Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sparkling water helps too -- the gas bubbles kill the burn...

NO!!! I think your experience is atypical. Carbonation does not help.

I'm the OP. I drink soda stream water with lime juice everyday. Once the heartburn sets in, I think all water is equally awful for making it worse. Those creamy Odwalla shakes or really thick Naked brand mango juice help a little. Anything "coating" - similar to Mylanta or Pepto, but likely less effective.

OP listen very carefully. You do not want to end up like me. NO NO NO NO to the soda stream. I had horrible heartburn during both pregnancies. I was trying to lay flat on my back (or sides) and would start coughing - I now know it is the GERD cough. I mentioned it to my O.B. who basically blew me off but said tums was OK, nothing else was permissible (this is some time ago). By the third trimester I was in agony and bought a very comfy Lay-Z-boy and slept in the recliner for the remainder of the pregnancy. After I stopped nursing I mentioned the cough to the internist and he stupidly sent me to an allergist who decided I needed some shots. So I did allergy shots for 3 years, which did nothing.

Back to internist. I finally get a referral to a gastroenterologist and had an upper scope done. By then I had done so much damage to my esophagus that I was was diagnosed as having stage four erosive esophagitis. I immediately did everything he said (listed below) and got rid of much of the burning, but the scar tissue remains. The next scope was worse, I now have short-stem Barratt's esophagus, which means I am at 50/50 risk of getting esophageal cancer - which no one wants to get. The surgery available to tighten the sphincter muscle between the stomach and my esophagus is very difficult and often unsuccessful (the surgeon wraps part of the stomach around the lower end of the esophagus to tighten it to keep food down).

Please ask your O.B. for an O.B. friendly gastroenterologist immediately.

Here is what they will tell you:

*no alcohol
* no coffee
* no diet colas
*no carbonated drinks - that means no soda stream
*no alka seltzer (same reason)
*no fatty or spicy food
*eat small meals (your stomach is the size of your fist)
*eat your last meal at least 3 hours before you go to bed (or else the food comes up and that's what starts the coughing)
*walk after a meal - that helps settle the stomach
* if you have a heartburn attack try an apple. There's a lot of google pages out there on exactly what type of apple to buy. Google heartburn or GERD and apple.
* Don't drink too much water before bedtime (it will just slosh everything back up your esophagus)
* for some reason milk does help me sometimes, although my gastro says it shouldn't since it has some fat in it. Lowfat milk sometimes seems to calm it down
* sleep upright - go buy a Lay-Z-Boy and sleep propped up.
* no citrus - anything acidic like orange juice or grapefruit juice is a no-no
* no peppermint
* no chocolate

Go buy GERD/Barrett's Esophagus, etc. for Dummies and read it so you understand physically what is happening. I wish someone had told me this when I was pregnant. I now have to do all the things above (plus lose weight) for the rest of my life and be scoped annually to check for cancer. Also, buy a tempurpedic adjustable bed so you can sleep propped up (helps with nursing too). Yes, it is expensive but well well worth it. Good luck!

Best of luck - but cut out the carbonation and excess water now.