<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello, and thanks for all the replies. A few people did not know what
this was, so please excuse me for not explaining it. Most people have no
problem getting diagnosed if they have it, so for the few who were
concerned about symptoms etc, and if they should be checked out for
it... please no worries!! doctors can diagnose this it seems with no
problems! i only asked about GERD in this group since it seems many have
it.

 i should note on a personal level, i am only 32, and i did have an
ulcerous esophagus when i was 12.. so i think i have had this for a long
time, but with no treatment until  i was prescribed prevacid a year ago,
and now it seems not to work when i have symptoms of gerd, so i will be
trying to prevent it altogether or go with  prilosec like most of you
take. (where is that docs number!)   i think GERD goes hand in hand with
gluten ingestion for me... and i mean accidental/contaminated, not
intentional. i seem to get big flare ups after eating out or at my
mother in laws house..... oh honey? do we REALLY have to go? :)

the main suggestions were as follows: (snipped from your emails..
THANKS!)

*No alcohol, No caffeine, NO carbonated beverages, No citrus, NO
teas/coffees, No onions, NO CHOCOLATE (thank god i am not a chocolate
lover..) No spicy foods.

*Do not eat meals high in fats. Also, avoid fried foods.

*Elevate the head of the BED not the body, the whole upper body needs to
be inclined, not just your head. you can do this with a brick under the
head of the bed.

*DO not eat before bed, allow at least 3 hours to pass before you lie
down.

*Do not eat HUGE meals, try more smaller meals

*AVOID tums, antacids, since these generally will lead to more acid
production once they wear off. (Also the antacids do
not reduce the odds for esophageal cancer while acid inhibitors do.)
good info to know!

*don't EVER bend over from the waist, esp. after eating anything (do YOU
have a toddler??!!!)

*And of course, be sure there are no hidden glutens in your diet !! like
we need to be told this!! :) but i think this is the main flag for me!

*canola oil and casein were also mentioned to stay away from.... about
1/3 of my emails noted this as their personal findings.

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO EMAILED!!! and thanks for letting me snip at your
emails to paste them here. :)  maybe i will be able to email you all
back personally later this week.

for more info on GERD  if you want the basics... check out some of the
sites online. you can go to any search engine and type in gerd.  i just
found a million of them!
thanks everyone!

michele in colorado  (is there anyone in colorado springs out there??)

(any pregnancy related info, please forward to me.. as i will be there
in a month- i hope. it should be the same as the first except the lack
of saltines i would imagine... or am i in a dream state again?)