CONSTANLY needing antacids?

okay I am what 3 years out and I need antacids several times a day. I have tracked it that if I do not eat every two hours or so i get serious pain from the sternum to the stomach. it does not matter what i eat, it can be carrots, cake, ice cream.... even pure protein Greek yogurt..

Has any one else had this problem? it is like a bend you over and you can't stand up straight pain....

Thanks,
Denise

At 2.5 years out I found that I was having a lot of reflux type problems. Omeprazole(Priolosec) has been one of my very best friends ever since. The difference for me has been drastic. I went from pain to no pain in about two days.

You probably need to be on a PPI (proton pump inhibitor), e.g.:

• Omeprazole (brand names: Losec, Prilosec, Zegerid, ocid, Lomac, Omepral, Omez)
• Lansoprazole (brand names: Prevacid, Zoton, Monolitum, Inhibitol, Levant, Lupizole)
• Dexlansoprazole (brand name: Kapidex, Dexilant)
• Esomeprazole (brand names: Nexium, Esotrex)
• Pantoprazole (brand names: Protonix, Somac, Pantoloc, Pantozol, Zurcal, Zentro, Pan, Controloc)
• Rabeprazole (brand names: Zechin, Rabecid, Nzole-D, AcipHex, Pariet, Rabeloc. Dorafem: combination with domperidone^{[citation needed]}).
• Revaprazan

Dexilant is my new hero.

 Dexilant rocks.  I've gone from misery to happiness because of it.  

Have you been checked for an ulcer?

Pain that is relieved by eating can be related to an ulcer. You might want to discuss this with your PCP or a gastroenterologist.

Karen

have tried taking the Nexium and it offered no relief. I guess i will have to go see a gastro doctor.... I haven't been checked for ulcers.... never thought about it. all i know is pain, then bloating then gas.... LOTS of gas... and i have made sure that it isn't diet related....

Denise

You need to be scoped. Don't just throw pills at it. Get to a gastroenterologist, explain your anatomy and symptoms to him/her and find out what's really happening. And do not delay. You have a severe problem.

(I just learned about this on myself.)

what problem did you find out? and how do i try to begin explaining this to a new doctor? I guess I can take pictures...

Denise

Explaining to a new doctor, particularly a gastroenterologist, is easy. You take one of the many pics available online that shows the DS configuration. You tell the doc in words (or write it down and show it to him/her). What I say is this: "I had a subtotal vertical gastrectomy and an intestinal bypass consisting of a duodenoileostomy and an ileoileostomy. The biliopancreatic limb is 60% of my total small bowel length and the alimentary limb is 40%, with a common channel of 75 cm."

(Your actual numbers will vary and you don't need to actually say all the numbers. You will want to include your common channel length.) 

A gastroenterologist is a cool person to whom to be able to say this, because they KNOW guts :-). They will think about it, make a mental picture and then go, "OH WOW." Or something like that.

As for my problem, I got lucky. After nearly a year of throwing Tums and pills at my sore gut, all I had was garden variety GERD with severe gastritis and esophagitis. I was quite stunned, because it wasn't like I was in PAIN. It was just discomfort and a feeling of pressure in my chest, and a couple of foods that actually made my stomach hurt (like a certain kind of pickled pepper--very specific--and lemonade).

You could have an ulcer or any of a whole bunch of things. Your body is screaming at you and needs care RIGHT NOW. You've put this off way too long.

One of the DS commandments is: THOU SHALT NEVER, EVER, IGNORE A BELLYACHE. Get seen and do. not. delay.

An upper endoscopy is the easiest exam you'll ever have. You go in fasting, you get marvelous drugs, nitenite and it's over in a very few minutes. You wake up, have a scratchy throat and a very good drunk, and that's it. No hangover from the good drunk either ;-).