GERD/GORD/silent reflux diet effectiveness?

[Laura Corin]

Husband was put on a low fat, low citrus, no coffee, no carbonation, no spirits, no white wine diet in December for silent reflux.  He is also taking doctor-prescribed PPI antacids.  I have just been to see the same ENT and he has put me on the same diet, which he thinks should cure my problem without antacids; without the diet, I will need medication.

 

Do you have any experience?  Any success?  How long did improvement take?  Husband isn't seeing any change so far.  I am very, very peeved at the idea of giving up chocolate, cheese, gin and tonic and baked goods.  Husband - already slim - is losing weight on the diet, and whilst I wouldn't mind losing seven pounds, I'm already a normal weight.

 

Thanks

 

L

[Pawz4me]

My three main triggers are stress, raw onions and vinegar.  Stress is the really big one.

 

Coffee can be a trigger, but I've found a brand I tolerate very well and so I stick with it at home.  If I'm out somewhere I can handle a cup or two of any brand, but not more than that.

 

I've never been a drinker, so I don't know what affect that might or might not have on me.

 

It took a couple of years on medication to get my symptoms under control and to be able to figure out my triggers, but maybe I'm a slow learner.  I don't think I'd ever have been able to figure it out w/o medication.  Part of my problem (and my gastro doc agrees) is that stress is a huge trigger for me.  And the reflux itself was stressing me out.  So it became a self-perpetuating cycle.

[Laurie4b]

I got entirely rid of my reflux. At first, it was mild (kind of a gurgling in my throat) and I was put on the usual medications. It got worse. Finally, I quit the medication. Here's what I did:

 

Elevated the head of my bed. (We put a block of wood under each foot at the head of the bed.)

Sipped ice water throughout the day.

Ate tiny meals for a while.

Chewed gum all day. Saliva counteracts the stomach acid.

 

I don't have it any more. LIke you, I wasn't willing to give up a whole list of foods that were healthy for me (including my dark chocolate!) and which I enjoyed.

[Laura Corin]

My problem is that currently my only symptom is a feeling of fullness in my throat that causes me to swallow.  It's intermittent and not a big deal.  I'm not sure that I will be able to identify triggers with such minor symptoms....  Husband may find it easier - the reflux is causing him to be hoarse.  Neither of us has a classic burning/acidic sensation.  Both of us have silent reflux.

 

L

[Laurie4b]

I didn't have the classic symptoms, either--just the gurgling in my throat.

[Pawz4me]

My problem is that currently my only symptom is a feeling of fullness in my throat that causes me to swallow.  It's intermittent and not a big deal.  I'm not sure that I will be able to identify triggers with such minor symptoms....  Husband may find it easier - the reflux is causing him to be hoarse.  Neither of us has a classic burning/acidic sensation.  Both of us have silent reflux.

 

L

 

That's pretty much how my symptoms started.  For years I'd get an awful choking/throat closing feeling that could be relieved a little by drinking almost constantly. It would always go away in a day or two, so even though it was awful I didn't worry about it too much.  Over time the symptoms increased and lasted longer and longer.  I developed a chronic cough and sore throat and my ears felt full/stuffed up.  Eventually I began to have the more typical heartburn and churning stomach symptoms.  My gastro doc says this type of reflux is often the hardest to treat.  He says that people with silent reflux are often over-reacting to normal amounts of stomach acid.

[Indian summer]

I had a fairly severe, but ultimately acute bout with GERD. Doctor prescribes meds, he said I'd need for the rest of my life. I don't like to do meds though, so I did some research instead. I found whey to be the most helpful, I would take a Tbsp. a few times a day with a very bland diet for just a few days, mostly fermented foods, including raw cheese and veggies. Digest enzymes and probiotics helped a lot too. It took the better part of a week to heal, but I could eat most anything after that. I occasionally feel GERD symptoms return and I just revert back to this 'diet' for a few days.

 

I made my own whey by draining it out of yogurt in a cheesecloth over a pitcher then stored it in a jar in the fridge. The yogurt becomes cream cheese which I also ate.

[Chris in VA]

Not to hijack, but have you heard of raw/organic apple cider vinegar taken to counteract GERD?

It seems counterintuitive to me, esp when the diet recommended often limits vinegar/pickles/olives.

 

I tried to get off the prion pump inhibitors, and did greatly reduce their use, but I still struggle with GERD. Maybe I should try the diet you were prescribed.

[Acadie]

You may find that you have specific food triggers that you can avoid, and still eat most of the foods you really like.  With subtle symptoms it might take longer to sort it out, but still could be possible.  I wonder if you and hubby share any triggers, and if he could help you figure out yours?  My family does share some reflux triggers.  

