Health purrs please

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
snip when I
go to bed at night I have a strong tendancy to wake myself up either
with the above or with outright choking... I'll go from a sound sleep
to sitting bolt upright in bed gasping for breath with my heart
pounding. snip

I can relate! I did the same thing for years. For me, it was GERD.
Since I've been on medication I have not had one time that I've woken up
unable to breathe!

If Prilosec doesn't work, try other meds or see a doctor for
prescription drugs. I'm on Zantac (ranitidine), but I need to try
another med since it's not working as well as it did six years ago. I
know the drug choices have improved greatly since I was diagnosed.

Your problem is not all in your head. Hopefully, it's GERD, because it
is very treatable. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Kalynnda, mom to the seven furry freeloaders

wrote in message
...
Karen wrote:

That sure sounds like GERD to me. Purrs that the prilosec works! My mom
and
sister have it. Smaller meals seem to help. Not eating a while before
bed
seems to also.

Is GERD the same thing as acid reflux?

Repeated reflux can lead to GERD. Repeated episodes of GERD can cause
changes in the esophagus that are considered precursors of esophageal
cancer, so GERD is worth treating.

If it happens to me in the night, I wake up instantly when stomach juices
hit the back of my throat. I have often found myself choking when that
happens--it's not a pretty sound! I've become sensitive enough when it
happens that I can usually avoid full-blown choking. I've learned that, if I
have a meal that has "trigger" foods, I need to take an acid reducer either
before or with dinner--the generic purple pills from Costco work fine for
me. I can often tell when I lie down that I'm more likely to experience
reflux; often a full dose of Tums at bedtime will prevent an attack.

Triggers for me: cooked tomatoes (e.g., marinara sauce or chili con carne),
chocolate (well-known as a trigger), red wine, eating a substantial dinner
too late at night. (Red wine too late at night will mess up my sleep
anyway!) For a variety of reasons I've been making weight loss a priority
for myself; I think that has helped--might be something to do with reducing
pressure on the stomach.

Good luck!

David

wrote in message
...
Karen wrote:

That sure sounds like GERD to me. Purrs that the prilosec works! My mom
and
sister have it. Smaller meals seem to help. Not eating a while before
bed
seems to also.

Is GERD the same thing as acid reflux?

I've been wondering if I might have the same thing, although my symptoms
are very different. I don't have anything Karen described, but I have had
some intense, stabbing pains in my esophagus about half an hour after
eating, especially if I recline shortly after eating (which I often do,
because I watch TV while eating, and I often stay and finish watching the
episode after I'm done eating. The pains would go away as soon as I ate
something bland, like yogurt.

I've cut down on drinking tea this week and it hasn't been bothering me
as much.

I've occasionally woken up gasping for breath and from dreaming that I was
choking, but I think that's post-nasal drip, not stomach acid. But who
knows?

Does anyone with GERD/acid reflux have stabbing pains in the upper
esophagus after eating?

Purrs for the prilosec to help you feel better, Karen!

Joyce

OK, GERD pro here and I've got the surgery scars to prove it.

GERD = Gastro Esophagal Reflux Disease. Or to put it more simply, what goes
into your stomach or is produced in your stomach (acid) doesn't stay there.
If the valve at the top of your stomach that is only supposed to work one
way (in) doesn't work properly, food and digestive acids can come back up
into your esophagus (that big ole tube between your mouth and your stomach).
Its lining isn't designed to protect it from stomach acid so it gets
irritated. Worst case, if it gets irritated enough for long enough it can
cause cancer. Other possible fun stuff, it can form scar tissue that keeps
food from going to your stomach in the first place. Added fun and games can
cause a small amount of the acid to aspirate into your lungs and really
screw up your breathing. Then there is good ole fashioned heart burn. Plus
sore throats, chronic sinus problems, etc, etc.

Now Prilosec and other anti acids help by either neutralizing or cutting the
production of stomach acid. And that can be all the help a lot of people
need. Weight loss can be a big help but is often easier said then done.
Gravity helps too. Put your bed on a bit of an incline or sleep in a foam
wedge that keeps your head higher than your stomach. Sleep on your left
side. (It helps to keep the top of the stomach closed)

But "heart burn" can be different for different people. I almost never had
or have heart burn. Didn't know I had a problem until I started hacking
like a cat with a furball if I didn't cut my food small enough or chew it
small enough. Got so bad I would gag if I drank a glass of water too fast.

So may all your problems be small ones and I hope the prilosec does the
trick. It usually will. But it is still important not to eat too close to
bed time etc.

Jo

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
I've had this really weird and embarassing health problem for six
years (no, it's not BO :P ) - I hiccup and burp all the time and feel
like I can't breathe right and there's crud in my throat, and when I
go to bed at night I have a strong tendancy to wake myself up either
with the above or with outright choking... I'll go from a sound sleep
to sitting bolt upright in bed gasping for breath with my heart
pounding. I always thought it was just part of my general neurosis and
anxiety and I was 'just' having panic attacks in my sleep, so I
refused to go to the doctors about it (I DID the doctor thing years
ago and they said nothing was wrong), but John thought it must be
something physical... he thought sleep apnea but I've always said that
that doesn't 'feel right' to me because it doesn't happen ALL the time
- it comes and goes mysteriously and in between times I sleep soundly,
and my breathing is kind of screwy while I'm awake too. Last night I
was browsing and I came across something that might explain it
perfectly, and it's NOT 'all in my head'.

John's going to buy me some prilosec to try today, because if the
article was right, I've had GERD all along. It's hard to believe it
could be so SIMPLE! Please purr hard for the medicine to work and be
side-effect free...
No idea what it is, but purrs that the Prilosec helps.

