Anyone else with Acid Reflux?

Nurses Stress 101

Published

not looking for medical advice....just curious.

i have had it for as long as i can remember. i remember being around 6 or 7 years old and feeling that terrible acid burning in my throat. i would tell my mom but she didn't know what was going on and would give me some water or something. it was on an off like that for a few years. well, now i am almost 23 and i have had it very bad for about 4 years or so. i am to the point to where i am po'd about it. i have been on nexium and prilosec both. i can only take them for about 2 months and then they stop working. this is killing me. i go to my doc and she tells me that there isn't more that can be done. ok, fine. how am i supposed to live with this for the rest of my life? i am so angry because i look at food and want to cry because i know that no matter what i eat, i will get it. it's so bad that the food won't stay down. not vommitting or anything, it just kinda backs up in my throat. my husband feels so helpless. i mean, i can't eat anything without getting it. even water does it. i can't get my nexium anymore because my insurance won't cover it. the prilosec decided to stop working 2 days ago.

does anyone else have this? what types of food are you able to eat or not eat? do you feel that your quality of life is affected by it? i am interested in learning about how others live with this problem.

also, have any of you been pregnant with this disease? my husband and i plan to start a family after i am out of nursing school, but i am scared to death because of the reflux. i know that there really isn't anything other than tums that you can take while you are pregnant and me taking tums is a joke! so how bad did it get while you were pregnant?

sorry, i don't mean to rant. i am just so upset because of this. i feel like my quality of life is terrible because of this disease. now, i know there are people out there that are in worse situations than me, but i am starting to feel like crap because of this.:o

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MDS coordinator, hospice, ortho/ neuro.

I've had symptoms since I was a kid......but it didnt become a problem until i was 40. Water just spreads the acid around more.

Find a GI specialist / get a second opinion from some other doc..... I find it difficult to believe a doc would actually say that: erosive esophagitis can be fatal. Consider other things like lifestyle, emotional things, other medical conditions, habits.....etc.

Stay away from OJ, pop, fried foods, acidy foods, spicy foods, alcohol. Don't eat before going to bed. Elevate the head of your bed. Lose weight if you need to.

Anger / anxiety makes it worse....do what you have to do to chill out. I take the OTC Zantac twice a day when it flares up.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks fluffwad. I had gone to one internal medicine doctor and she just keeps telling me to take the meds. I think I will go to a GI doc and see what happens. I am 117 lbs so I know that's not the problem. I have been really stressed lately with worrying about starting school and moving to a new apartment. Thanks for the advice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.

I take Prevaid SoluTabs qd and Reglan ac & hs. Also avoiding the fried foods, soda, and so forth. That's what has been working for me. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

:balloons:I didn't get acid reflux until I had my last child and got heavy, but during my pregnancy it was horrible!!!:angryfire I cried every afternoon because nothing I ate didn't give me heartburn! When I went to my GP after my daughter was born she scoped me and said I had precancerous cells in my esophagus ( :eek:)and put me on Prilosec (before it became OTC). I don't think it is normal for a person to have this disease at 6-7 years old so I agree you should see a GI doc. Wait on kids until you get some answers, pregnancy hormones loosen muscles and it will loosen the valve at the entrance to your stomach and you will suffer more! Hope this helps!;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

seek out gi specialist:

heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux (ger), and gastroesophageal ...

there are other treatments. food diary might help too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Re insurance plan not covering med:

Some insurnace companies have drug coverage exception policies.

PCP can write a LMN "Letter of Medical Necessity" that non-covered med is needed based on "medical necessity" as drug in same class that is covered, was tried and found not to be effective for your medical problem. Often this will get med covered. Sometimes phone call also is needed by PCP to Medical or Pharmacy director at insurance company.

Your Pharmacist should know in's and out's of your insurance plan---speak to them then to your PCP.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg,Tele,PACU,ER,ICU,LTAC,HH,Neuro.

I first got it one month after graduating nursing school. Mine is job related. I used Mylanta and Tums, until Tagamet was available over OTC. Some jobs I don't need anything. I have been out of nursing for 4 years. Just taking the refresher course now and taking Zantac 75mg daily. Though it is worse with pizza and hot sauce, I get it from lettuce, crackers, anything. I hate it because it is painful and distracting. When I was in my 20s, I worried about GI bleeding and ulsers, acid/base disturbances. I am so glad I don't need prescription drugs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Mindy, I am your age and I was just diagnosed with larygeopharangeal (LPR) reflux, which is a little different from GERD. Instead of the acid refluxing into the esophagus, mine is going into my throat. I have none of the usual symptoms of reflux. Instead, it is affecting my vocal cords, which is why I went to see a ENT and was diagnosed. I was having trouble talking and swallowing and a chronic cough.

