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GERD and Heartburn

Created by reflux.org which has 300 info pages, 100k searchable postings, 20 ... more

How I relieved my Chest Pain (GERD, Acid Reflux, H...

For those who don't want to read, just scroll all the way down to see how I relieved my...

Posted by marrd5881

For those who don't want to read, just scroll all the way down to see how I relieved my severe chest pain. Then, you can read the rest of the junk below if you want to see if this story sounds familiar and if it might apply to your situation.

The Back-Story:

I began having chronic heartburn 3 years ago. I self-medicated with chewable tablets at first. Eventually, I went to see my doctor, who basically said OTC acid reducers are my best bet. So I've been taking Omeprazole daily for over 18 months.

About a month ago, I started getting very severe pain in my upper chest, coupled with a constant urgent need to burp (but unable to do so). Online research quickly showed a very high likelihood that this foam/pressure pain was related to acid reflux.

I tried all the OTC acid reducers, and even tried an anti-gas specifically for chest pains and pressure. Nothing seemed to work. I consulted a retail pharmacist, and then a doctor. I tried liquid antacids, gripe water, and some herbal suggestions. No relief. I tried forcing myself to vomit when the pain was unbearable, which temporarily did relieve pressure, but the pain returned within 30 minutes.

I then decided to test something. I was in particularly bad pain one afternoon, and had been fighting chest pains all morning. I had so far been avoiding eating or drinking when I was in pain, as I did not want to add to the problem (I wasn't even swallowing my saliva, as I didn't want to add ANYTHING to the contents of my bloated painful stomach/chest/esophagus). So, as a test, I decided to try drinking several glasses of water to see if the pain would increase dramatically. I wanted to see how directly the pain was related to the volume in my stomach. I was VERY surprised to find that after drinking 4 glasses of water, my pain subsided almost immediately. Within 15 minutes I was completely pain free.

The Solution:

1. When experiencing chest pressure/pain, take an anti-pressure anti-gas like Simethicone about 30 minutes before every meal. Simethicone is an anti-foaming agent which doesn't seem to work very quickly if you're already experiencing pain, but it does seem to me that it works exceptionally well to prevent foaming. This helps prevent further pressure buildup.

2. Drink LOTS of water. If you're experiencing pressure pains in your stomach and chest, your natural reaction is probably to NOT eat or drink anything (naturally, if you feel overly full, you don't want to add to the problem). However, in my case, the pressure pains were caused by a buildup of foam/bubbles which were related to my diet and my GERD/Acid Reflux. Drinking lots of water helps to dilute the contents of the stomach, lowering the viscosity of the bubbles, which allows them to break down easier, relieving pressure.

**The extra water in your stomach shouldn't add to your discomfort if it's just foam/bubbles causing your pain. Your stomach will expand to accommodate the extra water added. By the same rule, making yourself vomit will not relieve your pressure pain if it's caused by foam/bubbles. Your stomach will just shrink after vomiting to match the smaller volume in your stomach. Just try to avoid eating "foamy" foods like dairy products, carbonated beverages, etc. Drink lots of water to dilute the contents of your stomach and allow it to break down and wash out of your digestive system.

These two things helped me dramatically with my chest pressure/pain. I haven't read of anyone else treating their chest pressure/pain with either of these methods. I hope this is helpful to someone else.View Thread

Posted bymarrd5881

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