r/GERD

Turns out the worst of my painful symptoms were being caused by gallstones. After ending up in the er for the second time this weekend with unrelenting pain and nausea someone finally thought to order an ultrasound and found an inflamed gallbladder with multiple gallstones, and very likely a blockage. I waited in the er for nearly 12 hours and I'm now home recovering from gallbladder removal.

I'm a little frustrated that neither my GP nor my endo recognized the symptoms but, silver lining, that endoscopy put me over my deductible and out of pocket limit so the ER and surgery will likely be completely covered.

For as long as I can remember, I have suffered from chronic heartburn and the regular regurgitation of food (bringing food back up, chewing it, and swallowing it again).

I went through the standard medical procedures—both an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy—and the doctors found absolutely nothing wrong. They prescribed me famotidine and pantoprazole for the heartburn, but I was still dealing with the daily reality of the condition.

Recently, I found a solution that completely eliminated BOTH the heartburn and the regurgitation. It is so simple it sounds unbelievable, but it worked flawlessly for me.

You just need to consciously STOP the regurgitation.

Whenever you get that familiar feeling of food coming up, and you feel the urge to just let it happen to relieve the pressure DON'T

• Take a deep breath.
• Swallow your saliva.
• Consciously suppress the reflex and prevent the food from coming back up.
• Force it to stay down. Do not let it enter your mouth or travel up your esophagus under any circumstance.

By actively forcing myself to break the physical habit, the urge to regurgitate has now practically vanished. More importantly, I currently have zero heartburn.

To add to that, I realized the physical mechanism actually feels the same whether it's food or acid. Whenever I feel that initial 'push' or pressure in my chest, I noticed that for it to actually come all the way up, I had to physically assist it and do the 'final leg' of that push myself.

Now, whether the pressure is coming from food or just acid, I completely refuse to do that final push. I never allow it to make that final trip up into my esophagus and mouth. By stopping my own physical participation in that final step, the whole cycle just stopped.

I wanted to share this because it cured an issue I've had my entire life. If you struggle with this specific regurgitation habit, try consciously shutting it down. I hope this helps someone else find relief.

(Disclaimer: This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Always consult your doctor.)

Here is why I believe this actually worked: By constantly allowing the food to come back up, I was continuously forcing my lower esophageal sphincter (the valve between the stomach and esophagus) to open. This repetitive action likely weakened the valve over time, keeping it relaxed and making it easy for stomach acid to escape. By strictly stopping the regurgitation, I gave that valve the chance to rest, tighten back up, and function normally again. Once the valve was strong enough to stay closed, the acid mostly stayed in my stomach where it belongs, and the heartburn completely stopped.

Edit/Update on the physical mechanics of exactly how this works:

To clarify what this feels like physically: I realized that the "push" of the regurgitation or the acid actually feels exactly like the sensation of needing to burp. They use the exact same pathway.

Whenever I felt that initial pressure building in my chest, I noticed that for the food or acid to actually come all the way up, I had to physically assist it. I was subconsciously doing the "final leg" of that push myself by contracting my muscles and opening my throat, basically turning a burp into a regurgitation.

Now, whether the pressure feels like it's coming from food, acid, or just gas, I completely refuse to execute that final push. I do not allow it to make that final trip up into my esophagus and mouth.

Because I had been doing this for as long as I can remember, my body had essentially wired the normal "burp" reflex and the "regurgitate" reflex into one single habit. By consciously refusing to help that final push, I broke the physical loop. I stopped manually forcing the valve (the lower esophageal sphincter) open, which gave it the chance to tighten back up. Now, it stays closed on its own, keeping both the food and the acid down where they belong.

So I guess years of terrible diet have finally caught up with me, started with awful burning reflux from onions and then silent reflux from pretty much anything. I've been eating relatively clean for a few weeks but its not getting much better (in fact arguably worse but thats probably because im stressing so much over it). Does this thing ever like go away or am i gonna have to be on pills/diet/both for the rest of my life? What has helped people on here with LPR (other than prescription/peptides etc)? P.S. this shit sucks fucking ass

Upper endoscopy results: mild reactive gastritis, Barrett’s

Medicine: omeprazole 40mg 2x daily past 6 weeks and just switched to pantoprazole 40mg 2x daily

My GI prescribed me 10mg nortriptyline to be taken at night to see if that helps with the thought that anxiety could be exasperating symptoms and slowing progress. Has anyone taken this, or similar, and what was your experience? My main hesitation is side effects especially anything heart related; I have no known heart issues I just get worried about heart rate etc.

