teens or adults with GERD?

[kathymuggle]

My son (age 14) has had stomach pains and occasioanl nausea for the past 3 weeks! It is pretty bad - if he went to school (he is HSed) he would have mised a lot of days. He missed an important drama class and could not enjoy paintballing with his friends

He has seen 2 doctors (both at emergency visits). The first time I was afraid it was appendicitis. The doctor said it wasn't - he suspected GERD - and prescribed Zantac. While I was sort of relieved it wasn't appendisitis, I did not fully beleive the GERD diagnosis - hence the second visit to a doctor to confirm it. Yup, second doctor beleives it is GERD as well.

They expect that the Zantac may take 3 weeks to work - which just infuriates me! He has been in pain for 3 weeks, and they are expecteing he will be in pain for another 3 weeks before the Zantac will fully work. I doubt if it were their kid they would be OK with them being in pain for 6 weeks

He has also lost weight as he is afraid to eat (eating causes pain). He czannot really afford to lose weight - he is lean to begin with.

Thanks for reading my vent - I would love a hug or healthy vibes/prayers!

I have a few questions if you are familiar with GERD....

1. If you use Zantac or some other H2 drug - how long did it take to work?

2. Are there any non drug changes that worked for you in fighting this oh-so-lovely condition?

Thanks!

Kathy

[JessicaS]

My ds took zantac when he was just a baby and it worked really fast, it can sometimes take awhile though.

Why don't you take him to a GP so they can spend more time discussing it with your son?

Did either of the Drs give y'all information on nutritional changes which may help relieve symptoms?

I found this in a search but others probably have more information

http://www.gicare.com/diets/gerd.aspx

[Violet2]

My entire paternal family has GERD. When grandma died we divvyed (sp?) up her Prilosec so, you know, we're hardcore. Also possibly crass.

Anyway, it took me about a year to find a med that worked. You might want to try some OTC Prilosec which is what I use. I liked Protonix, insurance doesn't want to cover it. The best price I've found for Prilosec in bulk is on Amazon.

And yes the pain can be that severe. My dad was in the ER alot before they finally figured GERD out.

GERD pain, if it couldn't be controlled, would seriously make me consider ending it and I am NOT one to be melodramatic. It is just awful awful pain. I've missed work because of it.

My father is now precancerous and esophageal cancer has dismal survival rates, so you really want to be on top of GERD to prevent tissue damage/changes in the esophagus.

So. All that being said, try some different meds. You should be able to use peopto bismal or some tums too on top of the pills which may or may not help. Take the medicine on an empty stomach and wait about an hour to eat--that is key.

And see if you can get into a GI specialist for long term management.

I know there are natural approaches but watching my dad wait to find out if he has cancer on a three month rotation has caused me to lean more toward allopathic medicine in this case.

Hope that helps.

V

[deditus]

My GERD is caused by food intolerances - I am off gluten, dairy, soy and eggs - eggs specifically cause my GERD.

[kathymuggle]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

He does have a GP appointment in 2.5 weeks.

Kathy

[34me]

My 11 yo has GERD. He is off dairy, anything with caffeine including chocolate, if he has anything with fizz he knows he will pay for it, tomatos (especially sspaghtti sauce)....

He was 5 when diagnosed and was on an adult dose of compounded prilosec. He was later on Zegerid, which just went OTC. It is omeprezole (prilosec) and baking soda. The baking soda provides immediate relief. I will put a couple teaspoons in about 1/4 cup of water if I am having issues and get immediate relief. Mylanta also helps in the short term.

[Violet2]

Originally Posted by deditus

My GERD is caused by food intolerances - I am off gluten, dairy, soy and eggs - eggs specifically cause my GERD.

Maybe you know this already, but GERD can be silent and still damage your esophagus. At some point you may want an endoscopy to ensure there's not signs of damage either old or ongoing.

V

[Bea]

Do you know why the Dr chose an H2 antagonist over a proton pump inhibitor?

It seems a little 'old fashioned' from a pharmaceutical POV.

[Bea]

Another thought.

Was a breath test for H. Pylori done?

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by Bea

Do you know why the Dr chose an H2 antagonist over a proton pump inhibitor?

