How Am I Going to Cope????

sarahlouise210

I suffered chronic heartburn for what seemed like forever - I was on very strong antacid medication that did not work. I have now had an operation that effecitvely makes it impossible for anything to come out of my stomach - since the day of the op I have never had heartburn again! It was a total godsend. I feel for you as it really is miserable beyond belief.

Uniscots97

arnie&caseysma! wrote: »

Not exactly money saving but on Friday, after three weeks of suffering horrendous heartburn I finally decided to go to the Doctor as no over the counter remedy and cutting various things out of the diet helped.

Doc decided that as I am adamant I aint preggers that she would take blood and give me some super-duper tablets to help me and see if we can't find out what the problem is.....

I am now sitting here suffering massive headaches :mad: due to my second day with NO caffeine at all, and I can't take the painkillers that are in the cupboard as I only have Ibuprofen which apparently makes the heartburn worse. I bought decaf only to find out it is just as bad for the heartburn.

I have cut out chocolate; caffeine; alcohol; fatty foods; spicy foods and minty stuff. I am only slightly overweight (borderline healthy) so not blaming the heartburn on the excessive weight. I am now cold turkey on everything and hoping that I will be sorted out soon....:eek:

Anyone else out there any ideas???? - How am I going to cope without all the things I love!

I developed an intolerance to caffeine a number of years ago after working in a lab with pure caffeine powder. The withdrawal headaches will go away totally after four days. The worst place you'll probably feel it is at the base of your skull. Try a warm bath and sink down into the water so that the base of the skull is resting in the water. This helps believe me! As for the things you love there are safe alternatives. Try your nearest Holland and Baratt (or health food shop)


Coffee - try Dandelion coffee alternative (no caffeine), this stuff was a miracle to me. Make sure you drink it while its hot though.

Chocolate - try carob (similar to milk chocolate). You can buy this as bars in the health food shop, sweets, even now boxes of 'chocolates'. You can use this in your own baking too. If you like white chocolate look out for yoghurt covered items as this is similar to white chocolate.

Minty stuff - since you're not allowed this then try green tea. It really settles your stomach. You can also get it in a sweet form that can be used instead of mints. Also (check this with your doctor) Aloe Vera juice is good for this too.

shykins

i have suffered from severe heartburn for a couple of years (sometimes in resulting in hospital stays cos of the pain) so i do sympathise

mine is caused mainly by a hiatus hernia so it neednt be an ulcer... i should imagine your dr has or will suggest and endoscopy at some point which will confirm whether theres ulcers etc.... avoid any anti inflams like the plague cos they will cause damage to your stomach and increase the heartburn... tho u can take other painkillers like paracetamol for your headache

with regard to coffee i find that some brands cause me problems whilst others dont and that includes decaffs so it might be worth trying a few.. i can tell u that nescafe decaff and half caff are ok for me whilst maxwell house isnt.. i can only assume its the way its made

personally i find i can eat spicy foods and all the other things u mentioned as it does not seem to be a particular food that starts me off, if things are feeling dodgy i avoid them but otherwise its ok.. so it may be that altho u are avoiding them now it will not be a lifetime thing so dont get too disheartened as yet til u have a proper diagnosis

good luck and hope u feel better soon
x

arnie&caseysma!

Thanks everyone. Aswell as everything I have already started I am also thinking about going to see the guy that comes to the local healthfood shop to see if I have developed an intolerance to certain foods that could also be causing the problems so i can avoid them.

Fingers crossed!!!

straws

Drinking camomile tea really helps with caffeine withdrawal. I gave up caffeine a while ago, drank gallons of camomile instead and didn't have any withdrawal symptoms at all.

arnie&caseysma!

Thanks again folks. Ended up not going to work last night with the headaches they were so bad and feeling quite lethargic at the mo which getting the cold doesnt seem to help but I am hoping this passes soon.

nearlyrich

I used to suffer from heartburn all the time, I cut the fat in my diet and I am fine now unless I eat white bread which makes me feel very ill for a few hours. I hope you feel better soon.