gerd

March 18, 2000

, Been there, done that. Not positive what fixed it, but if my memory

serves me right I believe ithe icky taste in my mouth improved when I

introduced digestive enzymes to my many many supplements. Carol/Piney

rheumatic GERD

> From: M Carroll <LCarroll@...>

>

> Hello all,

> Well...if it ain't one thing it's another. Now that my arthritis is well

> behaving itself

> I think I am fighting GERD. It has been troubling me since Novemeber so I

> reckon it is time to see about it.

>

> I have a very bitter,sour, acidic taste in my mouth almost all of the

> time. I am assuming it is from the stomach. Has anyone else experienced

> this? It sure gets old having that grossness in my mouth.

>

> If you have had it, will you give me some tips on how you dealt with it

or

> what you did about it? This is VERY much appreciated.

>

> I don't have heartburn just a little ulcer flare up every now and the(

> very mild)

>

> Thanks 1,000,000!

> C

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> PERFORM CPR ON YOUR APR!

> Get a NextCard Visa, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as

> 0.0% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees.

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> 1/2121/0/_/532797/_/953400390/

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

March 19, 2000

,

Exactly what is GERD? Did Franco tell you that?

Carol

>I think I am fighting GERD. It has been troubling me since Novemeber so I

>reckon it is time to see about it.

March 20, 2000

Carol,

Did you find out what GERD was? I don't know either. Never heard of

that particular ailment.

Bev

> ,

> Exactly what is GERD? Did Franco tell you that?

> Carol

>

> >I think I am fighting GERD. It has been troubling me since Novemeber so

I

> >reckon it is time to see about it.

>

March 20, 2000

Thanks ,

I did a search at Gabe Mirkin's site and came up with helicobacter pylori

and ulcers for GERD so it seems it is related to stomach problems.

Bev

>

> Hi,

> I believe it is: gastro esophageal reflux disease. Try complete

> digestive enzymes.

> -NC

March 20, 2000

Bev,

Its acid reflux. I'm not totally sure what all the letters in GERD stand

for. Maybe gastric esophagal reflux disease :-) (I'm creative)

Take care,

Ute

March 20, 2000

Hi Bev,

It was so good to get a post from you! It is gastro esopahgus reflux

disease. I think I'm getting that too and I take Tagament each day.

HUGS:-))

Carol

At 07:16 AM 3/20/00 -0500, Briarwood wrote:

>Carol,

>Did you find out what GERD was? I don't know either. Never heard of

>that particular ailment.

>

>Bev

>

> > ,

> > Exactly what is GERD? Did Franco tell you that?

> > Carol

> >

> > >I think I am fighting GERD. It has been troubling me since Novemeber so

>I

> > >reckon it is time to see about it.

> >

March 20, 2000

Ute,

Yuk! They mention stomach acid in the article. I like your

explanation. :>))

Bev

>

> Bev,

> Its acid reflux. I'm not totally sure what all the letters in GERD stand

> for. Maybe gastric esophagal reflux disease :-) (I'm creative)

> Take care,

> Ute

>

March 20, 2000

Hi Carol,

Well, I learned something new. Thanks for the explanation. Ute knew it

too. I have problems if I take my Minocin late at night and lie down

right after, even if I drink a lot of water. I try to take it about an

hour before bedtime. I hope you dont get it. It is an awful feeling.

Do you think your problem could be lying down too soon after taking your

meds. Lovely to hear from you too, Carol.

Have a good night. :>)))

Hugs

Bev

> Hi Bev,

> It was so good to get a post from you! It is gastro esopahgus reflux

> disease. I think I'm getting that too and I take Tagament each day.

> HUGS:-))

> Carol

>

March 23, 2000

Welcome to the club! It seems everyone I talk with has GERD...all my

friends, and they do not have RA. I have it too, and find if I eliminate

certain foods it goes away. My taboo foods are cashews and chocolate in

large amounts. Tomatoes, citrus, and spice are problemmatic for some people.

Mine manifested itself in hoarseness and couging, which actually have been

better since the mino..I took acid blockers for a while (one or two months).

