HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Has anyone ever had this symptom?

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/13/2016 12:13 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone ever felt like they inhaled cleaning chemicals, like bleach? It almost feels like I went running on a really cold morning. It's been going on for about a week now, constant. It's from the bottom of my throat to where my rib cage ends in the middle of my chest.

I've had all kinds of other stuff going on for the last five years, ending with my doctor not knowing how to proceed after my pillcam travelled 3 hours down my small intestine and then travelled back into my stomach, and also a pediatric scope which allowed him to go further down and all he saw was some bile in my stomach.

I've been on protonix for about a month and this feeling in my throat/chest started while I was on it, so it's definitely not helping it!

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
Posted 4/13/2016 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
Acid reflux? Did you have blood tests. Flu like symptoms? Metallic taste?
I have experienced the ammonia bleach first hand and developed pneumonia from it. You'd have breathing difficulties. antibiotics and steroids were the answer.

T
Posted 4/13/2016 4:46 PM (GMT 0)
The bleach feeling is a new symptom. I've had tons of blood work for all of the crohns symptoms, but no blood work for this specific problem.

I haven't inhaled any chemicals, but that's the closest description I can think of.

I'm thinking acid reflux as well, but wouldn't the protonix take care of that?
Posted 4/13/2016 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
What dosage of protonix are you on? There are lots of PPIs and some aren't as effective as others for different people or the dosage needs to be bumped up.

It also sounds how I feel when I burp and bile and acid come up.
Posted 4/13/2016 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
40mg 1x day, in the morning.

I wonder if this could be the bile traveling up and bothering me. It's weird that after all these years and all of the different symptoms, I haven't had any sort of acid reflux symptoms until I start taking an acid reducer.
Posted 4/13/2016 11:48 PM (GMT 0)
I take Nexium 40 mg x2. I take also Zantac 300 x2 and have just added Zantac effervescent as acid reflux has increased more than its norm lately. Also, