Elaine had been getting chest pains, and sometimes an unpleasant fluid would arrive at the back of her throat, scorching the tissues there. It was worse when she lay down, making getting to sleep difficult.
A few questions ruled out anything sinister, so I gave her my standard spiel, explaining how our stomachs are able to withstand their acid contents, but not so our gullets. When gastric fluid refluxes back up towards the throat it causes a chemical burn to the lining of the oesophagus. It’s a common problem and easy to treat with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), medications that switch off acid production in the stomach.
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