It seems a little 'old fashioned' from a pharmaceutical POV.

Originally Posted by Bea

Another thought.

Was a breath test for H. Pylori done?

No and no.

The first hospital simply palpitated his stomach, asked some questions and diagnosed GERD. The second hospital was a bit more thorough - more thorough palpitating, thorough questioning and some blood work to rule out some other stuff - but no stomach x-ray or ultrasound, and no breath test.

I think it is standard protocal in Canada to choose the safest and mildest drug that will do the job. I think this is why they choose Zantac over others - I could be wrong, though. I also do not think they grasp the pain he is in. It varies in intensity - so if they see him at an OK moment - he sort of comes off as OK - but overall he is not. (insert mild glimmer of hope - he seems a little better since beginning the zantac and making some dietary changes - so hopefully it will work)

I must admit - if he does not show decent improvement and soon (I will say a week or so) I am tempted to go to the store and buy OTC proton pump inhibitors. Of course, I would not give him the Zantac on the same day. The docotrs might want to do a 3 week trial of Zantac to see if it works - but I am not Ok with him being in pain that long.

Off to google H Pylori.

[KMK_Mama]

I was diagnosed with silent GERD a few months ago. I was having this awful feeling like I had a lump in my throat like something was stuck in there for months before I finally went to an ENT. He looked down my esophagus with a scope and said I had lots of swelling and damage that was causing the feeling. I am on the generic form of prilosec which is over the counter. It's $16 for a 6 weeks supply at costco. It helped within a few days.

[sbgrace]

I wouldn't do zantac personally. I'd want a PPI. Marci kids website has good information about why H2 blockers aren't usually the best choice.

It does take a while for PPI's to start bringing relief but he may feel some relief more quickly than the doctor said. He could do something like Malox or tums and I probably would given the amount of pain and fear of eating.

If he's still sick when you do a PPI you'll need more testing to see what else might be going on. It's weird to me it started up so suddenly and severely at his age, so I'd be wondering what might be underlying it.

Does he have any other GI changes? Sometimes constipation or a stomach bug can cause issues like this to begin.

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

I wouldn't do zantac personally. I'd want a PPI. Marci kids website has good information about why H2 blockers aren't usually the best choice.

It does take a while for PPI's to start bringing relief but he may feel some relief more quickly than the doctor said. He could do something like Malox or tums and I probably would given the amount of pain and fear of eating.

If he's still sick when you do a PPI you'll need more testing to see what else might be going on. It's weird to me it started up so suddenly and severely at his age, so I'd be wondering what might be underlying it.

Does he have any other GI changes? Sometimes constipation or a stomach bug can cause issues like this to begin.

He may have started with a stomach bug.

I find it odd he started suddennly and severely as well. I am not 100% sold on the GERD diagnosis.

I have a call into the lab at the hospital to see if they tested his blood for H. Pylori in his blood work.

The research I have done online seems to indicate PPI's are more effective. I explained to DS that I had done a bit of online research and they do seem to be more effective - would he like to try Prilosec (which is the one we can get) or keep with Zantac for a few more days and see how that goes. He choose stick with Zantac. Myself, I would be trying a PPI now but he is a more cautious sort. He also does not like pills - I guess my anti-pill stance over the years has lead to a kid who does not like pills.

[kjbrown92]

If it started with a stomach bug, could it be temporary lactose-intolerance which can be caused by a stomach bug? Have you tried taking off the most common dietary offenders (for reflux: citrus, onions, tomatoes, etc. and/or for intolerances: gluten, dairy, soy and corn)?

[Violet2]

Mine started suddenly and it was GERD with no underlying pathology, but then my family history is strong for GERD.

BUt just so you have a data point, it can just hit out of the blue.

V

[kathymuggle]

Well, I went to the pharmacy trying to buy prilosec (or another PPI class drug) and it turns out I was wrong - I cannot get them in Canada without a perscription

It also turns out the docs did not test for H-Pylori.

I am going to call the doctor and see if I can get in sooner. Poor guy, he has been to the hospital twice, and will probably being going to the doctor this week if I get my way (I know they want me to wait 3 weeks to see if Zantac works, but frankly I am finding that unacceptable)