Feeling hopeless about acid reflux. What next?

Digestive health
1

Hi all,

I started getting heartburn back in January and it has slowly escalated into pretty much constant heartburn. I've already had an Endoscopy which came back clear. I've tried Omeprazole, Esomeprazole and Ranitidine. I'm currently on Lansoprazole which actually seems to be making things worse. I'm also trying DGL Liquorice tablets as well as Aloe Vera Juice and a homeopathic mixture of Nux Vomica and Coffea. I also take Peptac liquid 3 times a day and the doc has also put me on Domperidone. If anything, I seem to be getting worse. Surgery terrifies me but I'm at the point where I'm rapidly running out of options. What can I try next?

2

I had heartburn for a while, and the medication did not seem to do anything.

Then I started following an alkaline diet, and all of a sudden I got better very quickly.

I followed the advice from the book of Jamie Koufman "dropping acid: the reflux diet cookbook and cure".

Basically I eat only food with Ph level above 5: melon, watermelon, banana, rice, potatoes, most vegetables except tomatoes and bell peppers, ..., I avoid anything with fat (no beef, just chicken, lean fish or tofu; no nuts, no oil, no butter, no cream), and I avoid all foods that are known triggers: no spices beside salt, no coffee, no chocolate.

In between meals I drink alkaline water Ph 8.8.

3

I had a lot of heartburn about a year or so ago and was prescribed Omeprazole and also had an endoscopy which found that the muscle at the top of the stomach was open a little way which was causing acid to come through and cause heartburn but this would have been found when you had your endoscopy if you had the same. As I was given the all clear I decided to try ways of avoiding heartburn and one of the things I did was to cut out cows milk, except a small amount in tea, and drinking either almond milk or soya. The bloating and heartburn I had disappeared in a very short time and I only occasionally have heartburn. I believe that when I eat tomatoes or bacon it can cause it but there may be a few other things that aggravate it.

My friend's husband had continuous heartburn and had been taking Gaviscon for months. I read an article about tight belts causing heartburn and when he changed to using braces instead of a belt the heartburn went. Could it be to do with any tight underwear and, if it is, perhaps you could try wearing looser clothes for a couple of weeks to see if the heartburn goes?

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Hi, I do the following with good results. Avoid tight clothing around waist. Wearing braces had a dramatic effect. Eat small meals. Don't use ant-acids. They made my problem worse. Stomach acid is required to allow stomach to empty. Take a good quality multi digestive enzyme that has betaine hcl. I take one with a small meal and two with a larger meal. You may have a problem with low stomach acid. I normally only need to use digestive enzymes for about three weeks and it appears to stimulate my bodies own production. When I get a slight burning sensation in my tummy I stop or ease up on the enzymes. Keep a diary of what you eat. Foods in the nightshade family can cause inflammation in the digestive tract. (Nightshade foods include potatoe's, tomato, peppers and more). Check out pepsin during reflux and how alkaline drinks can help. I do all the above and live a normal life. As a temporary measure if I get a sudden attack of gas then I find that Zantac can calm it. Hope you find this usefull.

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I've lost a lot of weight recently so nothing is currently tight around my waist lol I've cut out all of the foods that supposedly cause heartburn as well. Betaine HCL is actually on my 'to try' list so I'll probably be ordering some on pay day. Will do some research on pepsin also.

Thanks for your replies and advice everyone.

6

I have had bad acid reflux since oct and only recently am getting better. none of the medication helped including proton pump inhibitors, antacids etc. the only thing that has helped is following an alkaline diet. i have done similar things as ines6375. as it is difficult to eat so much vegetables, i have them as soups especially boiling some pumpkin or winter squash with carrots (more pumpkin than carrots) and blending it. i drink a plate of soup every few hours.

ines6375 what brand of bottled/mineral water do u use that has a ph of 8.8. i am trying to find something as alkaline as that

thanks

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Will be researching alkaline diets today

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Vvvv I used a Ph 8.8 bottled water because this is what the Dr Koufman used for her research on disabling pepsin in the esophagus and throat.