If you need meds, find out how to take them so they don't interfere with

absorption of your antibiotics. Could you let me know re: dosing intervals

if you do that? On the mino bottle it suggests an hour between, but I think

it must be two hours. Also, your aloe vera juice is good for GERD.

Let us know how you're doing.

January 16, 2001

> . Maddie sees

> one every four months because she has GERD (gastoesophageol reflux

> disease),

>

Hi, Everyone.....Donna.....is this what Gareth will have to do for his

GERD?!?!? Just what I need!!! He was just dx. a couple of weeks ago and has

to go back to the Dr. Friday. The Zantax and Raglan seem to be

helping........he doesn't 'hurt' anymore. His pediatric dr. dx'd him and

recommended the tests.......don't know if we will have to see a Gastric Dr.

MB..........thanks for the TASH info and digest. I've

registered but don't know how I will keep up with both sites!!! Take care,

Everyone.

Margaret

PS.......any one from or near State College, Pa. area? Will need to find

Drs, Dentists, Psychiatrists, etc. soon.

January 16, 2001

In a message dated 1/16/01 4:33:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, mfroof@...

writes:

<< Margaret

PS.......any one from or near State College, Pa. area? Will need to find

Drs, Dentists, Psychiatrists, etc. soon.

>>

YOU'RE MOVING??????? When Margaret? Oh, this is exciting. LOL

Gail

January 17, 2001

In a message dated 1/16/01 4:33:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, mfroof@...

writes:

<<

Hi, Everyone.....Donna.....is this what Gareth will have to do for his

GERD?!?!? Just what I need!!! He was just dx. a couple of weeks ago and

has

to go back to the Dr. Friday. The Zantax and Raglan seem to be

helping........he doesn't 'hurt' anymore. >>

EEk. Fraid so Margaret. Maddie is on Zantac and Reglan also.

Eventually, they will start to wean him off meds after he is stabilized for a

while. Maddie will start her weaning YET AGAIN in February. However, I'm

gonna put her back on IMMEDIATELY if I see behavior changes. I waited too

long this past summer!!

Good Luck with moving to State College. It's such a cute area!!

We'll get together once your in. It's over three hours from Philly, but as

I said, dh is up there a lot and I love to go and stay at a hotel with

him....LOL

Donna

January 18, 2001

> We'll get together once your in.

Hi, Everyone......Donna........looking forward to it. Gareth's been on the

Zantax and Raglan for a month now. I have to get him back in to see his Dr.

cause the meds are gone by Sat. How long are they usually on it and what

behaviors are you referring to? .........I have to admit

that I am guilty of neglecting to vote

in your poll, BUT......I am very computer ignorant and can only handle so

much!!! Please bare with me!!! I personally see no reason for a privacy

clause.....this digest is usually found by people who need help and ask, or

by word of mouth. Lori........best wishes for Tommy next week

for his testing. Gail........if you're going nuts, then there are

a lot of us right behind you!!! a.........about 's

gagging and choking........has he been tested for esophageal reflux or an

esophageal stricture? Gareth use to be really bad with the gagging and

choking and then kinda out grew it......or so we thought. He resorted to

drinking lots of fluids with each meal.......kinda like washing his food

down. We just found out last month that he's got GERD and the doc said he's

probably had it all his life (he's 12)!!! FYI........in

Medscape last week, there was a short article on a trial test of autistic

kids using Aricept (Donepezil). It's one of the drugs they use for Alzheimer

patients. The investigators reported statistically significant improvements

in emotional, attention, and spontaneous speech production. It is supposedly

safe and well-tolerated. They recommend further testing. I guess it

increases the brain chemical acetylcholine.

This is long today........take care, everyone.

Margaret

January 18, 2001

In a message dated 1/18/01 4:36:20 PM Eastern Standard Time, mfroof@...

writes:

<<

Hi, Everyone......Donna........looking forward to it. Gareth's been on the

Zantax and Raglan for a month now. I have to get him back in to see his

Dr.

cause the meds are gone by Sat. How long are they usually on it and what

behaviors are you referring to? >>

Hi Margaret,

When I refer to behaviors, I mean what happens to Maddie when the GERD is

not in control (ie...times when we need to up meds). She becomes MISERABLE

and goes back to head banging, biting, lashing out, and being MORE into

herself than usual (she obviously wants to communicate that she's in pain).