 

Sulfites are our big reflux trigger, and they're in corn derivatives like dextrose, maltodextrin, cornstarch, corn syrup, etc.  In the US sulfites aren't listed on the label when it's less than 10 ppm, which is the case for the corn derivatives.  I'm not sure if this is an issue in the UK--in the US corn products are in almost all processed food.  Is this a recent thing for both of you?  Any chance you've added certain products to your diet recently that may be issues?  Citric acid gives us reflux too, and unlike the corn derivatives citric acid is often in health food store foods.  It's in jam, popsicles, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, etc, but we've been able to find certain brands that don't contain it.

 

If sulfites are an issue, you might find that wine gives you reflux but not clear spirits like gin and vodka.  The tonic might be its own issue--can you find a brand without preservatives like sodium benzoate?

 

Last but not least, chocolate with "chocolate liquor" in it gives me reflux, but chocolate that doesn't contain it is fine for me.  Yikes, it sounds like I avoid a lot, but it's become second nature because I just buy the brands that work. 

 

We see no correlation between fat and reflux for us--it's largely additives and preservatives in food.  Even though we weren't eating a lot of processed food before, we eat even less now and feel better.

 

Another thought is to get tested for H. pylori.  

 

Amy 

[Saddlemomma]

My DH has this same problem.  Medication actually made it worse.  After doing some research, we found that the problem was that he actually had too little acid for digestion.  The medication was compounding the problem.  This is the opposite of what we were told.

 

Suggested natural remedies are: a teaspoon of Apple cider vinegar in water each day (best solution); a teaspoon of peanut butter; eating pickles or drinking pickle juice; yogurt and taking probiotics; a tablespoon of honey.

 

If your DH is not feeling better with the diet and meds, my suggestion to you would be to do some of your own research and try one of the above natural remedies.

[kbutton]

My heartburn went away when I went gluten free (and for a period of time, sugar free). If I eat too many starches or sugar, it comes back a little. The gluten free thing was an accident--I was doing an elimination diet. I always heard cutting out fat and acid was best, but carbs and sugar ended up being much better. I do still have a problem once in a while with mint or strong garlic, but it's very minor and rare. Both of those spices can dilate the sphincter muscles that hold stomach contents, so the problem can be mechanical as well as systemic.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'm sorry  :grouphug:  It's so disappointing to find out you can't eat the things you love. My GERD isn't silent, but it's triggered by the same things your doctor told you to avoid: citrus, chocolate, caffeine, carbonation, etc. I also can't eat oats or gluten in any form, and eating very few/no grains is best for me (even GF flours can occasionally trigger it). I was really upset about the chocolate, because it was the one luxury I was holding onto after accepting that I can't eat baked goods and had to give up my beloved morning coffee. But I'm very worried about esophageal cancer, so that's a good motivator, I guess! It's still hard and often sad though :(

 

The ACV didn't help me at all. It did make things worse, and it gave me persistent cold/flu-like symptoms. I really wanted it to work! Eliminating the things I'm not supposed to eat definitely helps. For me, there's really no way around it. 

 

How does the doctor know you have GERD? If it's silent, how can you tell if it's being managed successfully? 

[Mergath]

I have issues with silent reflux, and for me it almost always seems to be anxiety-related.  As soon as I start taking medication for anxiety, the reflux and accompanying heart palpitations go away.  Other than that, avoiding dairy, tea, and alcohol before bed and taking a Zantac are the only things that have helped me.  I tried the apple cider vinegar, but it made it worse, turning my silent reflux into not-so-silent reflux. :P  It's such an individual thing, you really just have to go with trial and error.

[Pawz4me]

How does the doctor know you have GERD? If it's silent, how can you tell if it's being managed successfully? 

 

"Silent" GERD really isn't a good name, because there certainly are symptoms.  They just aren't the usual "heartburn" feeling.  Silent GERD is also called laryngopharyngeal reflux, which is probably the better term for the condition.

 

See this WebMD article for an explanation.

 

A Dr. Oz article on "silent" reflux (Dr. Oz isn't a source I'd normally use, but that article is quite accurate at explaining a lot of the symptoms I've had)

 

[Laura Corin]

How does the doctor know you have GERD? If it's silent, how can you tell if it's being managed successfully? 

 

The doctor put a scope through my nose and looked at my throat.  He could see damage and swelling which he believes is caused by acid reflux.  My only symptom is a feeling of fullness in my throat.  I'm hoping to reduce the swelling and therefore the symptom.

 

L

[kitten18]

My heartburn went away when I went gluten free (and for a period of time, sugar free). If I eat too many starches or sugar, it comes back a little. The gluten free thing was an accident--I was doing an elimination diet. I always heard cutting out fat and acid was best, but carbs and sugar ended up being much better. I do still have a problem once in a while with mint or strong garlic, but it's very minor and rare. Both of those spices can dilate the sphincter muscles that hold stomach contents, so the problem can be mechanical as well as systemic.

