How about gerd and treatment?

Jahnsart
Jahnsart Member Posts: 41
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I have GERD and have bad reactions to dairy products, Before I was diagnosed they had me on Cipro and Steroids, I had such bad GERD that I was beside myself with the pain of acid in my esophogus...When I have my treatment and have the feeding tube in, what will it do to my GERD? I am worried because lately I have had more trouble than I have ever had with it...Sorry if it is such a simple question however, I couldn't really find a lot of specific answers to this question...BTW Thank you all for supporting me and giving me a place to go where I feel I can spew, and get/give support back...

Comments

  • BenScott
    BenScott Member Posts: 2
    #2
    Gerd
    I have the same problem. Make sure you follow a regular feeding schedule. Don't feed to close to bed time. I crushed my medicine and mixed it with my liquids, every time. That really helped. I hope this helps.
    -Ben
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,034 Member
    #3
    Foam Wedge
    Jahnsart,

    As BenScott suggested, time your last food intake so you don't have fresh food sitting at the top of your stomach area.

    Another thing you might try is to sleep in an inclined position. Don't sleep flat as the stomach fluids can easily travel back up into the esophogus area( acid reflux ). I found if I ate ice cream late and then went to bed shortly afterwards, well there was H*ll to pay from my body. So, I make sure I don't do that anymore.

    When I had my Thrach in and the PEG Tube, my wife bought me some foam wedges of different angles. I placed one under my back with a pillow also. Making it feel like a hospital bed in a way. It took a night or two to get used to them, but they helped greatly.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here
  • Jahnsart
    Jahnsart Member Posts: 41
    #4
    Incline is a good idea
    I thank you all for your help and suggestions...I usually have to eat 3 hours before bed, so I don't have it all come up into my throat anyway...And maybe I will have my Gastro-interologist give me a stronger dose of Omeprazole...I just dread what is to come....
  • CLRRN
    CLRRN Member Posts: 127
    #5
    Gerd suggestions
    Hey there...Mike had issues w/GERD as well and he avoided eating (using the PEG tube late) and tried to keep elevated at night. Need to check with your doctor/pharmacist since not all medications can be crushed and put in the tube. Make sure you flush good because the tube can get clogged (if it does, you can use Coke to clear the line)

    They gave Mike Zegerid (omeprazole) oral suspension-it was granules that he mixed with water and put in his tube. He also got Zantac liquid-since it's over the counter, you can ask the pharmcist to order it for you. We used CVS and they were great.

    Hope this helps!!

    Chris/Mike
  • Jahnsart
    Jahnsart Member Posts: 41
    #6
    CLRRN said:

    Gerd suggestions
    Hey there...Mike had issues w/GERD as well and he avoided eating (using the PEG tube late) and tried to keep elevated at night. Need to check with your doctor/pharmacist since not all medications can be crushed and put in the tube. Make sure you flush good because the tube can get clogged (if it does, you can use Coke to clear the line)

    They gave Mike Zegerid (omeprazole) oral suspension-it was granules that he mixed with water and put in his tube. He also got Zantac liquid-since it's over the counter, you can ask the pharmcist to order it for you. We used CVS and they were great.

    Hope this helps!!

    Chris/Mike

    Great idea
    I didn't even know that it could be mixed with liquid like that...I drink nothing but water and know how bad that stuff tastes, so, if can be through the peg, that is great...I will contact my GI doctor and talk to him about it...Thanks for the help...
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #7
    Jahnsart said:

    Great idea
    I didn't even know that it could be mixed with liquid like that...I drink nothing but water and know how bad that stuff tastes, so, if can be through the peg, that is great...I will contact my GI doctor and talk to him about it...Thanks for the help...

    GERD and bad reaction to dairy products.
    You may want to talk to your nutrtionist (I insisted having one on my team) about other options and formulas for your feeding tube, if you are getting one. I read your other post about surgery or radiation, and it sounds like what ever route you go, you may need one. Hope you are getting another opinion, btw. I didn't have your issue, but had to struggle with my own serious decisions, which I won't bore you with, so I ended up getting three opinions.

    Also, back to the food and feed tube thing, you may want to take a look at the HNC Superthread, which is always found on the first page of this board. It has some alternate ideas for peg tube food that you may wish to consider if you have issues with dairy. Look under the nutriton/healthy eating/liquid nutrition tips.

    HNC  SUPERTHREAD

    There are many medications that are available as liquid forms. I always ask, because I cannot swallow pills with my stricture. I also crushed my pills through treatment, when I had my peg tube, and dissolved them in sone water first, then shot them through my tube. I even put through yogurt, prune juice, and baby food through my tube everyday, and never had one clog. I had my tube for 18 months. You just need to be mindful of what you're doing. I thinned the baby food and Activia yogurt with either water or the canned nutrition.

