Can GERD make you feel this bad!?!?!?

Okay, here is my question??? I have been diagnosed with GERD after experiencing some tremendously bad heartburn........went to see the GI dr. and they gave me prevacid........it helps...kinda! The past few days I have been EXHAUSTED, tremendously fatigued, it feels like something is sitting in my throat and in the center of my sternum; I have alot of disomfort in my chest and shoulders......anyone else expericene anything like this?

Hi Joy

Here are some ideas to heal your condition.

Causes of Heartburn
The most common causes of heartburn are overeating, and eating meals that are predominantly acid-forming and abundant in unhealthy fats, spices, and commercially processed foods. Heartburn can also be caused by low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl), deficiencies in the body鈥檚 production of enzymes, poor adrenal and/or spleen function, and/or diminished liver function due to toxicity. Hiatal hernia, stress, or smoking, can cause heartburn, as well.

In addition, food allergies lead to poor digestion which can also contribute to heartburn, as can combining too many different types of foods at the same meal. Heartburn can be brought on by drinking excess fluids during mealtime, eating too fast, or eating in a stressed environment. Heartburn can also be connected to constipation, similar to a backed up septic system. In this case, the body can have a difficult time digesting and processing the food coming in, if the previous meal is not going down and being eliminated properly.




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Natural Cures

Aromatherapy: The essential oil of cardamon can relieve heartburn symptoms.

Diet: Avoid all commercially processed foods, spicy foods, sugars, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, coffee and other caffeine products, chocolate, sodas, commercial non-herbal teas, alcohol, orange and grapefruit juice, tomato products, milk and dairy products, and foods containing peppermint and spearmint. Also have yourself screened for potential food allergies and sensitivities and avoid those foods for which you test positive.

Emphasize a diet rich in organic whole foods, especially organic fresh green vegetables and green vegetable drinks. Free-range organic meats and poultry, and wild-caught fish are also recommended. In addition, be sure to drink plenty of pure filtered water throughout the day.

Avoid overeating and eating meals late in the evening. As a general rule of thumb, in order to prevent and reverse heartburn symptoms, eat meals that are predominantly alkalizing in nature, especially green vegetables. (For more information about how to eat alkalizing foods, see pH.) Meals should ideally consist of generous portions of fresh leafy green salads, bare or lightly dressed, with an equally generous portion of lightly steamed vegetables and a fist sized portion of steamed, baked, broiled or carefully grilled protein. Organically produced foods, and carefully chosen oils, such as raw virgin coconut butter/oil, extra virgin olive oil and high lignan flax seed oil are your safest options. Avoid all fried foods, and all hydrogenated fats and oils. Choose raw, rather than roasted nuts and seeds, both in whole and butter form. Raw almond butter is a better option than peanut butter, and is a great snack when spread on apple slices.

Minimize your intake of both coffee and black tea, as well as alcoholic beverages. This is essential if heartburn is an issue.

Foods that can often quickly resolve heartburn problems are apples, raw cucumbers (peeled), brown rice, and walnuts. Sipping a glass of pure, filtered water with a couple of teaspoons of raw organic apple cider vinegar or baking soda (one teaspoon to eight ounces of water) can also quickly neutralize heartburn attacks.

Herbal Medicine: Useful herbs for heartburn include agrimony, aloe vera, angelica, fennel, garlic, gentian, goldenseal, licorice root, marshmallow root, parsley, and slippery elm.

Homeopathy:
Arsenicum album 鈥?for heartburn accompanied by anxiety, chills and thirst, abdominal cramping
Nux vomica 鈥?for heartburn caused by fats or sour foods and/or accompanied by feelings of irritability
Sulfur 鈥?for heartburn caused by overeating and/or accompanied by burping, late morning hunger, or early morning diarrhea.

Juice Therapy: Fresh squeezed cucumber juice can often quickly resolve heartburn symptoms.

Lifestyle: If you smoke, stop, and also avoid exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke. In addition, learn how to effectively cope with and manage stress. A regular exercise program is of the utmost importance as is a whole foods diet. Also avoid overeating and eating meals late in the evening. Allow at least 3 hours between meals, unless blood sugar problems are an issue, in which case, eating smaller frequent meals is an option.

Nutritional Supplements: The most useful nutritional supplements for treating and preventing heartburn are digestive enzymes (taken with every meal) and calcium carbonate (take 600 mg in liquid or chewable form every two to three hours until symptoms subside).

Probiotics such as acidophilus and Bifidobacteria, can also be helpful, as can fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and soil-based organisms. FOS is an all-natural carbohydrate microorganism that has been shown by researchers to serve as a fertilizing agent that enables Bifidobacteria to thrive in the large intestine, where it helps to protect against harmful bacteria.

Soil-based organisms are beneficial microbes found in soil. Taken as a supplement, they go to work to detoxify the gastrointestinal tract while eliminating fungi, molds, parasites, viruses, and yeasts. They also help to improve absorption of nutrients and boost both immune and overall cell function, including the production of RNA and DNA. In addition, they act as natural antioxidants.

Alternative Professional Care
The following therapies can also help to prevent and relieve heartburn: Acupressure, Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Biofeedback Training and Neurotherapy, Detoxification Therapy, Environmental Medicine, Enzyme Therapy, Flower Essences, Mind/Body Medicine, Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Yoga.

Best of health to you

Yes, it turned out to be fibromyalgia. Hope this is not what you're getting. If it turns out to be FM, you might want to peruse my fibro webpage: http://www.geocities.com/seabulls69/fibr...

You may need Nexium instead of prevacid. If you have had severe GERD for awhile, your esophagus is so irritated that it may have erosion which is equivalent to a paper cut, or severe scratch. It will take time to heal. You should have been put on a bland diet for awhile as well as medication. It will heal in time if properly cared for. Good luck.

go back to your doctor
and tell him you want to try prilosec otc and carafate tabs
the carafate tabs coat your sternum and with in a couple day
you will feel 100 percent better
it works it works for me
just suggest it to your doctor

Oh yeah it can make you feel that bad! Also the prevacid can make you feel rough til you get used to it thought that should go away. I totally feel your pain on this one! I've been in the floor crying after being stupid and drinking a coffee. But there is hope! I was on prevacid for a while but I stayed really nauseous with it so I was switched to prilosec. It's helped a great deal. And I saw a program today that said that chewing sugar free gum helps with it so I tried that tonight and it really did help. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

YEA ,CAN CAUSE NAUSEA

Yes, it can definitely make you feel that bad. I had no concept of how bad heartburn could be until, I too, had an occurrence of GERD (don't think it's chronic). Getting old can really suck. Since I've gotten older I've developed migraines, severe respiratory allergies and GERD. LOL -- still beats the alternative, I guess.

Truly, tho, you can't even imagine how nasty this stuff can feel until you experience it for yourself. I also used Prilosec and it helped enormously. Good luck.

If you're feeling worse since starting the medication, get seen by a doctor. Also go to medlineplus.gov and look up the side effects of prevacid. Pain in the chest and upper back can be referred pain from internal organs (heart, gallbladder, etc.). Don't suffer in silence.

Oh yes....There are a lot of nerves in your esophagus and throat. When acid refluxes up the esophagus and into the throat it not only burns the tissues, and tastes bad, but also irritates the nerves which causes the pain in the center of your sternum, chest, and shoulders. It may even travel up your neck and into your jaw area...Until things are under control with the prevacid,(which the doctor may have to increase) don't eat anything that will increase acid production. Like fatty foods, fried foods, spicy foods, dairy products...I know, you're saying so what do I eat then.. Boiled, broiled, or baked chicken, broiled or baked pork, lay off the red meat for now..broiled or baked fish, then add your carbohydrates like breads(no butter), potatoes, rice, noodles, vegetables, and fruits..Don't do anything high fiber right now because your throat, esophagus and stomach are tender, they need to heal....You can add some tums, cold water helps me a lot, or mylanta....If you continue to need to supplement the prevacid call your doctor and let him know so he can increase the medication. I have to take two pills twice a day to control mine. Also no acidic beverages, beer, liquor, citrus juices like orange, grapefruit, lemonade, limeade, and absolutely no sodas..Stay away from coffe till you feel better it is very acidic. It will take some time for all your symptoms to go away, give it up to a month....Oh, and the fatigue is part of it, it to will go away once your stomach is under control. Don't be surprised if you have some bouts of diarrhea, it comes along with the problem... Stay away from aspirin and motrin, unless absolutely necessary and then only take the coated version and take with food....Once it is under control it can jump back up and bite you when you really overdo eating the wrong foods or have a lot of stress in your life.....This will be a life long problem so learn now how to treat your body better and how to manage the symptoms so they don't manage you. I hope this helps. There are a lot of web sites for GERD, just google stomach disorders and pick what you want to read...Also call your doctors nurse and ask for a diet for this disorder. Feel Better.....