acid reflux and heartburn

I get it a lot and make sure I always have Rennies or such in my bag. It is definitely worse after any overindulgence - can't eat a lot and drink alcohol -I have to choose which I want (doesn't always stop me though!)
I've heard it said that a sign of age is thinking twice about pizza - instant heartburn! I also have trouble with pastry. I think it is also connected to worry - I get it more if I'm stressed. Gosh, I sound a right old .......!

I've recently been diagnosed with silent reflux - actually laryngeal reflux, as the acid affects my throat and larynx - so I get hoarseness, a feeling of a lump at the back of my throat and some discomfort in my oesophagus, but not heartburn, as such. The diagnosis was confirmed after I saw an ENT consultant and I'm now on medication, which seems to be helping.

If you're getting it every day, I would suggest that you see your GP about it. Watching your diet is fine - that's part of the solution - but you may need medication to control the amount of acid that you're producing and you don't want to run the risk of damaging your oesophagus, which can happen.

Hope you get on OK.

I had the same problem but now I find my, doctor prescribed, 10mgs daily Omeprazole does the trick admirably.

I am a few pounds overweight, according to the online charts, so I watch this by mainly sensible eating and exercise.

My personal theory is that, because the top third of me has settled more closely down upon the lower two thirds, my stomach is squashed upwards, thereby causing acid to come up more easily. My doctor laughed when I told her that. (They don't know everything obviously )

I do not look as freakish as that makes me sound.

There is a discussion about Omeprazole on another thread. Might be worth looking at if you suffer with accident reflux or heartburn etc.

Thank you, bossy spellchecker! Acid reflux!

Wonder why this subject is popping up all over the place at the moment. Nothing to do with Xmas I suppose.

There must be an "age and diet" link, as I've also had it lately. I was really ill a couple of weeks ago after a rich meal with wine, then dessert, then coffee. Thought afterwards, how dumb can you be, woman? And resolved to cut out alcohol completely, (easily done for me, I often only have a drink to be polite) - and that has made all the difference. I also now have peppermint tea after a big meal.

Other than that, my "secret weapon" is old fashioned Andrew's Liver Salts. Works like a charm, instant relief.

Jingle - I agree with your "squashed middle" theory. I can always improve things by standing up straight and stretching. Sadly, things settle again too quickly. You,re right - doctors don't know everything and I'm sure they need the wisdom of mature ladies like us to put them right. (They are too young. Who gives medical degrees to toddlers anyway?)

That is it exactly rockgran!

I've suffered quite a bit with this over the past few days. However, I've now come to the conclusion that it was the daily slice of Christmas cake that I was having with my morning coffee that was causing it. The cake has all gone now, so this morning I didnt have any and so far no acid reflux! I did buy some antacid tablets (Asda's own brand) and found them helpful.

me too mrssb i resisted temptation this morning and threw the last slice of xmas cake out for the birds...

Have suffered for years with this and was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia. I find Zantac helps plus no rich foods, but sometimes even a cup of tea can trigger off an attack. I am not overweight.

Yes. Tea can be digestible.

Hiatus hernia? Cream in porridge is a trigger for me. Had a delicious wine last night but no problem. DH said because it wasn't plonk. Only getting up now though. Slept brilliantly from 12.30

think mine probably hiatus hernia

Thanks all for the replies, seems to be something that does come with age, though obviously not to everyone.Genevieve you are right, I should see the GP as I have also noticed some hoarseness and a feeling of a small lump in my throat.Jingle I have the same theory about the squashed middle! It's why it happens when you are pregnant isn't it?So, I have resolved to lose some weight this year, and hopefully will feel better for it.Rennies do work well, and I usually need a couple during the night [always worse then.]Not sure about the Andrews Liver Salts Grannyknot I remember that tasting horrible [and I am a wimp.]So, all in all , I should see the GP, and if I don't need any medication then it will be down to diet I suppose.Alchohol is the worst culprit, especially sherry or wine or G and T. Christmas cake/pudding as well, very indigestible, but even a piece of choc sometimes sets it off. I have read that peppermint, far from helping, is often a problem! So I will throw out my Twinings peppermint tea [thought it might help.]
The other thing ladies, and this may well prove an interesting talking point......
tight clothes are a no-no ditto tight bra's [or even ANY bra's] tights, belts etc.Well, personally I have never worn tight clothes, but bra's, well it's so hard to find anything comfy, and even if you wear the pull on kind, they can bite into you [especially after a meal.] Sometimes it's great to get home and fling off the underwear ,sadly not for the reasons we did when younger!

think acid is worst at night as you are led down...some ones prob already mentioned that..but thought I would mention it anyway...I wa sput on omaprazalone..but very rarely need that these days,, think I ended up with more that the Chemist!

Yes I was going to mention the tight clothing thing. I can't stand anything remotely tight round my middle. Goodness knows how they managed with tight corsets. Guess I would have stayed slimmer in the "olden days".

Yes, the importance of loose clothing was mentioned in a leaflet I was given about Silent Reflux from the hospital. It said you should eat a low-fat diet, avoid fried foods, chocolate , cheese, pastry, coffee (caffeine), citrus juices and fizzy drinks. I've also read that tomatoes and peppermint cause reflux, too. Alcohol makes it worse, as does smoking. Being overweight can make things worse, but the leaflet also says: 'extreme physical exercise can also cause reflux' .

So, this Christmas, I'm afraid that all the chocolate has had to pass me by! As I've also got IBS, my diet choices seem to be getting smaller.

As they say - You won't live longer but it will seem longer.

If I stopped eating all the things recommended to combat my hiatus hernia and acid reflux i might just as well give up living!

Overly rich food definitely triggers the pain and I am also now suffering from a dry throat and cough so the omeprazol i am prescribed may not be helping as much as it should be, and as mentioned on the other thread, I'd rather not be taking it at all due to possible detrimental long term effects :-(

I know! I like all the mentioned foods BUT it will be worth it to combat the acid reflux, no foods are worth that to my mind. So, no fizzy drinks or alchohol, tomatoes, peppermint or chocs. That's the easier bit, coffee..... well, I can cut down, I can live without cream or fatty foods too, and hopefully will lose a bit of weight, which in turn may help in itself.I can also have bra-less days whenever I can, and check that other bra's are not tight. Every little helps!

If peppermint is bad then why is it an ingredient of Rennies I wonder?