It was a Friday night in April of 2005 and I had gone out to dinner with some friends. When I got home, I was feeling a little bit of heartburn, a little more than what seemed normal, but I went to sleep figuring I would feel better in the morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night with a more intense heartburn, nausea and overall discomfort in my chest and abdomen. I hesitated for a minute, but then knew I had to wake up Chad to take me to the emergency room. We got up and headed over to the hospital, checked in and then waited to be seen.

The doctor who saw me gave me some anti-nausea medication and then decided to “run some tests.” I rested for awhile with Chad right by my side, waiting for some answers from the doctor. The doctor came back to see me and basically told me that he didn’t have an answer for me, that the tests didn’t show that anything was “wrong” and I should follow up with my primary care physician.

I followed up with my doctor within a few days and she decided to send me for yet some more tests. A few days later, my doctor’s office called me with my diagnosis…Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, more commonly known as GERD. So I needed to make an appointment to go back in to see my doctor to find out the treatment plan.

Well, my doctor told me not to eat spicy food and that I should take a prescription called Protonix which would help control my heartburn. So I began taking the medication as directed and began feeling better, right?

Nope.