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Acid Reflux


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I'm on the last day of my Whole30 which i have logged here > http://forum.whole30.com/topic/33147-1st-time-whole30-scottish-guy/

 

The main reason for doing a Whole30 was to try and overcome my Acid Reflux problems through food. I stopped talking ppi's completely as wanted to see if my body could sort out the problem itself.

 

I have got a lot out of the Whole30 and seen improvements with reflux at different stages but it has now come back worse than ever. I have abdominal pains, skin rashes, acid taste in my mouth and feel irritable and tired again.

 

I thought the problem may have been fodmaps so stuck to low fodmap foods for the last 2 weeks but there's still something causing me problems.

 

It's driving me mad trying to work out the root cause but i'm determined to find a way as i dread having to go back to the doctors and really don't want to take ppi's which is what they will advise.

 

I have been stressed out over the last week with work and i'm also buying a house so this is definitely not helping.

 

I'm finding it really frustrating and not sure how to proceed. I'm not going to go back to eating grains, dairy and sugar as i'm sure they will make things worse and i am definitely seeing benefits from avoiding them. 

 

I don't know if i should stick with the Whole30 low fodmap version for a while longer or look at other options.

 

I've read about the auto immune version as well but not sure it's necessary for me but i'm willing to try anything.

 

Thanks for reading i would appreciate any advice on how i should move forward from tomorrow. 

 

 

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Congratulations on a finished Whole30!

For me, fodmaps and gluten cause reflux. But so does stress, and it sounds like you are experiencing a lot of that now. When I'm stressed, I eat too fast, swallow air, don't chew enough, gulp fluids, and that is a recipe for my reflux. Also once I feel sick, that's like a positive feedback loop that makes me more stressed and thus eat worse, causing more stress... And so on.

Maybe try an extra seven days of Whole30 foods and focus on mindful, relaxed eating?

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Thanks for sharing your own experiences Lucie. I know exactly what you mean about the loop I've been doing the same things for years. I get bad reflux which makes me feel bad and then ill eat things which I probaby shouldn't because it makes me feel better in the short term but it makes things worse.

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You mentioned you stopped taking your PPI medication.

 

Did you wean off these under medication supervision?

Quite a few PPIs have a "rebound effect" when they are cut out and weaning is usually used to help reduce this.

 

It's possible you are in a rebound state which you may need to discuss with your doctor.

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Thanks for your advice, It is definitely driving me crazy!

 

I thought i would be able to identify the cause through diet but seems like it's a lot more complicated than that.

 

I may have to go back to the doctors if it doesn't improve but pretty sure she'll just prescribe more ppi's which i want to avoid if i can. 

 

I read up on rebound from ppi's and 1 study showed that the effects can last up to 3 weeks so not sure if i should just try and ride it out.

 

Is it possible that i won't be able to over come it without ppi's?

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Which PPI were you taking?

 

You might find some other experiences on the forums.

 

I know someone who had a terrible rebound issue with a non-reflux PPI and it wasn't until they got rid of all PPIs that they felt better, but it was by accident rather than realizing it was a PPI issue, only later they realised it was a warning on their medication.

 

How are you feeling now? Bloated? Burning? Does peppermint tea make you feel any different? White mashed potato?

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Most recently it was esomeprazole (nexium) but i've taken omerprazole and lansoprazole in the past.

 

I'm going to search about to see what i can find.

 

I don't have abdominal pains any more but i'm waking up every day with acid in my mouth and i feel tired and irritable even after 8 hours sleep.

 

It has been far worse, I've had severe abdominal pains in the past.

 

My stomach still fees bloated, i drink a lot of peppermint tea and ginger and lemon tea and they do make me feel a bit better.

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It's worth finding out if someone else has successfully come off them and what it was like, there might be a rough patch but you don't want to be suffering if there's another way.

 

Does drinking water before bed help at all? While it can dilute, it can also do more "pushing" so acid can move upwards.

 

You may get a little relief from sleeping in more of a sitting up position (so gravity helps push things down away from your mouth).

 

You can try asking your chemist for peppermint oil capsules (they're sometimes also mixed with parsley, often sold as a breath improver, but they can also be soothing for the gut). You could also ask about non-PPI reflux options, see if there's something else that might help.

 

Are you taking any magnesium? I don't think it will make any difference for reflux, but it might help with sleep refreshment.

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I found a forum post here from someone who successfully came off them by replacing it with marshmallow root so going to give that a try.

 

http://forum.whole30.com/topic/17784-chronic-inflammation/?hl=nexium#entry188551

 

I drink a lot of water and it doesn't seem to really help.

 

I will look into peppermint oil too and will try to elevate my bed as well as i always feel terrible in the morning.

 

I'm not taking magnesium but will look into this too, thanks again for your advice it's greatly appreciated!

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Peppermint oil doesn't really fix anything, but it makes the burny stuff feel cooler and (hopefully) stop or lessen the burning.

 

Oh, great thread. There's a marshmallow root on iHerb, I wonder if that's the same stuff? http://www.iherb.com/Nature-s-Way-Marshmallow-Root-480-mg-100-Capsules/2013 might want to check the ingredients.

 

I'm going to ask my naturopath about this, looks like it's good for more than reflux!

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There's some special medical stuff here about marshmallow that people should probably check with their doctor before taking it, especially if you take any medications or already have low blood sugar: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-774-MARSHMALLOW.aspx?activeIngredientId=774&activeIngredientName=MARSHMALLOW

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  • 8 months later...

I thought it would be a good idea to update this thread as I've made a lot of progress since February. and thought it might experience might be useful to other people.

I haven't had acid reflux or any other digestive issues for months now. I think the severe acid reflux i had last time i was doing whole 30 was as i stopped taking ppi's after 3 years of use. Looking back, i didn't get the full benefits of whole30 due to this and probably should have delayed or extended it.

The main thing i got from whole30 was identifying that dairy and gluten cause my reflux symptoms and caffeine also triggers it if i have too much, I haven't eaten any dairy since January but have had gluten a few times. I can tolerate small amounts but avoid it 99% of the time.  

For months now i have been taking the following every day:

Probitics

Multi vitamin 

Aloe Vera juice

Omega 3 Fish oil

Digestive enzymes with every meal

I think it's a combination of avoiding dairy, gluen and eating a healthy balanced mainly paleo diet along with the above supplements which have improved my digestion and eradicated all of my symptoms.

Now my digestion is under control i'm going to start whole30 again on Monday and hope to see more of the benefits this time. 

 

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