Just got diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux

[wood1954]

So I went for allergy testing and found out I don’t have allergies but do have gastroesophageal reflux. So no wine for me till I heal up, bummer, plus no chocolate, fatty foods and no more large meals. The doc said I should be ok by harvest time. Today was the fifth doctor visit for this issue and this was the first doctor to correctly diagnose, four other doctors never suggeted GER, I think the best doctors don’t practice in the rural areas.

 

[ibglowin]

Hope they can get you fixed up. I think your referring to GERD but maybe that is a more serious (long term) case of what you have. Doesn't sound like much fun either way!

 

[PandemoniumWines]

I’ve been taking one antacid or another (currently pantoprazole) for 15 years... it does get better, and as long as you remember to take your meds you should be pretty okay! It does suck the most right after diagnosis though.

 

[Rocky]

NOTE: I am not nor do I purport to be a doctor!

I had the condition years ago and a glass of red wine would send a sharp pain from my stomach to my throat. There is a miracle drug on the market, Nexium (Esomeprazole) that at one time was prescription only but is now available over the counter in 15 mg. tablets. Not only does it counter act the acid, it has restorative properties too. I started with the prescription 30 mg. tablets and completely cured the condition. I now take the 15 mg. prn when my stomach feels acidic.

 

[wood1954]

I’ve been taking one antacid or another (currently pantoprazole) for 15 years... it does get better, and as long as you remember to take your meds you should be pretty okay! It does suck the most right after diagnosis though.

i was just prescribed the same drug, i hope i dont have to do this for 15 years. any side effects from taking the drug for so long?

 

[wood1954]

NOTE: I am not nor do I purport to be a doctor!

I had the condition years ago and a glass of red wine would send a sharp pain from my stomach to my throat. There is a miracle drug on the market, Nexium (Esomeprazole) that at one time was prescription only but is now available over the counter in 15 mg. tablets. Not only does it counter act the acid, it has restorative properties too. I started with the prescription 30 mg. tablets and completely cured the condition. I now take the 15 mg. prn when my stomach feels acidic.

Rocky, did you do any dietary changes? Does drinking wine still cause pain? I really enjoy my wine, cant imagine life with out it. Same with coffee and chocolate, after getting this old with no health problems it sucks that all my favorite foods might contribute to the problem.

 

[Rocky]

Rocky, did you do any dietary changes? Does drinking wine still cause pain? I really enjoy my wine, cant imagine life with out it. Same with coffee and chocolate, after getting this old with no health problems it sucks that all my favorite foods might contribute to the problem.

No, I did not after using Nexium for about 3-6 months (it was a while back in the '90's). When I started back drinking red wine, no problems at all. Yesterday, my wife and I opened and finished a bottle of red (she may have had a glass!) with no issues. I never had the problem with coffee or chocolate. I used to drink coffee black but changed to adding cream because of the staining of teeth.

A amusing little aside regarding our "creamer." At one time (maybe still) there were Cremora and Coffee-mate non-dairy creamers. My bride inadvertently created a portmanteau word by combining the two into "Cream-mate" and I always thought that would be a hard sell for marketing.

 

[sour_grapes]

My bride inadvertently created a portmanteau word by combining the two into "Cream-mate" and I always thought that would be a hard sell for marketing.

Depends on what you are marketing!

 

[BernardSmith]

Not a doctor but I think it may help to finish eating earlier in the evening (if you can) and see if there is any way to sleep with the head of your bed raised a few inches from the horizonatl. Not 100 percent certain but if this is GERD then the problem is that the sphincter muscle that allows food into your stomach is no longer contracting with the same intensity as it did before so it allows acids from your stomach up into your esophagus when you are lying down.

I suspect that the drugs are designed to reduce the acidity in your stomach but you can also help reduce the acidity by asking your body to digest food earlier in the day so that when you are ready for sleep you are already in a sort of fasting mode. The angle of your bed up from the horizontal helps compensate for the weaker sphincter. You use gravity to help keep the acids in your stomach.

On a sidebar issue - a number of both OTC and Rx antacids were withdrawn from the market because of contamination at the manufacturing plants. To the best of my knowledge Nexium was NOT one of these.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I've had my fair share of oesophageal problems. All of the above are handy tips. The best thing you can do is drop your weight back to your BMI or just above it. And then like they have said above:

reduce the size of your meals, eat early, don't drink or eat after 8pm, cut out hight fat and high sugar food (including ice cream), basically sleep in a semi sitting up position, eat slower, chew your food, stop drinking carbonated beverages(including beer) and take a tablespoon of Gaviscone before going to bed. The weight reduction is priority. And if you don't get it right, then you'll end up like me. I had an Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy . And it is not nice ! However - I am ok of red wine. go well

 

[ibglowin]

This just landed today.

https://www.healio.com/news/gastroe...n-pump-inhibitor-use-doubles-risk-for-covid19

 

[Rocky]

This just landed today.

https://www.healio.com/news/gastroe...n-pump-inhibitor-use-doubles-risk-for-covid19

Yikes! I don't see how this could make a difference but the study seems convincing. Please beware. I only take a 15 mg. caplet about once or twice a month at present.

 

[wood1954]

I stay home a lot, I’m retired so I only go out when necessar.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Observations:
* oxidized wines are bad, tannic reds tend to be bad, whites and fruit wines aren’t too bad, the effect is worse the later in the day
* am not surprised to hear a covid link, Prilosec does kidney damage and the number is/ was a death increase of 11 per 10,000. The kidney damage may not be visible before an autopsy
* I can pretty much eat anything through lunch, for me the closer to bed time, the worse the GERD, , , as said a sphincter is weak and horizontal encourages burping acid
* some foods are wierd, example a frappe from DairyQueen gives a problem where as one from McD doesn’t, a guess is that DQ uses a highly stabilized ice cream mix, dark roast coffee is bad & light isn’t, greasy smoked ribs and smoked chubs are bad, however one or two ribs are OK and half a rack is bad, butter is better than shelf stable processed oils
* stomach acid can cause a pneumonia in the lungs and irritate the vocal cords
* you will come across folks who have been on a PPI for decades, neighbor Bob started a PPI after a heart attack close to 20 years ago, it is a risk factor but life goes on, the problem is fairly common with the US diet
* the first drug the doctor had me on caused runs, there are a few choices

it actually works well having dinner with wine for breakfast and cereal or salads for dinner time. We are retired so make rules that work

STAY HEALTHY @wood1954

 

[sour_grapes]

it actually works well having dinner with wine for breakfast and cereal or salads for dinner time. We are retired so make rules that work

Yes! Drink outside the box!

 

[Venatorscribe]

I stay home a lot, I’m retired so I only go out when necessar.

Same here

 

[wood1954]

After only 5 days of medication and diet, my sinuses are clear, sore throat gone, my sense of smell is coming back. Sounds like a lifelong dietary change coming up.

 

[Venatorscribe]

I know it’s bloody hard - but when I forget the mantra “moderation old chap” I suffer.

 

[wood1954]

After two months I’m improving, you’re right moderation is key. I’ve learned to water down wine and have limited my coffee to one cup. After losing 10 pounds I’ve felt better which unfortunately leads me to think I’m all better and then overeat, constant battle. Thanks everyone for all the good advice.