Brief Answer:
Information

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

During the night when you are lying down, acid may be coming up into your throat causing irritation that you don't feel until you eat.

I would stop the Tums and baking soda which are acid neutralizers but don't decrease acid.

You can continue the omeprazole, but in some people, it can actually cause more reflux. You can also switch to ranitidine (Zantac). Omeprazole and ranitidine both decrease acid production but by different mechanisms. Zantac or it's generic ranitidine reduces acid production slightly less well, but has fewer side effects overall, less acid rebound on discontinuation, and can do the job pretty well if the problem is GERD. It may take 2-4 weeks for the lining of your esophagus to heal so I would recommend you take it for at least that duration at either 150 mg twice a day or 300 mg once a day.

Now for some modifications you can do to help things along:

If possible, elevate the head of your bed by putting blocks under the posts. This helps combat the ease of acid coming up when lying down.

Don't lay down for 2-3 hours after eating.

Everyone is different in what sets off their reflux, and for you it sounds as though carbonation (or was it caffeine from colas?), sugar, or sugar substitute may have done it. So you'll need to stay away from that.

Other things to avoid for now:
acidic foods such as citrus and tomatoes
caffeine (coffee, some teas), chocolate, alcohol
mint (I know this is a strange one, but mint can relax the lower esophageal sphincter which then allows acid to come up more easily.)
large meals (this increases pressure in the stomach which makes reflux more likely to happen)
Tobacco, if you smoke
Highly fat foods
For some people, very spicy foods.
If overweight, losing even a few pounds can make a difference.
You may notice specific foods that trigger the problem for you, and of course try to avoid those while you heal.


I hope this information helps and you are feeling better soon!

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Brief Answer:
Thoughts on this

Detailed Answer:
Heart related pain can come and go for several days but that is not typical. Also, pain in the throat area with eating is not typical for it either.

Heart related pain to the arm and neck is referred type pain, and movement or touching those muscles will not feel sore.

If you are unsure of your pain's relation to food, you should go in to be seen, have an ECG and troponin/cardiac enzyme blood levels.

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