This is lovely...as if I couldn't get any sicker...

[RockyRoad]

:rolleyes: Geez. Guess what I have just been diagnosed with today? Acid Reflex Disease. :( I had been getting terrible chest pains & hearburns, so my mom took me to the doctor. Sure enough, he diagnosed me with A.R.D. I know it's not the worst thing in the world, but I have been dealing with constant headaches, stomachaches, and more during the past month or so, and have been to the doctor at least 5 times during that time. :eek: I guess I kind of inherited it, although it might not have been the case. The disease is in my father's side of my family. My grandparents and my father all have it. My mom is getting my medicine when she gets off from work, which should be soon.:( I wonder what it will be like, and how some of my school friends will treat me (some of my "friends" make fun of this kind of thing).

P.S. I am aware I am over-reacting, thinking that it is so bad, but I just don't want to deal with anymore pain...:( :rolleyes:

[Cookiebaker]

Hope the meds work for you Britt! It will be good to get some relief!! Feel better!

[popcornbird]

I'm so sorry. :( What is this disease btw? I have never heard of it. Will the medicine cure it or keep it in control? Get well soon! It is very inconsiderate of your friends to make fun of you. How would they feel if they had it? :(

Please don't worry too much. We have some friends that have a little 18 month old baby boy who was recently diagnosed with cancer. :(:(:( He is going through treatment now but we can only pray that he will get through this. He is such a sweet baby and has come up with this terrible disease. There are millions of people with much worse diseases, so there is always something to be thankful about. Get well soon!

[RockyRoad]

A.R.D. is a disease that causes heart burn and chest pains because of worrying, nerve things (And I have a long history of nerve problems, whenever I get excited, nervous, etc, I shake my hands faster than anyone else can. My dad has the same kind of thing), certain foods or liquids, and other things I forgot. Some of my friends are inconsiderate, I sometimes wonder why I still call them friends... Anyway, I forgot what my medicine is called, but I will tell you when I get it.

I'm sorry about your friends' son. I hope he gets well soon.

[neko1]

Hope the medication helps you out. Just remember, someone who makes fun of you for this is NOT your friend. Your real friends will help you though this!

[sammi]

I hope you feel better real soon. It is no fun being sick. I think after you start your medication you will feel much better. No need to tell anybody you don't want that you are sick. Just have to watch what you eat drink.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Hey Brit, don't worry, the medicine will make you feel 100% better, and if it doesn't there are other medications that should work. I have ARD too, and I hate it. I take one Aciphex a day and it makes a world of difference. Ever since I started with the Aciphex I've gone back to eating and drinking everything I used to, and the only time I have a problem these days is the old, dreaded "once a month" for a few days. Then I could take 2 or 3 Aciphex a day and it does no good. :(

Prevacid is a real popular medication for ARD, but that wasn't working for me. I tried just using Pepcid twice a day too, but that didn't do the trick either. The thing with these medications is that they are sooooo expensive (over $100.00 for a 30 day supply). Thank God I've got great insurance - hopefully your parents do too.

Popcornbird, you have a little "flap" at the end of your esophagus that allows food to go into your stomach, but does not allow all the stomach acids to come back up into your esophagus. ARD is when that little flap doesn't do it's job and your stomach acids come back up into your esophagus and throat - causing continuous really bad heart burn. It makes sense that foods with more acid - tomatoes, oranges, etc - would aggravate the problem because then there is more acid to come back up.

Most of the medications out there stop your stomach from producing so much acid and there is then less to come back up. They do not address the flap at all - which I fail to understand. If closing the flap is the problem, why not make a drug to do that?

If left untreated this can lead to cancer of the esophagus and other really serious conditions, so it's a good thing you're getting it taken care of. I heard on TV once that they are finding out that ARD is actually caused by a bacteria and can actually be cured by taking a combination of ARD drugs, antibiotics and Pepto-Bismal for about two weeks, but evidently that information is still too new because I searched the internet and didn't find anything out about that, and I asked my doctor and he didn't know anything about it either. So for now it's one Aciphex a day for me and life is good again. :)

One thing you should try to do Brit, is take some self help class or something to help you deal with stress. You are way too young to be getting something like this (I'm 40 - almost 41) and the sooner you learn to relax and deal with stress, the better off you'll be your whole life. I've found that yoga helps.

Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any questions. I'm no expert, but have been dealing with this for at least 4 or 5 years now so I might be able to help. :)

[lovemyshiba]

I'm sorry to hear of your illness. My sister is being tested right now for GERD--gastro intestinal esophogeal reflux disease (I have no clue if I spelled that right). One thing she will be relieved about, is that they find it, and she has an answer, and the proper medication for it. Gastrointestinal diseases run in my family on my mom's side, but it took them all a while to have any symptoms, my aunt having a terrible problem last year, resulting in 2 operations. You're lucky that you know what it is, and you can start treating it.
Also, if you have friends who would make fun of you for this, drop them--you don't need negative people in your life.

[RockyRoad]

Prilosec-That is the name of the medicine I'm taking. My mom said the doctor said it is found in children, and he said it was probably just because of my nerves. :( He said it would fade away, if I took the medicine and tried to relax more. I hope so.:( I was so wrapped up in this, I ddn't even mention what was good about my check-up! My blood pressure was as the nurse quoted "perfect". Although I am a little unhappy with my weight, it seems I have gained three pounds.:( But, in an effort to cheer myself up, I guess I can't call myself "fat" yet, I guess that is a good thing. Where did that exercise profile thread go? It got me so motivated. I also have been taking Sudafed and Zyrtec for my allergies/sinuses, and now my headaces are decreasing to about one headache per week (I used to get them almost every day, so that's an improvement!) So..I guess some things turned out well. Thanks for all the warm wishes and suggestions everyone, I will surely take them into consideration.

P.S. I still have all my Christmas cards hanging up on my door. I call them my "Pet Talk medicine"!!:D

[zippy-kat]

I have it too, Britt. Although, thankfully, it doesn't bother me too much until I get stressed--that's when it kicks in!

Hope ya feel better soon!

[Truzz]

FloppsyLadySally89, its okay for you to 'over-react', look what youre going threw!
Hope you feel better soon:)

[wolf_Q]

My mom and brother have that too. I've wondered before if I don't have it also. It is not a good feeling!

Hope you feel better soon!

[lynnestankard]

So sorry you're having to go through this Britt. From the sound of it the medicine should 'kick in' very quickly and hopefully bring a lot of relief. You're not over-reacting, your just anxious - you'll be fine. I've always found Yoga is really good for calming me down when I get anxious. Have you tried anything like that? I'm keeping fingers crossed for you.

T & P Mom - were you thinking of the helio-bacter trials? My cousin is going through that at the moment.


Lynne

[RockyRoad]

My aunt does yoga, and she says it's very relaxing as well. I'll have to try it! :D

Hi Britt , the good news here , is that you finally know what causes that pain . So you can work on that cure now ,hey! I am so happy for you that the doc took ye seriously and searched till he found it !! Acid reflux is not the end of the world when it's being taken care of . Do as the doc says , and you will fell up-to-date in no time , Britt! GOOD LUCK :D :D
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[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by lynnestankard
T & P Mom - were you thinking of the helio-bacter trials? My cousin is going through that at the moment.
Lynne

I'm not sure. I had just heard a brief clip on the news one day and haven't heard anything about it since, so I really don't know. It would be so nice if they did find out it was a bacteria because then we could get rid of it instead of having to take these darn pills forever.

Prilosec is the "purple pill" they advertise on TV. :)

[K9karen]

Hey Britt, Sweetie....I've had ARD and took Prilosec..and it worked well. Be careful what you eat for a spell too...no acidity or gaseous things..unfortunately, it's the good stuff like pizza and chocolate and dairy, raw veggies....I never denied myself, just modified it. I have a tendency to be a Nervous Nelly - it was worse when I was in school with exams and college pressure etc. You don't have to tell your "friends" anything you don't want, if they're your true buddies, like mine were. they'll even help you out.