I have alot of discomfort, I take nexium or prilosec and neither seem to work alot. I do know that one of the main things I do is to not drink or eat anything too hot or too cold, it hurts when I swallow it from my throat all the way to my stomache, so I watch temps, I also have certain trigger foods, like onions especially that I stay away from, orange juice is another one, I feel swollen all the time and can't do anything about it, can't take ibuprofen based meds or steroids because of my stomache, I do take some ibuprofen anyway once in awhile because of pain I have that is due to disc problems in my neck. You aren't alone with the pain and discomfort you are having. Mine's been going on for about a year and a half.

HI michandtro,

Thanx so much for your reply. I was dx with GERD by endoscopy in 2002. The GERD didn't bother me at all until last December when I started an additional blood pressure med. I tried going off the BP med and what a mess. I ended up in the ER twice with spiking BP. Fortunately, my BP is under control now--nothing like feeling you are going to have a stroke any minute.....so I am grateful for that. I will be dealing with this forever, since I need to take the BP meds forever. I have lost 18 pounds (needed to!) and find I don't think I want to eat but when I do sit down to eat, I can. Thanks for your tips. I have completely revamped my diet. Even gave up sugar and that was a biggie for me. The best tip I can offer is don't eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed. I have been doing that and am 99% pain free overnight.

I also have problems with my neck. The top vertebrae is twisted to the left and the next one down is twisted to the right. I go to a good chiropractor and get massages about twice a month.

Does your pain refer to your back? THAT drives me nuts.

I HOPE I CAN HELP YOU BUT I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT I HAD GERD UNTIL I HAD A DOCTOR LOOK DOWN MY THROAT. MINE HAD ADVANCED TO BARRETTS DISEASE WHICH IS A STEP AWAY FROM ESOPHAGUS CANCER. HE PUT ME ON MEDS, FIRST NEXIUM BUT I COULDN'T AFFORD IT BECAUSE IT IS NOT GENERIC. I CHANGED MY DIET AND STAY AWAY FROM ANYTHING ACIDIC, NO ORANGES, ETC...THEY EVEN MAKE NON ACIDIC VITAMIN C NOW. NO ONIONS OR GARLIC, NO TOMATO PRODUCTS OF ANY KIND NO WHITE BREAD. NO PEPPER. THERE IS A LONG LIST BUT IT CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEB. YOU ALSO NEED TO RAISE YOUR BED 6 INCHES SO THE ACID DOESN'T COME BACK UP YOUR THROAT IN THE NIGHT. THE PAIN THAT I HAD AND DIDN'T PUT THEM TOGETHER UNTIL THE DOCTOR FIGURED IT OUT WAS THAT I HAD A LOT OF STOMACH PAIN DUE TO THE GERD. I HOPE THIS HELPS YOU SOME. WHEN I RAISED MY BED AND CHANGED MY DIET, IT MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE BUT MY BARRETS CAME BACK BECAUSE OF MY STRESS. I HAVE TO GET THAT UNDER CONTROL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I HAVEN'T BEEN BAD ABOUT MY EATING BUT I COULD DO A LOT BETTER. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

thanx gramybear,

I'm real careful with my diet and I elevataed my bed by putting plastic drinking glasses between my mattress and box springs. What has helped me the most, though is not eating anything within 3 hours of going to bed or lying down during the day (which I don't do much!)

Sorry you're in so much pain, Tropicalmom. Sounds like you're dealing with anumber of different issues, and GERD is only one of them.

Your hypertension is controlled by meds that are exacerbating your digestive situation, and I can relate to that, as my Diltiazem relaxes my sphincter, allowing reflux to travel into my esophagus. The Diltiazem also slows down my digestion, which adds to the problem when food remains in my stomach longer than it should.

I also have problems with my cervical spine as you do. Physical therapy and now exercise on my own has helped me in this regard. I've never heard of GERD pain being referred to the back, so maybe it's your spinal problems giving you this symptom.

Your main question, though, was how long you would have to deal with GERD pain, and of course the answer is nobody knows because each situation is different. In my case, it's the combination of a PPI and lifestyle modifications that keeps me pain free most of the time, but even then...if I disregard my lifestyle program...I'm going to have problems. If I overfill my stomach, I'm going to have pain. If I eat right before lying down, I'm going to have reflux. If I drink alcohol on a daily basis, there's nothing I can do except pump more stuff like Gaviscon or Pepto into myself to put the fire out.

It seems to me that if you're in this much pain in spite of everything you're doing, you might be discussing surgery or other/additional medications with your Gastro Doc. In any case, short of a successful surgery to correct the condition, GERD is a lifelong diagnosis that will require both medication and diligent lifestyle modification.

In my case, I'm pain free most of the time, as long as I stay with the program (which isn't always easy). I wish you the best in finding your own triggers and having the self-discipline and resolve to stay away from them.

I have had GERD now for 4 months!! I have discomfort of it everyday, 24/7, the only time I feel nothing is when Im sound asleep & even some nights it keeps me up. Im currently on Kapidex, Pepcid, & Reglan and no relief! I've already tried Priosec, Nexium, Protonix & nothing. They are leaning towards surgery but I'm a complicated case cause I have Gastroparesis and that causes risks with the surgery procedure they might do, FUN TIMES...LOL! I just want to feel like I did the day before this all started, I forget what it feels like to feel no burning up my throat or naushea everyday!