# new and bummed



## Poeticgrl (Nov 2, 2002)

Hi, i'm a newbie







Anyway, i was diagnosed about 6 months ago. It was by accident, cuz i thought i had food poisoning.I have strange symptoms: i rarely get heart burn, i get a black/brown discoloration on my tongue and teeth, sometimes chills, severe nausea, headaches, and abdominal pain so severe that sometimes i can't stand up, esp. during menstration.i have been taking Zantac once a day, 30 mg, with a pappaya <sp?> tablet in the afternoon. i have been severely stressed out lately, and today, i woke up with a black tongue. First time this has happened in months. I have no idea what could have caused it, even in the first place. The doctors didn't think it was that important of a detail, though it freaked me out...what now?







i was wondering if anyone had any advice or anything that they thought might be important to what i'm saying. It's good to finally know i'm not alone with this. I'm only 17, and when i found out i had GERD i was totally devastated, cuz i had no idea how drastically it would change my life.anyway, thanx for listening to me ramble on, and thanx to anyone who replies.btw: this is what i would like to do to doctors who don't listen to me...







a wrap or two on the head and maybe they might realize there is a point to be made!!!


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## jeremy (Oct 17, 2002)

Try and get the rights foods the don't upset your stomach, and avoid stress when you can, its not a easy way to live but there are good days....so enjoy them....


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## sabriel (May 27, 2002)

Hi Poeticgrl,Sorry to hear that you have GERD, but there is quite a bit you can do about reducing the symptoms.Firstly, it is best to avoid any spicy, acidy or overly fatty foods and caffeine.You are already taking Zantac I see, and if it works well for you I would stick with it. If you feel it is not working though, there are better medications you can try for example Somac (aka Pantaloc, Protonix) or Losec (aka Prilosec). Your doctor may require you to have an endoscopy before he will give them to you though.I have had one myself, and it is a pretty quick and fairly painless procedure where they use a tiny camera to have a look around the inside of your stomach. If your symptoms are fairly mild though, your doctor will probably consider it unneccessary. I would however, like to know how the doctor diagnosed GERD if he/she did not do one.I am a bit stumped by the other symptoms you mentioned (as below) too. These are not usually connected with GERD.


> quote: I have strange symptoms: i rarely get heart burn, i get a black/brown discoloration on my tongue and teeth, sometimes chills, severe nausea, headaches, and abdominal pain so severe that sometimes i can't stand up, esp. during menstration.


How long have you noticed the discolouration of your tongue too? I am wondering if it might be due to the pappaya tablets? Sometimes herbal medications can have odd side effects like that.Here also are some website links for articles that you might like to read about how to manage symptoms, what to avoid etc. Hope that helps some. Post again if you want to ask any more questions and I will do what I can to help. http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3351 http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3353 http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3352 http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3426


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