Can't keep ANY food down

Pauline - thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I'm really glad you are having good luck with your condition...it gives me hope to think that this situation can be dealt with.

 

I've done a lot of research and your suggestions are consistent with what I have read. Unfortunately, my husband doesn't seem to be helped much by most of the recommendations. He gets sick within a few bites of starting to eat, so it is definitely not a matter of needing smaller portions. He tries to eat 4-6 times a day, small portions. He is always sitting up, not reclining or bending over when he gets sick. It also doesn't seem to matter what he eats. I have tried recipes I got off of a GERD website that are supposed to be reflux friendly, but he still gets sick. On a bad day, nothing stays down....on a good day, bacon or spicy foods are not a problem. He doesn't drink carbonated drinks and only has one cup of coffee in the morning. We do think that it may be stress related and he is dealing with some very stressful situations that we cannot get resolved immediately. However, he is as likely to get sick during a laid back weekend as he is when the stressful occupational issues are at their peak. He never feels nauseous, doesn't have a bad taste in his mouth, doesn't have pain except for an occasional tightness in his chest right before he gets sick. The food simply comes back up. If he gets sick and then waits about 30-60 minutes, he can eat ice cream....nothing else. Everything I have read says ice cream is bad...too much fat, but it never makes him sick. There have been several episodes when he has kept down only ice cream and Ensured for 4-5 days. Eventually, for reasons we cannot identify, he will be able to keep something else down and then he will often go days without getting sick, then it comes back. We are baffled!

 

I'm sorry to go on and on but I am hoping that someone who has had similar symptoms will be able to shed some light on what is going on. Thanks for your help!

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Thanks Lynn and Pauline!

I have tried all of the above and have been trying to cook "Gerd friendly" style for months now. We try grits or oatmeal for breakfast just about every day and sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. I haven't served a solid piece of meat for months and only occasionally put some small amount of shredded chicken in soups. Even on his "good days" we still always eat soft foods. Oddly, one of the things that he can eat on a good day is a very spicy cheese dip made from pepper jack cheese....which makes no sense at all. He really has a hard time with bread and even crackers. On the other hand, he can occasionally eat nuts, which are notorious for being hard to digest. He has tried taking every over the counter antacid I can find and even phenergran (sp?) but they don't seem to help. We have not tried elevating the bed because he never has problems when he is sleeping, only when he is eating.

 

We do not have insurance and I recently lost my job, so finances have kept us from seeing a specialist. Our income barely covers the bills but we are still in a bracket high enough to disqualify us from assistance. We are getting to the point that I am going to borrow money from family so that he can get further testing. Does anyone know what tests they are likely to do and roughly how much they cost?

 

I hope I don't come across as being ungrateful. I appreciate any and all suggestions. It just seems that his condition is not typical and we just can't seem to find the right combination of things for him. It makes me wonder if he has been misdiagnosed and there is some other problem.

 

Thanks again for all the support!

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He is definitely not over eating. Even on his "good days" he eats less than half of a normal serving. He gets sick when he begins to eat...frequently within the first few bites. If he can keep the first few bites down, he has a chance of keeping down what he eats. Often he eats a few bites and stops because he is about to get sick, but it passes and he is able to continue eating. Quantity is not the issue. Also, I almost always use olive oil and in very limited amounts. I usually follow a low fat diet, even before his problem developed.
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MKSHUMATE:

   I'm glad you are going to proceed with the tests. He'll probably need an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, perhaps a barium swallow.

   Whatever needs to be done, have it done.

   I'm not a medical person and I can only go by what tests I have had done.

   As for cost, I don't have a clue. I'm covered by Medicare,  then my own supplementry.

  People in different categories are charged different rates.

  Please keep us updated.

                   Lots of luck and try not to get discouraged.

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