IBS and Heartburn
IBS never stops surprising me.
I thought I had experienced all the symptoms until I thought I was having a heart attack. That wasn’t fun.
My heart rate was normal. I just had a burning sensation to in my chest, along with a feeling of pressure and a sour taste in my mouth.
It wasn’t super painful, but I wondered why I had that feeling.
All of this happened after a good pasta meal and an espresso.
Coffee causing heartburn
For the very first time in my life, a couple of months before that episode, I started drinking coffee almost daily. I then realized that I had those unpleasant feelings just after coffee.
I could not believe it. Coffee is the only thing I indulge a little bit more with.
I barely drink alcohol, I don’t eat junk food, I don’t eat (and enjoy) sweets, I don’t smoke. A good espresso was my only guilty pleasure.
Community Poll
Do you often experience heartburn in addition to your IBS?
It's common to have heartburn with IBS
I described the symptoms to my doctor, and he told me that statistically, it’s more common for people with IBS to experience heartburn.
Like everything about IBS, this is another detail that the experts find hard to explain. They suspect that the connection between the two is due to the incoordination of muscles between the gut and the stomach.
To my IBS, coffee was never a big issue. It has never been disturbing, it was actually a help. How curious.
Luckily, as soon as I stopped drinking coffee, those uncomfortable symptoms disappeared, sadly, along with my daily moment of peace.
I had some random espresso after those couple of episodes I experienced, but never had an issue again.
Probably it's the overdo, like in everything else in life, that was too much for my body.
Learning to balance my diet with IBS
IBS forces you to balance out every single ingredient in your diet, but it's still better than having to gobble dozens of pills.
The art of balancing things is key in life. Do some sort of physical activity is essential to our wellbeing, but too much sport can be dangerous. Veggies are essential for vitamins and fiber, but too many can make our gut inflamed. Some chocolate is good for the heart, but too much can be dangerous for our teeth. The list goes on and on.
My GP suggested that yoga can help, and deep breathing. In general, this kind of symptoms are experienced more frequently by those who are overweight, and in that case, losing some pounds can help. Even heavy smokers are more prone to heartburn and GERD. Of course, both cases can result in other health-related issues, but I never knew about acid reflux.
Avoiding medication, if possible
Anything that can help and is not a medication is welcome in my life therefore I'll attend some yoga classes. It's a new sport for me, but I'm sure it will be helpful for both mind and body.
I’m now searching for a different drink that gives me energy, and I might have found a solution that has some kind of mushrooms and taste like chocolate. Better than nothing, I guess!
Community Poll
Does your IBS doctor discuss mental health with you?
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