Boy! I Won’t Eat That Again!

How many times have we said that after a meal? I would say we could bet it would be a rare person that has not had "heartburn" at one time or another. What exactly is heartburn you ask? Actually it has nothing to do with the heart except that the symptoms usually present themselves in the chest in the area where the heart also is.

For many people it is an occasional problem they experience after they eat something spicy or acidic or over eats. I wonder, do you think us RV’ers might get heartburn more often than home bound folks because we love trying out eateries as we travel along? Think the government would do a study? Well, it was just a thought. Anyway, these folks have usually resorted to using one of the many over the counter products that help relieve the symptoms and discomfort. If occasional is all that the problem of heartburn is, that is great!

Now for the rest of us. It can be a very common or chronic occurrence and can be a miserable experience to boot. Occasional or chronic, what is important here is that you are sure it is only heartburn and not something more serious. The only way to be sure is to talk with your MD.

The symptoms of occasional acid reflux or "heartburn" can be: frequent need to clear your throat, feeling like you’re choking, chronic cough, recurrent sore throat, sour or acid taste, trouble swallowing and hoarseness. Before you try any self-treatment be sure your MD is in agreement with any over the counter products you want to use. Some of them can have a negative action with other medications you may be taking.

The term GERD is used for the chronic problem called gastroesophageal reflux disease. With this problem, here again, the two sphincters do not work normally, chronically. The symptoms can be the same as in reflux or heartburn : food coming back into the throat or mouth; symptoms can be there on an empty stomach and may worsen after a meal, when bending over or lying down; and there can be pain or difficulty when swallowing.

Sometimes if the lower esophageal sphincter is weak enough the upper part of the stomach may protrude up through the diaphragm into the lower chest cavity, which is called Hiatal hernia. This person will experience the symptoms of GERD also. Factors that contribute to developing this Hiatal hernia condition are obesity, trauma and general weakening of the supporting structures as a result of aging. Darn it!

If you frequently use antacids several times a week you should seriously consider seeing your MD. Usually, your doctor can make the diagnosis for reflux when you tell him/her of your symptoms. However your MD may decide to run tests to be sure there are no other underlying problems and to get a definitive diagnosis. An upper GI (gastrointestinal) test may be done where you swallow barium and then within an hour the radiographs are taken. If an endoscopy is ordered, the stomach and esophagus will be examined using a tube with a light and a camera that is passed down the throat into the stomach while you are sedated. This exam only takes a few minutes. There are other tests, however these two are the most common. Your MD may order a prescription or advise using the over the counter products to relieve your symptoms. Either way, be sure to follow the directions as given.

There are many things we can do to avoid or minimize the symptoms of all three conditions. Try to avoid or reduce the use of the following because they INCREASE the acid in the stomach and weaken the lower esophageal sphincter: coffee, tea and cola drinks (with or without caffeine), fatty foods, spicy foods, citrus fruits and tomatoes, onions, peppermint, chocolate, smoking and alcohol. Do not over eat, in fact eat smaller more frequent meals and don’t lie down right after you eat, wait at least a few hours, and avoid bedtime snacks. Also, don’t exercise for a couple hours after a meal. Being over weight can also cause or worsen the symptoms because of increased intra-abdominal pressure against the stomach from the fat around the organs.

Raising the head of the bed 6-10 inches will do wonders. Simply using extra pillows can make the symptoms worse because it increases intra-abdominal pressure. For us RV’ers with pedestal beds, we can raise the mattress by placing a wedge of thick resistant foam under it creating the same effect as a raised bed.

Contact your doctor right away if you have any of the following: your pain becomes more frequent, lasts longer, is more severe, changes location or spreads to your shoulder, arm, neck or back; if you have trouble breathing; have repeated vomiting or vomiting blood (black or red color); you see blood in your stool (black or red color); or you feel weakness, dizziness or have fainting episodes. Ignoring these symptoms could lead to serious results.

Well folks, I don’t know about you, but as a reflux or GERD sufferer, with a few habit adjustments we can still carry on enjoying this wonderful country and its people with six wheels under us and four trailing behind!