Maddie was weaned from meds and was actually off them for an entire year.

Then it came back. I don't know if it was still there, but silent, which is

quite possible. Except that typically her behaviors are the thing that lets

us know, and that year was a good one. Anyway, once we started Maddie on the

Reglan, she did great. Behaviors got MUCH better, and liquids stayed down.

Doc wants me to start weaning in February. As much as I'd LOVE to get her

off meds again (as it is, I have to give her meds 7x a day---8 if you include

her multi-vitamin), I am nervous!!!

I'm not sure how it will work with a 12 year old Margaret. Maddie was dx'd

at 2 (just after I stopped nursing her) and they anticipated that it would go

away (at 7, it hasn't). Yet, it's not bad enough to warrant a

fundoplication (I'm glad for that). Ask your gastro guy at your next visit

how long he'd like Gareth to be on meds.

Good luck,

Donna

January 20, 2001

nathan hasnt been tested with GERD, did do a barium swallow when was a

toddler and DX w/ larynpharyngeal incoordination, his tongue doesnt go all

the way back as our does due to lack of muscle tone,hence the ds, and they

seen often food would collect in a pocket there somewhere they showed me on

the video, also causing him to gag,or choke, Hes been doing this since

eating food, he has a hard time chewing, and also tries to drink down his

food as if its a pill--whole, shawna

>From: mfroof@...

>Reply-egroups

>egroups

>Subject: Re: GERD

>Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 16:10:25 EST

>

> > We'll get together once your in.

>

>Hi, Everyone......Donna........looking forward to it. Gareth's been on the

>Zantax and Raglan for a month now. I have to get him back in to see his

>Dr.

>cause the meds are gone by Sat. How long are they usually on it and what

>behaviors are you referring to? .........I have to admit

>that I am guilty of neglecting to vote

>in your poll, BUT......I am very computer ignorant and can only handle so

>much!!! Please bare with me!!! I personally see no reason for a privacy

>clause.....this digest is usually found by people who need help and ask, or

>by word of mouth. Lori........best wishes for Tommy next week

>for his testing. Gail........if you're going nuts, then there

>are

>a lot of us right behind you!!! a.........about 's

>gagging and choking........has he been tested for esophageal reflux or an

>esophageal stricture? Gareth use to be really bad with the gagging and

>choking and then kinda out grew it......or so we thought. He resorted to

>drinking lots of fluids with each meal.......kinda like washing his food

>down. We just found out last month that he's got GERD and the doc said

>he's

>probably had it all his life (he's 12)!!! FYI........in

>Medscape last week, there was a short article on a trial test of autistic

>kids using Aricept (Donepezil). It's one of the drugs they use for

>Alzheimer

>patients. The investigators reported statistically significant

>improvements

>in emotional, attention, and spontaneous speech production. It is

>supposedly

>safe and well-tolerated. They recommend further testing. I guess it

>increases the brain chemical acetylcholine.

>This is long today........take care, everyone.

>Margaret

>

March 28, 2001

> <Is Garreth taking anything for the GERD? had GERD until he was 4>

>

> Hi, Everyone........Terry.....Gareth has been on Raglan (4xday) and Zantax

> (2xday) for almost 4 months now. It seems to be getting worse instead of

> better. I guess the problem is that he has had this for so long, but we

> never knew about it till last Fall. The kids were doing the Digestive

> system in school and Gareth's modified program had him learn the organs and

> food route......mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large

> intestine, rectum and anus. He's the one who told us his 'food tube' hurt.

> His Ped. thinks he may have some severe damage to the esophageal lining.

> It will take time to heal. You said had repeated aspiration

> pneumonia.....I can only wonder all those times Gareth had 'chronic

> bronchitis' in the past, if perhaps, it wasn't the same. No one ever

> suggested GERD. What surgery did have to correct the problem? I

> will find out more come Monday when we see a Ped. gastrologist. Thanks

> for asking. .......glad Harley will be OK.

> Take care, Everyone.

>

March 28, 2001

In a message dated 3/28/01 3:03:43 PM Eastern Standard Time, mfroof@...

writes:

<< The kids were doing the Digestive

> system in school and Gareth's modified program had him learn the organs

and

> food route......mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large

> intestine, rectum and anus. He's the one who told us his 'food tube'

hurt.

> His Ped. thinks he may have some severe damage to the esophageal lining.

> It will take time to heal. You said had repeated aspiration

> pneumonia.....I can only wonder all those times Gareth had 'chronic

> bronchitis' in the past, if perhaps, it wasn't the same. No one ever

> suggested GERD. What surgery did have to correct the problem? >>

AW Margaret!!! Poor Gareth!!! Makes me cry to think of how Maddie must

have suffered (and still does) with GERD. And Gareth too!! As far as I

know (Terry will answer this I'm sure) the only surgery for GERD is

fundoplication. The propulsid and zantac worked for years for Maddie, then

stopped. (while propulsid has been taken off the market, it is still being

used for what they call " compassion " cases) Reglan was our last resort

(before surgery). So far, it's working. I've told you guys before, in

terms of meds, she's getting dosages SEVEN times a day (excluding her

vitamin). One of the reasons I opt not to do meds for behaviors.

The aspiration pneumonia is very scary. I remember times when I put Maddie

to the phone so the doc could hear her and determine whether or not she

needed to go to the ER. However, she never had it, amazingly. I was

always told that typically, kids grow out of GERD. My gastro guy (even

though he's a surgeon) is not a fan of surgery; only in extreme cases. He

told me that the problem he has with doing surgery with growing children is

that their intestines are continuing to grow and that his experience has been

that often-times, children need to have surgery again, as they grow.

Fundoplication involves wrapping the esophagus around the stomach (or the

other way around...I'm SO medically challenged) and he says that our insides

continue to grow just like our outside bodies. He's done tons of

fundoplications, but does not feel it's right for Maddie at this time.

Hopefully, Margaret, your GI guy will steer you in the right direction for

the best treatment for Gareth!!! {{{{{{[hugs}}}}}}}}}}

Donna

March 28, 2001

Margaret,

had a Nissan procedure (fundal placation....spelled horribly wrong,

I'm sure! LOL) Anyway, it loops part of th stomach around the esophagus so

it acts like an anti-reflux valve when the stomach contents slosh up. The

side effect is that they can't vomit, which is not a big issue for

since he has a g-tube anyway. We can just open the g-tube and vacate his

stomach if we have to. For , the procedure was a godsend....no more

aspiration pneumonias, no more asthma symptoms, no more burning esophagus.

Terry

March 28, 2001

Dear Margaret,

Brook had severe reflux ever since he was a baby. We too thought that

he would grow out of it. When he was 3 yrs he developed self injurious

behaviors because of the pain of the reflux. He was also crying all day long

and really miserable. We took him to see a pediatric GI who put him on

several different meds. The pediatric GI said that he would not grow out of

it if he hadn't by the age of 18 months or so. They meds helped somewhat with

the pain but the reflux continued. Brook had a Nissan fundoplication right

when he turned 4 years. He had a feeding tube for about 10 weeks. This was

mainly for venting since in the beginning it is hard to burp. About a month

and a half later or so we elected to have his tonsils and adenoids removed so

that we could tube feed him while he recovered. It took awhile for him to

recover from all of the surgeries, we also had him circumcised, but

eventually he was much happier and could actually focus on something since he

wasn't in so much pain. He was also a lot calmer and it was the best decision

we made for him. He is 11 yrs now and has had no problems except that it is

difficult for him to vomit. If he is nauseated I give him a phenergen

suppository and that settles him down pretty well. He did have a bunch of

tests, upper GI, endoscopy which showed lesions and a 24 hour pH probe

inserted through his nose into his stomach. This was a waste of time because

the refused any food or drink the whole 24 hours and the test came back

negative. Anyway the end results were very positve for Brook. I hope this

was helpful and that Gareth feels better soon.

