Home Based Business Mom

GERD is not fun.
Those of you that have it – KNOW what I’m talking about.
Those of you that don’t have it…don’t even know what GERD stands for.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

I’ve been struggling with GERD knowingly for about 3 years….the 5-6 years prior to that – I did not know it was GERD. I was SURE it was a heart issue….the chest pain HAD to be a heart issue. Well….I don’t have a heart issue…..at least, I can say that I have been thoroughly looked over for a heart issue, including the infamous 64 slice CT scan like Oprah and her friend Gail had. Now….does that test rule out micro-blockages….no. Does it mean my mitral valve prolapse isn’t part of the issue? No. But I feel pretty confident that GERD is the issue that plagues me.

I’ve had the chronic cough, night time coughing fits (including literally waking up choking, unable to breathe). I’ve had the ENT look at my throat using  a scope that is threaded through my sinuses and looks down into my throat. It always shows a red, irritated, raw throat eaten up by acid. I’ve been on all the meds…..aciphex, nexium, prilosec, zantac…..
I currently take prevacid solutabs in the morning and zantac at night – but starting kapidex soon. Getting an endoscope soon too.
You see…this GERD….it’s not going away. Just last night after a day of my Prevacid, eating carefully and then zantac at night….I had a big ole coughing fit in the middle of the night. My bed is elevated like the doctor says it should be, I’ve lost over 10 pounds and was only about 12 pounds over weight when this GERD stuff started….
But still….it sticks around. Worse when I’m stressed.
So…2010….I’m still fighting this battle. I am sure the endoscope and the biopsies it takes will shed some light on maybe h pylori being part of the issue….or if the GERD has turned my delicate esophagus into Barrett’s Esophagus (pre-cancer)…but I am trying. I am not letting this get me down.
Some days are bad with that constant cough or that constant feeling of a lump in my throat….or sore throat….
Some nights are bad with the coughing…
Eating is no longer an all out whooohooo fun activity. I have to try to be careful – but I do slip.
So…that is my update for now….I will again post on this GERD topic after the endoscope and we’ll see what that leads to. Not a fan of surgery….I’m thinking that would have to be an absolute LAST resort.
Those of you suffering from GERD as well….let me know how you’re doing and what is working for you. GERD is more common than you think….and can cause a slew of symptoms other than heartburn. It’s a sneaky booger!

I’ve gotten a lot of emails lately asking me about my GERD and how I’m doing. Thanks to everyone concerned.

I have to say….I’m better. Much better. Cured? I don’t know?

I’m on my last month of Prevacid Sol-U-Tabs. (The only thing that worked for me!)

I haven’t had another nighttime choking spell (unable to breathe for over 45 seconds!) since that one episode in November 2007. Thank goodness. I still get a little anxiety from that. I am sure that’s normal. I mean, come on – to those of you who have never had the nightmare of being unable to breathe – it’s scary as all get out!

Looking back – at it’s worst – the chest pain, trips to the ER, anxiety, choking….I see that my stress level and my weight were key factors. I’ve never been HUGE. But I carried 10 extra pounds per baby – so an extra 20 pounds by 2005. At my highest I was 155! I am only 5′4″ – so that’s a lot of extra weight for me. I weighed about 132 when I got married. I’ve never been a rail thin person…..so 132 was perfect for me.

I’m down to 145 and still working on getting to at least 138. Those are a stubborn 7 pounds!

My work was very stressful in 2007 and I was still reeling from my Dad’s early death at 58, my Mom’s second bout of breast cancer, my daughter being bitten in the face by a dog and needing plastic surgery, my websites crashing without back-ups, my dog I’d had for 16 years having to be put down, a lot of debt, packing and moving to a new house and location that I absolutely hated (but have since learned to love and look at it now as a blessing!)….

It was a lot. My stress and extra weight manifested physically as GERD. I’ve always been a pretty laid back person – Type A – but still laid back…..weird, I know?!

Today I continue to work on losing weight, I do yoga and meditate. I go for walks and try to not work late even though I run my own business. I’m learning to let stuff just roll off my shoulders and not internalize it. I eat a lot more organic foods and have gone back to using meat only as a condiment. Not a total vegetarian like I was for 15 years, but also not a full fledged meat eater like I was in 2007 either.

I eat lots of oatmeal, salads and fresh fruit. I eat brown rice too. I’m learning to eat salmon more…but ugh, I really don’t like it. But I have eaten it a little bit. I eat tuna as well.

