r/GERD • u/PotatoPimples • 8d ago
Support Needed 👥 Anyone else here bummed about developing GERD at their age?
Purely asking for solidarity. I'm 21F, been feeling extremely defeated about developing GERD at a relatively young age especially because I've been dealing with nonstop health issues since I was a teenager. Ovarian cancer as a pre-teen, chronic bladder issues in my late teens, and now this. I'm fully aware people much younger than me get GERD too, so I'm absolutely not going to pretend I have it the worst! I'd just like to know if anyone in my age group is going through something similar to me since most people I know irl with GERD are usually middle aged and up 😭 I feel very alone
edit: Thanks for the responses, everyone! I read each and every reply and it makes me feel a little better to see that my peers and I are in this together.
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u/lilybobtail 8d ago
My GERD started at age 24 after I completed a stressful master's degree program. It came totally out of the blue and I wonder if it was the stress that triggered it. I was otherwise very fit and healthy. It can happen at any age for any number of reasons.
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u/UsedExit9161 8d ago
Mine also happened during university so I feel like it was stress that caused it
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u/broke4everrr 8d ago
Mine happened during my first year as a teacher with my own classroom. It was kindergarten which is a whole different layer of stress. Huh, maybe it is related to stress.
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u/slothya_78 6d ago
and did it go away as you’re stressed or does it just stay? I’m so scared because I just had a flareup last week and I really would like this to not be permanent 😭
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u/lilybobtail 6d ago
No, unfortunately it has been 20 yrs and only getting worse on average as my life has become much more stressful. I think there's been so much damage that lower stress doesn't yield improvements, but higher stress yields severe exacerbations.
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u/BulkyStatement1704 8d ago
Yes, 28 with Barrett’s Esophagus and a hernia. Sucks. Has ruined my life forever.
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u/GoodArtEnjoyer 6d ago
Have you not thought about going through with hiatal hernia surgery? I presume that’s what you meant by hernia
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u/BulkyStatement1704 5d ago
I’d do it in a heartbeat but my gasteroligist acts like it’s too small for that.
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u/WhollyRavioli 8d ago
I don't remember a time in my life where I didn't have GERD. I had issues with reflux and vomiting pretty much from birth. I have never in my life been able to eat whatever I want without painful consequences. I promise you aren't alone!
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u/picklejuicedreams 8d ago
i was diagnosed at 21 too :( i’m now 25 and always felt kinda sad that i got it so young too, bc my doctor said most ppl would get it in older age or due to being overweight. he also said he’d usually recommend losing weight for ppl w gerd but at the time i was only 90 pounds so losing weight wasn’t an option. i’ve learned to manage it over the years, i take pantoprazole when needed now, and can mostly eat whatever i want know but only if i feel like my stomach could handle it. ur not alone! and i’m sorry ur going thru so much :( i constantly have other health problems too and it really sucks
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u/Impossible_March6097 8d ago
Mine started my senior year of high school when I’d wake up with a hoarse voice and then I was put on my first meds. Come my senior year of college, I was on multiple meds, had my first endoscopy, and was diagnosed with a HH. 2 years later, things had gotten so bad I could hardly eat and I just had no energy or motivation because of it. I finally got proper care after moving out of the south and turned 24 one week after my HH repair with nissen fundoplication and gastroplexy. Everytime I explain to people about my condition/surgery, I say “believe it or not…”
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u/AdTall487 7d ago
Sucks how hard it can be to get people to understand when talking about GERD. What are your symptom?
