I have been recently diagnosed with GERD and I'm having trouble adjusting. Specifically, the idea that i should only lie down three hours after eating. It seems that i cannot control when i fall asleep, when i wake up, when i am hungry, and so on. Sometimes i wake up at night too hungry to fall back asleep, then if i eat something, i have to force myself to stay up for three hours before going back to bed. It's very difficult! Any advice?
Advice for drastically changing lifestyle with GERD?
Question posted by snoopies622 on 8 March 2025
Last updated on 9 March 2025
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Answers
messdeck
8 March 2025
I've GERD 40 years. It requires that you take a PPI a half hour before a meal. One should have breakfast... that's 8-9am. And one is called dinner... 4pm - 6pm somewhere in this range. Morning is easy. My evening is 4 or 5pm. I fast four hours that makes bedtime at 9 or 10. My bed is lifted up at the top six inches keeping food down. Sleeping is not easy but overtime you learn. GERD can be a very difficult lifestyle if you have a bad case. I do. If I miss a dose or take one too late etc. I pay a price. Diet can be restrictive, annoying, hard to deal with. I've gone out-of-bounds so to speak. Experimenting can payoff you learn you have exceptions to the norm but you get problems experimenting at times. Very often I get six hours sleep or less. I have arthritis -- injuries have me on other meds that conflict with GERD I have to use others that are not as effective with pain. I could go on. I'm over 80years. I'm sorry to say if you have serious GERD you'll have to learn as you go. We're all different. I drank beer regularly for years but gave it all up a year ago. I was a one a day at that last few years. The only help I can offer is you learn to adjust. My heart meds have to be taken many hours apart and they conflict with GERD a bit tough on the GI tract. Adding H2 blockers help to fight that. Do your best to live a healthy lifestyle the more illness you acquire makes GERD that more difficult to deal with. My life has been enjoyable with many fun and exciting times. You should do fine as long as you attend to the rules of a healthy lifestyle. Oh, six-foot 185lbs.
snoopies622
8 March 2025
Thanks! I'm 56 and GERD has come to me quite suddenly. I've wondered if i did something to acquire it or it's just one of those things where the cause will never be known. I've given up tomatoes, garlic, onion, pepper . . and other things. Still drinking a cappuccino every morning — coffee would the hardest thing for me to quit. This is a challenge indeed.
messdeck
9 March 2025
I discovered GERD when food stuck, and I had to go ER and be scoped for removal (scope pushes food into stomach). A real surprise... called Schatzki ring (hernia). This happened 8 Xs over the next 15 years, the ring must have worn out... gone now. I attribute my GERD to smoking pipe, cigar, cigarettes I quit after ten years (1972). I have little to no problem with tomatoes, Italian, garlic, onion. I avoid pepper, chili, hot peppers. Fried foods are bad to overdo. I use canola and olive oil. Easy on butter, avoid all beef fats. Most meat is chicken, lean pork, fish. Decaf is ok 2-3 cups, tea. The raised bed at the top is a must. The fasting before sleep a must. I partied, slept too soon was awakened by breathing vomit nearly choked to death burning in my lungs. Fasting & bed tilt is now key for me. Lastly, old age brought more illness (everyone's experience) it's unavoidable. This causes conflicts in meds, between illnesses, and your caretaker. I classify my GERD as serious I hope yours is not so.
snoopies622
9 March 2025
That's good to hear about the garlic, onion, tomatoes.. I am eager to find my exceptions to all these rules.
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