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On the Rebound and Hating It

Day 3 without acid blockers has been rough. The day started out perfectly well, but I ended up with a stomach full of acid and a throat that still feels burnt. Days 1 and 2 were great, but today was my free day, when I eat anything I want. What did I do differently today?

  1. I didn't have my usual Spiru-Tein protein drink. Maybe one of the 5,000 ingredients in it helps prevent acid reflux.
  2. I had a full-sugar, full-fat hot chocolate.
  3. I ate a big, cheesy omelet and had a few berries, a little low-fat, unsweetened yogurt and a spoonful of oat bran. Big fatty meals gave me a stomach ache even when I took acid blockers. Since I stopped them, I get full a lot faster. This meal made me so full I got sleepy. The big cheesy omelet was probably the culprit, and the hot chocolate, the accessory.

Several hours later, I felt well enough to eat again, not that I really wanted to. Round 2 resulted in another lesser bout of rebound. Let's see where I might have gone wrong:

  1. I had half a Spiru-Tein drink--I was paying attention to how full I was getting. However, this flavor, cookies and cream, contained wheat--the thing I suspected gave me reflux in the first place. I thought I could get away with a little.
  2. I had a few vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and broccoli) with a little feta cheese and...vinaigrette. Yes, I'll use butter next time.

I could have put up with the acid stomach, but I was afraid my throat would be damaged by the acid that I could feel in there. The esophagus isn't meant to come in contact with stomach acid--that's how I got an ulcer there years ago. I did everything I could for damage control: I took a Zantac to weaken the acid, a Super Digestive Enzyme to help digest the food, and a magnesium tablet to help my stomach close at the top. Later, I drank a solution of baking soda. I also ate some raw honey; it's supposed to have healing effects. I just took a pro-biotic as well.

Round 3 goes to me. After I felt better, I had a small piece of baked salmon with a bit of mayonnaise. I've also learned better than to have big, fatty meals and any wheat at all.

Some good news: my chronically chapped lips suddenly became soft and smooth yesterday. I see this as an indication that I'm absorbing zinc, along with other vitamins and minerals, better without the acid blocker.
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