Fighting acid reflux!

[googoohead]

My voice was working great after many years of rest after developing singer's nodules. The rest seems to've corrected the problem. But then the acid reflux started. I didn't even know it was happening 'til my voice started failing like it did from overuse a long time ago!

I used various, (I guess, unconventional), methods to try to "gain"or "overtake the damage. I didn't speak, I drank seltzer to stop the acute attacks... and then after making progress that way, I'm now chain-smoking cough drops to keep things lubricated. But I only achieved marginal success. I actually started singing a little but then I began feeling pain again so I had to stop. I'm probably being poisoned by the sugarless cough drops but I donno what else to do! I AM gonna try slippery-elm lozenges so I can cut down on the cough drops but I still need to know how to strengthen my voice so it can at least hold up under normal use when singing.

I can't afford to pay for a voice coach! Is there anybody around who can give me some advice for free?
Any help will be very much appreciated. This is my whole life. If I can't sing the vocals to my music, I'm dead in the water.

 

[PTravel]

The name of the condition is GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease. You need to see your doctor. It is very treatable, but it can be an indicator of a more serious condition. There are over-the-counter medications that treat it very effectively. Omeprazole is the generic for Prilosec, available without prescription and works very well.

This isn't a vocal issue, it's a medical issue and can be serious -- the impact to your voice is an effect of the disease. Again, you MUST see your doctor and find out the cause.

 

[ido1957]

Yeah I take 300 mg of Zantac every day to control my acid reflux. been on it for a long time - maybe 8 years or more... Prescribed by my doctor. Hereditary - my dad and sister both have it.

 

[PTravel]

Yeah I take 300 mg of Zantac every day to control my acid reflux. been on it for a long time - maybe 8 years or more... Prescribed by my doctor. Hereditary - my dad and sister both have it.

I've been taking omeprazole or something similar for, I think, about 20 years, also prescribed by my doctor. It hasn't made me a great singer, though.

Incidentally, as a postscript to the OP: vocal nodes come from singing "wrong." Though, of course, rest will help, unless you change your technique, you'll develop them again. A good singing coach can help with that.