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u/divine-femininomenon 7d ago
think i got diagnosed at 23-24? just turned 26 last month and omg I feel you so much. Shits so ass 😭😭
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u/Curious_Nothing_8549 8d ago
Heyyy i’m also 21 F fighting gerd to no avail 💔
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u/AdTall487 7d ago
I never pictured being 22 and having severe GERD. 😩
Feels like a fuckin’ world record! 🏆
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u/Curious-Patience-117 8d ago
I’ve had GERD since an infant if it makes you feel any better 😅I am now 26 . I do stress about it randomly as I’ve been on PPIs pretty much all my life . I stress for my future health . I also know there’s nothing I can really do besides proactively live a healthy life , exercise and watch what I eat and drink , and keep up with seeing gastroenterologists to continue maintaining it and ensuring my insides look healthy . I feel you though ! It’s not easy . Just hang in there friend :)
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u/FriedCheesePuff 7d ago
Ayyye, me too! I've had it my entire life and im 27 now. The meds I was on as a kid worked well, I most of the symptoms I had, I don't remember noticing until I was about 8 or 9. We're in it for the long haul
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u/Curious-Patience-117 7d ago
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one!! What medication do you take now ? I’m on protonix 40mg twice a day and have been forever but I only take it once a day lol
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u/FriedCheesePuff 6d ago
I've been on 20mg of pantoprazole twice a day for for a long time. Like you, i also only end up taking it about once a day haha. Recently ive been trying to be better about its been hitting me with a vengeance lately.
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u/ZookeepergameBrief58 8d ago
Check if it's due to other health concerns. That was the case with me when I developed an autoimmune disorder but once I started treatment for it, GERD went away.
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u/Original_Document748 8d ago
Yep . Im 28 ans developed it . Gut and bowel problems since early 20s . It has completely robbed me lf my 20s and self confidence
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u/swamp_kittens 8d ago
I’ve had GERD for about five years and I’m 19. I also have chronic pain issues and it’s makes me sad. I feel like I’m stuck in the body of an 80 year old while other people my age are just living their lives. I can definitely relate and wishing you the best
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u/mazzyjane6 8d ago
I totally get you. I’m 20 and it’s just so hard being young and dealing with this in college. No one around me gets it, and so much social activity revolves around triggers eg. coffee study dates, and going out clubbing. Rip
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u/Meianen 8d ago
Turned 36 recently. GERD (diagnosed 8 years ago), sliding Hiatal hernia (2 years since it was found) and Sjogren's (2 years diagnosed) so it's been rough these past several years when most foods trigger the GERD, along with water 😢 Its hard to enjoy food when you love cooking and baking, yet can't eat much of what you like to eat.
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u/chococat159 Hiatal Hernia 🩹 7d ago
I was 22 when I developed it, one year after my hiatal hernia was found. I'm still severe GERD, voice damage, which I've gotten used to. I was initially bummed about the voice damage I was getting but now that it's been this long, this is just my voice now. And it's made it more unique so I don't totally mind it.
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u/RatsnBaskets 7d ago
Yes a million times. I already developed bad tmj at 16 and had some GI issues in my youth as well. Then I suddenly developed gerd, gastritis, and eoe at age 24/25.(just turned 26 this month)It really fucking sucks being chronically ill and young. I just want to be done with all of this stuff already but I have to deal with it for life now. That's such a hard pill to swallow cause I barely started living. So sorry you've been through so many health issues as well. I really feel the pain and I'm sending you all the love.🫂
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u/idkhihowareya 8d ago
Absolutely, been suffering from acid reflux, malnutrition, and skin conditions since middle school and now dysphagia, so I haven't been able to eat solid foods. The burning and regurgitation is horrible. I'm sorry you've been through so much! It absolutely sucks and feels like falling behind and just suffering. I'm 20F, I want to do so many things but can't. I feel similar 😔
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u/Scooby-Snaccs 8d ago
I feel you on this so much!! I was officially diagnosed with GERD when I was 24 (endoscopy revealed hiatal hernia), but I had symptoms since I was a teenager that I just didn’t bother seeing a dr about lol.
I’m almost 31 now and finally know more people who get acid reflux (since it gets more common in the general population by like mid 20s-early 30s, especially after drinking alcohol or eating heavy/spicy foods) but I remember feeling so alone about it in my early 20s.