    Wishing you well,

    Sweet
  • Jahnsart
    Jahnsart Member Posts: 41
    #8
    sweetblood22 said:

    GERD and bad reaction to dairy products.
    You may want to talk to your nutrtionist (I insisted having one on my team) about other options and formulas for your feeding tube, if you are getting one. I read your other post about surgery or radiation, and it sounds like what ever route you go, you may need one. Hope you are getting another opinion, btw. I didn't have your issue, but had to struggle with my own serious decisions, which I won't bore you with, so I ended up getting three opinions.

    Also, back to the food and feed tube thing, you may want to take a look at the HNC Superthread, which is always found on the first page of this board. It has some alternate ideas for peg tube food that you may wish to consider if you have issues with dairy. Look under the nutriton/healthy eating/liquid nutrition tips.

    HNC  SUPERTHREAD

    There are many medications that are available as liquid forms. I always ask, because I cannot swallow pills with my stricture. I also crushed my pills through treatment, when I had my peg tube, and dissolved them in sone water first, then shot them through my tube. I even put through yogurt, prune juice, and baby food through my tube everyday, and never had one clog. I had my tube for 18 months. You just need to be mindful of what you're doing. I thinned the baby food and Activia yogurt with either water or the canned nutrition.

    Wishing you well,

    Sweet

    I was wondering about that...
    I need a nutritonist to help me in getting the right kind of food in me that doesn't exacerbate the problem...Thanks for the help all, and yes I will have a tube in, the doctor said for a couple of months...
  • Jahnsart
    Jahnsart Member Posts: 41
    #9
    sweetblood22 said:

    GERD and bad reaction to dairy products.
    You may want to talk to your nutrtionist (I insisted having one on my team) about other options and formulas for your feeding tube, if you are getting one. I read your other post about surgery or radiation, and it sounds like what ever route you go, you may need one. Hope you are getting another opinion, btw. I didn't have your issue, but had to struggle with my own serious decisions, which I won't bore you with, so I ended up getting three opinions.

    Also, back to the food and feed tube thing, you may want to take a look at the HNC Superthread, which is always found on the first page of this board. It has some alternate ideas for peg tube food that you may wish to consider if you have issues with dairy. Look under the nutriton/healthy eating/liquid nutrition tips.

    HNC  SUPERTHREAD

    There are many medications that are available as liquid forms. I always ask, because I cannot swallow pills with my stricture. I also crushed my pills through treatment, when I had my peg tube, and dissolved them in sone water first, then shot them through my tube. I even put through yogurt, prune juice, and baby food through my tube everyday, and never had one clog. I had my tube for 18 months. You just need to be mindful of what you're doing. I thinned the baby food and Activia yogurt with either water or the canned nutrition.

    Wishing you well,

    Sweet

    I was wondering about that...
    I need a nutritonist to help me in getting the right kind of food in me that doesn't exacerbate the problem...Thanks for the help all, and yes I will have a tube in, the doctor said for a couple of months...
  • jim and i
    jim and i Member Posts: 1,788 Member
    #10
    Jahnsart said:

    I was wondering about that...
    I need a nutritonist to help me in getting the right kind of food in me that doesn't exacerbate the problem...Thanks for the help all, and yes I will have a tube in, the doctor said for a couple of months...

    GERD
    My husband had GERD when lying on the Rad table and they suggested Prilosec the night before treatment which helped. He now cannot swallow pills and you cannot disolve Prilosec and take it because it is time released. While in the hospital they gave him a powder I should have wrote the name down but was to stressed to think of it.

    I myself had bad GERD years ago. It would feel like someone was running a knife down my esophogus. The doctors told me I would have to take meds the resytt of my life and to avoid acidic foods. None ever suggested diet modification other than avoiding citrus, tomatoes and spicy foods. I was so tired of the reflux, even on meds.

    Eventually my husband wanted to try vegetarian diet and guess what? After a few weeks by GERD went away, I lost weight, got off of blood pressure meds. {I also quit my stressful job which helped]. I have since gone back to the SAD [standard american diet] and guess what? The GERD is back. I also recently learned that dairy and meat are acidic, go figure.

    Not all insurance covers a nutritionist, ours didn't so I have been web surfing and wearing out my library card.

    I guess what I am saying is, eat healthy, do stress relief activities and stop the dairy.


    I am praying for you.

    Debbie

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