Acid Reflux FAQ

I have an infant and I understand that acid reflux can affect babies. What are the symptoms?: The symptoms of pediatric reflux are recognizable. Be on the lookout for constant or sudden crying which may seem similar to colic when the baby is laying down flat and does not calm down. Excessive vomiting, frequent hiccups, excessive dribbling, swallowing problems or frequent ear infections. If the baby cannot burp after feeding or refuses to feed and coughs at night, perhaps even having a bad breath that may smell of acid. If you suspect that your baby may have pediatric reflux then you should see your pediatrician immediately.

I have acid reflux and I’m wondering what the best thing to do is. Should I consider surgery?: That’s a decision for you and your doctor. Honestly I feel like if you have exhausted all your other options and have faithfully completed every course of treatment that your doctor has suggested without fail then yes I would encourage you to do so. There are currently a bevy of medicinal options out there on the market that are both over the counter and prescription. I would suggest both to make sure that you have exhausted your options.

For my part, I found adjusting my lifestyle to be the most dramatic and significant factor to beating acid reflux and the only time I ever felt as if I wasn’t getting better was when I was still adhering to a lifestyle that was slowly hurting me. If I were you I’d ask myself if you have honestly tried to take care of your lifestyle habits like you should. I took steps to make sure that I wasn’t eating three hours before bed and avoiding foods that would make my stomach begin to secrete gastric acid. With acid reflux I think the solution begins where it all started: with what you are doing to your body.

I have asthma. How will that effect my acid reflux and vice versa?: The problem with the esophagus is that there are so many nerves that become stimulated and over-stimulated by the gastric acid. When acid seeps through the esophageal sphincter then those nerves become inflamed which causes coughing. Thus coughing occurs and can stimulate the nerves which affect the lungs, causing some of the smaller air pathways to narrow which may cause an asthma attack.

Acid reflux often causes a chronic cough so that may also cause asthma in some people but the fact is that those that develop asthma more than likely had asthma in the first place. Since coughing is associated with asthma as it is with acid reflux it is not clear just how badly acid reflux may exacerbate asthma conditions. However, researchers have noted that acid reflux does not help with keeping the symptoms from getting improving.