Will bad health affect my love life?

[Anonymous]

There are over the counter antacids which are more of the same types of medications, just not going to be as strong. I think some of those you can take before meals, like the PPI's.

Hi @InbetweenDreams and @calgor

I hope it's okay if I ask you about your medication for acid reflux? (@calgor: I'm not sure if you had acid reflux. Sorry if I assumed wrongly.)

Did you had to take a treatment plan where you had to take PPIs (or acid blockers) for likes 2 weeks?

Did you take any medication to strengthen the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus?

Did you experience inflammation of the esophagus? If yes, were you given medication to soothe the inflamed esophagus?

Thank you.

[InbetweenDreams]

Did you had to take a treatment plan where you had to take PPIs (or acid blockers) for likes 2 weeks?

I used to take a prescription for ranitidine which used to sell over the counter as Zantac but was taken off the market. Fortunately for my sake my biggest problem is what I eat. So, not eating late, not eating things like spaghetti or ice cream in the evening resolves most problems for me and right now I don't take any prescription.

Did you take any medication to strengthen the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus?

I never took anything for that but that could be very helpful for some people who have GERD

Did you experience inflammation of the esophagus? If yes, were you given medication to soothe the inflamed esophagus?

I have had a lot of inflammation. This happens most if I eat things I shouldn't. I have nights where I ate ice cream or a milkshake late in the evening and woke up with it coming out of my noise choking and unable to breathe. Not fun at all. Simply avoiding those foods improved everything.

Right now eating a better diet I have no heartburn at all, but any slip ups in that I do. I do occasionally take Tums and also have Prilosec (omeprazole) if I need it. That is one to take before your meal where tums is something you can take if you're experiencing symptoms.

But going back to your concerns about what will your prospective partner think about your inability to eat certain foods. I have had people judge me for all sorts of shit but spicy foods isn't one of them. Me being more grumpy in my old age and not having patience for petty people, I would be inclined to tell them to eat shit over something that really doesn't matter. Someone in serious relationship shouldn't care. I know you mention that people like to share food, which great, your partner can put extra seasoning, hot sauce, etc on his.It really shouldn't be a big deal in my opinion. While I am ignorant to customs and traditions of other countries, say the Philippines, I think you're overthinking it.

Be yourself. That should be enough for someone.

[calgor]

PPI's are designed to be taken once a day when you wake up. The thing with them is that they don't provide immediate relief. All the information I've seen is that they take up to 14 days to kick in, bur once they do are the best available treatment for GERD.

Another option is acid blockers like Tagamet and Pepcid which are taken once or twice a day,
generally a half hour before a meal. In extreme cases I believe you can combine PPI's and acid blockers, but you should probably discuss that with your doctor.

By the was has your doctor ever suggested an endoscopy? This would determine if you're dealing with something more than just GERD. For example a hiatal hernia can create a lot of digestive discomfort.

Sorry for my late reply. Yes, I was suggested to take endoscopy by the doctor. But I just feel scared of what might be the outcome of the endoscopy.

It's perfectly normal to be apprehensive about the outcome of a medical test. I guess you have to weigh that against the possibility of finding an answer to these issues which are clearly impacting your quality of life.

[calgor]

There are over the counter antacids which are more of the same types of medications, just not going to be as strong. I think some of those you can take before meals, like the PPI's.

Hi @InbetweenDreams and @calgor

I hope it's okay if I ask you about your medication for acid reflux? (@calgor: I'm not sure if you had acid reflux. Sorry if I assumed wrongly.)

Did you had to take a treatment plan where you had to take PPIs (or acid blockers) for likes 2 weeks?

Did you take any medication to strengthen the sphincter muscle at the lower end of your esophagus?

Did you experience inflammation of the esophagus? If yes, were you given medication to soothe the inflamed esophagus?

Thank you.

I never really had acid reflux but I have always had a sensitive stomach. Certain foods would bother me and so on. I used to pop tums throughout the day before trying zantac and now tagamet. Another thing that helped me big time was changing the way I eat. Instead of having big meals with the bloating that would inevitably follow I now eat small meals throughout the day. I've also become a vegetarian. By the way do you drink milk? Lactose intolerance can cause a lot of problems and lactose is found in many prepared meals so if your overly sensitive that could be a contributing factor. 

As an aside regarding PPI's my sister has used them for years with great success. She recently had to have an endoscopy and they told her to stop the PPI for 2 weeks and switch to pepcid. She immediately noticed a change, having more reflux. As soon as she resumed the PPI she was fine.

Whatever you ultimately decide I hope you can get to the bottom of what's causing your problems.