I was sent to and ENT because my throat was closing totally up on me in the early hours of the morning. I suspected sleep apnea. He asked if I had a Hiatal Hernia or GERD. I told him I DO have the hernia but was not familiar with the symptoms of GERD. He told me the symptoms and I told him I have all the symptoms except the heartburn. He said some GERD sufferers do not have heartburn and felt that my throat closing off in my sleep was due to acid reflux which could be exaserated by the hernia.He informed me that during sleep the muscles in your throat relax and when the acid tries to regurgitate your body's natural mechanism of closing off your throat to prevent strangulation while sleeping. He felt sure that this was my problem and put me on Aciphex and the choking stopped immediately. He prescribed a sleep study anyway and I have no sleep apnea. So I guess he was right. I would much rather have to deal with GERD than live on a CPAP machine for the rest of my life.
Now I need to research GERD and find what helps. His recommendations were that I take the Aciphex thirty minutes before breakfast and dinner and that I stay in an upright position for at least three hours before going to bed. He also recommended head elevation.
For some reason I thought I read that you are supposed to take Aciphex short term, 7 days I think. Is this correct? What medications do you take and can you use them long term? What other things have worked for you to relieve your GERD?
Thanks from a newbie,
Sylvia
I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said, "That cannot be true. You haven't met everyone yet!"
I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said, "That cannot be true. You haven't met everyone yet!"
Hi Sylvia...sounds like good advice. My GI guy told me to stay on meds forever but they did not work. I don't know what to do and find the whole thing confusing.