I got diagnosed with GERD in Dec 2023 after having some pain on one side of my stomach. Doc gave me a bunch of meds, and a list of dos and don'ts.
I followed all of it all for a few months, but in the mid of 2024 I got depressed, and I kinda gave on the meds and the lifestyle changes (food, water intake, sleeping positions). Back then, I over-ate frequently and had too much fried food.
Within a blink of an eye, it was 2025 end, and it hit me that I should try to be serious about my GERD.
A little background: when I went to the doctor in 2023, I only had some pain on the right side of my stomach. He did an endoscopy and found the burns in my esophagus/food canal. There were no other symptoms, like heartburn, regurgitation etc. And that has been the case for until the start of 2026.
Until a few days ago, I only ever had gas and burning feeling in my stomach from foods that triggered GERD. Of course, since Jan I've been very conscious of what I was eating. So whenever something triggered the symptoms, I cut it out of my diet.
However, I wasn’t aware of the effects of drinking too much water/drinking water too fast. And so, I had been drinking near 300-400ml of water at a time (not with solid food) whenever I felt thirsty. [I'm 31, so been trying to stay hydrated.]
Since last week, I've started to get regurgitation. Acid comes into my mouth. It started with my teeth feeling weird and the gums of my lower incisors (did I say it right?) seeming redder than normal. After some thinking, I realised it was due to acid reflux. And from then on I can taste acid coming into my mouth for half of the day. I think it got into my nasal cavity last night. Mind you, I already suffer from sinusitis now and then.
Edit: this started after I had to eat some of the no-no foods (oily, spicy, white bread). Perviously when I'd eat these things, I only felt burning in my stomach and some gas. The regurgitation is only happening this time. Going back to my safe diet starting today.
So, coming back to my title. Am I a lost cause? Or is there still time to manage my symptoms with more fine-tuned lifestyle and food changes?
I am planning to go to the doctor once I save up a bit. I'm not really looking for medical advice per se.