could this be acid reflux?

[lol4life]

hello. for the past 3 years i have suffered many digestive problems. i get nauseated after almost everything i eat. i never vomit but come very close. i get very frequent heartburn and i have an acidy bitter taste in my mouth almost constantly. if anybody has any ideas of what could be going on that would  be great. thank you!

[selmaS]

...I can suggest to u what my DD and NL said I should do.....there is a book called Fieldenkrais Method.....it should help with posture and pain......since it is a relaxation type of technique it should help.....my DD has been after me for yrs to try this and now at my evaluation the NL said to try it.

Ne relaxation technique should help...yoga....ect.....

I also had BI and an elongated brainstem.

"selma"

[lol4life]

Yes. Because my brain stem was compressed for so long the vagus nerve has been damaged and it may take up to 10 years for me to make a full recovery. Also because i had the basilar invagination my brain stem has a kink in it so it will take quite a while for me to feel completley better. thank you for your prayers :) do you have any suggestions of what to do in the meantime to make myself feel better?

[selmaS]

Hi.....Furballsmom makes some very good points.

U must also remember that most chiarians do tend to have gerd issues and that it can be associated with it.

As I recover from my surgery, I am feeling better acid wise too.....it was worse right after surgery bcuz of the drugs.....but I am getting better.

Diet and lifestyle changes can aid the meds.A GI dr is the best to rx the right meds for u...not all work for everyone, so do give them time to work.

I also had the nausea prior to my surgery....I am not having too much of it since.

I pray ur issues r not from a problem with ur vagus nerve......did they say if it could be correted?

"selma"

[lol4life]

Thank you so much for your reply! I have never heard of sulfites so i am definitley going to be looking out for them. and a food diary is such an excellent idea! i cant thank you enough for your tips. and yes the antacid tablets are worthlesss and they seem to make my nausea worse. i have seen a GI doc and they said i could have vagus nerve damage because i had chiari decompression surgery 3 years ago. thank you so much and i will keep you posted about how things go!

[FurballsMom]

Do you have other symptoms?  I've had GERD for many years now.  What you're talking about does sound like GERD.  But, you should definitely see a GI doctor before taking the medications for GERD, because there are risks involved even with the medications.  A GI doctor will run some tests on you to make sure that it's GERD.  You can relieve some of your symptoms, though, by avoiding the types of foods that you know bring on the symptoms.  Write a food journal.  Keep track of EVERYTHING you eat and drink, down to the most minute details.  This way you'll be more mindful of what you're eating and drinking and you'll start to see a pattern of which foods bother you the most.  I myself discovered that foods with sulfites really bother my GERD big time.  You will notice something similar.  Do some internet research about sulfites.  There are sulfites in foods that don't have to mention that they have sulfites in them.  A person just has to know what to look out for.  Your basic white sugar has sufites in it, for example.  Pasta has sulfites in it.  If it's processed in any manner, you'll note that it has sulfites in it.  Also, avoid the more common trigger foods that are acidic such as tomatoes, citrus (all forms), coffee and chocolate, and all alcohol and see if avoiding these common culprits makes any difference in your symptoms.  You'll notice very quickly if avoiding these foods makes any difference or not.  (All commercial breads, including the stuff made right in the store is full of sulfites, just so you know.)  You're at an age where you can see a GI for adults if there aren't any pediatric GI doctors in your area, too.

I noticed, as did others I know personally with GERD, those antacid tablets sold for heartburn are worthless.  Those things make my symptoms a lot worse.