Issues with GERD

ese,
This is very interesting. Tell me more, if you don’t mind.
I’ve been on Protonix for years. I know it is bad for me.

I took substantial doses of HL Betaine before meals and bile drops. (Don't think I have them available to check here to check exact name.

Also I laid off of simple carbs for a while until my other metabolic issues (Metabolic Syndrome; overweight, Insulin Resistance) cleared up. I now eat them again in small and rarer quantities.

I can't tell you how bad my health was in part because of the PPI long term use. I think Zantac contributed to breast cancer and another PPI a doc put me on for gastritis caused dreadful anemia, "cured" finally by iron transfusions.

I am almost 86 and all considering have not been healthier in years.

Check if your problem is lack of acid this way. Take a TBS or 2 of apple cider vinegar in water. If you feel better rather than worse, the substantial odds are that your underlying problem is lack of sufficient acid. IT CAN BE FIXED. The body desperately looks for healing and homeostasis and knows how to do it if given the correct inputs, i.e. overall nutrition . Variety is key and I swear by hefty doses of all sorts of supplements. but recommend most highly Taurine and Gly-Nac (Glycine-N'acetly cysteine ) which is the precursors your body uses to make Glutathione, the main antioxidant the body makes. Look up all sorts of scientific reports on YouTube.

@ese I have taken apple cider in water, as well as apple cider supplements, and both have caused severe acid reflux leading to chest pains. Lansoprazole is the only thing that keeps me comfortable - in addition to having the head of my bed raised.

Glad you have found what works for you. Glad I found what worked for me without need for PPIs. We are all different but it is worth trying to get oneself off PPIs because of other effects of long term use.

Use of apple cider vinegar was not suggested as a "cure" but as a test of whether one's underlying issue was an excess or possible lack of sufficient stomach acid. If ACV gives one some relief it is, I believe diagnostic that underlying issue may be lack of rather than excess acid.

My father lived off of TUMS. And I have found that Bicarbonate of soda gives immediate relief on the exceedingly rare occasions I may have a night bout after a particularly poor restaurant meal. For me, it avoids long term use of PPIs...but as I said, I cannot believe how much I have managed both to wean myself off PPIs (which must be done gradually lest one trigger a God Awful rebound since your body keeps trying to make additional acid pumps to compensate for the PPI use (or at least mine did). I just wanted to say that for some of us life without PPIs and without GERD is in fact achievable.

I was on omeprazole for four years before slowly weaning off due to DX of chronic kidney disease, which can be a side effect of a PPI (altho my GI doc doesn't believe it. However, my eGFR value increased significantly after stopping the omeprazole). I rely now on the low acid, whole food diet, and lifestyle changes. If I follow all the rules I feel good. If I don't, well, I am not too bad off and I revert to following the rules. I have had my esophagus stretched three times and if I eat properly, the esophagus doesn't develop strictures, and therefore no stretching needed. I also tried taking an HCL betain capsule to experiment on whether I had too little acid; the answer, nope! ENT doctors Aviv and Kaufman have free info online on how to manage GERD and respiratory reflux without drugs. I sleep on my back with head elevated, and drink filtered tap water with alkaline drops added, as examples of lifestyle/diet changes. Personally I wanted to avoid drugs and surgery, so I am motivated on doing the diet/lifestyle thing. It is certainly harder to do, but I don't worry about the side effects, and apparently I don't have a hugely complex situation so my body responds to the natural method. Good luck on whatever choices you make!

The same exact thing happened to me in march of 2023. The only thing different is I started taking papaya enzyme tablets after eating. I'm 70 years old with a history of stomach problems ( stomach obstructions, ulcers, bleeding ulcers) and it's very scary feeling when gerd happens. Hopefully for you it heals up. I had endoscopy shortly after it healed and the doctor said it looked good and didn't need stretching. It's been good since (n.o.w.). I have been on protonix and pepcid for a long time and the only thing different is that my doctor put me on a low dose of paxil for anxiety. The hardest thing was giving up coffee, I now drink tea.

I’m confused about the too little acid vs too much.
I am open to the idea, but sometimes I can feel the acid in my stomach churning around.
I have had gerd for years and currently take Protonix.
I just started Carafate, too.
Also, there is an advanced form of Gaviscon made in the UK.
I get some relief from that.
I am having the worst episode of gerd right now that I’ve ever had.
Chest tight, short of breath, exhausted. Raspy voice. Had third endoscopy a couple of months and doctor said it was clear. Oh, and the bloating is terrible.

Shortness of breath and raspy voice means you may have laryngopharyngeal reflux, also known as silent reflux. Dr. Jamie Koufman has a bunch of free information at her web site for LRP and GERD. The GI doc doesn't look at the throat, or nose, or ears, and those are the areas affected by LRP. Diet change can help, as in low acid, whole foods. Maybe meds if your vagus nerve is involved. If you have bloating you may need to try a low FODMAP diet for a few weeks (eliminating foods such as beans, watermelon, apples (get a list online). It could also mean you have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO.

Sounds like you have a lot going on that needs exploring. With diet changes you can explore on your own until you find a doctor who can support you. Good luck