Each time I ingest food, I am plagued afterward by a burning sensation, as if a fiery creature has burst through my stomach, clawed up my esophagus, and into my throat. I wince in pain and massage my chest as bile enters my mouth. I have what is called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), a chronic condition that impacts my lifestyle choices more significantly than one would think.
For those of you who are unsure, acid reflux occurs when contents in the stomach back up into the esophagus midway through digestion. The pain is caused when the stomach acid hits the esophageal lining, which does not have the protection from acidity that the stomach does. This would explain the searing discomfort I feel when I awake in the middle of the night to unbearable pain and half-digested food in my throat. If not controlled, chronic heartburn can erode the esophageal lining completely, and even cause cancer.
The surprising truth is that GERD is becoming increasingly common in younger demographics. Some researchers blame this fact on the degrading quality of the North American diet. Others look at environmental factors, such as air quality and pollution.
But what saddens me is that many people who don’t have GERD tend to view my condition as petty and insignificant. When compared with fatal diseases, I’ve had people scoff at my condition for being easy to maintain or avoid. Most doctors I’ve seen simply say, “Avoid brown drinks and take a Tums before you go to bed. Your heartburn will clear up soon.” The reality is that GERD has tormented me for nearly a decade, and has caused me to significantly alter my lifestyle — the foods I eat, the positions in which I sleep, even my clothing choices.
GERD is becoming increasingly common in younger demographics.
A few years ago, though, I came to find a silver lining in my condition. I once told a friend in annoyance that to control my reflux I’d have to eat foods without spices, fruit and vegetables without preservatives, lean meat, no sugar, and drink lots of water, all while maintaining portion-control and refraining from food a few hours before bedtime. To which he replied, “That’s kind of a nice disease to have!”
I then realized I’d essentially outlined a healthy diet plan, one that would make Jenny Craig nod her head and smile. I further realized that my GERD had provided me with an opportunity that not many people have — an opportunity to, perhaps, eat in a way that would save me from not only acid reflux, but from a plethora of other health-related problems.
After finally seeing a physician who recognized the longevity of my condition and strongly affirmed this proper heartburn-free diet, I’ve been trying the best I can to live a healthy lifestyle. After all, if I don’t, it hurts!
Of course, there are times when I shamelessly pop a Tums and inhale a cheeseburger, and while I’ve cut back significantly on my coffee intake, giving it up entirely is out of the question! But indulgence once in a while is mostly pain-free, and I’m certainly fine with that.
All in all, I think it’s important to recognize the problems we may have, and to think of the benefits that could arise from these. Life is easier when we take our disadvantages and turn them into something that could benefit us, no matter how difficult these advantages may be to find. While eating has not been all that kind to me, I feel somewhat privileged to have a stomach that literally tells me when something is not good for me. Here’s to being my own personal nutritionist!