Today i was prescribed famotidine 40mg once per day and i made the mistake of doomscrolling peoples bad interactions with the medication. I havent been diagnosed with gerd but im not sure where else to post this i and am hoping someone can help maybe lift my spirits or give some advice. I originally went to the doctors around 3 months ago for consistent belching/burping that would not settle. Today i went back to the doctor as things havent gotten better and im now getting a dull burning stomach pain, aswell as somedays constipation and others diarrhoea. Im prone for having quite bad anxiety, should i stick to taking the medication, im not sure if its placebo but i feel very sleepy from the medication currently, and my stomach pain hasn’t settled. Does it take a few days to start working? Also if my anxiety starts getting worse should i instantly stop taking the medication? Also if anyone has had similar experiences to me and have had good results from Famotidine could yoy please let me know. Sorry if my grammar isnt the best im really anxious at the moment :/ Thanks

I’ve had reflux since childhood, according to my mother, even since I was a baby.

In my case, the problem is mechanical: my lower esophageal sphincter (cardia) does not close properly. I’ve always considered it a “secondary” issue, despite the constant pain it has caused me.

Over time, though, it has worn me down completely. Today, at 25, I can say it plainly: this condition has progressively destroyed me. Insomnia, loss of appetite… I can’t take it anymore.

Gaviscon no longer has any effect, nor does Maalox.

So I started looking into solutions. Surgery seems necessary.

The problem is that I have a strong fear of general anesthesia (don’t laugh please). On top of that, I’ve read many negative accounts about the procedures (Nissen/Toupet): inability to vomit, difficulty burping, recurring hiccups…

While waiting for clearer answers, I considered PPIs, which had worked quite well for me in the past.

Another issue: my doctor advised against continuing them due to potential long-term side effects, particularly on mineral absorption even if, at this point, that feels almost secondary.

I was diagnosed with moderate non erosive gastritis in 2023 after having an endoscopy, I’m still suffering unfortunately to this day & my current symptoms are burping 24/7 near enough especially upon waking up in the morning and after drinking water, I burp on / off all day regardless of empty stomach or full stomach. my other biggest symptom is having a globus sensation a tight throat which actually feels like I’m being physically strangled. this has also been a symptom now for 3 years!…..its utterly depressing, I went back to see a private GI consultant in January this year who basically said the vast majority of people have some degree of gastritis and this is likely a functional issue, I don’t really know what to believe or know where to turn. When I was diagnosed in 2023 I was put on lansoprazole 30mg daily a PPI to reduce stomach acid. which somewhat helped right at the start of the diagnosis with burping/globus but hasn’t been much help in recent years…the globus never fully went away, anyway in January this year I decided to stop taking it as the GI consultant said it’s clearly having no effect, he said I don’t think your issue is acid driven, I suppose i could go for another endoscopy but I’m not sure if there’s any point, my stomach issues started at a time when I was under quite a lot of stress also my cigarette habit / being a coffee drinker probably did not help the situation, I quit smoking in early 2024 but nothing has changed for me so whilst that was probably a factor in the mix I don’t believe that was the primary cause of my stomach issues, I did have to quit smoking though as it wasn’t helping the situation, I actually had black stools up until I quit smoking so I definitely had some minor upper GI bleeding. as well as my endoscopy I underwent lots of scans to look at my bowels which were all normal.

I don’t know the cause of my gastritis perhaps this whole horrible experience has been due to stress i honestly don’t know. :(

Anybody had a endoscopy that showed inflammation esophagus but the biopsies was normal?? repeat: Anybody had a endoscopy that showed inflammation esophagus but the biopsies was normal??

