Horrible reflux

I've been suffering with a really bad session of reflux for the last few days. The whole of my digestive system seems to have slowed down. PPI aren't clearing it, I've tried Zantac as well which helps a bit, gaviscon not a lot of good. Burning from throat down to stomach and then stomach ache and IBS. I've had it before this bad and it can take weeks to clear   
Few things causing me to stress out plus PTH problems so that's probably what's caused it. Just had the worst monthly session of my life, almost confined to home so that might not help. So if it doesn't clear in a week I'll get ferritin tested as that can sometimes set this off for me as well.
Isn't life jolly sometimes   
Love Amanda xxxx

Sorry you are having such a bad time Amanda. I see you have tried Gaviscon but was it the Advanced one ? the normal one does little for me but the Advanced one does help, that and eating little and often as I'm always hungry with it.

Hope you feel better soon   

Nelly

Hi Nelly
Yes it's the all singing all dancing one. Yes I feel hungry all the time with it as well, eating is the only thing that eases it off so I'm trying to eat small healthy things often. It's just finding things that don't make it worse, as it's making me feel sicky as well  
Thank you for your help  
Love Amanda xxxx

Ginger biscuits, a cure for all afflictions 

Yum xxxx
A x

Sorry to hear of the woes, Amanda Reflux is messing me about somewhat at the moment too. I'm also starving this last week but hadn't connected the two. My IBS has departed, leaving me entirely the other way despite eating enough fruit and veg to sink the proverbial battleship. Oh woe is me, and you! (Pity party alert!!) 

Lots of love and hugs 
Brigitte xxxx

Hi Brigitte woe is right and when I get IBS I need dyno rod not the other way round. 
Even water leaves an unpleasant burning sensation. As if we don't have enough to worry about without this.
I have my pity party hat on ready   
Lots of love Amanda xxxx

I know!! Boo hoo At least I can share your pity party: there's far too much self pity accompanying this cr4p disease but it's hard to stop it. Sometimes I feel quite frightened of the amount of time I spend wallowing in pain and/or self pity. Last Thursday I had a good day... I can't remember the last time I felt ok all day long! I forgot to take my pills, but then I couldn't sleep and have felt doubly pants ever since. Sorry to moan. Just getting my hat for the party. I'm looking forward to your sit down comedy

Lots of  love and hugs 
Brigitte xxxx

Isn't it ridiculous that we only get the odd day where we feel ok, even if other people sympathise, they really don't know what it feels like to wake up every day feeling so unwell but still having to do all the things that people who are well do (if that makes sense).
When you do have a day where you feel better it's almost a shock !
I completely understand how you feel and I'm sick to death of hearing myself ooooing and ooouching because I'm in pain. I don't want to be like this I want to be doing all the things other people do. I have a twin sister and she is currently in Chamonix climbing up small mountains, I want to do that and I feel so b****y useless it brings me to tears.
Anyway whinge over, I'm thinking of doing balloon modelling whilst telling jokes sitting down and juggling 24 hr urine bottles with my feet.
Hope we have jelly & ice cream   I can't touch the wine because of the reflux   
Love Amanda xxxx

Yes, yes and more agreeing words - sorry my brain won't work today to think up more ways of saying, I know what you mean. Wow, to think of climbing mountains is unbelievable. I was brought up on there being no such word as "can't", as in always trying to find a way, rather than give in. These days can't is the norm, as in physically and mentally just cannot. I thought I'd feel like that aged 90,not now! 

I completely understand how you feel, but I you are better than you think, you know. Your posts always bring a smile and whilst you can do that, you will never let this cr4p take you over. 

Juggling 24 hour urine bottles is epic!! Especially whilst balloon modelling and telling jokes! I'll be bringing the jelly, ice cream and gaviscon advance and I've cut the sandwiches into cute and dainty triangles. You'll be able to eat and tell jokes at the same time

Love and hugs 
Brigitte xxxx

Hahaha I'll need the crusts cut off !!!
You have cheered me up loads, I know we can get through this and with friends like we have on here it really helps.
I've now got to cook chicken & chorizo risotto for 6 and I won't be eating it, I'll just do some separate rice  
Damn reflux !!!!!
Love n hugs
Amanda xxxx

But don't you feel like you've just climbed a mountain anyway after walking 50 yards from the car park into Tesco's? I know I do with my legs of lead .......

Sorry you're feeling so cr*ppy Amanda with reflux. I went through a phase of it a few weeks before we went on holiday and the idiot GP cocked up AGAIN (deep sigh ....). I'm on a daily aspirin because of mild coronary heart disease. I rang him to ask if I could change from the dispersable one to the coated one as I was having a bad spell of acid reflux and I wanted to avoid the aspirin making it worse. He suggested giving me something for the reflux and I said oh OK then as long as you don't give me a PPI as I really don't want to go down that route unless I absolutely have to. Picked up my prescription from Boots and what had he prescribed ....? Yup, a PPI! Not only that but he had prescribed the 20mg dose for healing ulcers instead of the milder 10mg maintenance dose for acid reflux! Ye Gods, give me strength... needless to say I went back into Boots and bought some Zantac and coated aspirin! Funny thing was, all through my holiday I didn't get one single episode of reflux, but on the day we went to the airport to fly home (complete with four hour delay) it kicked off again big time, and where was my Zantac? Yup, in the suitcase .....!

