“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson is sharing his experience with a health battle that took him by surprise. In an interview with People, the longtime comedian revealed he spent two years suffering from what he thought was simple heartburn, only to later be diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known as GERD.
At first, Thompson wasn’t sure if his symptoms were serious enough to warrant medical attention. Like many, he turned to over-the-counter remedies to manage his pain.
“I was able to take something and patch it up for the moment, but I got to a point where that didn’t work anymore. That’s when it got serious,” Thompson said. “It was a suffering-in-silence situation. I don’t know if I was necessarily embarrassed to talk to a doctor — I just didn’t know if I needed to.”
The 46-year-old began to notice persistent pain after eating certain foods. He tried cutting items from his diet and relied on a steady stream of over-the-counter medications. But the symptoms only got worse, making it difficult to power through long days on the SNL set.
“I noticed that I would get hoarse a lot easier when I’m doing the show. Losing my voice quicker, but also uncomfortable sleepless nights because I’m burping up acid, just kind of hiccupping all night,” Thompson told People. “And that can definitely add more stress to an already stressful kind of environment doing a live show like that. So all of those factors, I was like whatever, I’ll get over it. But it just started to pile up.”
GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is one of the most common gastrointestinal conditions affecting 20% of Americans, according to the Surgical Clinic. Because heartburn and acid reflux are often seen as routine discomforts, especially as people age, symptoms can easily be brushed off. However, there are certain triggers that can worsen GERD, and some may be hiding in your medicine cabinet.
According to the Mayo Clinic, several medications can aggravate GERD symptoms or make the condition harder to manage. A few of these include:
- Antibiotics such as tetracycline and clindamycin
- Iron supplements
- Quinidine
- Pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and aspirin
- Potassium supplements
- Medications for heart conditions
- Narcotics or sedatives such as codeine and hydrocodone
- Acetaminophen
- Progesterone
If you have GERD or are experiencing frequent reflux, it may be worth reviewing your medications with your doctor. Managing GERD effectively can lead to better sleep, less discomfort and more energy throughout the day.
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