Tons of upper GI gas when supine

CathyA

Veteran Member

Joined : Mar 2005

Posts : 1628

Posted 4/7/2006 5:36 PM (GMT -6)

Hi all,

I'm starting to develop a fear of going to bed! For several weeks now, when I lay down to go to sleep, after about 20 minutes, I start burping, burping, burping, and feeling pressure in my epigastric area. I suppose that sounds like reflux......but I'm not sure. I have no heartburn.

Why would that happen? It happens even if I haven't eaten for 5-6 hours. It's like clockwork, 20 minutes after I lay down. Is it possible that every little bubble of gas in my entire GI tract finds it's way up to my stomach???

It may not even be gas. I think when we feel pressure in our epigastric area, we can actually "pretend" to burp, to give us a momentary feeling of decreased pressure........but actually, we're introducing even more gas to our stomach. Who knows. I'm getting so tired of my GI tract. Can I trade it in for a new one???

Anyone else have this "burping-when-supine" problem?? It goes away later in the night......but it's very unpleasant and I'm tired of it.

Canyonbabe711

Veteran Member

Joined : Mar 2006

Posts : 1451

Posted 4/7/2006 9:02 PM (GMT -6)

It probably is. I would take some Pepto maybe a half hour before bed or some Maalox Max. If you are burping it is either gas caused by acid or by swallowing air. Are you taking an acid reducer? You might try a Pepcid about an hour before you eat or about a half hour before bed.

CathyA

Veteran Member

Joined : Mar 2005

Posts : 1628

Posted 4/8/2006 3:36 PM (GMT -6)

Thanks Canyonbabe,
No, I'm not on anything for my GERD. I was on something for about 5 years, and I'm trying to stay off it. It's just so curious not to have any heartburn. I think I might try Pepcid for a few days though. It's just so weird to be fine, but then when I lay down, I become a total burp machine! lol. My GERD and IBS seem to meld together, and it's hard to tell which one is causing which problem. Thanks for your suggestions.

Keriamon

Veteran Member

Joined : Jun 2005

Posts : 2976

Posted 4/10/2006 2:34 PM (GMT -6)

I don't know if this will help, but get a friend or someone to analyze you while you are eating. My mother used to really fuss on me because I'm terrible about sipping/slurping when I drink from a cup. Some people say that drinking from a straw is bad about inducing gas, but I don't think that it is, unless you try to clean the bottom of the cup like a vacuum cleaner with it, lol. If you have soup a lot, you need to make sure you don't sip it either. Or noodles if you eat them Japanese style (lots of slurping). I know you're supposed to daintly sip or slurp your tea/coffee, soup and noodles, but that's bad for getting air in your G.I. tract.

And I assume you never drink anything that's carbonated? That'd really gas you up, maybe even for a good while after you drink it. My mother used to burp non-stop when she drank Sprite and so evenutally had to give it up. Funny, other colas didn't make her burp nearly as much; I guess Sprite just has more carbonation. My great-grandmother just belched constantly regardless. Sometimes some people just do it for no particular reason.

I know it's not fun to have your sleep disturbed, but at least it's not staying in there, trapped, and giving you loads and loads of pain. Better out than in.

CathyA

Veteran Member

Joined : Mar 2005

Posts : 1628

Posted 4/10/2006 6:48 PM (GMT -6)

Thanks Keriamon,
I have a coke in the mornings, but usually no later. I've often wondered how to stop swallowing air.....if that's what I'm doing. I've tried to really think about my swallowing, but I can't see that I'm gulping air!
Sometimes I wonder if it's something else that gives me pressure, and I just burp to feel relieved......whether it works or not!
What's interesting is that I used to burp non stop all day. When I was put on aciphex for GERD (proton pump inhibitor), all my burping went away. I don't have other reflux symptoms now, so I'd like not to get on the medicine again........but it's something to think about.....
lol.......I went through several years when I had daily migraines and then there was all that burping. I told my kids I was going to have a portrait done of me, with that blue ice bag on my head, and me burping.......since that's probably how they will remember me!!

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