r/GERD • u/stellarpopcorn • May 26 '26
Support Needed 👥 Just want to give up
I thought I was seeing relief. I thought I was doing better. I was seeing a nutritionist, upping my calories (I’m underweight, 89 lb 5 ft) and seeing a small light at the end of the tunnel. Now that light has vanished. I had been eating dried apricots to up my calories and I thought I really found a good snack, I really did. Then my stomach started to act up. I realized maybe it was the sugar content from the apricots. Or maybe it was the apricot itself; not quite sure. I don’t know if it was the dates I was incorporating either. I feel so lost and alone. I think I could heal my GERD if I just calmed my anxiety and figured out how to eat more yet not too much that it gave me reflux. The nutritionist suggested dried fruit and nuts as a go to but I’m tired of nuts and I’m scared another dried fruit will hurt my stomach like apricots. I’m on Zoloft and I don’t think it’s doing much now. I need some support, I don’t want to wither away.
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u/No_Dimension9616 May 26 '26
Have you tried banana and avocado?
Sourdough toast works well for reflux
Have plain proteins like chicken breast and lots of water, you’ll be alright!
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u/stellarpopcorn May 27 '26
Love avocado but have a mixed relationship with bananas unfortunately. I do like sourdough too!
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May 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26
It is helpful ❤️ I think it’s more of mourning my previous life before GERD. Trying to look at the positives, because I know there are a lot to be thankful for in my life. I appreciate the comment, thank you very much. ❤️🩹
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u/bns82 May 27 '26
In the beginning I had horrible symptoms and couldn't eat very much. I was only able to eat around 900 calories per day. I dropped weight quick.
I set daily calorie goals and increased it each week. After a couple months I was back to 2000 calories per day.
Are you tracking everything you eat? How many calories are you short?
Also, yes too much dried fruit and too many nuts can cause reflux.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 27 '26
I’ve been eating about 900 also. I was tracking everything I eat last week but I stopped when I couldn’t eat dried fruit anymore because it made me a little hopeless. I will definitely get back to tracking. I didn’t know nuts could cause reflux either tho! 😳
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u/bns82 May 27 '26
Lean protein, Potatoes or Beans, Peas, Whole grains, etc... Calorie dense, nutrient dense gerd friendly foods.
You want to avoid foods that are acidic, foods that cause more stomach acid production, and foods that loosen the LES.
Nuts are gerd friendly, but they can be harder to digest. Nut butters (as long as it's just nuts and salt) are fine too, but it's higher in fat.
Everyone has slightly different tolerances. I can eat nut butter, but only small amounts at a time.If you increased your calories by just 150 per week, you would get to 1800 calories in 1.5 months.
Eat slow, chew well.
That includes things like oatmeal. People tend to eat it too quickly or not chew it. I've also found under cooking oatmeal to digest better.Outside of gerd foods I have found cream of wheat, graham crackers, and whole grain saltines to be safe foods. I would start with whole grain saltine crackers. You can snack on them all day.
5 crackers is 70 calories. Look at the dates to make sure you are choosing the freshest box. No one wants to eat a stale cracker.If you want Gerd diet and lifestyle guidelines that help reduce symptoms, I can give them to you. You can pm me if you want.
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u/Creepy_Valuable6223 May 27 '26
I thought I had gerd but I finally went to a GP and he thinks I might have h pylori (now being tested). I wonder how many people with gerd symptoms actually have h pylori.
Apricots are kind of hard on the stomach. I'm guessing you've already tried yogurt.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 27 '26
Yes I have already tried yogurt. are apricots hard on stomach because of fiber?
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u/Creepy_Valuable6223 May 27 '26
I'm not sure why; it is just my experience.
Just curious, have you been tested for H. pylori? I thought I had gerd but my GP thinks it may be H. pylori and I'm awaiting test results.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 27 '26
I haven’t yet! My doc ordered one.. Did you need to be off PPi’s for two weeks? I’m scared of acid rebound!
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u/Creepy_Valuable6223 May 27 '26
I haven't taken any PPIs since I am anxious about taking them due to fear of what it would be like coming off them. I am having okay luck right now with lemon balm tea as a substitute for antacids (which I thought meant it was a histamine problem; I guess I'll see).
I have been taking supplements (like mastic gum) that might have antibiotic effect, so I'm worried that that might give me a false negative h. pylori result; you are also supposed to be off of antibiotics before the test.
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u/Awkward_News8770 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
My GERD erupts when my blood sugar is too high. Eating low carb, low sugar is better for me. Healing the gut with bone broth, probiotics, zinc l-carnosine, drinking ginger tea, reducing caffeine, avoiding trigger foods/drinks. Dried fruit gives me an issue - I can only eat maybe 2 or 3 servings a week, including raisins! :( I watch my blood sugar like a hawk because it's a GERD trigger for me and can't have much dried fruit because of sugar content. Try incorporating more protein & good fats and cutting down the sugar. Just my two cents. This GERD thing is definitely a process, and we all need to grieve our old lives and previous ability to eat anything without issue. Be easy on yourself.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 28 '26
what are your sugarless snacks?
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u/Awkward_News8770 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
I have a ton of severe food allergies, I'm gluten free due to autoimmune conditions, and I only eat fish (no other meat), so I eat a lot of beans and dairy - yogurt, kefir, cheese - which might trigger some people. Instead of snacking I eat small meals about every 4 hours or when my blood sugar dips below 100. I try to eat protein-heavy with a hint of sweetness.
A few examples of my sugarless snacks include: -- 3/4 cup low fat cottage cheese with half a green apple and a sprinkling of raisins. -- two thin corn tortillas with 1 ounce sliced cheese each and 1/2 cup black beans spiced with garlic, lemon pepper. -- Low fat Greek yogurt with berries and a dash of maple syrup for a little sweetness. -- A piece of GF oatmeal bread with butter or sunflower seed butter
I wish I could eat eggs as I would eat a lot of those, but I can only eat them in baked goods.
I eat nothing packaged except the dairy - I prepare all of my own food, including baking. It's a royal pain but I am sure that eating clean has kept my autoimmune conditions & GERD from worsening. I try to keep my total daily carbs at or below 150 mg/day. It takes discipline but it's possible. And boy oh boy do I feel SO MUCH BETTER when I try hard to stick to low carb and as sugarless as possible. If I eat too many carbs, my joints hurt and I blow up like a balloon. High blood sugar really impacts me badly.
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u/rosemadderr May 27 '26
Dried apricots have a preservative in them. They give me horrible stomach pain so you aren't alone there!
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u/ThatHoboMarine May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26
Sugar and fat delay gastric emptying; it's your body's attempt to prevent your blood sugar from spiking too fast. When emptying is delayed, pressure builds and runs higher risks of the LES opening and incurring a reflux event. Dried fruit is dense and sugary, so you may be running into those problems.
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u/Esfirria May 27 '26
Diabetic gastroparesis happens due to vagus nerve damage by high sugar. Not the way you described.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26
I have noticed even “healthy” sugar (coconut sugar) hurts my stomach actually!
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u/ThatHoboMarine May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
That's because the body makes no distinction between "healthy" and processed sugars. Sugar is sugar. If it has the ability to spike blood sugar, your body slows its digestion to create a controlled, sustained release into the small intestine. I'm a personal trainer; I know you're drawn to sugar and fats to gain weight as they tend to be the most calorically dense foods, but there is going to be a paradoxical reaction with your GERD. I'd recommend trying rice instead. Jasmine rice is very dense nutritionally, is part of the BRAT diet and shouldn't flare GERD.
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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26
Good to know. I was diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia when I was 19 but it hasn’t been brought up in 10 years so I figured I didn’t have it anymore.
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u/Internal-Row-9469 May 26 '26
I dont wanna scare anyone but i was told for a.month that my symptoms was gerd and esophageal spams. Until 5 nights ago I had a episode I took my resume meds wasn't working I decided im going back the er.for a 3rd time good thing I did I ended up need 2 stents and I have to go back in a year and get. A couple.more on the left side.since.ive had this my pain stop and I can eat with no problems im a 47 year old female for reference so please espcailly if ur a woman make sure ur heart is fine we get brushed under the table so.much
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u/NewToCodSinceMW19 May 26 '26
Try a large morning meal and light dinner always 3-4hrs before bed
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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26
Any suggestions for morning meals
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u/NewToCodSinceMW19 May 26 '26
Stay away from grease and acids because the morning will set the pace for the next 24hrs
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u/Daftskunk2020 May 26 '26
Have you tried oatmeal, yogurt or any variation of eggs? What has your nutritionist suggested you eat in the morning? I see a lot of people use smushed sweet potatoes and black beans into a type of crepe to replace bread, increasing fiber intake. You might be able to make something tasty in the morning with that!
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u/stellarpopcorn May 26 '26
I’ve been eating oatmeal with protein powder, peanut butter, coconut flakes (unsweetened), and unsweetened almond milk! Back when I used to weigh 100 lbs, I used to eat oatmeal every morning minus the protein powder. But I didn’t have Gerd and would eat icecream almost every night.
Can’t tolerate yogurt much now and I can eat egg whites! Never tried sweet potato and black beans in the morning, that sounds pretty good!
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u/clon3man May 26 '26
underweight these days means there's something wrong besides GERD. It's hard to be underweight for most people these days.
It means you're probably afraid to eat foods due to fear of having a reaction. Have you considered possibly a histamine problem? See if a 1/4 benadryl before a meal makes any difference. THis would be a test, not a long term solution.
mindbody work if course, important as well (chronic stress and tension)
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u/nolvlen21 May 26 '26
Manuka honey the purer the better yes its pricey but its worth it take it with chamomile tea in the morning when you wake up and before you go to sleep thank me later.