Heart attack or acid reflux? My 25-year battle with stomach acidity and IBS

 Is it a heart attack or just stomach acidity? Acid reflux and stomach acidity can be dramatic affairs as they mimic the symptoms of a heart attack.

Little wonder I made four mad dashes to the ER in 25 years. And each time, it turned out that my stomach had gone rogue.

It all started when I embarked on a journalism career. Tight deadlines, late meals, and spicy and oily food threw my stomach out of kilter. It never recovered.

Chest pain, rib ache, bloating, sore throat — all have become perennial companions. I’ve had four endoscopies. The verdict? Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Antacids became my remedy of choice. It helps, but it’s never the solution — a temporary fix at best. Over the years, all doctors prescribed PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor) tablets, and they worked for a while. But then you can’t be too reliant on them.

Home remedies: I tried some but couldn’t sustain it long enough to derive any benefit. Ayurvedic medicines were a huge help, but when my stomach calmed down, I would slip into my old ways. Spicy food, coffee, chocolates and soda would trip me up again. My diet and fitness regimes were so random that they didn’t help rein in my acidity.

Managing temper tantrums of the stomach isn’t easy; it requires immense discipline.

I haven’t stopped trying. I still have spicy food, coffee, chocolates and soda, but in moderation. Staying off wheat helped, which my gastroenterologist says points to wheat intolerance, no gluten intolerance. That means no bread, no pizza, no cookies, no cakes — all the good stuff I love to bake.

Now, I have to start hitting the gym again. That means an early morning start! Groan!!