I don't know if I am allowed to put brands here but I use Evamor that I buy on amazon.

This is a natural water.

I stay away from waters with a higher Ph level as all the ones I saw have bicarbonate added.

I stay away with waters with a lower Ph (except with my meal when I eat normal tap water) as there is no scientific research about it.

Violet, before I was following loose guidelines about avoiding trigger food etc, but I was not getting better.

I got better when I started being very strict about the diet.

If you buy the book by Dr Koufman on amazon, you will see that she advice to do two weeks very strict, she calls it the inductive diet.

Milk is allowed but I read that the Calcium in it might provoke the production of more stomach acid, and I feel so so with it. It might be worth it to avoid it for a few days to test if it causes problems (and many people have problems with lactose anyway) then try it again.

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thanks ines6375, i dont know if i can get that brand of water here. any other suggestions for a quick way to alkalize oneself. i am going for a trip to japan and am afraid i wont be able to find enough suitable foods to alkalize myself easily. i test my urine often with a ph strip and try to keep it above 7 to 7.5. this lets me know if i am eating correctly.

i too was a bit relaxed about the diet initially and only stayed away from foods that were known to trigger acid reflux. that did not work until i ate mostly vegs with very small amounts of fish and chicken for lunch with vegs and mostly vegetarian for dinner. too much bread or grains can also be acidic. i have my animal protein only at lunch. this helps me to sleep better at night.

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ines6375 Right at the moment, I'm on a very low income and trying all these remedies is costing my money I don't really have. So laying out for a book and loads of new foods isn't something I can afford. I've already lost a lot of weight when I didn't intend to and I always feel tired.

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vvvv That sounds like a very restricted diet. How do you get your energy? I struggle with that as it is.

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Violet as I feel better, I am starting to have more energy.

At first I was hungry all the time but I got used to the diet now, and it is not so bad now.

If you can't buy the book, I can help you with what to eat.

You can also look at the first pages for free on amazon (in the sample), most of the information you need with the Ph levels is there.

Let me know what you usually eat, and how you prepare it, and I can help you based on the book.

Below is what I eat:

Breakfast: oatmeal with one banana (when I got better, I added a little bit of walnuts or almonds but not at the beginning.

Lunch:

One protein: chicken breast with salt, no black pepper or spices, or lean fish (like cod) or low-fat seafood like shrimps, baked tofu or tempeh, beans, lentils, chickpeas.

One starch: plain rice, potatoes, yam (I am on a gluten free diet for other reasons so I don't eat wheat but might be fine for you, beware of all additives and vitamins included), most cereals are fine.

Vegetables: broccoli, lettuce, butternut squash, zucchini squash, mushrooms, ... most vegetables are fine except onion, garlic, cucumber (trigger food for some), Bell peppers, tomatoes.

I love to make stew with potatoes, carrots, parsnip and turnips: first sauteed with salt and a tiny bit of olive oil, then cooked slowly with some water in a pot with a lid for 40 minutes. I add roasted chicken breast at the last minute.

At first I cooked everything either steamed, sauteed in a non-stick pan (I put olive oil then wipe it with a towel paper to remove most of it), grilled in the oven with salt only.

Now that I feel a little bitter, I use one teaspoon of olive oil with my meal and sometimes some herbs but still no spices.

Afternoon snack: melon, fresh coconut water, watermelon, whole grain spelt bread.

Dinner: same as lunch.

Sometimes I make carrot juice with celeri and fennel if I don't feel like cooking vegetables.

I try to have dinner early, at least 3 hours before bed time.

In between meals: alkaline water, it feels good, but what helped me most is the diet. I am sure it would work without the water as well.

13

My daily diet looks nothing like that! lol I usually have porridge or toast and redbush tea for breakfast, soup (non tomato based), scrambled eggs or beans on toast for lunch and usually a toasted muffin with cheese spread, fruit and yoghurt later on after work. I drink loads of water too.

