Overall, GERD feels like the right path. A 7/5 visit to my primary care physician Dr Shin further confirmed those thoughts & suspicions. My Stanford gastroenterologist visit is not for another month so with the blessing of Dr Shin, I’ve begun administering over-the-counter treatments on my own.
As of now, I take two 20mg pills of famotidine H2 blockers, one in the morning, one at night. Throughout the day, I also take 1000mg Tums whenever the acid reflux flares up.
Dr Shin gave approval to take the GERD medications as long as I want, but he heavily emphasized that diet changes are more important. He also strongly mentioned how GERD friendly diets are different for everyone; before completely eliminating a food, I should first test it out in small quantities.
In addition to the many diet changes, I have to make several lifestyle changes. I will stop taking daily calcium pills due to Tums. I will stop taking guaifenesin at night and let the H2 blockers handle things (no acid reflux = no mucus right?). I will stop intermittent fasting in order to allow myself Tums at night and to allow myself more space between meals. Last but not least, I will stop drinking caffeine for sleep inertia and rely primarily on adrenaline to wake me up.
