Where did the heartburn come from and how can I make it go away?

staceya
staceya Member Posts: 720
edited March 2014 in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I never really had a problem with heartburn before, but...now I do..
Anyone else?
What works the best?

Thanks
Stacey
«1

Comments

  • Scambuster
    Scambuster Member Posts: 973
    #2
    Nexium
    HI Stacey,

    Diet plays a big role with reflux and the radiation may also have created some irritations and inflammations.

    The best medication is Nexium which is a PPI drug. You Doctor can prescribe this and set dosage. It will stop the acid from being released so works a treat. Try to fix the underlying problem as long term any med is not good.

    Scam
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #3
    Hi Stacey

    I use two things to keep from getting any reflux the one that works best is a stuff I get at a heath store it is called Coconut kiefer, it is all natural and works very well. The other is just plain old Tums, I take two at nigh if I believe I needs it.

    Hope this helps
    Hondo
  • Pam M
    Pam M Member Posts: 2,196
    #4
    Good Luck
    Friend whose daughter used to have chronic heartburn swore by Aloe juice. It if happens at night, you can try sleeping with your head elevated (again), or sleeping on your left side.
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,034 Member
    #5
    Stacey,

    As Scam and Hondo mentioned, check what you are eating and make note of it and see when you get the heartburn. I tend to have acid reflux when I eat something within 2 hours of bed time. I lay flat now when sleeping and if I eat something within that 2 hour period, I wake up from the reflux of stomach fluid. We don't need that happening, causes some serious problems if it happens too much.

    If I am going to eat something that I know will cause some heartburn, I take a Prevacid prior to eating and it does a good job.

    You can in a pinch take 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 a glass of water. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and is used for heartburn. It usually works within 20 minutes for me. It works much like Alka Seltzer. Warning, you will burp alot in the first 15-20 minutes, but it does work for me at least. I ate to much of the mashed potatoes and turkey gravy I guess.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here
  • timreichhart
    timreichhart Member Posts: 194
    #6
    MarineE5 said:

    Stacey,

    As Scam and Hondo mentioned, check what you are eating and make note of it and see when you get the heartburn. I tend to have acid reflux when I eat something within 2 hours of bed time. I lay flat now when sleeping and if I eat something within that 2 hour period, I wake up from the reflux of stomach fluid. We don't need that happening, causes some serious problems if it happens too much.

    If I am going to eat something that I know will cause some heartburn, I take a Prevacid prior to eating and it does a good job.

    You can in a pinch take 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 a glass of water. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and is used for heartburn. It usually works within 20 minutes for me. It works much like Alka Seltzer. Warning, you will burp alot in the first 15-20 minutes, but it does work for me at least. I ate to much of the mashed potatoes and turkey gravy I guess.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here

    heartburn
    I never had heartburn intill I started radiation and now I have to deal with that everytime I eat something very spicy or very hott.
  • micktissue
    micktissue Member Posts: 430
    #7
    Yeah heartburn
    I started getting it when I went with my own smoothies down the tube. Now that I'm eating normally, I *still*( have it. I don't know why. I find that 2 teaspoons of baking soda in a small glass do the trick (the old school way!) followed by a small glass of regular water. The taste is not appealing, but it does the trick.

    Best,

    Mick
  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #8
    Heartburn
    I use OTC Zantac and it works great for me. I'm also very careful not to eat too close to bedtime.

    Hope you find some relief soon,
    Glenna
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #9
    one more thought
    I had a hiatial hernia even before cancer, and was taking something for that (Prilosec, which was at one time a script drug but now OTC, I believe). After the head/neck cancer thing came along, my docs put me on Nexium, as someone else suggests.

    When the insurance company wanted me to switch to the formerly effective OTC drug I was taking, my doctors gave them the medical finger, as it were: HE IS TAKING NEXIUM.

    I think this is because the Nexium doesn't just alleviate the heartburn but coats the throat which is to say that it provides additional protection, especially during your most trying times. That is just a supposition, but they were insistent. For what it is worth.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #10
    Protonix
    Protonix (Pantoprazole), is what works for me...

    I've always had a little acid reflux, but when I started Chemo and especially once I couldn't eat. But my stomach was still dumping acid my MD prescribed Protonix.

    It works very well for me.

    Best,
    John
  • timreichhart
    timreichhart Member Posts: 194
    #11
    Skiffin16 said:

    Protonix
    Protonix (Pantoprazole), is what works for me...

    I've always had a little acid reflux, but when I started Chemo and especially once I couldn't eat. But my stomach was still dumping acid my MD prescribed Protonix.

    It works very well for me.

    Best,
    John

    I think we all should be worried about heartburn.
    Lets be truthful here we all had are cancer and treatments but I was reading up on heartburn and acid reflux can lead into esophageal cancer if the heartburn/acid reflux comes everyday. I know a local football coach where I live at passed away from esophageal cancer and he never smoked,drinked or anything like that and he got esophageal cancer.

    I think we have to watch are heartburns/acid reflux big time.

    http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20060417/heartburn-related-cancer-is-curable
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #12
    timreichhart said:

    I think we all should be worried about heartburn.
    Lets be truthful here we all had are cancer and treatments but I was reading up on heartburn and acid reflux can lead into esophageal cancer if the heartburn/acid reflux comes everyday. I know a local football coach where I live at passed away from esophageal cancer and he never smoked,drinked or anything like that and he got esophageal cancer.