Hope it's easing off a bit for you Amanda, and Brigitte I've saved my fascinater from the wedding (just before our hols) to wear at the pity party....I'll bring the vol au vents! Oh no, forget that, pastry gives me heartburn.....

Jasmine x

PS it's good to be back home to a super speed internet connection, Wifi in Greece took regular siestas ..... Oh and I can log out of the forum now I'm back home, bizarre ..... must have been something to do with the internet speed which at times felt like it was going in reverse....

Amanda,
      Ugh,  that is not fun.  When mine was at it's worse, I kept eating some banana every day.  I had read that it helps to neutralize acid.  When I ran out and went without for a couple of  days, I knew it.  Like you also, I was taking a PPI too.
     I also agree with you, it has to be coming from the bad parathyroid.  
      Do you have any appointments coming up to check your PTH?

Thinking of you,
Nancy

Amanda,
    Sorry,   just noticed on another post that you are waiting on 2 reports, the pit hormone report and the FHH.   
    I want them to give you some answers.  With your blood work, I don't know why you couldn't have another bad parathyroid.

xxx,  Nancy

It's great to have you back Jasmine  Not sure about the vol au vents either due to the heartburn. I've just got a shiny new bottle of gaviscon to share though  I'm not at all surprised to hear of your GP's "mistake" since mine makes errors all the time. It's ridiculous isn't it?!

Nancy, bananas give me dreadful reflux, though I do eat them because they're healthy and terribly good for you in lots of ways. I have to follow them up with gaviscon advance though.

Love and hugs
Brigitte xx

Brigitte,
    I think I know what you mean.  When I eat them, I never eat a whole one.  I was surprised when someone from another message board said there was some evidence that bananas have some natural ability to neutralize gastric acid. 

https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=bananas+and+gastric+acid&ei=UTF-8&fr=chrf-yff27  

Nancy

Hi Ladies
Jasmine lovely to have you back hope you had a good hollibobs xxx yes just climbing up the stairs feel like a mountain some days. Sounds about right for your GP !!!!
Nancy yes I think they are barking up the wrong tree re PTH and I'm sure I could still have another one but until I get the results they won't do any more.
Bananas give me heartburn   And pastry   
I think we will need straws to share your bottle of gaviscon Brigitte x
Amanda xxxx

Hi All,

Sorry to hear so many are suffering from reflex at the moment. I've been put back on iron tablets and they definitely make my gurgling stomach a lot worse. Plus the bloating makes me look about 4 months pregnant. I'm always in for a pity party - I'll bring bunting - though I think I'm more in mind for a ranty rave at the minute. 

Forgive my ignorance, but doesn't gaviscon contain calcium carbonate as an active ingredient? I know the formula is different in Europe and US, and I can't remember which way round it is but basically to neutralise acid you need something like calcium or potassium.

Can anyone confirm?

Love
Dee

Hi Dee

We must be psychic! Just a couple of minutes ago, whilst popping my Zantac, the thought dropped into my mind about the reason why I chose Zantac over Gaviscon (forum posts obviously still in my unconscious thought process) and I thought I'm sure I remember the reason to be that Gaviscon, like many other heartburn remedies, contains calcium. I'm not sure about the science, and whether or not it's a good or bad med to take with hypercalcaemia, I just didn't particularly want to add more calcium to the digestive process.

Jasmine x

My sister is a hospital Pharmacist and she says Gaviscon taken in normal doses isn't likely to cause any problem, if huge amounts are taken every day then over time it may raise calcium.

http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/gaviscon/hypercalcaemia

Nelly

Thanks for the clarification, Nelly, that's really helpful. Perhaps if the Zantac fails me I'll feel more at ease taking Gaviscon now.

Jasmine x

I'm still unconvinced.

Tests with Gaviscon on the general population give those results. I.e. If you have a working calcium metabolism then yes, you would have to take extremely excessive amounts of extra calcium to get hypercalcemic. Your body would decrease your PTH to keep your blood calcium in a sensible range. In a large scale study, gaviscon isn't going to cause any problems.

If on the other hand your one of the minority of the population whose PTH is out of control due to HPT then your body is pushing whatever calcium it can get into your bloodstream. 

I can understand that gaviscon gives relief, because as well as being acid neutralising it creates a 'plug' in your stomach that stops the acid washing back up, but I'd be interested to find out whether alternative non-calcium based antacids are just as effective without the risk of extra calcium.

Do people find Gaviscon is the only thing that works for them? What about our friends over the pond - is it true Gaviscon over there is non-calcium based? Is it effective for you?

(Maybe I'm just excessively paranoid cos I've been reading a book about how much the healthcare industry is setup for the benefit of drug companies rather than patients. Not recommended reading - it's absolutely terrifying!)

Love
Dee

Mmmmm! This is definitely something to ponder on and a very relevant and important discussion for those of us with hypercalcaemia. I struggle to remember previous thought and decision making processes from way back but I'm certain I was thinking along the same lines as you Dee in deciding to avoid calcium based OTC meds. Zantac seems to work fairly well for me for the time being but my reflux isn't very bad currently and up until the last couple of months was intermittent and sporadic and fairly manageable without medication, although it does seem to be slowly worsening.

Jasmine x