Acid relfux - have I solved it (for me)??Your opinions please!

Kate,

I don't think that's loony. I think hydration and dehydration can affect the experience of restriction or tightness, and if dehydration (due to decongestant meds in this case) increases tightness, it follows that the increased tightness could foster reflux. But I don't know if that's a medially proven fact.

It's interesting that you posted this because last week I felt like I was getting a cold, and after a few days of sneezing and a runny nose, I took some pseudophedrine (Sudafed) for 2 days. And I have felt a lot tighter since doing that.

Jean

The evidecne seems to be building - albeit anecdotal!   It was Sudafed I took!

Kate

Hi Kate!!!
I totally thought of you last night at the diner. I went with my son (because now I gave my terrible flu to my daughter and husband) to get him out of the germy house, lol. I had a few small bites of chicken (remember, i have no restriction) and i was so tight that i had to run to the ladies room and, um, set the chicken free. I would have been so concerned since that has never happened from a teeny bit of food, but since we were talking about this the other day, I figured it was being sick that did it. (btw, i am not taking ANY type of meds, so hmmmmmmm, we have to dig further on this theory).

Are you taking any acid blockers (like prilosec) or H2 Blockers (like Pepsid)? In general, people with GERD take an acid blocker before dinner or a Blocker before bedtime and this is, often times, all that they need to eliminate the nighttime problems with acid reflux. Might be worth a try. Especially if it works : )  

My friend, who is a general practitioner, just told me that acid reflux can,in fact, cause symptoms like: chronic cough and flu or cold-like symptoms. Never knew that. If the symptoms persist, you should just get yourself to a doctor to be sure. why suffer, right? 

I am still gonna look into the decongestant thing.....  Are you at all flattered, by the way, that I thought of you while I was tossing up chicken in the ladies room? LOL!!!

Great! So over there in the US, people are sticking their head over the toilet bowl and it reminds them of me! Just be honest and tell me how you feel about me!

My friend, who is a general practitioner, just told me that acid reflux can,in fact, cause symptoms like: chronic cough and flu or cold-like symptoms.
Yes, I had heard that but in this case it was definitely cold/flu first and then reflux.

I always have a supply of Pepcid to hand. But unfortunately in the UK we can't buy those relatively new cool mint flavoured ones (the pale green ones). We have the same thing, made by the same company - but ours are a sort of grungy pink and taste nasty! Any friends who go to the US are instructed to bring the mint ones back for me but I am about to run out!! I even e mailed the manufacturers and they said there was no demand in the UK. How do they know when they don't offer them!!??

Kate

they are all vile!!!!!! and please don't be offended. it should be more upsetting to not be thought of at all, right? lol. and, let me give you a bit more to the visual....... I am in a booth on a Saturday night at a pretty busy diner. I knew i was "returning" the chicken within seconds and had a split second to convince my son, who has autism, to come with me and leave his cake and toys!!! he is afrraid of public restrooms (personally, i don't blame him. hahaha). i am in one stall and someone is in the other and i have my son standing outside of my stall counting to 10 over and over in spanish, hebrew, chinese, german, english and italian. i am trying to wait for the other person to leave (or at least flush so she won't hear me) for fear that she will think i am either sick from the restaurant's food or the world's chubbiest bulemic!!! Because of my son's autism and lack of social skills, he felt it was essential to tell every patron on the way back to our table "mommy threw up in the bathroom" and then our waitress. Soooooo, I was in the bathroom, cursing my band and the internal swelling or whatever was causing my barely filled band to suddenly care about a tiny pc of chicken and I knew you just brought up your issue, so at THAT moment i thought "hmm, if i had kate's number i would sooooo be calling her right now from this stall for a good laugh."  Hope you got a chuckle from the visual. it was actually funny- once i got home (hahaha)

What a scenario! Nightmare! I know all about waiting until someone flushes the toilet so they won't hear me!

And so difficult with your son. I teach children on the autistic spectrum and so can imagine how hard it must have been to deal with the situation.

But afterwards, as a story to relate, very funny!!!

Kate