Acid Reflux or GURD ?
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hello Everyone,
Last year i noticed a lump feeling in my throat, my grandma first suggested heartburn/acid reflux, Gavisgon and other antacids such as rennies dint do anything, i finally bought some Zantac and after a day or so it stopped. Only last week about 11pm the feeling came back, only this time with a feeling like somebody was squashing ym chest. The pain want excruciating but it was very noticeable and got me concerned. So i grabbed the Zantac that was hiding in the cupboard assuming this would solve the issue. I woke the following morning with a horrible taste in my mouth, later that day i started to regurgitate on an evening followed by constant belching and trumping. I was ow a few days into this and there was no sign that the Zantac was working, i couldnt smoke or eat anything i enjoyed so started to feel very anxious. I did a little research and stumbled across the Chronic condition GURD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) This got me even more worried and i was struggling to sleep. I am 23 and not over weigh, however i am a regular smoker and usually eat takeaways and fatty, quick to make processed foods. As this could be the cause i went onto eating oatmeal for breakfast, followed by chicken noodle soup for lunch at work and in the evening i would go between fish and rich or chicken and vegetables. 2 days had past since the diet change and i though the amount of acid should have reduced by now so i went a bought some Nexium (Esomeprazole) i gave this another two days as it says on the pack it may take a few days to become effective, it didn't work so I took a trip to my local GP. She explained that it sounded like a episode of acid reflux (its not uncommon for these episodes to last days or even weeks she told me) i explained i had no luck with OTC antacids and that my symptoms had changed/ gotten worse. I explained that Zantac was not working this time. The first option she said was to try to reduce the amount of acid in my stomach. I was prescribed 30mg Lansraprozle twice a day (this seemed very excessive for reflux but she was the healthcare professional and not me so i followed her instructions) after a few days of taking this my symptoms dramatically reduced! i was calling it a miracle drug to my friends! i would still be quite gassy and my belly was making all kinds of noises but the chest pain and regurgitation stopped, the only thing that remained was this strange lump like feeling in my throat which was my very first symptom. I have only been on Lansraprozle for 1 week but i am concerned if i have GURD or if its just a bad case of reflux. I have read about the side effects of PPI's and i really do not want to be on them for much longer.
Does anybody have any advice ? I know its not been long but its constantly on my mind and i am worried that i have GURD and will be on this medication for years to come.
Will this medication clear me up and will i be back to normal in a matter of weeks ?
Finally i did buy some aloe vera tablets and they seem to be helping with digestion!
Many Thanks Guys!
2 likes, 6 replies
susant59053 joshd123
Posted
don't take ppi for long it will ruin your life. it ruined mine been on them for 2 yrs now . can't find a way to get out of it
joshd123 susant59053
Posted
Could you please elaborate on this ? how has it ruined your life ?
susant59053 joshd123
Posted
Hi josh,
i am 27 yr old male. i was fit running every morning , playing football weekly. until i hit by acid reflux for a week . it was the most stressful time of my life so for that i was getting acidity. i should have given it some time & used gaviscon for relief but instead i went to GP & he without thinking very much prescribed me pantoprazole 40mg. i took it & it was like miracle drug my acidity gone without an hour. the problem started 2 mnths later when i tried to quit it. i was hit with rebound hyperacidity. it was something like i never experienced before acid was so intense i could not bear it. i went back to a GI spl he asked for an endoscopy, ultrasound and some blood report . all came back normal & he told me to keep taking ppi . i was not aware of the fact that its the ppi that causing it so i started taking it regularly.
After 6 months whole sets of new symptoms started to appear . stomach burn abdominal pain ect.
after 1 year i went back again to best GI spl available in town. they did further blood test , ultrasound, and Endoscopy . all clear except i now have some erosion in stomach. i was confused i am on ppi for so long how did i got those. however doc said you have to keep taking it.
i had no option but to continue. 3 months ago i broke my leg. i am calcium, magnesium deficiency . taking supplement for those too . ppi increase health anxiety severely . taking med for anxiety too.
i can barely sleep now for the anxiety & frequent panic attacks which keeps coming. form the last few months i am also having kidney pain , no stone found.
Right now i cant find a way to discontinue it as acid intensity is so high like i am gonne die if i quit for a single day. but i have to so i am slowly reducing my dose again & praying . i spend a lot of days crying in fear.
your acid level is not that high right now. you can tolerate it but after using ppi for just few weeks you will be unable to handle it without ppi & you have to keep taking it . so my advice is to change your life style a bit . some exercise reduce smoking as smoking relaxes the LES which is responsible for reflux .
i am suffering more than i could write here. do not want someone to suffer like me . i am in position like if someone get me out off the ppi i will give him everything i have .
i am not saying ppi is evil drug its life saver for some people GI bleeding , Barrettes but for general acid reflux don't take it.
I don't know i will ever be successful to come off them but if that happens that will be the best day of my life.
joshd123 susant59053
Posted
Thank you for the In depth response, I'm sorry to hear this! It does sound like it really has had a massive impact on your quality of life. Here's a thought, because you went straight onto ppi and stayed on them for two month, your body would have been trying to over produce acid due to it being reduced by the ppi, this is something the body would do naturally to try and balance the acid out. Maybe it was the length you were on them starting off?
For me, after 2 weeks I reduced my intake from 60mg to 30mg for 3 days, then I stopped taking them 4 days ago. I have had no return of any symptoms but I'm aware they could still come back soon. I have been taking aloe Vera caps and they really have helped with digestion. Iv been at gym everyday and completely changed my diet from quick and easy junk food to cooked lean meat and veggies/salad every day. I have stopped smoking and I think its a combination of all the above that has helped me massively!
For yourself seen as all the checks have come back clear, then there must be an issue with your digestive system. Have you tried digestives enzymes?
I can sympathise with you regarding sleep, I was panicking all night every night for weeks, but this only makes it 10X worse. One thing that helped me was trying to relax, when it was getting the worse of me I took time out to get a shower, however I would sit down and chill for an hour at a time in there, this completely took my mind of the discomfort. It's only temporary until I got out but it was a good starting point when trying to relax. Iv had problems with my wisdom teeth recently and wonder if the stress of having multiple tooth infections also brought it on.
I will continue with my new lifestyle and hopefully may only get reflux every now an then. In which case I will take ppi for a few days (few days being the key word because ppi are supposed to be uses short term) in the hopes that it will put it at by again!
All the best for you though mate!
susant59053 joshd123
Posted
hi josh ,
i am on them for 2 yrs now . my GP told me switch to zantac 150 twice a day . but i am reluctant cos i fear getting barretts in the rebound process. my throat is damaged by the endoscope pipe last time they did endocopy they damaged my throat. so really dont know what should i do? but if i don't try to get off i will never be able to get off them that i know . what your suggestion should i try to get off the PPI
Giddyup joshd123
Posted