“I am sorry you are going through this. I have had GERD for well over 13 years now. There are days, weeks and months when it is almost completely absent and also days, weeks, months when it is present constantly. As with you my GERD began after gallbladder removal.
Unfortunately what they don’t tell you is that somewhere around 40% of people who went through gallbladder removal will have GERD. My stomach doctor says the number is between 40 and 60%. He says they don’t really understand it but believe it has something to do with the way the gallbladder handled bile. He also said most folks who develop GERD may also have chronic gastritis and/or a hiatal hernia (as is in my case). Unfortunately, he said there is no real cure just treatment. However, there are ways to really effectively treat it. He said, if you are overweight, drop 20 pounds. He also recommended that I look into food combining as for some people the GERD is related to what and when they eat and how it is prepared. Never skip a meal because your stomach is set to expect food at specific times and about an hour before you normally eat it starts ramping up the acid to prepare for digestion. If you don’t eat the stomach will keep putting out the acid because it keep expecting the food.
Yes. I had stones that were actually outside of the duct. I burp alot. I get upper chest pains so bad that it’s hard to tell if it’s GERD or heart attack (hospitalized 4 times for heart but never found any sign of heart attack – only found GERD), upper and middle abdomen pain (above belly button and below breast bone right alongside hital hernia and gastritis), get twinges in lower right side which goes away after passing gas. I also do not get awakened from GERD pains. Mine are many during waking hours.
This is what my doctor said: The thing is the ppi’s may or may not work. You had surgery–it is major surgery. Major surgery creates a lot of stress on the body for anywhere from 8-18 months. Stress will make GERD worse. Try to relax. Do not skip meals. Eat small meals made up of easy to digest foods that do not cause gas. No fried, high fat, or high sugar foods as these can make GERD worse. You might want to try sipping soups (that helps me) and liquid calcium (helps calm the stomach). No caffeine or carbonated drinks, chocolate or foods high is acid (especially critic acid), or mints.
A friend of mine eats Aloe Vera for a week and it seems to help (said the juice does not). Problem is–it is extremely nasty tasting and some people can’t eat it withou vomiting.
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