14

By porridge you mean oatmeal?

I would replace redbush tea with camomille, which is the only known safe herbal tea for stomach problems.

Eggs are at the limit because of their content of fat, might not be recommended at first, but might be ok (some people do egg white omelets).

I would avoid the cheese spread because of the fat, and the yoghourt because of the acidity (Ph around 4, might be ok after you get a little better), maybe you can replace the cheese on your muffin with sliced turkey breast or sliced chicken breast (is the muffin non-fat? just bread?).

Milk (Ph around 7 I think) is more alkaline than yoghourt and cheese, but some people don't do well with it.

The only safe fruits are melon, watermelon and bananas.

Is there any fat, onion, garlic or spices in your soup? Is it homemade? Soups are excellent if you make them yourself with only vegetables, potatoes, and salt.

I think it is important to check everything you eat in order to avoid additives (vitamins, citric acid, ... can be very acidic), spices and fat.

I know it is not easy but it is worth it.

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Yes, oatmeal. Camomile tea actually gives me heartburn. I can't afford fresh meat very often and I don't have a blender either. Sadly, there are very few fat free options in the UK. I've looked, believe me. I don't do onions and garlic anyway as they irritate my stomach.

16

i have oatmeal for breakfast as well, you can add banana which helps with the acid and is filling and should give you energy. i myself cannot eat too many bananas.

i agree with ines6375 that you should stay away from cheese as it can be very acidic. what you spend on cheese you can spend on some chicken breast or a small piece of fish. i find pumpkin and winter squash very helpful and soothing for the stomach. if you dont have a blender to make it into a soup then you can eat it as a vegetable or mash it with some carrots or plain to eat instead of potatoes. i find them more soothing than potatoes. making it into a soup makes it easier to have it throughout the day. i have a plate of pumpkin soup upon rising (i know it sounds weird) but i am desperate by then to put something alkaline into my stomach. i have a bowl at lunch. a bowl in the afternoon with some bread as a snack and a bowl at night.

also i had a lot of bloating and gas and if i could get rid of the gas or burped i felt some relief from the rising acid. if you have the same experience, rubbing your stomach in a clockwise direction (as that is the direction your intestines travel thru the digestive system) you will either be able to burp or let out some gas and it should bring some relief. do that often whenever you feel some burning sensation under your rib cage or on your chest especially if the heartburn wakes you up at night.i often feel that if i have a lot of gas the pressure in my stomach from the gas pushes the acid up my esophagus. if you have a problem with gas aside from rubbing your stomach do some walking. exercise even moderate alkalizes your body and helps you get rid of gas.

do give it a try. i was desperate since medication didnt help me but consciously staying away from acid foods and eating an alkaline diet really helped.

17

Oh, I'd heart that Goat's Cheese is ok for acid reflux and wanted to try it.

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Personally goat cheese triggers my symptoms: probably too acid and/or too fatty.

DGL licorice is working very well for me though, it helped me get off the dexilant cold turkey.

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i would encourage you to try any alkaline diet and if possible eating all kinds of veg with just a little animal protein. i felt much better after 3 days. you will be encouraged by the results which might encourage you to continue. it took only 3 weeks when i felt so much better that i started reintroducing more of my favourite foods. so yu will not have to stay on a very strict diet forever, only initially. yu will have to do some trial and error of your own to see which alkaline foods suit you the most.

give it a try.

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Hi I haven't been here in a while so I am not sure if this has been mentioned but I had some good results with it so thought I would post about it.

Has anyone tried Redmond Clay? Google it with acid reflux. It is used for many things and sold in a few different forms. People say it helps with AR and the reason is it has a natural high PR...among other things. Look into it. It's cheap and has lot's of other health benefits.

I started taking it for a cleanse and noticed people talking about how it works for them in that way too. ONe thing I have also noticed is that what works for some doesn't work for everyone so you never know.