Health kicks

[Guinevere]

I already drink decaf -- although I've gone "up" to mostly decaf with a little caffeinated....

[Gob]

I'm back on the alcohol free, no fat, diet. It's great fun. Honest.

[Lord Jim]

It's great fun. Honest.

[Joe Guy]

I think he meant to say 'free alcohol'. There's no fat in it.

[Long Run]

no fat, diet.

How is a no fat diet healthy? Unless you mean you've cut out unhealthy fats, and still have an appropriate amount of healthy fats.

[Gob]

Ok, low fat then, not half a kilo of cheese a day low fat, no butter low fat, skimmed fucking milk in tea low fat..

That sort of shit idea.

[rubato]

Coffee gives me reflux -- although perhaps it is in combination with wheat and sugar in my overall diet. Thus, the cutting back, to see if it impacts me differently.

I also prefer my coffee with steamed milk and a little bit of sugar, so there's that, too.

reflux is caused by a non-patent cardiac sphincter valve (the valve isn't closing as effectively as it is supposed to) and exacerbated by a variety of things: being overweight, alcohol consumption, timing of meals, &c. Coffee is not itself very acidic (it is a very weak acid) but it does stimulate acid production by the stomach.


yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

I think he meant to say 'free alcohol'. There's no fat in it.

Free alcohol is the best and purest kind!

Always desired and rarely obtained.

yrs,
rubato

[wesw]

you do realize that the most recent studies show that butter and whole milk are ok....

I never switched from either.

skim milk is gross and margarine will kill you

[Big RR]

rubato--I believe there have been studies that show that for some reflux and GERD sufferers, caffeine contributes by relaxing the esophageal sphincter.

[Lord Jim]

When I have what's now called "acid reflux"...

(that used to be called "heartburn"...)

I find that when I chomp down on a couple of Tums Extra Strength it goes away...

I have a cast iron stomach...

[Guinevere]

Reflux (GERD) and heartburn are not the same thing. Believe me, if you had reflux (by which I mean acidic regurgitation in the esophagus) you'd know.

I've had it for 20 years, I know my body and I know precisely what triggers it, what makes it feel better, and what does not. Caffeine (particularly caffeinated coffee) and stress are the top factors. Pain relievers are next.

[kmccune]

There used to be an " Arbys " fast food joint about 50 miles from here that had the best decaffeinated coffee I had ever drank ,it was simply good ,dont know if it was the water or what .
One of my pet peeves is going in a restaurant and trying to have decaff with the meal ,the waiters usually act like you are crazy and sometimes they bring you the the 100 octane , they think you dont know the difference .

[RayThom]

Reflux (GERD) and heartburn are not the same thing... I know my body and I know precisely what triggers it, what makes it feel better, and what does not... Pain relievers are next.

Many similarities here. Due to my sarcoidosis my entire esophagus is paralyzed, from the epiglottis/bolus function to the esophageal sphincter. (ie. all phrenic nerve connectors -- lungs to larynx.) Often when I eat, the sphincter fails to open and food backs up in the esophagus until it reaches the bolus and then all hell breaks loose. It takes hours for the food to fall and clear.

When I would lie down, gastric acid will seep through the sphincter and that's when the industrial strength GERD kicks in. The pain is unbearable with acid entering my mouth, nasal passages, and tear ducts. I can be miserable for days after. I rarely lie down until, at least, four hours after eating. The biggest culprits are tomato sauces, chocolate, popcorn, and, worst of all, NSAIDs (mostly IB and naproxen), that I used to use in copious quantities to tamp down my constant body pain and neuropathy. I've been NSAID free for over a year now with much improved sphincter motility. An unpleasant trade-off for sure. However, it sure beats dealing with "Barrett's Esophagus."

Anyway, I no longer tempt the GERD -- it's a killer.

[kmccune]

