Acid reflux

[mummyanxious]

I've got terrible acid indigestion. I am also getting gurgling noises in my throat. I have a feeling like something is lodged in my upper chest. This had been going on for about a week or so now. I'm wondering if its linked to my iron tablets.
Anyway every time I go to lie down it magnifies the problem. I've got horrible skipped heartbeats. I'm getting runs of them. I'm trying to tell myself they're being caused by the acid but they're coming in frequent batches and I can't believe its normal. Lying awake now as I just can't sleep for it and feel a bit nauseous.

[anxietygal]

I've had problems with reflux on some types of iron supplements before. I tried other types (I'm in the US so I can't give you any specific recommendations) and found one that only caused minimal stomach problems.

Also, anxiety can exacerbate reflux and vice versa. When mine was at it's worst in January, I didn't lie down for a week and was having esophageal spasms, palps and constant pain & burning. I was miserable and it took awhile to get my stomach calmed down. I still have problems but they are now manageable with just antacids

My best advice is to eat bland food, stay upright for at least three hours after eating, take whatever meds your doctor prescribed and OTC antacids, chew gum as it keeps saliva running down your throat, sleep on your left side. The good news is that it will get better...just not overnight.

[mummyanxious]

I tried not having one in the evening last night but it didn't seem to make any difference. I don't seem to have such a problem during the day it just seems to happen after my evening meal. My stomach is a bit calmer this morning but I can still feel it a bit. Just don't know what to do. I don't desperately need the iron, its just to boost my stores, but I would like to get my reserves up. But I can't go on like this for a couple of months.

[HoneyLove]

If your stomach is a bit irritated from the iron tablets it might take a little while for it to calm down again, which may be why you still had trouble despite not taking the iron tablet last night.

The advice anxietygal gave you is really good, and it might be good to look at what you're eating in your evening meals to see if there's anything that might be irritating your stomach further. While your stomach is irritated it's best to avoid foods that will irritate it further. Stress will also make this problem worse, so some relaxation every day ma help.

Talk to your GP or pharmacist about taking iron supplements that are easier going on your stomach. Maybe try some of the liquid iron drinks instead of tablets? And make sure you take it with a meal to minimise the effect on your stomach.

If you decide to take antacids as anxietygal has recommended then just make sure you don't take them too close to taking the iron as they may stop you from absorbing the iron fully.

Reflux can be nasty! I frequently get heart palpitations with mine, especially when lying down. It freaked me out completely until they figured out it was caused by the reflux, I would wake up at night with a racing heart for what seemed to be no reason whatsoever! I'm glad I know now that if I control the reflux the heart palps will die away too, makes them less scary when they happen .

Hope you're feeling better soon, try having a look at getting extra iron in your diet it you're finding it too hard to take the tablets x

[Speranza]

Talk to your GP or pharmacist about taking iron supplements that are easier going on your stomach. Maybe try some of the liquid iron drinks instead of tablets? And make sure you take it with a meal to minimise the effect on your stomach.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

That.

(I didn't know about the palpitations link - derrr, no wonder I get them!!)

[mummyanxious]

Thanks for the advice.
I do take them with food and tbh I've not had anything particularly irritating at night to cause an increase.
I think I'll call the gp today to see if there's anything else I can take. I was taking spatone when I was pregnant and got on fine with that but the gp for some reason didn't like this idea and preferred the ferrus sulphate.
Also any gp I speak to says indigestion doesn't cause palpitations...
Mine isn't racing heart its just skipping beats and sometimes a few in a row. Isolated palps I can deal with, runs of them in rows over and over I can't deal with and can't imagine how this is normal :(

[Speranza]

They are really terrifying aren't they. I've had investigations and nothing was found. I've had them infrequently (which is possibly more scary cos I always forget I get them!) for years and I am fine.

[HoneyLove]

mummyanxious, GPs often don't know enough detail about these things to be honest! Trust your own experience of your body, and you'll find your intuition can show you what's right.

When I was getting the palpitations and racing heart I went to have it all checked out. Had a couple of ECGs, stress test, holtor monitor and echocardiogram and at the end of it all I was told by a cardio consultant that the reflux was the most likely culprit since my heart was fine & the episodes disappeared when I went on medication for reflux and then reappeared when I came back off it again! He said it was an area that they are just discovering more about, and it seemed to be more common than previously thought. It's something to do with the acid irritating the nerves and osophegus. It can cause the palps that you get - I got those too, as well as ectopic beats and high heart rates.

Foods that can irritate your stomach include anything with tomato, onion, garlic, spices, fat (some meats like minced beef & pork can be irritating), caffeine (including chocolate and tea), fizzy drinks, citrus fruits, processed foods and junk foods. Certain meds can also upset it. And eating too much can have a bad effect too (are you eating a very big evening meal?).

[mummyanxious]

I've had tests prior to this and a monitor which showed ectopic beats. Most of the time they happen after food or large meals etc. if I bend over I sometimes get them too and when hold my child for long periods and carrying her and lifting her from the car.
Right now I can feel this welling up and down feeling.
Do I need to swap iron tablets or will it calm down if I stay on them?

---------- Post added at 09:38 ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 ----------

I don't have massive appetite these days so don't have huge meals very often. Past night I had pork actually. I do wonder if I have these problems because I don't have a gallbladder. Hmmmmm, never really suffered too much after having it out until lately. The oesophageal spasms are really painful too. Big bubbles of gas as well. Just not good! The only bonus is they haven't bound me up like they did when I had then in pregnancy.

[HoneyLove]

The pork may well have been what upset you last night, I know it's a healthy food but it's often irritating to those who have sensitive stomachs because of its natural fat content. Fatty foods are just a bit harder to digest and can make a sensitive stomach flare up. I can't really handle pork, so I don't eat it very often. Had a bad experience with a dish I made from pork mince once, really set my stomach off painfully for a couple of days.

It sounds like the palps are linked to your stomach, trust your own experience here, especially if you've had your heart checked out. I get them too when I'm lifting something heavy or even when I'm going upstairs on a bad stomach day - anything that puts pressure on the stomach. Having symptoms when bending over is a well known part of reflux probs too.

Stress makes it 10 times worse!

I don't know if not having a gallbladder would be part of this, that's something you'd need to discuss with your GP or gastro doc.

I also can't tell you if staying on the iron your stomach will eventually settle. From personal experience taking meds that set my stomach off only got worse in time (certain cough meds or ibuprofen really set it off), but that's not to say you wont have the same experience as me. The GP is the best one to consult in this case, or maybe you could ask the pharmacist?

Have you talked to the GP about your reflux problems? There's some great info here on WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/ahrq/treating-a...estyle-changes

For the moment make sure you try to eat plain foods and drink plenty of water (no caffeine) to try and help your stomach calm down again. I take aloe vera juice and manuka honey to help out my stomach when it's really bad, they're good to help soothe it, but as with any supplement if you decide to try them make sure that they're compatiable with whatever meds you're on.