BY PAIGEDCYOGA ON MAY 18, 2017
So ever since my VAD and stroke years ago I ended up going down the road of many other symptoms and then you are told “here – take this”. I did that for a bit and managed to stop all. Except one.
I would have raging heartburn. All day. Nothing I did helped. I talked to my doctor. Suggestions of various over the counter medication. I did some but got little relief. Then I found “the purple pill” Nexium. It finally helped. I could go on with my life again! Yeah.
So for 4 years now I would take it at bedtime. Just what my routine was. When I tried to stop taking it, even for a day, the heartburn would return. I tried cold turkey again back in early April. As I started investigating more though I found that coming off drugs like this is very hard. Don’t do it cold turkey.
So I started doing every other day. Then go longer. Examining my diet and making my food bigger at lunch and very light at dinner. I also started seeing that the pain I was having wasn’t really at my chest or heartburn. Instead it is a sharp stabbing pain just underneath the ribs. I have known about the helpful effects of apple cider vinegar but couldn’t think about taking it. So I found tablets. I often take these at night.
However in trying to stop, I found the pain to be really bad one day and I remembered learning that mustard helps in a pinch because it has vinegar. So I got a spoon and swallowed the mustard. Ugh! But wait – in about 10 seconds the pain was gone.
Then I got some organic apple cider vinegar. Now when the pain happens I take that. Straight up. I know that many suggest put it in water but I just prefer to get it over and then sip water after. 5 weeks later and I went the longest day without Nexium the other day. However the pain still happens. Especially teaching I’ve had to be careful – going upside down is sometimes something that triggers it.
I wish more of us and especially doctors knew about it. Instead of just suggesting the medicine there should be a time limit and help from the medical field at coming off. From what I am learning my body has grown used to this drug and the effects I’m having has more to do with coming off it than the heartburn I had coming onto it.
I definitely know I’m still in charge and responsible but I do with more people out there knew more about it. Facebook groups I’m on for my VAD condition show that many have the same problem. So many asking the same question – what may help?
From what I have been reading this could still take me months of pain and doing the natural remedies to help before I can see a difference. So far though I do see some small changes. So I wanted to post this to just inform others. The heartburn medication was never meant to be a long term solution.
I am doing other things too. Diet change – knowing what triggers it – which is almost everything! Kiefer probiotic. Ginger tea (love).
Thanks to so many who I have shared this with already. Times where the pain has been so bad and I couldn’t teach. I wasn’t ready to go public with this but now I am ready. I’ll post more on the progress.