Is it ok to exercise when suffering from acid reflux/GERD?

Question

I have been battling acid reflux/GERD for about 3 weeks. I constantly have acid splashing up into esophagus, and it feels like a burning inferno all the time. My dad is always bugging me, saying I should go out and exercise, but ever since I've had this acid reflux, moving around has been extremely painful. I tried swimming in my pool two weeks ago, and I felt the acid splash right up. The next week, I went to the gym for about 20 minutes, and all I could manage to do was walk on a tread mill for 10 minutes at a speed of 1.0 and do a couple of easy machines on the lightest settings. About an hour and a half ago, my dad said I had to take a mile walk or I couldn't watch my favorite tv show. About half way thru, my sides were sore, and the acid was washing up and down like crazy. Now, my dad said that tomorrow I have to attend a spinning class (stationary bike) at my gym tomorrow night for an hour. My dad has had acid reflux before and he said moving around didn't bother him, but it does bother me. I guess everyone's different. I would like to know, is it safe to be doing vigorous exercise like this (walking a mile, taking a class for an hour,stuff like that) I'm so afraid my dad will ground me for not exercising (he even said to me "If you don't go to that spinning class, you'll never see the light of day with your tv.) :( What should I do?

Answer 1

IF you are overweight, this can exacerbate GORD. So exercising would be a good idea to help you trim down, and lessen your symptoms.

If you exercise on an empty stomach, like first thing in the morning before breakfast you should be ok as there should be nothing to reflux. Food in the stomach causes the release of acid to digest it. Then it can come back up and give you that heartburn feeling. But if there is no food in there it should be no problem. Try finding a sport you enjoy. You will never keep at it if you dont like it.

Another think that may help is having low fat foods. Fat is digested slowly by the stomach. So fatty foods hang around in the stomach longer than protein and carb rich foods. As the fat stays in there the longest, you have a greater chance it will come up the wrong way.

Answer 2

When I exercise my acid reflux gets worse or flares up. Your best bet is to go see a doctor and get a prescription for an acid inhibitor, or buy some antacids over the counter...zantac works well for me. Take it about a half hour to an hour before eating, and don't exercise on an empty stomach.

Answer 3

For temporary relief, i'd suggest get yourself some gavilast (rantitidine), its a h2 agonist, and slows down the production of acid in your stomach. You can pick this stuff up from any pharmacy, think another brand names zantac but is more expensive for the same drug.

You'll need to go see your doctor for a treatment plan. Usually involves PPI (proton pump inhibitors), usually something called omeprazole, it will totally cut out your acid. I've personally found that the best method is to take one every day for 2 weeks. Then one every other day for 4 weeks. It usually completely gets rid of my acid for at least 6 months, then i just get a repeat.

Try not to eat stuff fatty or salty. beer/spirits is expecially spiteful to your stomach and will make the acid a hundred times worse trust me!

It is completely safe to do exercise with GERD, it will just make things worse for you. Pick up some Gavilast from the pharmacy and make yourself a doctors appointment for the next day.