I'm really worried about this. The doctor told me I will probably need to be on reflux meds for the rest of my life and I may need to have surgery to correct my vocal cords and/or surgery to stop the reflux if meds don't work. This can be very serious and lead to permanent damage of the vocal cords, breathing problems, and cancer of the throat. Even though I don't have actual heartburn, I still need to watch my diet just the same. I'm very upset about this. I am in great shape (5'6" and 120 lbs) and I work out 6 days/wk. I eat a balanced and nutritious diet. I just don't understand why this is happening to me. I am sure that stress may be contributing to it, but I don't feel like I'm under a great deal of stress right now.

I've also thought about what will happen when my husband and I are ready to have children. Unfortunately, I don't have any answers.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Mindy, I am your age and I was just diagnosed with larygeopharangeal (LPR) reflux, which is a little different from GERD. Instead of the acid refluxing into the esophagus, mine is going into my throat. I have none of the usual symptoms of reflux. Instead, it is affecting my vocal cords, which is why I went to see a ENT and was diagnosed. I was having trouble talking and swallowing and a chronic cough.

I'm really worried about this. The doctor told me I will probably need to be on reflux meds for the rest of my life and I may need to have surgery to correct my vocal cords and/or surgery to stop the reflux if meds don't work. This can be very serious and lead to permanent damage of the vocal cords, breathing problems, and cancer of the throat. Even though I don't have actual heartburn, I still need to watch my diet just the same. I'm very upset about this. I am in great shape (5'6" and 120 lbs) and I work out 6 days/wk. I eat a balanced and nutritious diet. I just don't understand why this is happening to me. I am sure that stress may be contributing to it, but I don't feel like I'm under a great deal of stress right now.

I've also thought about what will happen when my husband and I are ready to have children. Unfortunately, I don't have any answers.

Is your Dr a GI doctor? If he is maybe ask if there is surgery to correct a problem with the muscles at the top of your stomach, that is usually the problem with reflux no matter where it ends up causing damage. The key is keeping the acid in the stomach, the only place in our bodies that can handle it!;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in orthopedics, ED observation.

I know this thread is old, but wanted to share my experience, in the hopes you are smarter than I and never let things progress as long as I did! I started dealing with GERD throughout my pregnancies. (Oldest DS is 17) It got so bad by the third one that I was vomiting on fairly frequent basis, which continued for the next 7 years.

In retrospect, that sounds ridiculous to let it go so long, but I just figured it was something I needed to work around. I knew all the stuff about elevating the head of the bed, avoiding spicy/highly acidic foods, caffinated beverages, ETOH, etc. and usually was able to keep some contol over symptoms. But, I always kept a plastic bag in my truck for "emergencies", and tried to keep crackers available for quick acid absorption. (My poor DH has high gag reflex and low tolerance for aftermath of vomiting episodes - was getting really frustrated w/ situation)

I was on Ranitidine for years, and then an insurance/pharmacy (mail-order) change sent me something else - can't even remember what. It did not work for me at all, and I began vomiting on almost a daily basis. This was the final straw for DH who said I shouldn't have to live like this. I had seen a GI guy once for a scope, no obvious anatomical malformations, etc. so keep up w/ meds, food restrictions, blah, blah.

When sx increased, PHP first got me Rx that worked, then sent back to GI specialist. The GI found Barret's esopogus (pre-cancerous cells), and that I also had a hiatal hernia. I was then referred to an surgeon.

I ended up having a Nissen fundoplication, and my hiatal hernia was a quarter of my stomach in my chest cavity (!)

Happily, I have been medication and emesis free for more than two years post surgery, although if I overeat, or eat too much spicy/acidic or other inflammatory foods or beverages I can still get heart-burn. (But, I feel that it is w/in levels of what would happen to anyone!) And, thankfully, Tums/Rolaids takes care of it now.

Anyway, all that to say - don't accept that there is nothing more that can be done. There could be serious damage being done by the acid that is in the wrong place. (And which also causes pain - I cannot describe the pain of stomach acid that refluxes high enough to get into eustachian tubes in the middle of the night. That'll wake ya up!) And, that damage may be worsening whether you feel it or not. Hope you have found something that is working for you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks for sharing your story, MNmom! I am very frustrated because the meds do not seem to be working for my LPR reflux. I am supposed to get a scope done soon, but I'm in-between jobs and insurance right now.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment