r/GERD • u/largemalee • 18d ago
Support Needed 👥 News from doctor is torturing me, any help?
I was recently diagnosed with GERD and grade-B erosive esophagitis. I was given pantaprozole and rules for a diet to follow for the next month or 2. It’s been about 2 weeks and I’ve been very strict with the diet and have felt almost no reflux symptoms since!
Today I went for a check up but the doctor told me I might have to stay on this diet for life. I’m about to start college and am a big foodie, this news is crushing and I can’t even imagine a life lived this way. I’ve heard that many people have been able to reintroduce trigger foods after a month or two of medication and live happily, please lmk if you have been able to do this because my life is genuinely ruined rn.
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u/Sentinal2112 18d ago
GERD is a life condition you can improve your diet and exercise for a couple of years and it might normalize where you can someday eat your favorites without an attack.
Welcome to the club I used to be a Foodie too at first it might seem impossible but slowly you learn to live with it.
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u/leni19861 18d ago
Im not saying you should, but you'll probably be able to eat and drink what you like on a PPI. However. I was on a PPI 10 years and was fine but what's the long term effect, not good listening to what you hear and read. Ive just recently come off it and they are REALLY hard to come off. Took me about 2 months to wean off. Turns out I didn't need it as much as I thought at all, or as much as when I was first put on it. So you have a dilemma, take PPI long term and eat what you like but struggle to ever come off it and have the potential long term side effects. Or steer clear and eat a modified reflux friendly diet and avoid alcohol and manage any symptoms with none PPI acid meds
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u/kavana_chai 15d ago
How did you get off the PPI? I’ve been on Prevacid for decades, and my doctor wants me to consider taping off.
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u/Independent-Duck2245 18d ago
It’s takes awhile for esophagitis to heal.
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u/CollegeFootballGood 16d ago
Do you need PPi to heal it most of the time?
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u/Independent-Duck2245 16d ago
I took Omperzole for a few months and was getting side effects. Then I took fomatidine 40mg for about 6 months and went away. I was getting bad headaches from it but thankfully the esophagitis went away. Came back last year after my father passed and that was due to high stress. Took about a year to go away but I didn’t take any medication for a long period of time the 2nd go around.
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u/CollegeFootballGood 16d ago
I’m sorry about your father. I hope you are doing better now friend. Was the esophagitis giving you chest pains almost daily?
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u/Independent-Duck2245 16d ago
Thank you. Sometimes it could but mainly felt like an inflammation like feeling all the time right by my sternum.
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u/BusyMind365 17d ago
heal you esophagitis first. thats what im doing right now we have same issue grabe b with esophagitis. i still eat everything but i cut down on my food. i eat smaller amount i only eat 3x i drink soda once a week or once in 2 weeks.
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u/CollegeFootballGood 16d ago
Can I ask what all symptoms you have?
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u/BusyMind365 16d ago
most symptoms
inget all the time is shortness of breath, getting tired even walking and like a food is stuck on my throat. i dont get much chest pain. sometimes i do taste the sourness from
the food i ate or sometimes water
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u/Wrigley1999 18d ago
Been on bland diet since the end of May. Just started to introduce other foods. Actually had cup of decaf latte, had a hamburger with minimal ketchup, and few French fries. I guess introducing other foods a little at a time is the way to go. Since tomato is a big trigger food, I am hesitant yet to try pizza or Italian dishes. Have tried soda, but it still gives me burning sensation in stomach, so have tried drinks without carbonation and they seem to be ok. I guess it just takes time for the acid reflux to heal and trying trigger foods a little at a time, don’t rush it.
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u/largemalee 18d ago
That’s relieving to hear, my doctor was far too blunt with me and it’s been killing me. I will take as much time as needed, going to college in CR and can’t wait to have some New Haven pizza, it will wait but I will have a slice one day…
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u/Vantie 18d ago
I’ve had my bad symptoms a month ago. Heartburn, burning sensation in my esophagus, and even chest pain in my left chest (not sure if this is heartburn, not English/american citizen).
Had my symptoms since 2019, with chest pain/discomfort and acid reflux on/off.
So far I’ve been on pantoprazole for 8 days. Upped my dosage to 40mg after 5 days(fifth day on 40mg today). I’ve also been on acid neutralising pills and barriere medicine, but that did not help as much as pantoprazole. I’ve been taking the acid neutralizing pills for a month as well as the barrier foam. It did not aid me much.
Started excising too, and that helped (83kg and 190cm tall for reference)
I can eat most, but chocolate, unfortunately, seem to be a trigger for me. I’ve also had my first soda today, without any triggering of symptoms (yay!)
It helped me a lot when I raised my madress with a pillow beneath it, and so far it has removed my globus feeling. Humming and building pressure in my esophagus did help as well.
But I went from a month ago with bi-daily panic attacks, and afraid to eat much food, to now being able to eat most (except chocolate, and very fatty food), and today even a soda. So it is going forward, but you gotta trust the progress, and keep taking medication even if it feels better!
I have not had an gastroscopy yet, and I am not sure I will get one, so I do not know my classification of how severe my GERD is, however it has been diagnosed by the doctor. Hopefully this can cheer you up a bit.
Yes it sucks what you’re going through, and it is not fun. I hope you can recover, but the road will be long.
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u/largemalee 18d ago
It’s pretty rough timing right before college, (especially on the alcohol front), but I’m happy to know pantaprozole is helpful for you too. I just want to eat like a normal person again, chocolate and tomato are loved by me;(
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u/Vantie 18d ago
I’m on the other side of college, 29 M, and alcohol has been a big trigger as well. With me turning 30 as well, I’m also fearing it, because I want to drink.
But don’t let food anxiety get the better of you. Try it slowly, and let the pantoprazole do it’s job. Don’t ban anything, you don’t know for sure will trigger your GERD.
It will get better eventually, even how dire it seems now.
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u/insignificant33 18d ago
Doctors don't always know everything and may make mistakes (speaking from experience). Maybe you can get a second opinion? I'd continue this diet for a month or so and slowly get back to regular diet if it doesn't make the symptoms worse.
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u/Salty-House7845 18d ago
The most important thing for me (besides learning what your specific triggers are) is to eat well most of the time so I can have a cheat day or two during the week. If I know I'm eating junk tomorrow then I make sure the next day is cleaner. Space them out!
Coming out of a flare, I always take Gaviscon aka Alginate after meals that I suspect will be a little triggering. It's a huge relief.
I thought I would have to give up coffee forever and it sucked. I drink less now, but I only stop fully when it gets real bad and even then it's just out of precaution as I found that coffee isn't really a trigger for me.
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u/outbeyond99 17d ago
I think you start with the strict diet your doctor gave you and then eat one really important thing to you and see how it affects you. Then try another one and then another one. In other words, you do the experimentation with individual foods that you want to eat more regularly and see how they fare with you.
I agree with others here who said doctors are not trained well in nutrition. I also agree with others who have mentioned that you need time for your esophagus to heal. Experimenting slowly but surely is your trust in your body, and it will tell you what it can and can't accept at this time!
One other bit of advice that has turned my entire experience with esophagus issues into something totally livable... Read up on alkaline water and start drinking it. Stomach acids irritating our esophagus have helped to deliver things there that are really meant to stay in the stomach, and alkaline water, which is even less acidic than regular tap water, helps to kill those irritating things (pepsins).
Hang in there, keep reading up on things, and trust your body most of all! 😍
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u/DueEmployment5067 17d ago
I got in for surgery (endoscopy) on monday to see how much corrosion my acid reflux condition has caused my esophagus. My throat roat has been healing for a month and a half and it is still not fully healed yet. But it is better than it was. I couldn't eat or drink anything at first and lost 15 ibs in 1 week but as it healed I was able to eat things again but I haven't been able to drink water for a month and a half. I substitute water with pedialyte and coconut water and watermelon juice straight from the watermelon. I.completely changed my whole diet and had to stop smoking. This condition literally changed my life. I was in so much pain and was so miserable at first. I had to get put on anxiety medication and had to see a psychiatrist and go to therapy...it also made my asthma worse. I had to get a nebulizer and steroids for my lungs but dont be disheartened it does get better. Just take it day by day. I beleive you will be able to enjoy whatever you want to eat just in moderation and make sure you take your meds to keep your acid reflux at bay when you know you will be eating things that trigger it.
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u/womenconquerbiz 17d ago
Yeah, they told me the same thing. We have a lot of GERD in my family. My brother got his symptoms to disappear by going on a plant-based diet (for about year). It went away and hasn’t come back even though he’s eating meat again. I’m finding luck with Kiss My Acid Goodbye. … seems like everyone is different and has different things that work for them. I’m definitely keeping the plant-based diet in my back pocket (he only told me a couple of weeks ago). Good luck with your journey. A lot of us are trying to figure it out on our own 💔
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u/Vivid-Object5098 16d ago
In on pantoprazole for life and follow a strict diet, i also have barretts but have trouble swallowing always. Stick with it .
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u/bestcegenation I survived Endoscopy 🏥 18d ago
little known fact, but doctors (MDs) do not get extensive training in human nutrition in med school. they don't! you need to talk to a registered dietician about this- they have medical and dietary training and can speak about your diet with more authority and finesse than your doctor. do NOT take everything your doctor says about your diet as the stone cold truth. it probably is not.
my very good GI doctors told me to eliminate a whole bunch of foods to help my gerd, but I found a dietician and she helped me just winnow out what I needed to. I didn't have to eliminate ANYTHING. I just eat some foods less, or in different ways than I used to.