D Jones
Message 1 of 1
I have had Barretts for 16 years(I am 38 now). My doctor tells me that once you have Barretts, you have it. I am checked once a year for cancer, and so far it always comes back negative (Thankfully). I am not your typical case, as I have been told that I have 3 times the amount of acid in my stomach as the regular reflux patient. I have worked at least 8 hrs a day since I was 18, and there were times where I just could not get up out of bed because I was weak and had not slept. Employers do not take this very well, so I am posting this message because maybe I can help someone with tips on how to handle this with things that I have discovered based on trial and error. I take Previcid currently, but I have taken Prelosec and they seem to work the same on me, and they do a pretty good job. Reglan and Tagmet (liquid and pill form) did not help much. Here are some tips based on my experience with this (I am not a doctor, and this may not work for you): Take your pill at the same time each day without interruption. Do not eat anything after 8:00 pm. Stay up about 3 hours after you eat before you go to sleep. Try to stay away from tomato sauce based foods, or least don't each much of it. Dont eat fried bacon, only microwaved. If you wake up with reflux and your throat burns, take 1 or 2 small sips of milk to put out the fire. If you have reflux, or you feel like you might, try rubbing vicks vapor rub on your neck before you lay down to go to sleep--it helps me to break the cycle and get some sleep. Reflux can cause asthma, so if you wake up with shortness of breath use a facial humitifier and breath the warm air in, this has helped me to catch my breath and go back to sleep without reflux returning.I have bad sinus problems and this make my reflux worse, so my doctor prescribed an allergy pill and if I keep that under control then I do not experience as much reflux.I have found the more physical I have been that day, the better I sleep without reflux. Do not sleep on your back. If you cant sleep with the bed raised on one end, try sleeping with 3-5 pillows. I hope this helps. Good luck!