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Self diagnosis - but what CAN I drink!?

Posted , 9 users are following.

mrspinkrat
mrspinkrat

Hi all

I am new on here having self diagnosed with GERD. My symptoms are bitter taste in my mouth and phlegm/mucous in my throat which wakes me at night. Symptoms are definitely made worse by tomatoes (which I love), and dairy and possibly eggs.

I've been reading what foods and drinks to avoid but have the question - what drinks are left that I CAN drink???? No-no's appear to be coffee, fruit juice, carbonated drinks, milk and alcohol. I can't think of anything else I could drink therefore except water?? How about tea? And some sites say apple juice is ok but others say apples are acidic?

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  • amarvishnu
    amarvishnu mrspinkrat

    Posted

    When feeling discomfort, try sipping cold water, the logic is that this dilutes the acid creeping up from the damaged stomach valve.

    Keep a glass by the bedside.

    Anything else is just a matter of experimenting, some things work well, regardless of what you might think, depending on your particular metabolism.

    For me it is a matter of finding food or drink that can be digested quickly, avoid starchy foods, rice and flour-rich stuff, which can be difficult to deal with.

    Time of day is relevant too, I can cope with anything I like for breakfast, but a smaller meal in the evening helps.

    Fizzy drinks can be useful if you are able to bring up 'wind', which also causes a lot of pain in the diaphragm area.

    Nicotine and alcohol are commonly a third source of pain.

    As for medicines, Ranitidine (Zantac) is an old treatment that is generally better tolerated than some of the more recent drugs 'omeprazole' and others which can cause allergic reactions.

    Gaviscon 'double action' and 'lovehearts' are useful for sudden attacks after eating as they help neutralise the acid.

     

  • jeff88101
    jeff88101 mrspinkrat

    Posted

    I have been a sufferer of acid reflux, for many years. A couple years ago I switched to a high PH water. After about a month of taking the higher PH water I have been completely off medication. Not saying it works for everyone, but my Dr. did tell me it may very well be better than meds.

  • jayne52495
    jayne52495 mrspinkrat

    Posted

    I really enjoy redbush tea now, with a little milk, just like you'd drink ordinary tea. (tried a cup of proper tea the other day and it tasted so bitter that I couldn't drink it!)

    Almond milk is very nice (tastes a bit like drinking a marzipan milkshake) and almonds are supposed to be good for neutralising acid in your stomach too.  I find cold water seems to make my pain worse.

    I really miss coffee but I'm sure it's one of the worst things for me.  I'm hoping that one day I'll feel well enough to have the odd one now and again.

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