Acid Reflux - Cycling

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Sorry I did not word that well
I ruptured my spleen and suffered chronic cramping spasms for several years which led to a twisted bowl and hiatus hernia.

After the twisted bowel and daily pain after meals etc I with diagnosed with gall stones at late thirties and it was decided to operate and remove adhesions ( 50 / 50 they will return) of the gut as well as gall bladder.
Instant relief after suffering for over 15 years

The gut problems never returned after another 15 years but possible return of adhesions across the intestines has given me stomach cramps in the last few years and now its suggested that I have colic, which is at the moment a few times a year.

I was on ibuprophen for several years but did not....(well possible thats what has caused my problems now)...sufer at the time but it has been common now to perscribe Omaprezole if you regulary take anti inflamatries. As it leads to acid in the gut which can I belive afect your large bowel

Now on hyoscine butylbromide for abdominal cramps.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butylscopolamine

[roeboy]

I'm on 2 Omaprezole a day as a result of reflux but never have any issues with cycling in fact the general excersize seems to help keep the worst of the reflux at bay. All the best

[Audax67]

I've had a hiatus hernia for years. I take omeprazole in the evening just before bed - doc says most reflux occurs overnight so that makes sense. Other than that, coffee is pretty acidic and since the damage occurs on the way down rather than back up cutting it out may help. Drinking ristretto instead of full espresso may help, too, since the acid is extracted in the latter part of the pour. Spirits do nasty things too.

Whether cycling causes reflux or not depends largely on how tight your clothes are. I find that the position does not affect me unless I have let my gut grow too much and I'm wearing winter tights, but when I'm fit and in light summer kit I have absolutely no problem.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can also reduce the mucous lining of the oesophagus and make it more vulnerable to stomach acid, so when I'm taking Naproxen for my buggered ankle I have an extra 20 mg omeprazole in the morning along with it.

[rmurphy195]

I've had a hiatus hernia for years. I take omeprazole in the evening just before bed - doc says most reflux occurs overnight so that makes sense. Other than that, coffee is pretty acidic and since the damage occurs on the way down rather than back up cutting it out may help. Drinking ristretto instead of full espresso may help, too, since the acid is extracted in the latter part of the pour. Spirits do nasty things too.

Whether cycling causes reflux or not depends largely on how tight your clothes are. I find that the position does not affect me unless I have let my gut grow too much and I'm wearing winter tights, but when I'm fit and in light summer kit I have absolutely no problem.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can also reduce the mucous lining of the oesophagus and make it more vulnerable to stomach acid, so when I'm taking Naproxen for my buggered ankle I have an extra 20 mg omeprazole in the morning along with it.

Surely the damage to your gut is done by the stomach acid (which is quite strong) coming up to where it shouldn't be, rather than the drink going down?

[elPedro666]

Exactly that Mr Murphy; the acid effectively changes the lining of the oesophagus into stomach lining (to cope with the acid). This is Barratt's Syndrome and can eventually go cancerous, hence my desire for the operation! I'm four days post-op now (Nissen Fundoplasti /sp) and starting to heal up nicely. Will be on a liquid diet for at least another week and soft until well into the new year, so we've bought a fancy blender!

No acid so far, so hopefully it's working...

[hondated]

That's good news elpedro strange as it may seem after my endoscopy this week I was hoping that they would find a HH but instead they said I had inflammation and did a biopsy and the consultant disappeared before I could question him.
Great so now I am left anxiously wondering.

[elPedro666]

Nothing worse than the waiting Ted, you have my full sympathies there! In the past my gastroscopy biopsy results have come back very quickly, if that's any small comfort

[Audax67]

I've had a hiatus hernia for years. I take omeprazole in the evening just before bed - doc says most reflux occurs overnight so that makes sense. Other than that, coffee is pretty acidic and since the damage occurs on the way down rather than back up cutting it out may help. Drinking ristretto instead of full espresso may help, too, since the acid is extracted in the latter part of the pour. Spirits do nasty things too.

