bile reflux

[rasor]

hi i am 12months post op ivor lewis ,i am now getting a lot of bile at night , now i have a sore mouth and gums ,any advice would be appreciated ,i have 2 ranitidine tablets at night , but still get reflux ,

[shaughsearcher]

Hi rasor

If it's bile reflux try sipping a can of coke or pepsi , it works for me as bile reflux is different than acid reflux, acid you treat with an alkali but Bile being an alkali you treat with acid.

Hope this works for you as I know what it feels like. This was suggested by my specialist Nurse who I have the utmost respect for.

Regards

spike

[rasor in reply to shaughsearcher]

Hi Spike

Thanks for your fast response will try that tonight , will let you know outcome

[Hiloboy in reply to rasor]

Ginger ale, club soda also help

[Billings]

Ant acid tablets will not stop bile. The best cure is to sleep with upper body elevated and only on your back or whichever side your surgery was, usually right

[HONORIUS]

Sadly, no amount of Ranitidine or PPIs will alter this. As Billings says, bile is alkaline, not acid, so lemon juice squeezed into a tumbler of water can help. It's certainly worth trying the coke option: whatever works for you. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to the incidence of bile reflux. In my own case, attacks don't appear to be particularly related to what I've taken on board; more a case of there's a build-up from time to time which needs to be dispelled. I'm three and a half years post-Ivor Lewis and last night had a bout, the first in months. All part of the new normal!

[spanner16]

Like others have stated - doing my own research into bile, it's an alkali so an acid 'should' neutralise it - I keep small cartons of fresh orange juice in the fridge and that seems to work for me. I've spoken to my specialist on numerous occasions regarding this as I tend to panic about creating more scar tissue in the remainder of my food pipe giving a greater propensity to mutate into cancer again but there doesn't seem to be any medication / gaviscon type immediate relief available for bile so I looked for my own solutions.

Other than that the usual of not eating too late helps, plus, as bile is used to break down fat, not eating anything too fatty for your evening meal might help the night times too.

Let us know how you get on

[rasor]

Thanks for your tips , all the best

[liz_crisp]

I use ginger ale and sip actimel or eat yoghurt, it does seem to be trial and error for each of us as to what works best, if i get a bout of it I stop drinking tea and coofee, and just have hot water with lemon, cinammon stick or fresh ginger . Not sure if caffine does irritate it but it seems to calm down after a few days.

[rasor]

Hi

Thanks for your tips ,will try

[AlanWare]

Anti acid medication won't work on bile as it is alkali and not acid. If you have had a pyloric stretch, this will make bile easier to flow back from the intestine into the stomach. This causes damage to the stomach lining. I suffered this for 4 years. Then going against usual advice to avoid spicy foods, I started eating curry. This has reduced the amount of bile reflux by about 70%. It is a good idea not to eat for 4 hours prior to going to bed. If you find some reflux starting, have a couple of teas or coffee. This flushes the bile back into the intestine. It has helped me, I hope it helps you.

[grayj]

Hi

Thinking back to 12months post op ,remember spending many nights on our sofa propped almost upright for fear of choking on the disgusting stuff that seemed to erupte in to my mouth in the middle of the night.

I,m now more than 7 years post up and only rarely get a problem.it always seems to get me if I over indulge in food or alchohol.Over indulging to me is any more than 2small glasses of wine and putting too much on my Thomas the tank engine plate at 5:30 evening meal.

I also could put my previous problems down to snacking in the evenings.cheese and Chocolate are big no no,s

I had a job at your stage to understand the small quantity high calorie diet

Hope this helps

Graham

[Spikey]

I find that a spoonful of Gaviscon before bed helps prevent bile reflux in the first place. That and avoiding foods that are high in fat content, such as cream, pastry, ice cream and cheese. However, once an attack starts, which thankfully is rare these days, I find it impossible to neutralise the alkali and alleviate the discomfort, so am interested in some of the suggestions that others have posted.

[rasor]

hiya i had sore mouth and gums , i was told to rinse mouth with water and add salt ,worked a treat . old ways are better ,good luck