On Thursday, I described to my mom the fluid regurgitation during my Wednesday afternoon run and how it seemed to reduce my stomach bloating. Immediately, she diagnosed me with GERD and presented me with a bottle of Tums.
This was not the first time gastroesophageal reflux disease has been suggested as the source of my stomach woes. In the past, I discounted the possibility because the most common acid reflux triggers like tomatoes, caffeine, oranges, and mint seemed to be totally fine with me.
Anyway, that Thursday I did more research into GERD. Before long, I realized many of the GERD symptoms align with what I’ve been facing: difficulty swallowing, trouble breathing, vomiting / regurgitation, lumps in throat, stomach bloating, dry throat. (Though it is true that I haven’t come across any heartburn at all.) Not to mention, many GERD treatments were the same ones I had come up for myself: eat 5–6 small meals a day, stop eating before 5:30pm, stay away from fatty greasy meats, wear loose fitting clothing, stay away from creamy soups, etc.
In my previous research, I had been too focused on stomach bloating and was too quick to deem a food (un)acceptable based on whether or not it caused gas. In reality, stomach acid in my esophagus from GERD causes throat clogging, which builds up and eventually causes gas bloating. That explains why some foods that don’t seem to cause bloating (i.e. Coca-Cola, fried chicken, Godiva) are actually bad for me while others that do cause immediate bloating (i.e. yogurt, original Cheerios, non-citrus fruits) are okay.
