I was always been a coffee lover after the first day I savored and smell the bittersweetness of it. At first, I was having a coffee a day, then two, and then weeks go by I'm drinking 5 cups of coffee per day. I've become addicted to it that my day won't be complete without having a few cups of it. A coffee a day has become a daily normal life to me for 5 years.
Everything is good until I noticed some changes in my body. At first, it was just heartburns in which I didn't put in mind that much because I thought it will just subside. The next day it happened again, felt this uncomfortable heavy feeling on the chest resulting in the urge to burp constantly to ease that uncomfortable feeling. I was still drinking coffee at that time as I was still ignorant of what's happening in my body even though it gets worsen day by day.
Then a sore throat added to my sufferings, it so hard for me to swallow food because there's something like a lump in my throat that's blocking the food. Which had resulted in extreme anxiety because I mistakenly thought it was a Covid-19 (intense chest pain + soar throat) but there's no way I could believe it tho, I haven't gone outside that time ever since the lockdown was announced. So, I type the symptoms that I'm experiencing with my hands still shaking: Acid Reflux, Heartburns, Chest pains that get worsen at night, and when I lie down, sore throat that feels like there's a lump blocking in it.
I found the answer, luckily it wasn't Covid-19 but a Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). It is a chronic disease where the acid from the stomach comes up into the esophagus. The symptoms are difficulty in swallowing, heartburns that tend to get worse when a person lies down, it matched! The cause of GERD is frequent acid reflux in which also the result of me drinking a lot of coffee. There's also other factors that could trigger GERD like lying down after you eat, High fats foods, chocolates, etc...
Though I learned that it wasn't a Covid-19 but a GERD, I wasn't happy at all. I'm still suffering from the pain day by day, I didn't take any medications because I'm afraid to get near the hospitals and clinic, and the fact that I told no one from home what I'm suffering. Also, I learned the home remedies to treat my GERD and relieved it naturally, number one is to stop drinking coffee even though it's so hard to end an addiction I need to endure the headaches and cravings of it. Avoid foods that may trigger the disease like High-fats foods, Citric Fruits, and Carbonated beverages. Also elevating the head of my bed to let the stomach acid easily escape on the esophagus and reduced the acid reflux.
Days and weeks passed by, I'm slowly recovering from it and on the 6th month finally noticed the changes. I'm not having any acid reflux anymore, the intense chest pain and the urge to burp have also subsided. And now, a year later, I could say my body is back to normal again like all of those things never happened. My patience and disciplined to follow the home remedies gradually paid off. And now I can drink my beloved black coffee again but I have it in control this time. Just 1 cup every two to three days.
I hope you learn something from my experience especially for those coffee lovers here. If you have experienced the acid refluxes already then it was the start of it, you better minimize your caffeine intakes before it gets worst.
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I'm also a coffee but not to the extent on having 5 cups a day. I always have morning coffee to wake me up and make me feel energized for the whole day. GERD is too worriesome and maybe I should reduce my coffee intake every other day I guess.