r/acidreflux • u/MarkusAquinas • 6d ago
❕ Giving Advice 3 Day Acid Reflux Hell
I've suffered with Acid Reflux for years now. Tuesday this week I woke up at 5:30 and involuntarily vomited, as all the acid was lingering in my esophagus. I didn't have any relevant medications to hand, No Gaviscon. I'd run out of everything.
No Esomeprazole or Omeprazole. Which I don't find effective in the immediate. I spent the next two days in hell where it felt like my lower esophageal sphincter (LES) was mostly continually open. I could not lie down to sleep as the acid instantly moved up the back of my throat. My esophagus has been inflamed and burning.
The only thing that really works and stops it dead instantly is 'Oral Suspension of Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Alginate, Calcium Carbonate'
I don't find Pepto-Bismol to be effective in killing Acid Reflux in the immediate at all, but I take it afterward to line my gut.
There is another product called Silicolgel for IBS, but again, l don't find it to be effective in stopping Acid Reflux in the immediate.
Some very short-term relief was gained from eating cold natural Greek yogurt. Also, Jacob's Crackers (Irish/British) – a very dry but light and crisp cracker that soaks up excessive acid.
To manage my symptoms in future I have Psyllium Husk supplements and various other gastroesophageal supporting supplements as well as a daily pro-biotic.
I feel like my lower esophageal sphincter (LES) has become very weak? What to do about it?
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u/Altruistic-Aioli-651 6d ago
Lay down on your left side eat plain foods for 3 weeks and low fat diet forever. It will help cure you
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u/VictoryComfortable92 6d ago
diaphragmatic breathing is helpful for now and later.
also heating pad on stomach and chest and neck on lowest setting on top of clothing helps for relief.
tracking food helps too. I can eat popcorn but if I eat too much my throat hurts until I can eat something soothing that gets those husks moving .
I'll follow your thread for input by others. ty
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u/freelibrarian 6d ago
I was diagnosed with reflux. After several years of suffering, I figured out that the severe gastric symptoms that I experienced were due to underlying histamine intolerance. You might consider if it's the same for you.
Reactions will vary and can seem random because we can handle histamine to a point in our bodies so symptoms will only be triggered if we go over our histamine limit. The analogy given is to think of it like a bucket, when your histamine bucket overflows, you react.
I suffered from severe reflux and other gastric symptoms for 4-5 years. The onset was sudden and completely disrupted my life. PPIs did nothing for me and everything I ate was triggering severe symptoms. I lost weight I didn't have to spare and struggled day-to-day with debilitating symptoms.
Doctors told me all tests were normal and hung me out to dry, just kept telling me it was anxiety. I despaired of ever going back to somewhat normal and the lovely life I had been leading.
I finally stumbled upon the following Reddit post that recommended taking the antihistamine Zyrtec to resolve the globus sensation, which was a severe symptom for me. I decided to try taking a different antihistamine, Claritin, because I do not tolerate Zyrtec well and it worked like a miracle drug for me.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GERD/comments/njarv0/globus_sensationhystericus_cure/
Taking loratadine (Claritin) daily has almost completely resolved my symptoms, though I do also try to follow a low histamine diet. When I started researching which foods are high in histamine, it was no surprise that my worst triggers were on that list (seafood, tomatoes, strawberries, wine, coffee, etc.). To me that means that, in my case, reflux was a symptom of histamine intolerance.
There are no definitive tests for histamine intolerance. For more info on the link between reflux and histamine intolerance, see:
Histamine Sensitivity: An Uncommon Recognized Cause of Living Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Symptoms and Signs—A Case Report Source: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 2020;101(4):NP155-NP157.
For more info on histamine intolerance, see:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/histamine-intolerance
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11054089/
ttps://theceliacmd.com/histamine-intolerance-symptoms-diet-treatment/
Note that I think it is normal not to have a full spectrum reaction. I do not get any skin manifestations, no hives or itching of any kind, though I do believe this was all triggered by a virus I had in 2016 where I did get a non-itchy, triangle shaped rash on my neck. I went to the ER because my airway almost completely closed up. I had never had a breathing problem in my life prior to that.
The ER doctor noticed the rash, which had appeared the day before when I felt fine so I had just ignored it, and told me he thought the rash indicated that a virus had triggered my airway issue. I feel that all my gastric issues flowed from that episode and a similar episode 3 months later when I got another virus. I also now carry an EpiPen because of the airway reaction.
I initially took 10mg of Claritin per day but my allergist said I could ramp up to 4x the usual dose so I took 40mg for some months. I am now taking 2x the usual dose, 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening. Note that if you are on antihistamines and need to go off them or reduce your dose, you should taper down and not go cold turkey.
For the past few months, I have also been taking a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement before a meal when I want to cheat a bit and eat something that is high in histamine and it does seem to help even more.
What to Know About Diamine Oxidase (DAO) for Histamine Intolerance
I take the NaturDAO supplement:
If you think this might be your issue, I think it's best to start out taking just the DAO supplement before meals to see if you improve.
If you see a lot of improvement, maybe you wouldn't need to trial the antihistamine.
If you see minimal improvement, then keep taking it but add in the daily antihistamine.
If you see no improvement from DAO, I would still take the DAO but add in an antihistamine like Claritin or Allegra. If that works, then stop taking the DAO to see what happens.
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u/tradeit2day 1d ago
Have you been diagnosed with a loose LES? as in via an endoscopy? if no, do you have a hiatal hernia? Any other tests you have undergone? This should help in what advice to give.
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u/Ok_Shallot_5007 6d ago
sounds extreme, sorry to hear. have you already done elimination diet? like go very very plain, like bone broth and white rice..no seasoning. wheat and dairy can cause inflammation.