Acid Reflux Is At The Root Of A Large Amount Of My Health Issues?

Who knew??

I have been dealing with acid reflux for decades, and even diagnosis was  problematic, going through 14 different specialists before finding out in my early 30s that I had a hiatal hernia and excess acid backing up into my lungs when I slept, causing interruption of sleep and resulting in panic attacks.  (My symptoms aren't typical, as I don't ever get a sore throat)

 I more recently realized my acid reflux was causing a runny nose and other sinus issue that I had previously thought was just multiple colds.  I never used to get colds when I was younger, and had just figured my immune system was compromised by all my cancer treatments.   I changed my diet, raised the head of the bed a few inches, and tried my best not to eat right before I went to sleep.  I thought I had the acid under control.

Well, I started getting vertigo.   First, it was not very often- just once a year for a couple months.   But it kept getting worse.   Which really worried me, because I can't do my job with vertigo. (I'm an electrician, so climbing ladders and even looking at the floor to bend conduit, and then quickly up again would make me so nauseated and exhausted that I couldn't make it past 4 hours on a 12 hour day) 

Just the other day had an epiphany: what if my acid reflux was causing my vertigo?  My doctor was dubious of the connection, but since he knew that I had acid reflux, prescribed me with Omeprazole.   (Finding a decent doctor is another story, but let's just say that I am incredibly thankful that I finally found a doctor that listens to me.)


What a difference!  Not only is my vertigo is completely gone, but I have so much more energy now.  I find myself bounding up the stair like I used to when I was younger.  I am losing weight. (I was always very active, and my new sedentary lifestyle had made my weight balloon to numbers I was extremely uncomfortable with)   I have much more stamina for working, walking, or just staying awake.  I believe the fact that I am able to breathe better has make me more alert and able to concentrate.  The return of stamina and loss of weight bode well for my back issues. (crushed L5-S1)   And all of this has happened in the past month; I haven't felt this good in over a decade.   


Hopefully this trend will continue.  I would love to get back to working steadily at my regular job again.   Even if I am not able to, due to my back issues, I feel there are other avenues opened up to me now to be able to steadily make a living.  Disability was mentioned several times to me in the past, and for me, this is NOT an option...

That’s great. Amazing how one thing can affect you so much. 

In reply to Stampie :

I'm skeptical by nature, and even though this was my idea, I keep waiting to be proven wrong.   


However, it all seems to make sense, and the results are incredibly encouraging.

Glad it seems to be helping. When I read recurring acid reflux, my first thought was "sleep apnea."

I was on Nexium from 17 to 32. It worked really well.

Then my insurance changed and my copay went for $20 a month to $250 a month. Went to the doctor for solutions and he told me to go on an exclusion diet and slowly add things back in. My acid reflux has specific triggers: bananas, flour, corn oil and syrup, canola (rapeseed) oil, chocolate & nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, & peppers). Some of these are eaten in moderation which limits the reflux (chocolate) and others are avoided at all cost (bananas). YMMV.

In reply to z31maniac :

Me too.  My acid reflux almost completely disappear after I got my CPAP machine.  I need to get profoundly stupid with eating before bed now to have any problems.

Cooter said:

   (Finding a decent doctor is another story, but let's just say that I am incredibly thankful that I finally found a doctor that listens to me.)

Ain't that the truth. Good friend of mine is probably going to end up fighting a lifetime of autoimmune diseases because her doctors kept telling her that her problems were just her anxiety or depression. Had they done a metabolic panel 4 years ago, or 3 years ago, or even 2 years ago, they would have found out that her thyroid was misfiring and could have removed it. Now the body is doing that itself, and they can't take it out because the antibodies would then attack something else. So they wait for the antibodies to kill the thyroid, then they hope that the antibodies will go away. But they probably won't. 

I've been having random issues with vertigo for the last 5-6 years, usually only maybe once/year.  But if I tilt my head back too far?  Nope.  I can't even change my own oil anymore without being naseous all day.  Putting an LED light bar on the front of the Crosstrek a few months ago made me ill all day.

