I got questions about disease

[Berzerker]

I could go on a rant about how Congress subsidizes corn and god only knows what else so one category of food becomes both cheap and deadly, and then gives the poor too little money to buy nutritious food so they get addicted to the lousy food (hey, if we're gonna do this welfare state at least try to make it work, for Christ's sake), but I wanna talk about underwear...

I've developed acid reflux... Not because of underwear, I got it by eating pizza and other crap food before lying in bed to watch TV and sleep. I've had my neck bent upright with my body flat, and right at that bend is where my throat is messed up.

So I've been reading up on acid reflux and they recommend a more alkaline diet (cut out the pizza), dont eat before bed, no more booze (but I'm playing better golf sober ), no smoking - booze and smoke relaxes a muscle allowing acid into the esophagus and throat - and wear loose clothing.

Hmm... Got me thinking, I vaguely remember reading some theory about lower rates of breast cancer in parts of the world where women dont wear bras or other clothing that compresses the chest and armpits (lymph node territory). My questions are:

Suspenders better than belts?

Boxers better than briefs?

Maybe there's something to the nudist philosophy

I must sound like an old man

I am, I'm a senior when it comes to golf

[Sava]

sober?



in a few months i'm going to slide back into ness

[-Jrabbit]

Nice to have a plan.

[snoopy369]

No chocolate, either. Chocolate really relaxes that muscle.

You know, I'm pretty sure the doctors got together and decided to make up a muscle they could say all things that you like and they don't want you having (pizza, chocolate, booze, smoking) screws up.

[snoopy369]

Seriously, though, I have AR also. Really annoying. Definitely cut out pizza, that's the worst. Soda can be bad also if you're not careful (not because of the acid, which it's less acidic than your stomach, but because of the bubbles.) Eat smaller portions more frequently - if you were one of those 1 meal a day people, become a 3 meal a day person.

Also, see if there are specific foods that make it worse. Dairy, wheat, soy, etc. Keep a log of when it's worst, and what you ate ('food diary' or whatnot). That way if it's something specific you can eliminate that. I mostly have mine under control after paying attention to what makes it bad

I don't recommend long term use of Zantac type stuff; it's not good for you (and isn't very effective for a lot of people, including me). Figure out how to control it with diet and exercise.

[The Mad Monk]

Buy a comfy recliner, and use it when having an episode. At the very least it will keep you from inhaling the stuff in your sleep.

...

God, what a way to wake up.

[Berzerker]

unfortunately my discomfort is constant so i cant tell what aggravates the condition, i dont feel heartburn

i'm on presc prilosec but dont wanna use it long, so i'll make the lifestyle changes

i think eating late and lying in bed watching tv with my neck bent and stomach flat is the main problem. maybe getting more inclined is the key

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Are youprone to snoring and possibly sleep apnea. If so the diaphram reacts to the temporary breathing stopages and places additional pressures on the stomach such that you have acid reflux.

SInce I have been using my cpap device no more acid reflux.

Also the incline thing as well.

[Berzerker]

i was heavier maybe ~8-10 years ago and had sleep apnea so bad I'd wake up in the middle of the night suffocating because my throat was blocked. I'd have to stand or walk around stretching my neck and wait for the passage to slowly open while struggling to get air thru. I dropped ~25 lbs and it went away, but I probably still have a milder version of apnea. I've heard of cpap, might look into it

[Wezil]

This should have been called the Old Man Thread.

Buy a comfy recliner, and use it when having an episode. At the very least it will keep you from inhaling the stuff in your sleep.

...

God, what a way to wake up.

[Berzerker]

Are youprone to snoring and possibly sleep apnea. If so the diaphram reacts to the temporary breathing stopages and places additional pressures on the stomach such that you have acid reflux.

SInce I have been using my cpap device no more acid reflux.

Also the incline thing as well.

now I have a dull pain in my back between the shoulder blades about where the heart is. Not sure, but this may actually be a heartburn I've never felt before. I might have to look into cpap, maybe the apnea is causing the reflux somehow. I know apnea's bad for the heart and brain.

[SlowwHand]

One night I woke up and couldn't breathe, and there was this awful taste in my mouth. For some reason I wondered if it was blood. I staggered around for 10-15 minutes and it subsided. Is that the same? I've been told non-professionally that I have sleep apnea.

[The Mad Monk]

If the taste was of vomit, then yes, and you probably inhaled it, which cause you trachea to close up in response.

This is, BTW, one of the best ways to get the worst kind pneumonia. Lungs and HCl really don't mix.

[Spaced Cowboy]

It is better to eat a solid meal in the morning and a big meal at lunch then a very light dinner at least 3 hours before bed, if not more. Your body needs calories during the waking period, not when you are sleeping.

[Berzerker]

it was heartburn, I slept about 5 hours last night after posting and I slept inclined on a stack of pillows - it was gone when I woke up. I had the sensation of pain in my back for a couple days and it was gone after a few hours of inclined sleep

amazing... I'm still thinking about a cpap machine for the apnea but just having my head a few inches above my stomach was enough. Booze and smoking probably damaged the valve below the esophagus so it leaks acid. Yea Sloww, I'd recommend sleeping inclined if you got apnea, I dont know if it relieves the problem but it sure helps keep acid in the stomach. Somebody at the golf course said their father had the best night sleep in decades with just 1 night with the cpap machine