Pretty much everyone has experienced pesky heartburn in their life at some point; however, some of those individuals repeatedly struggle with the fiery chest pain and stomach upset that acid reflux causes. In this post, we’ll answer when should you see a doctor about reflux, who should I consult for acid reflux, and can doctors do anything for acid reflux?
Read MoreYou wake up in the middle of the night to pain radiating from your chest. Could this be it? Are you about to take the plunge into the unknown and say your final goodbyes to the ones you love? It’s possible…or maybe you just need to take a Tums and lay off the buffalo wings before b
The scenario sounds almost laughable, but if you’ve ever suffered from severe chronic heartburn you’ll understand that a heart attack and heartburn have very similar symptoms, which makes it confusing and alarming to determine what’s happening if you start experiencing them. It’s not uncommon for people to mistake severe heartburn for a heart attack, or vice versa.
The following list will help make the differences a little clearer.
Read MoreAre you looking into reflux surgeries? Perhaps you already have one scheduled. If so, you might be searching for answers to the following questions: how do I prepare for an upcoming surgery, and what is the best way to prepare your body for surgery? In this post, we’ll take a look at how you can prepare for your upcoming surgery and go over each of our reflux surgeries briefly.
Read MoreGastroparesis, a condition that is characterized by delayed gastric emptying, is a fairly common medical occurrence. According to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, nearly 5 million people in the US alone struggle with this condition. One of the ways gastroparesis can be treated is with a non-invasive procedure called a gastric peroral endoscopic myotomy (G-POEM). In this post, we’ll take a look at some common questions we hear from our patients at the Tampa Bay Reflux Center, such as: what is G-POEM surgery, is G-POEM surgery successful, and is G-POEM surgery painful?
Read MoreAs we discuss this blog topic, it’s important to keep in mind that smoking is a lifestyle factor that affects reflux, but it also affects much more than this. If you or a loved one smokes, it’s likely that you or they are aware of all of the complications of smoking. Let’s focus solely on smoking as acid reflux and GERD agitators, keeping in mind that untreated GERD can lead to conditions like esophageal cancer, Barrett's esophagus, and more. In this post, we will answer questions like does nicotine increase stomach acid, does smoking weaken your esophagus, and does acid reflux go away after quitting smoking?
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