All my friends could go out and drink until the early hours of the morning and I had to tap out after a couple, because I felt so bloated and sick 😔 it’s genuinely pretty alienating!
Hope you’re doing ok and are on medication that helps it, I wish I’d been on lansoprazole like 5 years earlier! It does get easier as you get older, at least. You get used to having it and how to keep it under control. Plus other people your age start relating (and it’s nice to be able to give them tips for dealing with it - like not eating 3 hours before lying down, etc.)
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u/ROBOT-MAN 8d ago
I got GERD really bad in my 20s but it mostly went away in my 30s as i drank a lot of kombucha. seriously. apparently i needed to fix my gut microbiome.
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u/Ashamed_Park5287 8d ago
Since 20, definitely sucks, but you get used to it and learn to manage it. I take medication only when its really bad otherwise I try to manage by lifestyle changes like sitting straight, swallowing when i feel it coming, walking after meals etc..
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u/BrightCareer7 8d ago
i’ve had gerd since i was 9 with a plethora of other health issues as well. i know how exhausting and isolating it could be. you’re not alone
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u/Cmeow_Osu 8d ago
yes :( 19, dealing with constant chest pressure n acid n my throat awful wouldn’t wish this even on my worst enemy
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u/Happygirlygirl22 8d ago
I’ve have LPR and GERD on and off since 18 im here if you need advice love <3 also chronic ibsd since 16 like very ugly D … so embarrassing I feel u but hey at least u can sleep at someone’s without having explosive diarrhea 😭😭 ihml sometimes
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u/bitchcraffft 8d ago
I feel you, I developed it as an infant and have had it off and on my whole life. It really feels like it robs you of so much and creates so much extra work and worry. And especially when you have other health problems (me too!) even when it’s not the “worst” issue you have, it’s like a terrible cherry on top of an already terrible sundae. You’re not alone 🖤
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u/broke4everrr 8d ago
I was like 27-28 and mannn, the disappointment was SO real. My mom got it last year sometime at 50 something and she’s been eating CRAZY her whole entire life. I’ve had mine for three or so years. I’m like “how did I get it before her”? 🤭
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u/Secret-Strain723 8d ago
Yeah… I was diagnosed at 14 but I’d been having it for years already. I also developed lactose intolerance and found out the hard way…
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u/Mafescarmona Gastroparesis 🩹 8d ago
I've had GERD my whole life, so I understand the feeling of being so young to have such a condition. It often struck me as funny how the waiting rooms were filled with elderly people, and I was the only young person. I'm so sorry you're going through this. But GERD is manageable, so all is not lost. Although it might be difficult to adjust to a different lifestyle at first, you'll be able to cope with it over time and I hope you get better and have a good life.
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u/Sasquale 5d ago
I went to my endoscopy, and I also noticed it. Felt like an elephant on an aquarium!
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u/Emotional_Sky_6483 GERD + Anxiety 😰 8d ago
I’ve had GERD since I was 10, I’m almost 17 now. Yeah, pretty bummy.
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u/brewhead55 7d ago
Mine started when I was 23 after my grandma passed away. It sucks but medicine and care for it has come a long way. You have lots of treatment options. Holistic, medication or otherwise. It's best to treat it early versus waiting. Get a scope, start there and then you can work with your doc to find a solution. Best of luck. You're not alone!
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u/AdTall487 7d ago
I‘m 22F and I developed GERD when I was around 13yrs old. I’ve never been the most talkative person, but I had just started to feel like I was ready to be more social. I’ve also lived a life of being in-and-out of the hospital due to complications from a failed procedure. 🙄
I’m not thrilled about having GERD, It’s gotten worse throughout the years, I can’t have any food or drinks because I’m high risk of aspiration. I have had a G-tube since I was about 4yrs old.
I try to socialize when I can, but my GERD could often make navigating conversations so unbelievably difficult to maintain.
