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KristineB 
I am still doing well with bed elevated, on Prilosec, and not doing any weight-lifting or bending exercises. Anything that folds me in half gives me immediate discomfort and GERD episode that lasts for a day or two. Ditto with any weight lifting, which I think may have given me the hiatal hernia + GERD in the first place.
I have 1/2 cup of coffee in the morning, which is a real treat after five years without. Sometimes, 4 ozs. of wine in the evening.
If I can get through the presidential election without a panic attack, I'll be lucky.
I think I have reached a place that I can live with finally. After going through every kind of medication (Prevacid, aciphex, Nexium, protonix, Pepcid AC and Zantac and Tums and Gaviscon) and homeopathic/natural remedy regimen (ginger, licorice, aloe-vera and others) I am okay with the raised bed and prilosec regimen, even though I will no longer be able to do strength building exercises.
I have been exercising at the gym on the cardio machines and find that if my stomach is totally empty, including not having drunk any water for 40 minutes pre exercise, that I have relatively little disturbance from that.
I am six feet tall and have been down to 128 pounds. I looked like a walking stick. When I got anemic, my doctor thought I might have something worse than GERD, but blood panels showed I was only low in iron. I have been eating red meat now in response to that because my stomach cannot digest many types of things, and iron tablets are like swallowing razor blades. I would rather not, thanks.
Now I am up to 136 pounds, which is great for me. I am still skinny looking, but not horribly wan, so that's good...
Things are going pretty well for me. I thank my lucky stars that I'm not as severely afflicted as most of the people here. I hope I've found a way to live with my problems finally.
