Heartburn

I went to a small happy hour last night for work related team celebration.   It was nice.  I’m always glad to do that kind of get together.  It’s good to have something to celebrate.   We went to a local pub and had a few drinks and some appetizers. 

I’ve been to this particular pub, McMenamin’s Riverwood, dozens of time and I almost always get the same thing to drink.   I would say that 90% of the times that I go to any McMenamin’s I get Hammerhead.   This is one of their regular beers.   I’ve been drinking less beer though lately for a couple of reasons.   The first is that it is just far too high in calories.   I’ve got enough problems with my waist line and drinking beer does not help.   The second, and more problematic, is that it gives me heartburn.    This is really too bad because I really like beer.

It’s not just beer that gives me heartburn now; it’s many of the foods that I’ve always loved.   I ate a pizza on Sunday night and woke up with heartburn so bad that I thought someone had poured hydrochloric acid down my throat.  I now take Pepcid about 4 days a week.   I eat Maalox on the other 3.   I don’t like it.   I hate taking any medication that I need to take every day.   Sometimes I’ll try to suffer through the heartburn just so that I can avoid feeling dependent on antacids. 

I could probably avoid the problem if I was really careful with what I eat.   If I focused on more fresh fruits and vegetables, and less pepperoni, I might be able to control it better.   I really hate that idea though.    I find myself in a real Catch-22.   Do I change my diet or do I accept my dependence on acid controlling drugs?