Hey guys, I've had problems with my stomach for months. Feel sick a lot of the time and it's taking over my life - I can't stay up too late cause if I don't get enough sleep I wake up wanting to throw up, and throwing up makes it worse I went to hospital a couple of months ago and they said it was a problem with my stomch creating too much acid (which explains the burning feeling). Sometimes it's so bad that I can't eat cos it makes me feel horrible and I just throw it up, but if I don't eat I feel horrible too, and then sometimes end up throwing up anyway, just water and stomach acid and stuff. Sometimes water is too much to keep down. It's not as bad as it was a few months ago and I can go for a couple of weeks feeling ok (never completely fine), but it's driving me insane. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do to ease my stomach? It'd be greatly appreciated. ~Verona
Have you tried ginger? My 14 yo grandson has always had stomach problems in the morning and popping a ginger caplet helps him.
Try the ginger. You can make a tea from it and drink it and/or eat it in food. Stay away from all dairy products for atleast two weeks and see if you feel any better. Avoid greasy, fatty foods.
That sounds pretty unpleasant, Moro. When you went to the hospital, did they have any other advice? I think a referral to a gastroenterologist would be in order. 19 years old seems young to have that kind of excess acid production. Try the variations in diet as people are suggesting, see if any of that works for you. Don't eat and then lay down, or eat close to sleeping. Avoid alcohol. If you are experiencing a lot of stress these days, try relaxation techniques and exercise. For acute acid reflux, you may want to try an antacid medication--that will certainly help your symptoms for the short term, but you may need to have a deeper underlying issue addressed. If you don't like the idea of medication, consider seeing a holistic practioner of some kind, such as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. Still couldn't hurt to see a gastroenterologist also, though.
What I think is probably the case is that alcohol, especially in excess, can contribute to a worsening of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms. There is physiological evidence that alcohol may relax the muscles that control the influx/efflux of food into the stomach. This could possibly allow gastric contents to enter the esophagus, causing the symptoms of heart burn. This is the reason that alcohol, especially in excess, is considered a risk factor for GERD. I'm not sure there's concrete evidence that decreasing alcohol intake actually improves GERD or not, however. Regardless, it doesn't hurt to try it and see if it improves one's symptoms. In terms of alcohol harming the stomach long term, there is evidence that alcohol consumption, especially in combination with smoking, increases the risk of gastric cancer. So I can't say for sure that I know alcohol will harm the stomach, but I can say that it probably isn't good for it, especially in excess. As with most things, moderation/reduction is probably the key.