--
Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:

John's going to buy me some prilosec to try today, because if the
article was right, I've had GERD all along. It's hard to believe it
could be so SIMPLE! Please purr hard for the medicine to work and be
side-effect free...

Purrs that the medicine works, Karen.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote in message
...
I've had this really weird and embarassing health problem for six
years (no, it's not BO :P ) - I hiccup and burp all the time and feel
like I can't breathe right and there's crud in my throat, and when I
go to bed at night I have a strong tendancy to wake myself up either
with the above or with outright choking... I'll go from a sound sleep
to sitting bolt upright in bed gasping for breath with my heart
pounding. I always thought it was just part of my general neurosis and
anxiety and I was 'just' having panic attacks in my sleep, so I
refused to go to the doctors about it (I DID the doctor thing years
ago and they said nothing was wrong), but John thought it must be
something physical... he thought sleep apnea but I've always said that
that doesn't 'feel right' to me because it doesn't happen ALL the time
- it comes and goes mysteriously and in between times I sleep soundly,
and my breathing is kind of screwy while I'm awake too. Last night I
was browsing and I came across something that might explain it
perfectly, and it's NOT 'all in my head'.

John's going to buy me some prilosec to try today, because if the
article was right, I've had GERD all along. It's hard to believe it
could be so SIMPLE! Please purr hard for the medicine to work and be
side-effect free...

My mother has acid reflux. She doesn't have exactly the same symptoms, but
it does sound similar. She used to awaken with massive amounts of phlegm in
her throat. Her doctor told her to take an antacid before going to bed, but
the change that brought her real relief is that he said we should raise the
head of her bed a minimum of 4 inches. I was her caregiver for 5 years, and
I had a friend build supports that we placed the front of the bed on. There
are some wedges available that can be placed between the mattress and
bedsprings, but the supports worked best for us. She is now in a nursing
home, and we have a sign posted above her bed to remind everyone that the
head must be raised a minimum of 4" at all times. That has been a lifesaver
for her (at least, it improved the *quality* of her life).

MaryL

David wrote:

If it happens to me in the night, I wake up instantly when stomach juices
hit the back of my throat.

When that happens, can you *taste* the stomach acid? I'm asking because
this sometimes happens to me - I wake up not being able to breathe, and
gasping/wheezing for breath. I always thought it was post-nasal drip, though.
It doesn't have much of a taste. Certainly it doesn't taste like stomach
acid, which has a sharp, sour taste. Plus it burns.

Joyce

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:

I've had this really weird and embarassing health problem for six
years (no, it's not BO :P ) - I hiccup and burp all the time and feel
like I can't breathe right and there's crud in my throat, and when I
go to bed at night I have a strong tendancy to wake myself up either
with the above or with outright choking... I'll go from a sound sleep
to sitting bolt upright in bed gasping for breath with my heart
pounding. I always thought it was just part of my general neurosis and
anxiety and I was 'just' having panic attacks in my sleep, so I
refused to go to the doctors about it (I DID the doctor thing years
ago and they said nothing was wrong), but John thought it must be
something physical... he thought sleep apnea but I've always said that
that doesn't 'feel right' to me because it doesn't happen ALL the time
- it comes and goes mysteriously and in between times I sleep soundly,
and my breathing is kind of screwy while I'm awake too. Last night I
was browsing and I came across something that might explain it
perfectly, and it's NOT 'all in my head'.

John's going to buy me some prilosec to try today, because if the
article was right, I've had GERD all along. It's hard to believe it
could be so SIMPLE! Please purr hard for the medicine to work and be
side-effect free...

Lots of purrs and best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek

wrote:
David wrote:

If it happens to me in the night, I wake up instantly when stomach juices
hit the back of my throat.

When that happens, can you *taste* the stomach acid? I'm asking because
this sometimes happens to me - I wake up not being able to breathe, and
gasping/wheezing for breath. I always thought it was post-nasal drip, though.
It doesn't have much of a taste. Certainly it doesn't taste like stomach
acid, which has a sharp, sour taste. Plus it burns.

Joyce

Stomache acid per say does not always have a taste unless it is
contaminated by bile. And then you dealing with something more
than reflux.

The burning is also not a consistent finding, neither the pain...
both really depend upon significant enough irritation of the
esophagus lining to cause inflammation, then it hurts just like
heartburn. Well, it *is* heartburn. But you can have significant
reflux disease without pain. Especially if you don't tend to
reflux on an empty stomach. Refluxing acids without any food
to lessen the acidity can be a real aggravating factor, where
the development of inflammation and pain are concerned..

--tension

"tension_on_the_wire" wrote in message
ups.com...
wrote:
David wrote:

If it happens to me in the night, I wake up instantly when stomach
juices
hit the back of my throat.

When that happens, can you *taste* the stomach acid? I'm asking because
this sometimes happens to me - I wake up not being able to breathe, and
gasping/wheezing for breath. I always thought it was post-nasal drip,
though.
It doesn't have much of a taste. Certainly it doesn't taste like stomach
acid, which has a sharp, sour taste. Plus it burns.

Joyce

Stomache acid per say does not always have a taste unless it is
contaminated by bile. And then you dealing with something more
than reflux.

The burning is also not a consistent finding, neither the pain...
both really depend upon significant enough irritation of the
esophagus lining to cause inflammation, then it hurts just like
heartburn. Well, it *is* heartburn. But you can have significant
reflux disease without pain. Especially if you don't tend to
reflux on an empty stomach. Refluxing acids without any food
to lessen the acidity can be a real aggravating factor, where
the development of inflammation and pain are concerned..

--tension

I used to wake up choking frequently, from the acid that came up in my
throat. Now I sleep on two pillows and I try not to eat later than several
hours before I go to bed. It still happens occasionally, but not nearly as
often as it used to.

Joy