First Steps

Where to start?  After I found out I did have an ulcer I did all the regular things my doctor mentioned and that I could think of.  

I put wood blocks about the size of a brick under my headboard to keep my bed at a slight slant.  I've heard you don't want to go too crazy with the angle but brick size is a good reference point.  Keeping your head slightly elevated is intended to keep acid from traveling up your esophagus and eating it and your throat up while you sleep.  I've also heard of appliances that are available at medical supply stores that will go on your mattress and have the same effect.  I noticed my throat hurting like crazy throughout the night I'm assuming from stomach acid spitting up into it.  I would always wake up and have to drink water throughout the evening to keep it from being so dry.  I still do this but it's nowhere near as bad as it was before.

Of course diet modifications are a big thing, no brainers like cutting out acidic foods like coffee and tomatoes and avoiding irritants like caffeine and fried foods should top the list.  For me I stopped eating all fast food, no more soda or alcohol, no fried foods, no orange juice, and I try to avoid tomato products.  But I do find a little sauce here and there isn't too bad for me, but if you have pizza or something with little chopped up tomatoes on top that tears me up later at night.

I switched from coke and pop to drinking teas and cutting it with water.  They say caffeine irritates it, but I've also heard to keep it to 2-3 small cups of coffee a day.  I switched from slugging a 20oz every morning to a 12 or 16oz size with some iced tea with lunch to keep me going.  

For the last couple months I've been eating fish, rice and vegetables for lunch which has seemed to help me a whole lot.  Then for dinner I always have soup.  They say not to eat heavy later in the day and to not eat within a few hours of going to bed.  I tried not eating past 7pm with an 11pm bedtime and I'd be waking up with my stomach gnawing at me in pain.  Might be just me but I swear it helps to have something in your stomach to soak up all the acid.  I know they say not to eat late because your stomach will make more acid to digest it.. but if you don't eat enough or late enough, you can't sleep when you're hungry.  I usually go for something light after dinner, maybe some cookies just to put some overnight buffer in my system.  Eating a few antacid tabs after that or before sleep also seems to help me.

What helps you?