Been noticing some indigestion/acid reflux more and more the last few years (age 52 for reference).  Always ate spicy foods, never had health problems.  But I clicked this link for the acid reflux and saw the vertigo and was like uh......

Jerry said:

I've been having random issues with vertigo for the last 5-6 years, usually only maybe once/year.  But if I tilt my head back too far?  Nope.  I can't even change my own oil anymore without being naseous all day.  Putting an LED light bar on the front of the Crosstrek a few months ago made me ill all day.

Been noticing some indigestion/acid reflux more and more the last few years (age 52 for reference).  Always ate spicy foods, never had health problems.  But I clicked this link for the acid reflux and saw the vertigo and was like uh......

Do you have high blood pressure or are you on BP meds? My dad has similar issues. 

I also have acid reflux. It doesn't matter what I eat; it just happens. It even happens when I don't eat anything! That said, Omeprazole keeps it at bay pretty well in my case. Glad you figured that out!

Jerry said:

I've been having random issues with vertigo for the last 5-6 years, usually only maybe once/year.  But if I tilt my head back too far?  Nope.  I can't even change my own oil anymore without being naseous all day.  Putting an LED light bar on the front of the Crosstrek a few months ago made me ill all day.

Been noticing some indigestion/acid reflux more and more the last few years (age 52 for reference).  Always ate spicy foods, never had health problems.  But I clicked this link for the acid reflux and saw the vertigo and was like uh......

Same here, but a few years younger. I might have to mention this to my doc next visit. 

In reply to Jerry :

It's posted by a near stranger on an intraweb forum, so take it for what it is worth.  Like I said, my doctor didn't even really beleive me.   But he listened, gave me the benefit of the doubt, and prescribed the Omeprazole.

 I have seen a huge change.   I was laying under a car cutting out a rear end from I was parting out, and my wife remarked how I didn't have any issues when I climbed out from under it and quickly walked to the pole barn to put some tools away.

In reply to Pete Gossett :

This is part of the reason I mentioned it here.  I started noticing quite a few people were having issues with vertigo, and even my my doctor mentioned that he has seen a big increase in cases in the past few years.   

I hope it can help someone out as much as it appears to have helped me so far.

About a year and a half ago I went through a similar thing.  It went on for a couple weeks and instead of seeing my doc I went to a walk in because I was busy and they found nothing. Everything I googled said a heart attack but the clinic said no. The worst of it was the day of my father in law's funeral.  Chest pains, dizziness, etc.  I went to the hospital that night and they too found no heart trouble.  I followed up with me regular doc who checked for reflux even though I also didn't think I had any symptoms and put me on some pills to control it.  After a few months of changing my diet I was able to stop taking the meds and have been fine.  

I've had very similar issues.  I've dealt with acid for a long time and was diagnosed with Gerd.  I also deal with dizziness and allergies.   My doctor mentioned Flonase and Omeprazole years ago, but I didn't listen until this year.  Seems like when I was on both for a few weeks this year it helped.  I've been meaning to start back taking this stuff.  My boss had similar issues and Omeprazole seemed to help.  I've heard the acid can make it's way into the inner ear tubing.  Looks like it's time to start with the meds again.  I'm tired of this dizziness. 

Mine was 100% caused by wearing my belt too tight trying to keep my pants up. I loosened the belt and now wear suspenders. No more issues.

In reply to Toyman01 :

Do you wear a belt AND suspenders?  

Toyman01 said:

Mine was 100% caused by wearing my belt too tight trying to keep my pants up. I loosened the belt and now wear suspenders. No more issues.

 

This can help too. Even the clothes you wear can contribute to acid reflux.

Cooter I'm glad you have found the solution, have relief, and vastly improved health! My SIL's husband had to have a magnetic collar put on his esophagus because his esophageal sphincter wasn't up to the task anymore. He's in his early -mid 40s. 

In reply to spitfirebill :

Yep. Belt for the phone, Gerber, and flashlight. Suspenders to keep it all up off the floor.

I have a similar issue, but unfortunately I haven't found a decent doctor that will listen. I am taking PANTOPRAZOLE. In addition to pills, I have tried changing my diet, exercise, so far this year it has worked well. I am still low on energy.