Is this reflux and what do you do *in the moment*?

[mcmom4]

I woke up in the middle of the night last night with my throat and chest ON FIRE! Yes, I have done this before and it usually only happens if I eat late at night and sleep on my stomach.

I have heard and know of others with reflux, but they never describe what happened to me. The only thing I could do was eat LOTS of ice cream to cool off my throat. It literally felt like I drank battery acid or something. It was hard to breathe and still this morning, my chest hurts like I have pneumonia or something.

Does every reflux sufferer experience this? Why do I never hear commercials for this or others talking about it? And is there something better to do in the moment to get rid of the burning besides a quart of ice cream??

Thanks for any help on this!

[MyBlueLobsters]

I had it this bad toward the end of my pregnancies. I had to breath through it like it was a contraction! It was AWFUL! The only thing that helped me was the berry flavored extra maximum strength Tums. I would eat several and after a few minutes it calmed down. HTH. I read that if you drink a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before bed, it helps.

[Chris in VA]

Well, stomach acid is pretty strong. I have reflux, and occasionally do a round of the 14 day "reflux killers." But I have to be careful, because they can disrupt the calcium in the body.

 

Mylanta or Tums can help. You could just keep some on hand. I find Mylanta very "cooling," but it's not enough for me.

[A.J. at J.A.]

I have had good luck with 1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg's Organic with the "mother" in it), 4 oz water and 1 teas honey mixed together. Drink it with a straw and then brush your teeth (to minimize the effect of the apple cider vinegar on your teeth.) It doesn't taste great, but it isn't too nasty either. It helped me quite a bit.

 

Hope this helps,

Angela

[ktgrok]

Baking soda in water, the directions are on the box, followed by sucking on a Ludens cough drop. The pain in the lungs is from inhaling some of the acid.

[mcmom4]

so much for taking time to send your suggestions! My chest is STILL in pain from last night. That was the worst one yet! I am ready to try anything.

Thanks!

[elegantlion]

I have heartburn. I try not to eat at least 2 hours before bed. If I have a flare up I do a round of Prilosec. I also take 2 Gaviscon before bed if I've eaten something that may cause a flareup. Ice cream will do it for me. I switched to popsicles to help with a sore throat.

 

Google GERD and see the foods that can cause flareups.

 

--tomatoes

- caffeine

- chocolate

- berries

- alcohol

 

those are a few.

[RoughCollie]

I have had severe heartburn for decades, which I treat with Tums. I formerly used a large bottle of the strongest Tums every single week.

 

The only time I absolutely NEVER have heartburn is when my diet consists of a very small amount of lean beef, chicken or fish, very little dairy (1-2 cups of nonfat milk per day), lots of whole grains and veggies, and fruit. My diet is also low fat, and extremely low in saturated fat.

 

I eat lots of tomatoes, cooked and raw. I drink lots of coffee. The food I eat is heavily seasoned with spices and herbs. I've never eaten a lot of chocolate because I don't particularly like it. So, I think that for me, the key is the low fat content of my diet, or maybe it is a combination of low fat, lots of veggies and whole grains.

 

I originally tried this healthy eating plan for health reasons, several years ago. Back then, I only made it through 3 weeks, but the entire time I was heartburn-free. This time, I've been on it for 2 months of heartburn-free living.

 

So, you might want to make some dietary changes to discover if anything you are eating is causing the problem.

[RoughCollie]

so much for taking time to send your suggestions! My chest is STILL in pain from last night. That was the worst one yet! I am ready to try anything.

Thanks!

 

Is your chest in pain, or is it your esophagus and stomach? If you can't tell, and this happens again or you know it is not pain from your digestive organs, you should see a doctor.

[lisabelle]

For me, it always happens when I eat chocolate cake for dessert (which is why I'm not ashamed to admit that I eat it for breakfast when it's around!). Two extra-strength Tums at bedtime is not enough for me if I've been rash enough to indulge in an evening slice of cake.

 

With the feeling like your lungs are burning, yes, you may have inhaled some acid. Make yourself cough as much as you can and do deep breathing exercises later on. You want to get that stuff out of your lungs.

 

Try to be mindful of what you eat and what triggers heartburn at night. Then avoid those things. If it persists, you can buy a two week supply of OTC Prilosec. That should help. It's only supposed to be used once every 4 months because, as mentioned above it disrupts calcium. If you continue to have problems more frequently than that, check in with a gastroenterologist.

 

Since getting my gallbladder out I've been having more problems with GERD. I don't know if you have your gallbladder or not. Not having a gallbladder for bile storage means that acidic bile is dripping straight into my lower esophagus/stomach. Eating frequent small meals helps to keep that bile from sitting around and causing damage.

Edited September 10, 2010 by lisabelle
More info.