One day a few years ago I woke up with a lump in my throat. It felt like I had just swallowed a golf ball that got stuck in my throat. It continued to be there for days on end. Every time I tried to swallow I felt like I was choking with this thing hanging in between. I was afraid that I was having some kind of a tumor that had gotten big over night. Slowly it started getting worse. I started feeling tightness in my chest along with the lump in my throat. I wondered if I was having chest pains sometimes with this heaviness in my chest area. I took myself to my primary physician and was told it probably was acid indigestion. I was given prescription strength antacids.
Two months after it started I could not breathe at work one day and I ended up in the emergency room. Since I was a heart patient I was admitted and put under 24- hour observation. Everything came out fine and I was relieved that I was not having a heart attack. I was given what is called a GI Cocktail which was a mixture of high dose antacids with muscle relaxants to relax my GI tract. I felt fine for a month after that and than I ended up being sent to an endoscopy. The results were negative for stomach ulcers. A couple more times I ended up in emergency rooms not knowing if it was my GI problem or my heart. Then one fine day I was told by a GI doctor that I had "GERD" (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease).
GERD is a chronic condition that is caused:
a. due to the damage to stomach lining leading to heartburn.
b. damage to stomach lining leads to heartburn due to abnormal reflux of acids produced in the stomach.
c. stomach acids produce heartburn that cause changes in the barrier between the esophagus and stomach which leads to the abnormal reflux into the esophagus leading to hiatal hernia.
d. narrowing or spasms of esophagus due to extreme stress or panic attacks
Symptoms of GERD are:
a. heartburn-continuous burning sensation of the stomach and esophagus and throat.
b. regurgitation- reflux of the stomach acids into the esophagus through the hiatus.
c. trouble swallowing- continuous reflux of stomach acids cause inflammation of the throat and esophageal lining that leads to a lump like feeling and causes trouble in swallowing (dysphagia)
d. nausea, chest pain
In children symptoms of GERD are coughing, throwing up, not eating, and crying constantly.
Causes of GERD include:
a. Hiatal hernia-the duodenal region of the stomach protruding into the esophagus through the esophageal hiatus due to inflammation caused by stomach acids.
b. Obesity- persons who are overweight tend to carry most of the fat around the waist and abdomen; that tends to push the stomach upwards creating hiatal hernia
c. Increased acidity- eating irregular meals or giving too much time between meals causes increase in stomach acids which leads to acidity.
d. Reduced esophageal mobility- slowing down of the involuntary motion of the esophageal smooth muscle causes stomach acids to remain in the esophagus for longer periods of time.
e. Medicines- patients who take large amounts or quantities of medicines tend to develop acidity due to them. Medicines such as aspirin tend to create acidity that leads to heart burn with long term use.
f. Obstructive sleep apnea- thousands of people suffer from sleep apnea which is temporary cessation of breathing which causes obstruction to the digestion process as well as snoring.
g. Gall stones.
Treatment for GERD-
a. raising head on pillow keeps the stomach acids from flowing into the esophagus.
b. sleeping while sitting up- will prevents the reflux of stomach acids.
c. eating small meals to keep the stomach acids working of digestion process reduces the acidity.
d. consumption of juices such as orange, lemon, lime, and grape that contain high amounts of citric acids should be reduced or avoided.
e. caffeinated products produce acidity and therefore should be kept to a minimum. Coffee and tea are not recommended for persons suffering from acidity problems. Others include consumption of alcohol, chocolate, and onions.
Water - drinking at least two glasses of water early in the morning on an empty stomach is a good habit to flush out the impurities and indigested food and regulating our bowel movements. Drinking eight to ten glasses of water throughout the day helps in diluting the gastric juices in the stomach and aiding in digestion properly.
Loose clothes should be worn around the waist and chest since they tend to push the stomach acids into the esophagus.
Sleeping on the left side to keep the acids in the stomach is helpful
Smoking creates acidity therefore, it should be avoided.
Eating mild foods that have less spices and oils is helpful in aiding easy digestion and avoiding damage to the lining of the stomach. Yogurt, non-fat milk, crackers, small amounts of white rice, soft white breads, fruits such as bananas are helpful in recovering from heartburn. Small amounts of foods should be taken several times a day.
Stress relieving exercises such as yoga, meditation, reiki, tai chi, and pilates help and cardiovascular activities help tremendously in taking care of problems with GERD. They not only help in relieving stress but aid in good digestion.
Antacids such as milk of magnesia, Tums, and Rolaids are over the counter medicines that give temporary relief while prescription medicines such as Omeprazole, Esomeprazole, Proton pump inhibitors, and Ranitidine(reduces gastric secretions) can help in severe cases of heart burn.
For extremely serious cases that become chronic for years, surgery is the last resort.
I followed the exercise and eating at intervals approach for my problem with GERD. It has been a while since it recurred. But I am always cautious about my condition. I eat right foods such as salads, yogurts, small amounts of rice and avoid oily and fried foods and desserts. It is always better to do what is in our hands to take care of our health the best way we can naturally before resorting to medicines and surgeries since we have enough problems in our day to day lives already because, OUR LIFE MATTERS.