Whether cycling causes reflux or not depends largely on how tight your clothes are. I find that the position does not affect me unless I have let my gut grow too much and I'm wearing winter tights, but when I'm fit and in light summer kit I have absolutely no problem.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories can also reduce the mucous lining of the oesophagus and make it more vulnerable to stomach acid, so when I'm taking Naproxen for my buggered ankle I have an extra 20 mg omeprazole in the morning along with it.

Surely the damage to your gut is done by the stomach acid (which is quite strong) coming up to where it shouldn't be, rather than the drink going down?

The direction of flow doesn't matter: acid is acid, whether it's going up or down. OK, coffee isn't as acidic as stomach HCl but if the mucous membrane of the oesophagus has been reduced it can still hurt. Ditto bananas, fruit juice etc.

As to Barratt's syndrome, a report I read recently indicated that although people who develop cancer of the oesophagus always have it, it isn't a precancerous condition. In other words it isn't incipient cancer, nor does it mean you're heading for cancer.

[elPedro666]

It CAN become cancerous, but it's unlikely. Stomach acid is surely massively stronger than anything edible. I was reading pH 3-4 in my oesophagus, definitely enough to burn!

[elPedro666]

*unlikely if kept in check is probably a better description

[Audax67]

According to the report I read, Barratt's is a normal defensive response to acid in the oesophagus, that's all. Barratt-syndrome cells are no more disposed to cancer than those of your stomach lining.

[elPedro666]

Not what three GPs, four specialists, a stomach surgeon and a variety of nursing staff etc etc have told me - I'd be seriously inclined to question that. Not saying that it's wrong, knowledge - especially medical - is transient, I get that, but I'd certainly not be relying on one recent report that contradicts the medical profession as a whole, especially given what's at stake.

[hondated]

I have been informed today that I have acid leaking from my small intestine into my stomach.

Has anyone else had this problem and if you have do you think it was caused by cycling or is just one of those age things.

The last thing I want to do is to give up cycling. The bike with the engine will go before that happens.

[rmurphy195]

I have been informed today that I have acid leaking from my small intestine into my stomach.

Has anyone else had this problem and if you have do you think it was caused by cycling or is just one of those age things.

The last thing I want to do is to give up cycling. The bike with the engine will go before that happens.

Have a word with your GP/Specialist - irrespective of the cause, you may want some advice re the effect of posture e.g. being bent over (cycling or otherwise) - will it exacerbate the problem? Will keeping an upright stance (back straight, even sitting down) help? What's your position on your bike/motorbike/car - factor these into the knowledge you gain e.g. if bending over is an issue, and your motorbike is a cafe racer but your push-bike is an upright, or your motorbike is a laid-back chopper but your push bike is a dropped-bar tourer then there's some thinking to do?

Is you body telling you anything e.g. after sitting hunched over a desk for a few hours does the problem manifest itself more?

Does stress bring it on - so de-stressing on a bike might be a good thing?

But get the professional advice and do some online research to get informed before making a decision, AND listen/feel for what your body is saying. For some of these complaints there can be multiple causes, so one person's experience may differ from another's - and may even be the opposite!

best of luck

[hondated]

Thanks murphy165 great advice. I recently fitted trekking bars to my bike and it was obviously a lot more upright and felt great. But, and I have done this several times now, I couldn't get out of my head that my Roberts was built with drop bars so the top tube was the wrong length for trekking bars.I did fit a longer stem to compensate for that but it still felt wrong.So now I have refitted the drops but this time turned them up more for a more upright position.
My motorcycle is a BMW 1200 GS and its a got a great upright riding position. Little anecdote here. Today I went out on it and riding through Ashdown Forest I looked in my mirror and saw a police car flashing lights behind me so my heart sunk that is until it went speeding past me and into the distance. Boy was I glad that I am now an old boy who was riding a tad over the 40mph limit.Age can be great at times.
I will ask my consultant as you advise but I was pleased to learn at my first visit to see him that he too is a runner and cyclist so he understands how important cycling is to me.
I am as you suggest avoiding food that can create acid and the plus side of that is I am managing to lose some weight.
This all started because I thought I should be a much better cyclist and I would love to think that at the end of this whatever is causing the problem is repaired and I become the sort of cyclist I have always wanted to be.