Heartburn and endo

[AMJ88]

For the last month or so I've been suffering with terrible heartburn. I have a had a few bad endo days where the pain has been horrendous so have taken iburopben aswell as the normal painkillers. The heartburn is only at night and doesn't seem to be triggered by food. It might not even be linked to the endo just wondered if anyone has ever experienced this. Thank you in advance xx

[Jayleo]

Hey, I have the same, heartburn/chest pain feeling in my chest. I had surgery for endo around 6 years ago but it has come back with a vengeance. I have been waiting for an appointment for over a year but due to covid it has been a slow process, I finally have an MRI scan this Monday, the pain started around a year ago on my c section scar as before and the last 6 months I have had a dull aching/burning feeling in my chest. So bad I had the paramedics come to my home as the symptoms where that of a heart attack. I have done some research and I have found out about ' thoracic endometriosis ' I'm not sure if you get any other symptoms but it's worth having a look at online. I wasn't aware that endometriosis can reach areas that are not just in your stomach area. I have started to get upset writing this as its really ruining my mental health and the symptoms are so hard to live with at the moment. I hope you get the help you need. Take care xx

[MumblingMowgli]

Ibuprofen and NSAIDs in general can do some nasty stuff to your stomach, always make sure you eat with them. Speak to your doctor about some relief. I have omeprezole which I take daily to keep on top of it. I ran out last week and had five days of constant heartburn so painful I only managed about an hours sleep a couple of nights. I tried all the over the counter stuff and home remedies still no good. I got my omeprezole Xmas eve and it saved Christmas, after 40 minutes sleep the night before there was no way I could have spent an entire day with my (adult but annoying) brother in that much pain on that little sleep. I find the thing that usually works best is yop (yogurt) drinks. But my local shops didn’t have any and there was no way I was going in a supermarket 2 days before Xmas.

I hope you get some relief.

[SoJo_EndoUK Moderator Endometriosis UK]

Good morning AMJ88,

Heartburn is the worse, like someone else mentioned pain killers can certainly contribute to this type of thing. Has your doctor prescribed anything to protect your stomach whilst you’re on this medication? I know a lot of us Endo warriors have something like omeprazole alongside painkillers. It might be worth bringing it up with your GP and see what they think. Take care.

[Purple_Badgers]

Hi! The culprit is most probably the ibuprofen - well known for causing gastric issues. I’ve always been a bit sensitive to it and learned that I had to eat a meal or a decent sized snack before taking. And I never take them within a couple of hours of bedtime either, or I would have terrible acid, heartburn, gurgling stomach. These days I occasionally take naproxen (same family, but stronger) but I also have omeprazole with it to protect my stomach.I had an unexplained worsening of upper gastric issues just before my bowel endo symptoms got really bad. With hindsight, I can see it was all part of the same problem. Could be linked if you already have bowel symptoms?

My other methods to keep heartburn/indigestion at bay include reducing caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate) & not having caffeine/alcohol/rich food or drink in the evening, not eating within a couple of hours of bedtime, drinking peppermint tea after meals to settle the stomach, taking a probiotic daily, trying to get enough gentle fibre (not too much of the wind-inducing stuff!) and keeping hydrated. I’m quite bad for eating dinner in front of the tv, all scrunched up, then wondering why my insides are suffering 😂.

Unhelpfully, stress and being in pain could themselves be causing heartburn, in which case looking after your general well-being and mental health is important too. Good luck with it & don’t hesitate to mention your symptoms to your doctor xxx

[Cailleach]

I would agree with the other comments about ibuprofen maybe being an issue and to see if you can get omeprazole/lansoprazole. If it’s only at night it could be acid reflux from your stomach when you lie down, Try propping yourself up with extra pillows, that can help.