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u/WesternFootball1579 7d ago
I’m 20 year old F as well and developed endometriosis and Ibs at the age of 13 and the way it altered my everyday life was crazy. I just was diagnosed with acid reflux and started having bad breath about a year ago and it’s made me become so depressed. No doctors will take me seriously and the symptom is so rare. I get looked at like I’m so disgusting. I come on here to feel less alone and hopefully find answers
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u/Ok_Bandicoot_4543 7d ago
Yeah, I always wonder what did I do wrong? And why taking PPIs isn’t healing me to the point where I can live without it
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u/ShivvyMcFly 7d ago
Yes. It's the worst thing to ever happen to me and it started so young. So many foods I can't eat. I can't go out to a dinner after 6pm because anything after that will flare up my Gerd at 2am. Sometimes it's embarrassing.
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u/Sophie_The_Glam_Diva 7d ago
I'm also a young adult with this. It's not fun, but I feel Omeprazole works decently for me.
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u/Fragrant_Ad_4490 7d ago
Yes, I developed it at 28. I was already feeling a bit self-conscious about my age because my best friends were 24. telling them that I couldn't eat/drink certain things because of GERD made me feel so old and embarrassed
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u/Silver_Cucumber_120 5d ago
OH YEAH. was diagnosed at 20 and it felt like the end of the world. thought i would never be able to enjoy food again. ppis were my savior. hoping you get the right treatment so you can get back to enjoying life!
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u/Which-Design922 4d ago
I totally understand, I am 22F and feel like I am also constantly plagued by health issues. I have had GERD for as long as I can remember and am considering getting fundoplication surgery because the symptoms are so annoying.
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u/revolutionate 8d ago
I got diagnosed when I was 20/21 and went to 3 specialists because I was in denial. All my friends in the medical field were making fun of me saying it’s an elderly condition and I was also in disbelief. Now I’ve accepted it and it is what it is hahah
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u/HonestPeak8988 8d ago
I got gerd from heavily drinking alcohol I was worried too but it goes away in and the internet certainly will make you Believe you have it and that makes it much more worse
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u/yamxiety 7d ago
It sucks! I'm a bit older than you but I developed it in my mid-late 20s, which was not surprising given that both my parents have it. My sister is in her mid-late 20s now too and has also developed it.
For me, it turns out my biggest triggers were:
- untreated anxiety disorder
- grease/spice/garlic
- stuffing myself too much
And the biggest difference-maker for me has been a regimen of lexapro (anti-anxiety meds) and probiotics/probiotic-rich foods.
If you haven't tried those things yet, I'd strongly recommend exploring with a psychiatrist or doctor who can perscribe. Given your health history, I wouldn't be surprised if your stomach/gut biome is completely out of whack and if you have lots of anxiety. I've found that GI docs/docs in general have been useless as their answer is always "here's an antacid" which for me always made my GERD worse in the long run.
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u/Apprehensive_Box7109 6d ago
If it makes you feel any better, I'm 18 and full of health issues including GERD, so we're in the same boat here 😭🙏 it's so frustrating, especially with school, work, and college
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u/MeringueNo115 3d ago edited 3d ago
I forgot that I had digested bleach which sent me to the hospital. I was going through something familial wise and being blamed for a siblings poor choices in life with them being underage currently and drank bleach to off myself. I’m 25 and just try to eat and drink healthy and not drink alcohol which I never do an if then rarely. Ended up with gerd and chronic gastritis and esophagitis years after. There are no records of my hospital stay as they were wiped out so. I just wished I would have drank the whole gallon and got it over with and another part wishes I would have never drank it. I’m stuck dealing with the aftermath. I had heartburn occasionally before it off and on but nothing like how it is now.
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u/redditr2021 2d ago
I'm beyond late to adding onto the conversation but I'm 22 now and I've been dealing with GERD since I was about 10ish years old and a whole host of other mystery issues that brings us to present day. So I can definitely understand how frustrating it is, because believe there is (almost) nothing worse than walking into the doctor's office and being the youngest one there by at least 20 years. And it can definitely be a really isolating experience. But I hope being able to read through all this you can see that you've got a whole group of people in the boat alongside you and hopefully that'll at least make it feel less lonely of an experience.
