I have been suffering from gourd, heartburn, or acid reflux… whatever you choose to call it. I first got this awful affliction five years ago and it has progressively worsened over time. I don’t suffer from it too badly during the day, but I am virtually guaranteed it will strike at night. There is nothing worse than being woken by this. I have been on and off medication over the years, trying different approaches to ease the pain. I currently take two meds, Somac and Nizac, but I only started this combination after I left hospital. I am reluctant to tell my doctor how bad it gets because I am terrified he will send me for an endoscopy. I have an irrational fear of being put under — the procedure or operation itself doesn’t faze me, but for some silly reason the anesthesia scares me. If it gets worse or starts happening during the day, I might have to bite the bullet and go through with it. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that. When I was in hospital, after a thousand tests, it turned out my calcium levels were through the roof. When asked if I took any antacids I said, “Yeah, about a pack a day.” The doctor thought I meant one roll of lozenges — a pack of ten — but I actually meant a pack of five tubes. I was taking them like lollies. I was told to never take them again. It felt like a scene from Dr. House. QuicEze almost killed me. Since I came off those I have been suffering a little more than usual, but hopefully this will settle itself. Whether this was brought on by drinking a stack of beer or whether it remains a mystery, I don’t yet know?