Marisa

Mom to Miles, Brook and Gennie

March 29, 2001

> <When he was 3 yrs he developed self injurious

> behaviors because of the pain of the reflux. He was also crying all day

> long

> >

Hi, Everyone........Marissa.......this is all so scary. Gareth use to be a

head banger (BIG TIME) and has always been Dr. J and Mr. Hyde. He use to

have chronic bronchitis, too. All these symptoms that could have pointed to

GERD, yet no one every suggested it. Here he will be 13y/o in May and we

just found out in Jan. from an upper GI series. All these years of pain make

me feel like a real heal for not knowing myself.........guess I feel I should

have been the one to pick up on it. Heaven only knows that it is NOT because

he hasn't seen enough Drs. over his lifetime!!! I have heard that there is a

new technique.......going in and tying off a small portion of the base of the

esophagus. I will be asking for that if the Dr. decides he needs surgery

next week. Also.......my son , has started to sit for us. He

is 14 and it took me quite a while to put my trust in him and Gareth. I

guess I should say, it took a while to put my trust in Gareth........ has

always been good!!! Gareth looks forward to staying home ( " by 'self', Mom " )

with .......makes him feel big!!! Gareth is finally to that

age/understanding level that if he doesn't listen to while I am gone,

then he will have to go with me on errands the next time. He hates going to

the stores anymore!!! When I leave the house, I always tell Gareth " You

watch for me while I am gone. " " K, Mom. " Take care, Everyone.

Margaret

March 29, 2001

Margaret,

I am sure you have done the best you could for Gareth and it's the doctors

that should have known there was a problem. It's great that Gareth could

actually tell you he is in pain. He sounds like a smart guy. Like I said

before Brook has had no problems with the surgery and I would go for it if

medication is not enough to control it. For Brook he was constantly spitting

up and that is also not very socially acceptable. Also he was having a lot of

reflux which we couldn't see that was just going up and down his esophagus.

Plus once he had the surgery he was a much happier little camper and able to

focus more. But my pediatrician who I love, never even really knew what was

going on because we thought he would just grow out of it eventually and we

didn't know how painful it was. Also certain foods and meds can make it

worse. Not even the behavior specialist who we got because of all of the head

banging and behavior probs even figured out why he was doing it. Anyway I

hope Gareth feels better soon and I think it's great that can sit for

Gareth. That's what my 14yr old son Miles does and it's been a great help

since I can't really take Brook on outings. Brook is usually too difficult to

handle and always heads for the door whining or sits down etc. And also Miles

helped out a great deal when I was pregnant with my daughter and after she

was born too.

Marisa

Mom to Miles 14, Brook 11 and Genevieve 3

March 29, 2001

This can also be done now through a laprascope. Terri

March 29, 2001

In a message dated 3/29/01 10:58:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, mfroof@...

writes:

<< Here he will be 13y/o in May and we

just found out in Jan. from an upper GI series. All these years of pain

make

me feel like a real heal for not knowing myself.........guess I feel I

should

have been the one to pick up on it. >>

Well, for goodness sakes Margaret!!!! You're not the one with the medical

degree!!!! And the thing about GERD is it can be silent, as it was in

Gareth's case. Maddie's was very apparent----uh, throw up everywhere!!

When it's silent, there's no way to know about it with kids like ours.

Please don't blame yourself dear!!!! Lord knows, we have enough people

judging us!!

My n is 15 and has just recently started babysitting for us too. He's

actually very good; I trust him with Maddie moreso than the 20 year old.

Of course, is my prime one; Duff and I could go away for a week, and

she'd deal, no sweat!!.....she's 18 and amazing!! I also use my niece who

lives across the street. She's young, but our Alison, at only 8, is very

mature and the two of them do a great job. Plus, I only use her when my

SIL and BIL are home. Having family live on the same block is a HUGE

benefit!!

Donna

April 3, 2001

> <What do they do to repair the damage? Will just

> the meds do it? How was he for the trip and at the docs? Gail>

Hi, Everyone......Gail......he was fine on the trip up and back. He does

good in the car.......all those long car trips he's grown up with!!! The Dr.

took him off the Reglan/ Zantac and put him on Prevacid. She is hoping that

will decrease the acid production in his stomach and let his esophagus heal.

She didn't say what the next move to repair it would be......only that he

would need a bx. first. You still need to send me your phone #........we

will have a busy week next week, but would like to visit one day. Haven't

heard from the other Gail, in Cleveland. Take care,

Everyone.

Margaret

>

April 3, 2001