I see stories similar to that frequently on LC forums.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

"Silent" GERD really isn't a good name, because there certainly are symptoms.  They just aren't the usual "heartburn" feeling.  Silent GERD is also called laryngopharyngeal reflux, which is probably the better term for the condition.

 

See this WebMD article for an explanation.

 

A Dr. Oz article on "silent" reflux (Dr. Oz isn't a source I'd normally use, but that article is quite accurate at explaining a lot of the symptoms I've had)

 

 

Thanks for this. I really wish my father would believe me about his symptoms. He's had choking episodes for years, and I keep telling him to look into reflux, but he keeps saying he doesn't have heartburn, he knows it's not reflux. In the meantime, he takes allergy meds every day for his postnasal drip and continues to have trouble swallowing.  :smash:

 

The doctor put a scope through my nose and looked at my throat.  He could see damage and swelling which he believes is caused by acid reflux.  My only symptom is a feeling of fullness in my throat.  I'm hoping to reduce the swelling and therefore the symptom.

 

L

 

Oh, I bet that was a lot of fun! I'd love to see what's in my throat, since I had GERD for years. It wasn't until I started having choking episodes too that I did some research and discovered what was happening. (And then it took me forever until I finally accepted how drastically I have to change my diet to truly fix the problem. Boo :()

 

Laura, I hope you can figure out how resolve your issue fairly quickly and easily. 

[HRAAB]

I have GERD due to a hiatal hernia.  I've taken PPIs off and on for quite a few years.  I'm beginning to have negative side effects from them (stomach discomfort, diarrhea - not fun).  I've had two endoscopes with dilation to open up the esophageal stricture cause by the reflux.  The main triggers I've found are grains, especially any baked items, and dairy to a lesser degree.  I've found some relief from watching food combinations.  I try to eat fruit by itself and give it a half hour to digest.  Also I've found some relief from not combining grains and carbs with animal protein.  One cup of coffee or a single glass of wine doesn't seem to bother me.

 

Otherwise, I eat small portions, chew very slowly (count to 20), sit up straight while eating, don't drink anything with my meals so my stomach doesn't get to full, take a walk after eating, don't bend over, and never eat within three hours of going to bed.

 

Even with all these precautions, I have not been able to eliminate my reflux.  It's painful, hurting all the way up to my ear.  Also, I anticipate having another scope done to open up the stricture.  Last time I called dh home from work because a piece of food got stuck, and I could not get it down.  It really scared me.  It did go down just as he got home - almost 45 minutes.  My neighbor had nissen fundoplication surgery and says she's not been bothered since, but the complications have got me scared off.  It would be a last resort, but sometimes I feel I'm getting to close to that last resort.

[Laura Corin]

Oh, I bet that was a lot of fun! I'd love to see what's in my throat, since I had GERD for years. It wasn't until I started having choking episodes too that I did some research and discovered what was happening. (And then it took me forever until I finally accepted how drastically I have to change my diet to truly fix the problem. Boo :()

 

Laura, I hope you can figure out how resolve your issue fairly quickly and easily. 

 

 

Thanks.  Yes - it was a bit eye-watering at 9.15 on a Saturday morning.  It was good to be able to see the pictures with him though so he could show me what he was talking about.

 

L

[Annie Laurie]

My GERD got so bad that I was having horribly painful episodes where I'd end up throwing up repeatedly and it would take hours for the pain to go away. I take PPIs every day right now but am trying to reduce my dosage.

 

Unfortunately, I did have to modify my diet. Alcohol is a big trigger for me, which has been a bummer, dh and I like to have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer. But every time I try to have even half a beer, I have pain again. I also just eat very small meals, chew my food for a long time, and drink tons of water. I don't eat or drink much dairy at all, maybe a small piece of cheese every now and then. I eat the same thing most days, which is hard since we're foodies and we like trying new things. But oatmeal for breakfast, an apple or salad for lunch, and whatever I make for dinner in small portions is what worked for me in stopping the painful episodes I was experiencing.

 

I lost 15 lbs in a few months because of just eating smaller portions, not eating if bedtime was 3 hours away or closer, and not drinking beer. But I do hope I can get it under control and indulge now and then again.

 

ETA: I'm a big tea drinker, I drink hot unsweetened tea all day in the winter, but I found that black tea was a trigger for me, so no more Chai or English Breakfast. I drink herbal teas and a lot of ginger tea now. Peppermint is another trigger for me that I've had to avoid. I just ate a clementine and feel fine though, so triggers may vary from person to person. I guess it's hard to know what to avoid though if your reflux is silent.

 

My wonderful grandfather died of esophogeal cancer a few years ago, and he suffered from GERD most of his life, so I take it seriously.