Had to quit the NSAIDS myself ,why this poison is foisted as harmless is beyond me .And I finally figured out I didnt have any tolerance for stuff with a coal tar base . These symptoms you describe sometimes hits me and I cant swallow cant vomit ,can hardly breathe .A few years back I had a spell of not being able to swallow certain foods in particular and having somekind of a crazy reaction ,finally adjusted or something , the point is these conditions are very ,very unpleasant .
That stupid commercial about reflux, with the woman carrying the water container around ,it was simply the most asinine thing I had witnessed lately and one reason I try to avoid Doctors in general now (besides going in the poorhouse ) is that most Drs seem to want to treat ,rather then cure . (been off of cholesterol medicine for a long while and feel a whole lot better ,my cholesterol wasnt that bad to start with and have pretty good numbers now using alternative methods ,strangely enough ,diet isnt one of them ) so it goes ,medicine if properly used allows the body in most cases to heal itself ,there are somethings that have to be treated ,but there are others that do not .Lets hope we find good Physicians that are truly concerned about our well being .
P.S. - I have heard the poor Doctor business so much I am tired if it, the Doctors around here do really well ,owning hunting camps ,boats ,horse farms ,airplanes etc ,they may start off poor ,but given a little time ,they seem to do really well (I have had the parity discussion with an office manager before $ 233 a minute ,to get established as a patient is more then I can afford , they gave me a 12 teir drug screen -Why ? they werent about to prescribe any strong pain medicine , I didnt last long with that group ,especially when I found out the horrendous charge ,they didnt even do a good physical exam .
So when I can get away from my current specialist (dont really like the attitude , I am going to be" Rara Avis" as long as I can go at all .

[Lord Jim]

There used to be an " Arbys " fast food joint about 50 miles from here

Don't get me started on Arbys...

It's the worst fast food in the whole history of fast food...

A roast beef-like substance...

I much prefer a deep fried taco from Jack-In-The Box...

[rubato]

... esophageal sphincter. ... the sphincter fails to open and food backs up in the esophagus ... seep through the sphincter ... much improved sphincter motility. ..... " .

With all of your vivid and detailed sphincter-sharing I feel we have reached a new level of intimacy in our relationship. Thank you. I would like to respond in kind but my sphincters lead dull and uninteresting lives by comparison with yours. A little reflux every few months, that's it.


yrs,
rubato

[Guinevere]

Reflux (GERD) and heartburn are not the same thing... I know my body and I know precisely what triggers it, what makes it feel better, and what does not... Pain relievers are next.

Many similarities here. Due to my sarcoidosis my entire esophagus is paralyzed, from the epiglottis/bolus function to the esophageal sphincter. (ie. all phrenic nerve connectors -- lungs to larynx.) Often when I eat, the sphincter fails to open and food backs up in the esophagus until it reaches the bolus and then all hell breaks loose. It takes hours for the food to fall and clear.

When I would lie down, gastric acid will seep through the sphincter and that's when the industrial strength GERD kicks in. The pain is unbearable with acid entering my mouth, nasal passages, and tear ducts. I can be miserable for days after. I rarely lie down until, at least, four hours after eating. The biggest culprits are tomato sauces, chocolate, popcorn, and, worst of all, NSAIDs (mostly IB and naproxen), that I used to use in copious quantities to tamp down my constant body pain and neuropathy. I've been NSAID free for over a year now with much improved sphincter motility. An unpleasant trade-off for sure. However, it sure beats dealing with "Barrett's Esophagus."

Anyway, I no longer tempt the GERD -- it's a killer.

That's awful, and far worse than I have to deal with. I never ever take naproxen. The first time I did, ages and ages ago, it gave me severe stomach pain. I will occasionally take a vitamin I, but only one at a time, and the liquid gel form seems to work best. Oddly enough, when my body seems to really need to pain relief (migraines, cramps, or knee pain), it doesn't bother me so much, so long as I'm careful with it and keep the dose low (which is how you should use any of those things anyway).

FWIW, the anti-acid drugs for reflux are also not very good for you, and I've read recently can cause kidney issues. When I can't control mine with diet (and I'm pretty good at it now, but I went on a coffee kick after Paris), I take an herbal remedy of marsh mallow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althaea_officinalis I find it surprisingly effective. You can find it at Whole Foods and most decent health food stores. I've not seen it in the regular drug store chains.

[RayThom]

With all of your vivid and detailed sphincter-sharing I feel we have reached a new level of intimacy in our relationship... I would like to respond in kind but my sphincters lead dull and uninteresting lives by comparison with yours... A little reflux every few months, that's it.

Although your reflux is also a sphincter malfunction there is little comparison between a "little reflux" and chronic episodes of GERD. However, I appreciate your effort to relate but you fail miserably. Feel free to commiserate further, if you care.

Sphincterfully yours,
Ray

[MajGenl.Meade]

raY, your post prompted me to read up on the subject. I note that the symptoms (for us lesser mortals) are not always that familiar acidic burning but can be a more generalized intense pressure producing similar symptoms to a heart attack. Sounds a bit like what I went through in DC (and experience mildly most days after eating and sometimes after not eating!). Laying down is definitely contraindicated - I have to stand and do some relaxed breathing for maybe ten minutes. Glad not to have your problems - sorry you have them at all - but grateful you have spoken of it because it may help me to understand what's going on too