#- GERD (Acid Reflux)

[ghostcrows]

[disabled-bug]

‼️ content warning for talking about (necessary, healthy) food restrictions ‼️

Please don’t be rude about somebody’s dietary restrictions.

Sometimes people don’t even notice it in the little comments about how gross vegan food is, how bad for you dairy-free milks are, how everything gluten-free tastes like cardboard…people don’t choose their food intolerances!!!!

I have to use a lot of substitutes for MEDICAL REASONS, and I’ve had people tell me to my face how gross that is. Vegan cheese tastes like glue. Oh, you have to try a gluten free diet? That’s so trendy now, but really you don’t have to. The food is so bland.

I do have to, actually. It’s discouraging to hear how inferior your food is when there’s no other option!!!!! Please try to be considerate of people’s non-negotiable needs.

Also don’t be mean to people who do choose their own dietary specifications, that should go without saying. Be considerate and respectful of what people have to eat!!!

With love, if nobody is practicing unsafe or dangerous eating habits, mind your business ❤️

[idiosynchratic-anomalocaris]

Every person with acid reflux should be paid $500

[cockroachparty]

wow I'm having a GERD flare up and im hungry and need something easy but every food in the entire world will destroy me what can i eat

the humble bowl of oatmeal:

[anxiouschoco]

Adic reflux

[iris-polaris]

what the Hell is acid reflux

[fallingthruspace]

that ibs/acid reflux/gerd feel when you take a shit & suddenly you're lungs are able to function again

[maepersonal]

people don’t talk enough about the constant fucking overstimulation that acid reflux is

like wdym after a certain point in the day my mouth will constantly have a terrible taste and texture and there’s nothing I can do about it??

[disabled-planet]

GERD makes me so sad. Especially where I’m allergic to two meds to keep it at bay.

I guess my body took the “you are you’re own worst enemy” to a whole other level.

[bayporwave]

i got GERD and my home currently lacks any safe foods, or any worth the time and effort to make I feel like I'm on the constant verge of a heart attack or sleeping generally sucks even on an incline

If anyone has any good food ideas or remedies for bad acid reflux, do help me

[angelsyrip]

my stomach did the thing 🤭 (projectile vomiting)

[disabled-bug]

A quick and comprehensive guide to surviving acid reflux

-use Pepcid, Tums, or whatever over the counter anti acids you can afford/is available to you. Keep them in your bag when you go out.

-if you can’t afford to keep buying anti acids, get plain bread. Eating plain bread will help absorb some of the excess acid.

-Wedge pillow. Sleeping propped up is the best long term solution. Makes a huge difference.

-reduce your intake of spicy/acidic/greasy foods as best as you can

-if you have the ability, there are several good “yoga for acid reflux” videos on YouTube

[stellaltumi]

once again this meme applies

I regurgitate food when I cough now 😭

[bazilisk]

The LES is the laziest bastard

No, not the neighborhood in Manhattan, I am talking about the Lower Esophageal Sphincter. This guy:

I'm having a new case of something like frequent heartburn right now, so in my idle moments of health anxiety I'm looking at fun facts to stress about online.

I'm coming across lots of mentions of what causes GERD (advanced and potentially risky heartburn, basically), and how it's mechanically caused by the Lower Esophageal Sphincter relaxing too much, or not being stalwart enough in its defense against its hapless human host's Bacchanalian eating habits, or against their now-medically-significant-Fatness, or their Unfashionably Tight Pants. Basically, the stomach acid shouldn't be in the esophagus, but this underpaid-security-guard of a structure lets it get into there sometimes. There are some pretty easy-to-predict things that make stomach acid worse. They're obvious if you've ever eaten too much of something that didn't agree with you: rich food, acidic food, spicy food.

But I was surprised by the less-expected mentions of several things that make this flesh ring relax too much. It's PRACTICALLY ALL OF MY HABITS:

Alcohol

Cannabis

Caffeine

Menthol (1)

Antihistamines(2)

Here is the kicker, the thing on the list that will send me into infinite stress spirals if I consider it too much: one of the things that makes this little flesh hole chill out too much is

Anxiety

ANXIETY, the mental state that is famous for tensing muscles, makes this critically important muscle RELAX. I guess the LES is just "not like the other muscles."

========================================

By the way, this post is not a request for advice - I am getting plenty of advice from sources other than Tumblr. Including, if this doesn't let up soon, an actual doctor. Thank you.

And don't worry, I am completely cutting both alcohol and cannabis out of my life right now, until/unless I can figure this out.

Footnotes:===========================

(1) (Inconvenient because menthol is normally useful for treating nausea and sore throats, 2 symptoms of GERD. Also, because I have a habit of constantly chewing sugar-free peppermint gum).

(2) (Inconvenient because they're useful for sleeping through coughing fits, which GERD causes).

[spoonful116]

Save money on groceries by being nauseous for a week. Follow me for more financial advice.

[cockroachparty]

having chronic pain while also maintaining a high gpa is the worst combo. i care so much about my education but clearly my body doesn't!

i got my upper endoscopy this past friday (YAY!!!) and ever since, i've been having very bad pain. apparently that is "normal" after having an endoscopy, but classes started today and i'd appreciate it if my body cooperated with me !! i've had a killer headache all day (this is more aligned with my wisdom tooth, though, rather than my GERD) and I still have it now, even when trying to focus on my reading for my class.

i really, really care about my education and future but my chronic illness makes it really hard to do anything important. is there anyone else reading this who suffers the same? how do you do it? i think i just need some support !