Training & Nutrition - acid reflux issues

I've been diagnosed with acid reflux. I've found that even if I'm on meds and have stayed with the acid-reflux-friendly-diet, plain water will come back up, and has done this while riding. I find that volume of water (or food) are the biggest triggers my reflux, along with alcohol (ROH) , but I don't drink ROHs until after riding and I'm in denial about the affect of ROH on my reflux so it's really not an issue here. :)

Has anyone experienced this, and have a solution?

I was thinking that if fully hydrated before a ride, something like drinking a sip every quarter mile might work. But, I don't like carrying things on my back while riding, so, camelbacks are not an option. And, I can in no way drink enough (volume issue--triggers the reflux) before a ride and sustain that hydration level (bladder issue, 'nuff said) long enough to remain hydrated. And, most importantly, biking puts me in a happy zone where I'm closed off to the world (except those things that affect my riding like cars, dogs, people walking their dogs, cars, children, etc.). I'd forget to sip every quarter mile, even if I liked riding with stuff on my back.

Any suggestions? I'm plain out of ideas.

PS. I also have a doc appt in a little over a week, earliest possible appt situation. Maybe the doc will hear something in my story to help me. Meanwhile, I'm ridin'.

Water coming up is not a serious problem. It is when stomach acid comes up that the damage is done. I have an extremely bad hiatal hernia and the trouble I have while riding is that when I first try to drink water it refuses to go down. After the first swallow finally relaxes I have no more problems. Drinking warm water is not so much of a problem.

I get mild acid reflux on occasion while biking. It's MUCH worse if I was drinking the night before, BTW...

I don't know if you have a weight issue but my reflux stopped when I lost weight.

Water coming up is not a serious problem. It is when stomach acid comes up that the damage is done. I have an extremely bad hiatal hernia and the trouble I have while riding is that when I first try to drink water it refuses to go down. After the first swallow finally relaxes I have no more problems. Drinking warm water is not so much of a problem.

Thanks, I appreciate this information. It's good to know that water coming back up isn't serious. It will be interesting to hear what my GI doc has to say next week.

Thanks, I appreciate this information. It's good to know that water coming back up isn't serious. It will be interesting to hear what my GI doc has to say next week.

Check your posture on the bike also. If you are bending too much in the middle of your torso, you can cause pressure on the stomach/throat sphincter and you will have reflux.Try to keep your back straight and try not to bend where your stomach is. Make sure you are not gettin too much pressure from the waistband of your riding shorts also.

I have found that sucking on a slowly dissolving calcium carbonate anti-heartburn tablet keeps most things down (I think because I am very regularly swallowing) when riding, unless I have eaten/taken water in too much volume. Try regular chewing gum also to keep the reflux-burn away, but don't use a mint gum as it will tend to relax that sphincter. I take one PPI (aciphex) a day before bedtime and if I eat too much at dinner or eat "unwisely" at dinner I will start to chew gum (jucyfruit) about 10-20 minutes after I finish the evening meal for at least 1/2 hour and whoopee!--no heartburn or any other symptoms of reflux (in my case, a dry cough in the back of my throat). I have read of this a couple of times in newspapers and such and for me it works. It might be worth a try as it is pretty cheap and not invasive in nature.

Check your posture on the bike also. If you are bending too much in the middle of your torso, you can cause pressure on the stomach/throat sphincter and you will have reflux.Try to keep your back straight and try not to bend where your stomach is. Make sure you are not gettin too much pressure from the waistband of your riding shorts also.

I have found that sucking on a slowly dissolving calcium carbonate anti-heartburn tablet keeps most things down (I think because I am very regularly swallowing) when riding, unless I have eaten/taken water in too much volume. Try regular chewing gum also to keep the reflux-burn away, but don't use a mint gum as it will tend to relax that sphincter. I take one PPI (aciphex) a day before bedtime and if I eat too much at dinner or eat "unwisely" at dinner I will start to chew gum (jucyfruit) about 10-20 minutes after I finish the evening meal for at least 1/2 hour and whoopee!--no heartburn or any other symptoms of reflux (in my case, a dry cough in the back of my throat). I have read of this a couple of times in newspapers and such and for me it works. It might be worth a try as it is pretty cheap and not invasive in nature.


Thanks!!! I've never seen these recommendations, probably because I've just recently been diagnosed, so I never paid attention to information sources such as the paper before now.

BTW, I got a bike fit about 2 weeks ago, and my back is mostly straight, I just need wider bars to flatten the shoulder blades and a slightly longer stem. Maybe even if my back is (mostly) flat in the dimension you're talking about, perhaps I'm still too compact/bunched up in the upper torso for things to move (or not move) correctly down to the stomach. Dang, wouldn't that be a kick-butt solution!?! No worries, I'm not deluded; I realize this is with me forever. I'd settle for some minimization, though!

And, I meant to mention, my primary doc thinks I'm not overweight, whereas I'd like to lose 10lbs, but, I am having a hard time doing it, even when biking 20+ miles per day. We'll see what the GI doc says.....

Thanks!!! I've never seen these recommendations, probably because I've just recently been diagnosed, so I never paid attention to information sources such as the paper before now.

. . .

When I first read about the gum thing in the Los Angeles Times monday health section, it was listen as something that was sorta "old wives tale" but might work. The second time I read about it somewhere, it claimed some research of some sort showed that it did indeed actually help.

I tried the calcium carbonate tablet thing to help cut down cramping as I was having cramps occaisionally. I found that the tablet kept things down pretty well.

I will tend to have my water come back into my throat on me if it is too cold though.

I've been diagnosed with acid reflux. I've found that even if I'm on meds and have stayed with the acid-reflux-friendly-diet, plain water will come back up, and has done this while riding.You may need surgery to tighten the sphincter that separates the stomach from the esophagus. Consult your M.D.

I have to express an alternative point of view here and I reccomend you read my references.

Acid reflux isn't caused by too much stomach acid. It's cause by too little stomach acid. The burning pain comes from mildly acidic stomach contents splashing on your esophagus which isn't resistant to acid at all so it's very sensitive.

Why the splashing?--Because your backed up.

Why are you backed up?-- Because your not digesting your food properly.

Why aren't you digesting your food properly?--A number of reasons here actually but one of them is because you don't have enough stomach acid to digest it properly!

See, http://www.westonaprice.org/healthissues/digestion_primer.html

and also Dr Mercola's site, http://www.mercola.com and look into his dietry reccomendations.

All a doctor is going to do for you is put you on stronger antacids I guess than you can get yourself and while this temporarily fixes the pain it only makes your lack of stomach acid and poor digestion problems worse.

Don't beleive me?--- Yes this is a different point of view but how many people do you know that took antacids and cured themselves to the point where they don't have to take them anymore?

Regards, Anthony

EDIT: by the way I have experienced this myself and I have cured myself by folowing the dietry reccomendations of the Weston A Price Foundation.