to see if it helped, but it never does. Ditto on the crackers. The baking soda does work, but it's a rough swallow. Ugh. But I'd rather have a quick moment of disgusting super-salty baking soda than a gullet of Maalox, Tums, or some other chalk-heavy antidote. On the other hand, er, I suppose I shouldn't have eaten so many jelly beans this morning instead of real food. ;)

[yewberry]

5. Oh, yeah.

I lived with it for too many years before I realized that you're not supposed to feel like that!

Protonix & Aciphex weren't really effective for me--just as well, since Prilosec went OTC and I have no insurance. (Costco sells Prilosec 42-count for under $25--less than my old copay!)

For me, it's the result of a weak LES--When I finally did get diagnosed, I had 11 esophageal ulcers. Cripes. When I say "too many years," I'm serious. I have Barrett's Syndrome now, and have to have biopsies every 2 years, so I have to handle breakthrough acid carefully.

No jelly beans for breakfast! (Tell me you didn't eat any mint-flavored ones--Mint is my worst trigger food!)

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Here is my soapbox moment. Please get looked at again. I ended

up in I.C.U. in January backhandedly due to tummy problems that I thought "would go away". I am sitting here today with a tummy swollen from a surgery that herniated because of acid indigestion...my life, my eating habits will never be the same because of it.

I didn't take acid problems seriously enough...and now, I beg others to. :hug: Feel better.

[yewberry]

7. I'm with you.

Sorry you've had it rough. I ignored it, too, and I sorely wish I hadn't.

[hyphenate]

9. Trust me--

I take it quite seriously. I've been on acid reducers for well over 15 years now. Even before that, I used to have it quite a bit, but went OTC since I didn't have insurance.

I used to read every bit of research I could about it and since I've been online since 1989, I was able to read about the theory on H. Pylori even before a lot of doctors, including my mother's. I told her to have HIM give her the test for it, and HE wouldn't give it to her, saying the test was "too expensive!" Well, she should have sued the quack, because within 3 years, her ulcer turned into a huge gaping hole in her stomach, and yes, when they tested for H. Pylori, she was filled with it! But doctors don't like to listen to lay people giving them advice.

However, when I had my first angina attack, I thought it was just acid stomach. It turned out it wasn't. But I know how that felt, and now I can distinguish between the two. The acid hits me lower or on the side, and the angina hits right smack dab in the middle of my upper chest, sort of like an alien trying to break out. I've heard some people get the feeling of something heavy on top of them, but for me it's worse inside than out.

I think it managed to "escape" for awhile. I need to have something decent to eat, so I'm going to get a fruit bowl. At least fruit doesn't seem to bother me too much. Thanks for the concern!

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. I did not mean to lecture you, it is just I have been on the side of think

ing I was well informed and then ended up finding out that I knew basically nothing. My life is now a system of stop gap procedures and praying like heck that something will work.

[hyphenate]

12. Oh, no, that's fine

One of my best friends died two years ago, and felt that after her diagnosis of sleep apnea 8 years previously, she needed to let the world know what the consequences of it were. As a result of the apnea, she developed pulmonary hypertension, and spent 8 years with oxygen attached to her, weakening immune system, and ultimately, congestive heart failure. So from her, I found out how suddenly there is some purpose in one's life, perhaps to keep others from making similar mistakes, or to educate them about something dangerous. My friend Barb is a prime example--she snores very heavily, and I've warned her that it could be from sleep apnea. If I can help her to prevent the same problems that Marje had, it will be a good day.

[Betsy Ross]

8. I went through a five-month spell like that

Had numerous tests, x-rays, etc. Ended up having an appendectomy about two hours before it would have burst.

[hyphenate]

10. Yikes! eom