<<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?)