Everyone My Age has Acid Reflux

Thank God for Pepcid

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

At 71, I’ve had acid reflux for a year.

Before that?

I never did.

Not even once.

Apparently acid reflux is one of the many gifts of aging.

Why do I think so?

Because whenever I say to somebody my age, “I’ve got acid reflux!” They say, “So do I.”

And then we can enjoy a nice long conversation about our tummies and digestion and other fun things like GERD and endoscopies.

[embed]You Don’t Know How Important Saliva is Until Yours Goes Away Life after endoscopymedium.com

Not to mention the link between PPIs and dementia and who has the better gastroenterologist, after which we can settle into a nice long chat about remedies.

Tums!

Alginates!

Pepcid!

Wedges that elevate your head when you sleep!

What works?

If you’re a fellow senior with acid reflux, I know you’re wondering what works for me.

And if you aren’t a fellow senior with acid reflux — why on earth are you reading this? Go off and enjoy your lovely problem-free digestive life, young'un!

So here’s what works for me:

Chewing gum.

And not that special pricey yucky medicinal alginate gum.

Plain old sugarless gum.

When I’m chewing gum, all of my acid reflux symptoms vanish.

I believe that it has to do something with creating extra saliva.

Either that or it’s just magic.

All I know is that it works.

There are other things that help. Eating smaller meals. Avoiding spicey foods. And of course, Pepcid.

Thank God for Pepcid.

But chewing gum works the best.

So even though my mom told me constantly when I was young that chewing gum is rude and vulgar and that people who chew gum look like cows chewing their cud?

When I meet you, I’ll probably be chewing gum.

I’ll say, “Sorry I’m chewing gum. I know it’s rude, but I have acid reflux.”

And you’ll say, “So do I!”

Then I’ll offer you a stick of gum, and we can talk about gastroenterology.

***Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, has been featured on both The Today Show and Morning Edition, and has been included in 20 Chicken Soup for the Soul collections, is a [Writing Coach](https://rosalindwarren.medium.com/need-a-good-editor-get-in-touch-c3508093b772?sk=da811ef430b407044d2aff236d7c0570) who specializes in helping Medium writers craft and publish better stories. Interested? Drop her a line at roSwarren@gmail.com. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)***

Sign up here to receive our free weekly newsletter featuring the best of Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age.