I guess I should have seen this coming…I’ve previously had minor cases of heartburn after eating raw garlic and a couple times after overeating…but the last few nights, I’ve been waking up at 3-4am with a pain in my chest. Of course, self-diagnosing always makes you paranoid and I first thought I was having congestive heart failure, hehe…wasn’t really laughing this morning at 3:30…but the symptoms look like what many millions of Americans suffer from…acid reflux.
Acid Reflux: a condition in which acidic gastric fluid is regurgitated into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
There are a good amount of signs that I have this:
- Every morning, I have to brush my tongue since there is a white film over it (food coming back up in your sleep)
- Food triggers: caffeine, tomatoes, garlic, carbonated drinks (I bought a lot of sparkling water), chocolate, spicy food, cheese, red meat, fatty foods, etc
- Wearing tight pants that restrict my stomach and causing discomfort
- Sleeping on my back which makes the acid travel back up and has been giving me bad chest pains at night
- Needing to sleep upright to let the pain subside…think I’ll need to adjust my bedding…don’t wanna keep sleeping on the couch
- Regurgitation/vomit/bloating: this happens every so often after eating a lot and I feel the acid in my throat…makes swallowing hurt
Guess this is just one of the signs of getting older. I guess I’ll be forced to change my diet. I’ve already ordered some apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and antacid pills from Target. I ate oatmeal and a banana today and drank hot ginger water. Honestly, I am thankful. It is quite common and it isn’t the worst thing to deal with (though I wish I could get a good night’s sleep). I should probably eat healthier in the long run…the hubby is secretly jumping for joy…