I have had GERD for sometime now with a lump sensation in my throat, I've seen a throat specialist, had an x-ray on my chest and upper endoscopy which concluded in gastritis, although the cause of the problem has never been identified. I am 19 years young, smoke from 5 - 10 fags a day, have a poor diet and consume quite a lot of alcohol. I occasionally have heart burn but take omeprazole daily to stop the pain. I'm too much of a fussy eater to change my diet and as my lifestyle goes, Im really lenient and just go with the flow. What changes can I make to help with this problem?
Also I've lived in the house I'm at for a good 4 years and I've always had moss in my room from condensation and lack of ventilaton but discovered recently there is more than I thought, its all around the inside of the windowsill, could this have an effect on my reflux problem?
Thanks tom.
Hi Tom, the good news is it can be controlled, the bad news is it's all about the lifestyle changes. Cutting back on the fags and alcohol will help, along with avoiding obvious food triggers. Other things you can try are raising the head of your bed by 6-8 inches ( put some books or bricks under the legs) also smaller meals spread throughout the day, not drinking straight after a meal and waiting at least two hours after eating before going to bed. All pains in the backside to do but they do help. I also swear by Gaviscon Advance ( the UK stuff) . If you are in the UK it's available in prescription. Take a dessert spoon after eating and it forms a protective layer over your stomach contents to stop acid coming up. Hopefully these things should help 
Basically you have told us your lifestyle cause of your problems.
The ball is in your court. If that is your situation now how will it be when you are 39?
For Gods sake why are you living in a room with moss on the walls? If it's your own house - fix it, if its rented - find somewhere else. I assume you've done the sensible things like opening the window to let air circulate, and not overheating the place in winter? We give of an enormous amount of vapour when we sleep (I forget how much) and in an unventilated room this just forms condensation and mould. Mould has spores which can cause anything from a sore throat to TB. In the UK the council will help and so will your GP. You'd be better off healthwise in a hostel!
The ball is in your court.
You obviously know this or you wouldn't have asked 'what changes can I make to help with this problem?'.
Sorry to sound so unsympathetic, but do wake up!
Just looked up the amount of water we exhale during sleep - its about 2 litres! Please get rid of that moss or run like the devil's after you - he is!
Lots of good advice here Tom.
Im not sure what you mean by "moss" in your bedroom - what usually grows in unventilated spaces where condensation is present is black mould. This is hugely dangerous. You do not want to get some kind of fungal infection so please do check this out and do something about it.
Hello Thomas James - are you still watching this post or was it a wind-up?