Sweet Relief

I have mentioned before how much of a struggle heartburn has been for me. In recent weeks it has become increasingly worse – to the point that I wake up in the middle of the night almost in tears. This is saying a lot as I rarely cry {even during this pregnancy crying has been rare}. The only way I have been able to sleep is sitting up and popping Tums every 1-2 hours. The Tums work, they are just not long lasting.

Heartburn comes from just thinking about food or drinking a single sip of water or for no reason at all. It is particularly bad when I do eat or drink. Since I can't stop eating or drinking I have been coping as best I can.

I am generally not a fan of taking meds and I have to feel pretty terrible before I will take anything, but I have been at my wit's end with this heartburn thing. I tried Zantac {which made the heartburn worse}, and then Pepcid {which did nothing for me}, before asking my OB for something stronger. She gave me a prescription for Nexium. My mom and sister both had extreme heartburn during their pregnancies and Nexium worked for my sister, so at this point I was willing to try anything.

My ultimate test was taking my first Nexium last night before we went to dinner. We had Mexican which is my fave, but it also gives me the worst heartburn. After downing chips, salsa, a Chimichanga and some Dr. Pepper, I was getting nervous about how my evening would go.

We went home and watched a movie and I was able to lay down on the couch. And then we went to bed. Amazingly I didn't have problems falling asleep and even better was the fact that I slept soundly all night and didn't have any kind of pain whatsoever.

I know not everyone will agree that Nexium is the best option, but for me it is providing some much needed relief and I am ok with that.

Please pass me the purple pill...

52 Books in 52 Weeks: Book 14

My mom recently recommended You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., a medical professional from Iran. Dr. B. spent three years as a political prisoner in an Iranian prison where he discovered, that without access to medicine, prisoners responded to water to cure their ailments.

Dr. B's research is interesting. I personally have experienced many of the "symptoms" of dehydration discussed in this book including headaches, allergies, heartburn, lower back pain, joint pain, high cholesterol...

I am not a big proponent of using medication for every little thing that ails me, so the idea of using something as natural {and free} as water, makes a lot of sense.

If one has severe medical problems. I would recommend talking to your doctor, but I know that I don't drink enough water and plan to work on remedying that.

I found the writing of this book to be somewhat remedial - but that may just be me. I also found the book to read like an infomercial or a sales pitch: i.e. If you just follow the water cure, I promise it will solve all of your problems... just listen to what so-and-so has to say about it...

Quotes from the book:

"The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them." – Albert Einstein

A new paradigm removes restrictions and barriers and makes future progress within a discipline of thought possible.

A new paradigm is more easily born when there is a specific need and purpose to find a solution. A solution does not establish significance unless a definite need to the ermerging solution is recognized.

Dr. Batman.: Sir Alexander {discoverer of penicillin} is there a special way to become a discoverer of medicine?

Sir Alexander: Need and purpose.

Every 24 hours the body recycles the equivalent of 40,000 glasses of water to maintain its normal physiological functions.

The four most vital steps to better health are balancing water and salt content in the body, exercising the muscle mass of the body to enhance efficiency of the brain, avoiding beverages that dehydrate and make the body more toxic; and eating a balanced diet of proteins and vegetables...