Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Heart-burn/acid reflux related to AS?

I was just wondering if anyone else here suffers from fairly bad heart-burn/acid reflux; it's a bit of a problem for me. I eat a banana, I get heart-burn, an apple, heart-burn, any of the usual suspects like spaghetti, OJ, etc., obviously, I get heart-burn. It has gotten worse since I was diagnosed with AS a few years back and just wondered if anyone knew if it was yet another symptom or if I just have yet another issue to deal with -- not that I'm not up to the challenge; next to AS, nearly everything is easier to deal with.

Hi, petesimac:

Yes, GERD is another condition related to AS. When my AS was active, I had severe GERD at times. There are plenty of natural things to do about it, and it is important to allow plenty of time between eating and going horizontal--I have the feeling that I could have choked to death, or gotten a form of lung damage from this GERD it was so bad.

Not any sign of this today, thankfully...


Good luck to You,
John

I reckon, seem to be common.....

chicken or egg situation sometimes you have AS etc and does the top gastro flare because of that or does the irritation from the gerd cause the spondy to go wild.

I'd get on top of it cause left to its own devices it can really spoil every night.

Normally you get a proton pump inhibitor from the Dr as opposed to a tum's or home remedy ( they over time make it worse ) I take somac...others nexium etc...although zantac over the counter here is also helpful. I do n;t continue taking htese for long after it's better, stomach acid serves purposes ie kill bugs in food and it can also affect the top of the stomach so...stop when you feel right.

John's advice on eating drinking and not lying down are important....irritants like coffeee etc becareful I used to find Indian food was a no no until fixed.

I left this for a while and ended really inflammed from the tonsils down and the back spasms that go with that are not nice..

Dave

Hi Petesimac

I had a serious problem of heartburn and, though I did not realise it then, it started just before I was diagnosed with AS. It would flare up every time I would have coffee, whisky and any deep fried stuff. I used to frequently rely on Digene, Gelusil and other over the counter antacids.

I hope I am not tempting fate, but it has come down over the last one month or so, since I have been on NSD.

Take care

Saurabh

Thanks, all; I was just wondering.

petesimac-
Yes, I too suffer from heartburn and acid reflux. Again, the most important thing to do is not lie down very soon after eating. Also, you'll want to avoid remedies that contain sucrose and corn starch. My nutritionist recommended Vitaline Alka-Aid as a safe alternative and it works quite well for me.
Regards,
chimike

I'm not sure banannas are the best food for us, both starchy and fatty....

Dave

I appreciate the viewpoint Dave, but I'm not on the no-starch bandwagon. As for bananas, when's the last time you saw a fat monkey No, in all seriousness, I don't eat bananas often, but when I do, yeeouch! Instant heartburn. It is comforting, in a really strange way, to know that it is just another part of AS, the gift that keeps on giving.

Hiya,

not from a low starch etc, I just noticed for years they are not the best thing to eat with that top gastro stuff.....which is what alot say is good for bad guts. I know my mother in law eats a daily banana sandwiches with here mobic.

That top gastro stuff with the thoracics can get very unpleasent just trying to save you from finding out.

Dave

No, and I really appreciate it, Dave; hope you didn't think otherwise. I'm just not a believer in the whole no starch diet thing. I didn't know that starch is a problem for acid reflux sufferers though; I'll try to watch it. But hey, I'm Italian: lots of pasta and red sauce, etc. Bad for me, but soooo good.