The water idea is welcome as it is painful and can be confused with one thing or the other! I have largely controlled it be avoiding glutin, but stupidly had a piece of birthday cake at the weekend, spent hours that night feeling most uncomfortable, and did begin to wonder if it was heart?!

Thanks a lot Jingle . And thanks for buying it. If you could do even a teeny one-line review on Amazon I will be in your eternal debt.

TheMillersTale - good point. In mitigation, GN have pretty strict limits on length and style for blogs. There are, obviously, lots of cautions in the book. Also available on NHS Choices : www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Gastroesophageal-reflux-disease/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Another thing that can mimic heart disease - in fact a heart attack - is a very sharp chest pain that some people get as a result of acid reflux. My friendly retired gastroenterologist gave me this tip: If someone has a sharp pain in their chest, get them to drink a large glass of water. If the pain immediately disappears, or reduces noticeably, then acid reflux is the probable cause. (because the water washes the acid out).

I am doing the exercises jess. [halo]

Good book. Well done missis.

I can vouch for the singing. I used to have to sleep raised up, couldn't eat chocolate or drink red wine or coffee, or anything with much fat in it. I started to sing more regularly, then joined another choir, and six months later it all disappeared. It took a while before I realised I no longer needed the omeprazole, or to have my mattress raised. It's been about two years now since my last attack, I just got the odd one sneaking up on me every few months for a while, either would wake up about to be sick or would bend over to weed and it would get me.

It did make me change my diet, which wasn't a bad thing. Fatty meats in particular seemed to set me off, along with the wine and chocolate and coffee. I couldn't have anything chocolatey and a glass of wine after a meal out for some time.

I have been on a serious diet for the last week which includes no red wine!!!.. BORING.. but heartburn has already reduced quite significantly.

Sorry, posted too soon.

I mean, not to scare anyone but a 'funny little cough' can be a symptom of something much more serious as can difficulty swallowing.

There needs to be a clear mention in the OP that these symptoms must be explored and serious, life limiting illness ruled out before a person even considers buying your book.

Amazing to see no mention of the fact that heart disease symptoms can masquerade as heartburn.

I wouldn't go to a chiropractor for advice on symptoms such as this and I would see another doctor if he or she did not seem interested or thorough.

Hi folks. Sorry for the delay in contributing - I've been away with no wifi.
I never knew the F word was in the Bible jings but you live and learn

I'm glad you found the book helpful GrannyKnot and in answer to your question - yes all exercise should have some beneficial effect on the diaphragm but there are still a lot of fit people (including cyclists and runners) who suffer from reflux/heartburn. Yoga abdominal breathing is a more specific way of strengthening it. Still more specific are the exercises in the latter part of Chapter 5 which focus on the back part of the diaphragm, which wraps around the oesophagus. These are the ones I need to do for a minute or so every day to keep my tendency to heartburn completely controlled. Otherwise it's one of those two-tone Gaviscons at bedtime.
Some of the diaphragm exercises you find on the internet are good. Others are, well... odd. Don't do the balloon-blowing one, if you were tempted.
Yes Nansue, no surprise that weight loss helped - particularly abdominal weight loss, which is one of the best forms of self help. A little bit of extra pressure from below combined with a weak valve at the top of the stomach and you get increased back flow of acid. A toned diaphragm supports the valve, helps to pinch it and keep it doing the best possible job.

Sorry to have got slightly biblical there - twice too!

Nooooooo......... ! (scaredy-cat ) Thank you for thee reassurance though. I will keep it in mind if it does ever have to happen.

Nooooooo......... ! (scaredy-cat ) Thank you for thee reassurance though. I will keep it in mind if it does ever have to happen.

jingl, a laryngoscopy is nothing like as intrusive as a gastroscopy - I've had both and would have no objection to having the laryngo again, though would think twice about the gastro.

Thanks, Elegran and anno - yes I know the medicines must be taken regularly. I'm going to try the Lansoprazole again, but the lower dose (15mg not 30mg) and see how I get on.

I'll also buy some Boots Ranitidine tablets before going back to the doc's.

I'm not having the camera down the throat, or up the nose job. That's why I buy some of my tablets. Daren't ask for extra from doc in case he mentions 'endoscopy'.

I take Ranitidine 150mg at night and Gaviscon Advance last thing, even after brushing my teeth - consultant's orders. The point about silent reflux is that it could be doing the damage at any time. So it makes sense to deal with it before it happens - prevention, in other words.

In which case you have to take it regularly. It is the same with all preventive medicines.

That's the trouble with silent reflux though, Elegran, you can't feel the acid rising so no idea when it's doing its damage...

What I do is keep a packet to hand and take one at bedtime or if I cannot sleep for rising acid or a cough - it is when I am lying down that I get reflux, but not always. I think the trigger is eating certain food, eating late at night, wearing a tight waistband. I prefer to take Remegal , but I vary them.

I was trying to avoid going down that route, anno, and my GP hasn't mentioned it (yet) [coward emoticon]

It was she who told me I couldn't crush the tablets as they're supposed to go down whole - but as indicated previously, I'm not convinced she has much experience of this sort of problem. I may try and see one of the others in the practice.

Do you take your ranitidine at night? And what dosage?

PS Ana, you don't have to swallow the camera - it goes down through the nose which isn't as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Silent reflux is the same as lanyngo-pharyngeal reflux for which I was referred to the local ENT consultant who twice did laryngoscopies which I was able to watch on screen - fascinating! Could you ask your GP to refer you, Ana?

You are not supposed to crush the effervescent ones, but it doesn't mention crushing or not crushing the tablets.

Boots ones are loads cheaper than Tesco's! (Just looked)

jingl I sometimes wonder whether my GP really understands silent reflux...

Elegran, I don't think you're supposed to crush them or I'd take them - I crunch paracetamol and other solid tablets.

I would get through a pack of Tesco ones very quickly if I took four at a time.