Post by Byron HinsonI have developed Oesophagitis from having Acid Reflux over the weekend
- I've got this constant feeling on having something stuck low down in
my throat (is this normal). Does anyone know how long it tends to last
for and if it will just go of its own accord?
Thanks
--
Byron Hinson
The answer is is that it depends. Your description sounds right and
it can get worse. A round of over the counter PPI meds may help
clear up a mild case. However, it may it part have resulted from
too little acidity. (Caution this a concept of alternative medicine.)
A fatty meal can cause a meal with an extra long residence time
in the stomach and worsen reflux. If the chyme (the meal as it
is digesting) doesn't drop to a pH of 2.0 or lower, GI motility is
impaired. Taking additional helps some in this situation.
Talk to an alternative medicine provider before trying this.
Many alt med providers claim reaching a low pH (highly acid)
help the lower esophageal sphincter to relax less often.
The other things you can consider to help yourself is to hold
off of alcohol, caffiene from chocolate, coffee, china tea, certain
herbs, Cola soft drinks, and fatty meals and foods that sweep
the mucus off of the lining of the esophagus such orange juice,
tomato, or citric acid based drinks. Caffiene relaxes the LES.
Sleep on an incline the more the better here. If you could sleep
standing up I suggest it. As we age and gain body mass the
lower esophageal sphincter tends to works less well.
Researcher have should an increase in GERD as women
body mass index raises above 20. And yes a BMI of
20 is slim. Think age 18. This likely true for males
as well.
I had a bit of heartburn as kid and I got over it after a couple
of weeks as I very dimly recall. When the burning hit
in my 40's it did not let go. I tried meds. I tried a fundo
that failed over time. I tried more meds and more meds.
I raised my bed incline more. I tried alternative medicine
use of betaine HCl capsules (~650 mg with pepsin)
and I use 4 or 5 caps at my larger meals of each day.
Which for me means two meals a day.
And I'll add I take them with and NOT after the meal. You really
don't want a capsule of acidic material breaking down in the
esophagus.
I kept the incline, I got better
and have stayed better for approaching 4 years after
a decade long nightmare from GERD and its conventional
treatments.
Would I reject a fundo? I don't know. Mine helped for
a year or so. Some feel the operation has improved since
I had mine.
I have serious doubts about the long term safety of the PPI meds
and even the H-2 acid reducer.
I will say if you have a fundo in case this turns into full blown GERD
and you choose a nissen fundoplication, don't go back to your
old bad habits of coffee, cola drinks, and greasy foods.
To recap: You may get better. Eat a bland diet for awhile.
Sleep on an incline to prevent nocturnal reflux the most damaging
kind. You may need prescription meds but don't trust
them as a good long term answer no matter what the Doc says.
Consider both a fundo operation or/ and consider alternative medicine.