For years, Deborah's nights started around 2:30 or 3 a.m. with what she describes as volcanic eruptions of acid moving up her esophagus. Over-the-counter remedies didn't touch it, and eventually food started getting lodged in her esophagus during the day too.
Then her prescription medication, the PPI she'd been told would help, started causing its own problems: rashes, a racing heart, a body that seemed to be fighting the fix almost as much as the original reflux.