    I think we have to watch are heartburns/acid reflux big time.

    http://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20060417/heartburn-related-cancer-is-curable

    Barrett's Disease
    Well one thing I'd recommend, is to make sure you have regular exams such as endoscopys. I know that during my pretreatment plan. I was scheduled to have another colonscopy and endoscopy.

    I'm good to go ten years on the colonscopy. But because of the acid reflux, I do have scarring, and I am to have endoscopy exams every two years.

    I don't think it has anything to do with cancer or the treatment. I had acid reflux before being diagnosed with throat cancer. Yes the heartburn I was having at the time was related. But I rarely get that anymore, it's as infrequent as before having cancer.

    JG
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #13
    Skiffin16 said:

    Barrett's Disease
    Well one thing I'd recommend, is to make sure you have regular exams such as endoscopys. I know that during my pretreatment plan. I was scheduled to have another colonscopy and endoscopy.

    I'm good to go ten years on the colonscopy. But because of the acid reflux, I do have scarring, and I am to have endoscopy exams every two years.

    I don't think it has anything to do with cancer or the treatment. I had acid reflux before being diagnosed with throat cancer. Yes the heartburn I was having at the time was related. But I rarely get that anymore, it's as infrequent as before having cancer.

    JG

    I had terrible heartburn for
    I had terrible heartburn for years before I had my first espophageal dialation. That was in 2006, I think. Way before my cancer. Once they stretched me out it went away. I don't know why , but I was sure happy. Then when I got my peg and went thru rads it was bad again. Now I feel pretty good. I seem to get terrible gas tho. Hurts like heck and I just burp and burp. Painful and annoying. :(

    I think I was on nexium? for s while. It was a perscription for reflux and it did work.
  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #14
    sweetblood22 said:

    I had terrible heartburn for
    I had terrible heartburn for years before I had my first espophageal dialation. That was in 2006, I think. Way before my cancer. Once they stretched me out it went away. I don't know why , but I was sure happy. Then when I got my peg and went thru rads it was bad again. Now I feel pretty good. I seem to get terrible gas tho. Hurts like heck and I just burp and burp. Painful and annoying. :(

    I think I was on nexium? for s while. It was a perscription for reflux and it did work.

    My God!
    What a sexy letter!

    :)

    I tell you, I simply CAN'T resist! But I'll try.

    Take care,

    Joe
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #15
    soccerfreaks said:

    My God!
    What a sexy letter!

    :)

    I tell you, I simply CAN'T resist! But I'll try.

    Take care,

    Joe

    You talkin' to me? :)
    :p
  • staceya
    staceya Member Posts: 720
    #16
    sweetblood22 said:

    You talkin' to me? :)
    :p

    burp.

    burp.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #17
    staceya said:

    burp.

    burp.

    Lol, Stacey.
    Have you found any relief?
  • Joel4
    Joel4 Member Posts: 263 Member
    #18
    sweetblood22 said:

    Lol, Stacey.
    Have you found any relief?

    I have had a flutter in my throat the past couple of weeks and have been burping a bunch.
    Today , I had my six week checkup and the Doctor put his scope down there to see what was up. The first thing he said was NED! The second thing he said was acid reflux. I need to cut out coffee, fatty foods, citric juice, and the list goes on and on. He mentioned not eating 3 hours prior to bedtime and I should drink lots of water.
  • staceya
    staceya Member Posts: 720
    #19
    sweetblood22 said:

    Lol, Stacey.
    Have you found any relief?

    Ha ha ..I couldn't read your
    Dawn,
    Ha ha ..I couldn't read your post at first and thought you said- "Have you found any teeth?"
    Apparently, I need tums AND glasses.
    It only happens sometimes, especially with hot (as in temperature) foods. So far the tums are OK and am looking into the rest...

    oh I forgot I do drink a LOT of coffee (but it feels so soothing on the way down) However unless things get worse I am not planning on decreasing the caffeine party. I am barely awake as it is..

    stacey
  • scottied
    scottied Member Posts: 36 Member
    #20
    PREVACID
    the doctors kept me on prevacid throughout my treatment a a precautionary measure. Was only available by prescription but became available over the counter about halfway through my treatment last year.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #21
    staceya said:

    Ha ha ..I couldn't read your
    Dawn,
    Ha ha ..I couldn't read your post at first and thought you said- "Have you found any teeth?"
    Apparently, I need tums AND glasses.
    It only happens sometimes, especially with hot (as in temperature) foods. So far the tums are OK and am looking into the rest...

    oh I forgot I do drink a LOT of coffee (but it feels so soothing on the way down) However unless things get worse I am not planning on decreasing the caffeine party. I am barely awake as it is..

    stacey

    Lol. No, I'm the one that
    Lol. No, I'm the one that needs teeth! Your probably used to seeing me and 'teeth' as much as I have been bit@hing on FB about the dentist. Yeah, coffee will give me heartburn too. I do a bit better with decaffee. I still can't drink or eat anything that is hot yet. I can do luke warm. Sorta. Cold drinks don't feel that great either.

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