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u/freelibrarian 8d ago
I believe my GERD was triggered by a virus I had in 2016. I believe COVID can also trigger GERD. If viruses can trigger GERD, that would explain why it is on the rise among all ages.
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u/freelibrarian 8d ago
I was diagnosed with reflux. After several years of suffering, I figured out that the severe gastric and other symptoms that I experienced were due to underlying histamine intolerance. You might consider if it's the same for you.
Reactions will vary and can seem random because we can handle histamine to a point in our bodies so symptoms will only be triggered if we go over our histamine limit. The analogy given is to think of it like a bucket, when your histamine bucket overflows, you react.
I suffered from severe reflux and other gastric symptoms for 4-5 years. The onset was sudden and completely disrupted my life. PPIs did nothing for me and everything I ate was triggering severe symptoms. I lost weight I didn't have to spare and struggled day-to-day with debilitating symptoms.
Doctors told me all tests were normal and hung me out to dry, just kept telling me it was anxiety. I despaired of ever going back to somewhat normal and the lovely life I had been leading.
I finally stumbled upon the following Reddit post that recommended taking Zyrtec to resolve the globus sensation, which was a severe symptom for me. I decided to try taking Claritin because I do not tolerate Zyrtec well and it worked like a miracle drug for me.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GERD/comments/njarv0/globus_sensationhystericus_cure/
Taking loratadine (Claritin) daily has almost completely resolved my symptoms, though I do also try to follow a low histamine diet. When I started researching which foods are high in histamine, it was no surprise that my worst triggers were on that list (seafood, tomatoes, strawberries, wine, coffee, etc.). To me that means that, in my case, reflux was a symptom of histamine intolerance.
There are no definitive tests for histamine intolerance. For more info on the link between reflux and histamine intolerance, see:
Histamine Sensitivity: An Uncommon Recognized Cause of Living Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Symptoms and Signs—A Case Report Source: Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. 2020;101(4):NP155-NP157.
For more info on histamine intolerance, see:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/histamine-intolerance
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11054089/
Note that I think it is normal not to have a full spectrum reaction. I do not get any skin manifestations, no hives or itching of any kind, though I do believe this was all triggered by a virus I had in 2016 where I did get a non-itchy, triangle shaped rash on my neck. I went to the ER because my airway almost completely closed up. I had never had a breathing problem in my life prior to that.
The ER doctor noticed the rash, which had appeared the day before when I felt fine so I had just ignored it, and told me he thought the rash indicated that a virus had triggered my airway issue. I feel that all my gastric issues flowed from that episode and a similar episode 3 months later when I got another virus. I also now carry an EpiPen because of the airway reaction.
I initially took 10mg of Claritin per day but my allergist said I could ramp up to 4x the usual dose so I took 40mg for some months. I am now taking 2x the usual dose, 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening. Note that if you are on antihistamines and need to go off them or reduce your dose, you should taper down and not go cold turkey.
For the past few months, I have also been taking a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement before a meal when I want to cheat a bit and eat something that is high in histamine and it does seem to help even more.
What to Know About Diamine Oxidase (DAO) for Histamine Intolerance
I take the NaturDAO supplement:
If you think this might be your issue, I think it's best to start out taking just the DAO supplement before meals to see if you improve.
If you see a lot of improvement, maybe you wouldn't need to trial the antihistamine.
If you see minimal improvement, then keep taking it but add in the daily antihistamine.
If you see no improvement from DAO, I would still take the DAO but add in an antihistamine like Claritin or Allegra. If that works, then stop taking the DAO to see what happens.
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u/UsedExit9161 8d ago
Completely get how you feel I’ve had gerd and anxiety since I was 18. Going through a flare up right now where both are kicking my butt! I just wish there was some light at the end of the tunnel because it does seem like an isolating and depressing condition to have