Fed up with the symptoms of gerd

Read the free book / website www DownWithAcid org uk and find the chapter on extra-oesophageal reflux.

Unfortunately, PPIs like lansoprazole, are the only ammunition the doctors have in their medicine chest for acid reflux. There isn't a drug to reduce relux, you have to manage that with lifestyle: lose weight if necessary; do not over fill your stomach, eat little and often; avoid tight clothng; raise the bedhead 6 to 8 inches on blocks; leave at least 3 hours between last meal and bed.

Diet may affect your acid production but unlikely to affect your reflux.

I have been taking it for 10 yrs, how long have you been taking it 

I'll put the measures that help me be better than I was at the end, though they mostly echo Barretts' and ABC's, and I mentioned one or two things to you another time.

I know how you feel like giving up, as last year was my worst for personal reasons on top of this rotten stuff and another illness. I was held together with thread, so much difficulty and sorrow was I in. But, like many people, I managed to struggle on, seemingly against the odds, because deep down in us there is a tough son of a gun, though sometimes they tend to hide far too well! Believe in that warrior inside and the chance, however slim you might feel it is in your worst periods of upset, that one day you will feel some improvement.

Several small/medium meals per day (I have seven medium, one every two hours or so), rather than fewer bigger ones, so you don't overfill your stomach. Eat relaxed, chew well. Be sat upright for and after meals, not bent or reclining, so you don't squash your stomach and press its contents upwards.

Fried foods, high-fat foods/meats, dairy, high-salt foods, spicy-hot foods, tomatoes, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate can all impact on stomach and reflux troubles for some people, so personal experimentation is key. Minty foods relax the lower oesophageal muscle which can let acid up easier, so they are bad. I use a fruity toothpaste, and strawberry gaviscon tablets for the now only occasional acid burn.

Wholewheat bread, cereals, bananas, hardboiled eggs are a few of the foods that suit me, but there are pulses, rice, various beans (not kidney beans apparently) and many other things to try. Chicken is one of the best meats due to its lower fat content, though even that can hit me and is not eaten lately.

Stress, excercise and bending activity that pressure and squeeze the stomach are also to be avoided. Be as calm and stress-free as you can.

Having your last meal a few hours before bed can prevent or lessen reflux at night, but I found that waiting to be too empty caused hunger discomfort and kept me awake. Because of this I lie down about an hour and a half to two hours after last meal, and this is much better for me. I lie raised a bit on three pillows, on my right side, which is best for me, though the left side is usually recommended. Other people raise the bed-head itself about 6 to 8 inches or use a wedge affair..

Another thing that helps me greatly is to not burp after ten minutes after eating, as this can bring acid up and cause heartburn. Try to get the swallowed air out gently just after the meal. I find sittiing a little forward is best, with about three burps rather than one or two larger ones, which can hurt my lower eosophagus if its burned or tender. Then if possible, though it might be harder in your case, don't burp again till after the next meal.

A point I'll add, which I mentioned in another post, is about how drinking water can be an issue for a lot of sufferers of these illnesses.

Water triggering heartburn is common. It can happen even with non-ill people. I learned that the best way to get my daily water is to drink around 130 ml with each meal, which, in my case, is added to by some sips of a nutrition drink as well. So generally I don't have to drink fluid between meals, a thing which would slow my digestion a bit anyway and interfere with my set meal times.

In tests there was an indication that some people with reflux suffer heartburn through drinking water in several gulps because their lower eosophageal muscle doesn't open and close correctly when doing this with fluid, and so acid can escape upwards. But just adding water to your stomach between meals, when there is still food and fluids in there, will increase its volume and raise it nearer to the top where the muscle is, the pressure of which can then cause it to open and let acidic fluid up. Cold water can also cause spasms, so sips of usual water is best.

Some say to drink water only between meals at points when the stomach is empty, but that cannot always be done easily - certainly not in my case, where I need to eat every couple of hours or will lose more weight. I can't have between-meal water slowing things down. So I find that a little drink of water with each bite of food that gets well chewed, then a few more afterwards does the trick.

I also have water with two cereal meals, which may sound utterly bland but is fine to me, as I avoid dairy milk and have yet to try my cereals with the likes of oat, rice, almond or soya milk. But they are good milk substitutes unless a person has issues with them.