At the time, I was dealing with the fact that my mother has YET to file the final police report and get the insurance company moving on our claim from the burglary; my cousins whom I've not seen since I was 13 were in town from Baltimore and I only had time to see them one day; my step-grandfather's son and his wife sprung on us that they were arriving Thursday evening from Virginia so we could spread his ashes as per his request on Saturday (hey, that's today); we'd just learned that the quad-runner he owned was missing from the shed where it was kept, and the lock had been cut off the door; and I was looking at just about an endless supply of work for the first time in weeks, all on days when I had several more pressing family events/crises to deal with.

Tums is the only thing I've found that will actually make my heartburn go away. On days like that, I could eat dry white toast and get heartburn as if I'd chugged a bottle of Tabasco. Last time I saw a doc about it, he told me to take no more than 3 Tums at a time, no more than 3 times per day, when the problem happened. He also suggested the liquid crap, but that bounces like bad tequila if I drink it.

However, I am down to taking them only a couple of days a month rather than the several times per week I used to, so I must be doing something right.

Tums always worked for me.

I was diagnosed recently with GERD. I had and EGD that showed Esophagitis, duodenitis, gastritis and a hiatal hernia.

It has been Nexium, Aciphex and Protonix (whatever my doc has in his stash that month) for me ever since. I still think that for common heartburn, Tums and others can cut it.

You both would be wrong. Tums are like putting Aloe vera on a sunburn. It doesn't solve the problem , it only provides temporary relief. A second fact is that the severity of disease is not always reflected by the severity of symptoms. So what this means is that one should never allow heartburn to occur. If a person has frequent episodes ( like you Felix) then that person should be on a Proton pump inhibitor and they should be on it daily for months or years , whatever it takes to prevent ANY symptoms. Esophageal cancer can and does develop after years of acid exposure. In America , we now have Prilosec OTC which is available without a prescription and is very inexpensive , about $21.00 a month. If I were you I would start on it and eliminate this problem. Get rid of the tums forever. A final analogy: If you went outside every day in the sun and got burned and then put aloe vera on to sooth it , wouldn't you eventually begin to use sunscreen to prevent the burn? And we all know that sunburns are prone to cause skin cancers.Think of the esophagus as skin on the inside.

I hear you, doc...and I know you're right. I've tried both Prilosec and Zantac, and while they do seem to take care of it, they both have a most unpleasant side effect on my...um...digestive tract. The other thing is that even at $21 per month, it's often more than my budget will allow.

Thanks doc. I knew they were not comparable to the better meds, but never though of it that way. The tums go bye-bye.

The side effects of diarrhea can be minimized and Felix pardon my abrasiveness , but don't you still smoke? If you can afford cigarettes , you can afford Prilosec. Nuff said.....

Ive never had heartburn, but I feel for you peeps that get it on a regular basis, it sounds painfull. Drop the cigs and treat your problem Felix.

Perhaps you've all missed the fact that I quote smoking last March.

Thanks for the lectures.

You have quit several times before. I was simply unaware that you have remained quit. You have my congratulations on your achievement. Now , don't force me to tear your budget apart to find $20 . I'm sure it's in there somewhere.

Some months it is, other months it's not. Right now, I'm going to be lucky not to get my cell phone shut off, and my car insurance is due for the year. No extras for anything.

Besides...there's that uncomfortable and incredibly inconvenient side effect as well...I cannot conceive of living with that should I take something every day that causes it. It was pretty ugly for about three days just with two doses.

Please...no details, OH and your welcome for the lecture.