Yes I know heating pads aren't a miracle cure. But they do help relive my pain. The only issue is the one I have BARELY gets hot on the highest setting. I do it above my clothes. And I can barely feel it. My 6th setting (the highest) feels like it should be a 3 at most. And 3 feels as if it's not even on. I know heating pads getting too hot can damage your skin and what not. But can someone recommend me one that at least feels like it's on. I need to feel the heat but none of the new ones seem to get very hot. My stomach pain will usually feel a bit better after I leave the heating pad on. THIS is only until I can get to the doctor and be checked out and put on medication. Omeprazole has destroyed me (I think the issue is too little acid rather than too much so I got super sick) I don't go to the doctor for a couple more days. So right now I'm just managing pain until I can get seen. It's not so bad that I think I need the ER, but it's definitely not pleasant. But also not my first rodeo either. I figured if anyone knew any good heating pads, it'd be someone on here lol.

I took Pantoprazole 40mg twice daily for two months to heal my initial esophagitis, which it did, then I’ve been on one pill daily since then, for a total of six months.

I’m trying to determine if some new GI symptoms (bloating, gas, IBS symptoms) are side effects of the pill itself, or if my gut balance has been changed by the drug, or even if the drug just may not be working as well now. Does anyone else have experience with Pantoprazole long-term?

I've been in a GERD flareup for about 3 months now, went 10 years without one but started having panic attacks and the GERD flared back up, I assume from the stress. I'm going to a therapist next month. Main symptoms are coughing, regurgitation, my throat was really inflamed for a while but that at least is a lot better now

For the last 3 weeks I've tried diet and lifestyle changes. I exercise, cut out anything that would set it off, sleep on an incline, working on calming myself. It hasn't gotten completely better yet, obviously it can take longer than that

I've considered a few times going on Omeprazole to help it get better more quickly because I do get anxious about the GERD itself sometimes. I've read though that the medicine can make anxiety worse and I'm terrified of that because I just started working on that

Any experiences either way with Omeprazole and anxiety?

Hey everyone, I feel like I’m going through hell right now. On Tuesday I took an amoxicillin pill without much water, and it ended up getting stuck in my esophagus. The next day, it felt like there was a lump stuck in my throat, along with really intense chest pain. I couldn’t lie down without it hurting, walking fast hurt, eating hurt—everything hurt. On top of that, I’ve developed this unbearable cough that’s honestly driving me INSANE. After some tests, my doctor said it’s pill-induced esophagitis.

I started treatment 2 days ago, but the upper chest discomfort and the coughing are still killing me. Has anyone else gone through something like this? How long did it take for your oesophagus to heal? Please send any tips that could help me!!!

So I’ve been a “burpy” person for my entire life. I’m 36F and not sure if it’s my health anxiety kicking me but now I’m questioning if it’s GERD my whole life and I just haven’t done anything and it will progress to something worse.

For example I could eat two scrambled eggs and a slice of toast with butter and jam and I will burp anywhere from 5–10 times after my meal.

If it’s a heavier meal it could worse and I’ll feel nauseous before the burp then fine after I release. I never burp acid or anything wet . I occasionally have had heartburn at night and typically around my period or my pregnancies but otherwise not really.

Is endoscopy the only way? I did have a colonoscopy at age of 30 due to loose stools but came back clear. I have had an MRI without contrast around my neck because of thyroid nodules & mri said esophagus was “clear”

So not sure why I burp soooo much and it’s mainly AIR!

Chatgpt says it’s functional aerophagia… not sure how much I trust the AI lol

Any other experiences like mine?

I have GERD and recently started using CBD edibles to relax and sleep better. The problem is that if I take a big dose of CBD I get munchies and I eat a lot. It's probably due to traces of THC still present in my edibles. I buy them online.

The thing is, I can't feel any discomfort. I'm guessing it's due to CBD's relaxing properties. The problem, however, is the next day, I feel pretty bad, my throat feels dry. I'm guessing that despite not feeling anything in the evening, no pain, no heartburn, no discomfort, I still get a heartburn, but I just can't feel it? Does that make sense?

Would that be a correct assumption? What's your experience with CBD and eating a lot?

Thanks!