I’m learning to listen to my body and treat my body like it’s the only one I’ve got (because it is!)
I’m learning that I am a person that can’t stuff my feelings down my throat and suck it up all the time. That might work for some, but for me – it goes against everything I am. And after 38 years of doing it….the damn broke – and I just needed to voice my opinion about things and express how I felt about it.

I was the type of person that listened to everyone’s problems, I was their clown, their confidant, their escape. But when it came time for me to lean on someone…..I was answered with…”What’s your problem?” Or…”Why are you so grouchy?” They wanted their “funny Kelly”, their “laid back Kelly”. Well…that Kelly was exhausted from one way friendships and not having any support in return. I wish, now at 42 – I had seen all this as it was going down – but I wanted so much to PLEASE and be everything to everyone. PEOPLE – this WILL suck the ever-lovin life right out of you! I promise.

So I lean on my husband a little more, some friendships are over – they were draining and I had to walk away. I have new friendships – which was hard for me at first. I’m outgoing – but I’m still a little shy right out of the gate.

I picked up a hobby I love besides gardening – it’s scrapbooking and rubber stamping. I love it. I even become a StampinUp Demonstrator because I love it so much.

I make time for my family. I try to walk away from my business on the weekends and NO computer or very minimal.

My advice….if you’re suffering from GERD….
Take a good, hard look at your life right now. Be honest.
Are you treating your body well? Are you over-weight? When was the last time you GAVE your body the exercise it wants and craves? What are you eating and drinking? Do you have a real support system around you? Real friends?

Try and find ways to relieve your stress. I know this sounds like asking you to perform brain surgery – because it was very hard for me. To just sit still for 10 minutes and do nothing was like asking me dive off a cliff. It was scary. Be ALONE with my own THOUGHTS?? Clear my mind and not keep it going at 100 mph?? It’s NOT easy.

I’ll be anxious to get my next “scope up the nose and down the throat” check done. Hopefully it doesn’t look like raw hamburger down there anymore from the acid.

I no longer have the constant cough after I eat, sore throat, constant chest pain, feeling asthmatic….

There was no overnight answer in my case. It took time, trial and error.

I go to a chiropractor now as well.  I think that is helping too.

So it’s a mix of things that have helped with my GERD.

But weight and stress – I think, as with most illnesses….those are two things to look at closely. I denied stress for years. Just kept stuffing it down, down, down. It will surface eventually and with a vengence.

So that is my update for now. And I appreciate everyone that’s emailed and commented on the whole GERD drama I’ve been through. And those of you that are going through the same thing….you’ve found a place to talk about it. I always try to respond to any comments or posts. I know I’m not a doctor or anything – but I do think it helps to talk about it and just find common ground with someone else. It’s nice to know you’re not alone.

My GERD Saga….
As it has come to be known at my house….is interesting to say the least.

And is it just me….or has EVERYONE got GERD? Or are doctors just diagnosing every problem someone comes in with as a GERD symptom?

“Here….have some Nexium…. NEXT!!!”

And speaking of Nexium….are we really feeling all warm and comfy that it DOESN’T cause heart problems? I mean…..I KNOW the little studies done by the company that MAKES Nexium says it doesn’t cause heart problems……but me…..and this is JUST me….I feel like I need a bigger, broader, longer…..more OBJECTIVE study.

And why do I care about Nexium, when I’m on Prevacid anyway?? Well…hell – I can no longer get my insurance to cover Prevacid. I have no clue why. They just won’t – not even with a doctor’s over ride. It’s like these Prevacid Sol-U-Tabs are little pieces of gold.

So…what do they put me on….Nexium. The “little purple pill”. Sounds so cute….so unassuming.

Actually I didn’t even get the dang “little purple pill”, I got this dissolving mix gunk that I am supposed to mix with water and drink. Not a fan of Kool-aid…..but thanks.

So…back to the ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) surgeon next week. He’s gonna stick that scope up my nose and down my throat again. Oh joy.

Maybe while I’m there I can raid his pharmaceutical cabinet for some Prevacid Sol-U-Tabs. Or shake down the drug rep in the parking lot. You can spot those snooty-toots a mile away at a doctor’s office. They look like Barbie and Ken on their way
to a corporate office party!

So…until I go to my appointment next week….the BIG Purple BOX, that looks like enough medicine for a colonoscopy prep kit sits on my kitchen counter. I refuse to “go there” until I’ve seen my ENT and begged for Prevacid in person. If I beg too much he’ll be throwing anti-anxiety meds and anti-depressants at me for good measure. Seems that’s another area that doctor’s are more than happy to write a script for…..

So….until next week….it’s TUMS Ultra and Maalox for me.