GERD or Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disorder

Ask anyone who has this chronic disorder and they will tell you just how unimaginably painful and stressful it can be. I have had this for 12 years and I can't count the number of times I wondered if it was GERD or was I having a heart attack. One of the side effects, which I get, is a searing "Stop you in your tracks" chest pain. Needless to say I was relieved when the doctors told me that I hadn't had a heart attack. So what can you do? Well if you have good medical coverage you need to get on a regular routine with one of the prescription acid blocking drugs like Previcid or others but if you don't have good prescription coverage you will discover that they cost a small fortune. You can try OTC drugs like Pepcid they will help in many cases. But there are some other things that are overlooked by most of us. I take a Calcium, Magnesium & zinc supplement that I buy at the $.99 store for, you guessed it, .99 cents for 30 tablets and it helps almost as much as the others and It doesn't have any side effects, at least for me. Ladies; you should be taking something like this anyway top help lower your chances for osteoporosis. Here are a few other tips. Avoid anything that is too sweet especially anything baked that has a high fat content that fat will make it harder to keep the acid from being pushed above the stomach valve. (This is true of all fats and oils.) Sleep with your head and chest elevated at least 6", more is better. During my worst attacks I sleep sitting up. Avoid late night snacks except for something like soda crackers. Try taking a fiber substitute at least 1 hour before bedtime. I find that a glass of non-fat milk can help. Avoid any food that has a high acid content, this means spicy, any later than around 4:00, assuming you go to bed around 11:00+. If you are having attacks avoid them all together. The same goes for things like coffee. Absolutely! see a ENT doctor and have it checked out I stopped having heart burn and thought I had outlived the problem only to find out that all of the pain receptors had been burned away. Always have a fast acting product like a liquid OTC for heartburn by your bed; but be careful use these too much and you will do more harm than good. If you eliminate the acid your body will just make more, and will often over compensate by making too much.