I was born with with a defective sphincter at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach (lower esopageal sphincter). As an infant, I could not even be laid down without it running back out.  The doctor said that it hadn't fully formed and I would probably "grow out of it".  That was 45 years ago and it never grew.  Little/nothing was known about acid reflux disease, gurd, etc that long ago....it was just the heart burn....drink some milk....

    I always had a peculiar talent.....I could bring my stomach contents up at will, especially if I drank enough liquid....and at other times after a good meal or after drinking a normal share of liquid It would come up on its own, not throwing up, but just rise up non-violently.

After years of this I lost all my teeth because (as i found out later) the acid ate all the enamel off and finally they were unsavable due to decay and wearing down to nothing.  The denist always accused me of grinding my teeth but I never did.

A few years later I went to the ER for pain in my chest, limbs and shortness of breath.  They had tests done on my heart and found nothing, test in other areas showed nothing.  I was the pillar of health.  I lived with this for a short time and went to my doctor and told him what had happened at the ER.  He thought for awhile and sent me for a upper endoscopy.  Well my esophagus was ate up, I had a hiatal hernia and if that wasn't enough Barret's disease (precancerous cells growing).  Seems the acid hitting my raw and tortured esophagus was causing referal pain into my chest and extremities.  It was also causing my shortness of breath and by that time, panic attacks. 

     So, treatment started and before this post turns into a novel I want to help those like me with serious reflux.  I have been reading some posts and there seems to be some confusion about differant medicine types.

I know I am an extreme case when it comes to regurgitating, but if you have that problem, contents coming partway up and bad taste....Drink less liquids at a time! and eat smaller meals more frequently.  Drinking to much at a time was always my problem.

If you are drinking maloxx, popping tums, taking tagement, pepcid etc....quit wasting your time.  That is for occasional heartburn and not going to help serious acid reflux for long.  RUN don't walk to the pharmacy/walmart and buy some Prilosec OTC and go see your doctor.  Prilosec, prevacid, Nexium and others are acid pump inhibitors that will slow down acid production....Like daming up the creek....

Maloxx, tums etc are like throwing a towel down to soak up puddle but its still raining.....futile.  They do have a use in my experiance though.  If you ever forget to take your acid pump inhibitors  then use those for relief until your prevacid, prilosec, etc kicks in.