Can I eat after? Any pain or discomfort that lasts for however long? I don’t want to have to deal with a sore throat, it’d just add to my already existing stress

Hey all, so mid January this year I one night had a weird tight lower throat sensation, no change in breathing or eating difficulty, but just a constant sore feeling of the throat area under my adams apple. No reflux feeling or taste, and was on and off feeling extremely fatigued and semi sick. Talking too loud or too long makes my voice fatigued, and extremely uncomfortable.

After seeing my primary care, It was ruled out that they believe it to be a virus or something similar, and took bloodwork to rule out thyroid issues. They said give it time it'll go away. It did not. Went to the ER a week later one morning because I couldn't take it and was panicking, which obviously made things worse. Got a CT scan of upper chest and throat with contrast, supposedly all looked well.

Quit coffee, most soda, spicy food, and acidic food (mostly). Went back to my primary care several times afterwards with the same complaints, and eventually got a recommendation for an ENT specialist in July, which is absolutely devastating because this issue is controlling my life, and Its difficult for me to have a social life and work.

Took Prilosec on my own for 2 weeks to see, maybe helped? Hard to tell, but then I quit it. Got what I believe was rebound for a week or two after, then it faded. Went back to my doctor again and told him that, and he has instructed me to take prilosec 20mg for 2 months. Im 2 weeks in again, and really nothing is happening other than an annoying stomach pain in my upper right that started yesterday when I breathe in deep.

I dont know what im hoping to get out of posting here, maybe just reassurance or something I dont know. Im losing my mind some days, and my symptoms seems so so random as they come and go.

I have been struggling with acid reflux for over 12 years now, that being half my life (24). I have been scheduled for an EGD before, but did not end up going through with it, from fear of being sedated.. My symptoms have worsened and my current PPI that I have taken for the last 5.5 years has stopped being effective. I often wake up puking and choking in my sleep, so I really want to get this scope done before things get more dangerous. Can anyone share their experiences that may make me feel more comfortable with my upcoming procedure. In reality I know sedation isn’t that scary, and have seen multiple conscious sedations being performed, but I can not get that fear out of my head.

I've had gerd since I was 18. It was manageable, if I had a flareup it would only last like 2 days. Fastfoward I am now 24, on April 5th I decided to eat cheap chicken from walmarts deli, felt a little sick the next day. Come the next day I decided to have green tea at 12 am, stayed up again a bit because I was having fun. The next day I woke up I felt HORRIBLE, vomiting acid and not being able to keep fluids down. I went to urgent care they gave me Omeprazole which I used to take 3 years ago. Went to emergency room 3 days later because I was still vomiting acid and having bad heart burn so they switched me over to pantoprazole and sucralfate also zofran ( but it gives me a headache ) also told me I have liver disease (fatty liver) so that's probably making my gerd worse. I've been taking those, it's been about two weeks, I started my medication around four days ago and I feel like crap in the morning, I wake up with nasuea and sometimes minor heartburns and bloating. The ER said they couldn't find anything other than the liver disease and dehydration but they told me to go to a GI and my primary doctor. I want to also mention that I have anxiety and depression and also a college student, so the stress and anxiety have not been helping. I've been eating plain foods like kale, chicken, brown rice, oatmeal, banana. When I am hungry I feel like crap, but when I am eating I sometimes get nauseous and I have to eat super slow which takes me about an hour to finish small meals. I tried famotidine but it makes me feel weird and gives me a weird rush of energy. I have an appointment with my primary doctor on the 23rd of April, I haven't been able to work because my shifts are in the morning and I am too nauseous and anxious to drive or being in public right now. It's ruining me I just want this to go away and I hope it's nothing bad, I use to take SSRIS for the anxiety but I stopped a couple years ago.

Around 2 years ago or so i started feeling a mucus feeling in my throat , no coughing sneezing or anything can get rid of it , it’s just there. Kind of feels like i have slime stuck in there

I don’t really get heartburn unless i eat a bunch of pizza or something but that’s expected. No chest pain or acid taste.

I’ve had GERD since October. I’ve cut so many things out, I’m afraid to eat ANYTHING because it feels like I’m always triggered. I’ve lost almost 20 lbs, I was 215 and muscular dad bod type and now I’m watching my body wither away because I barely get 800 calories a day. Im also dealing with a shoulder injury so it’s hard to exercise. Does it get better? Can I ever eat anything again?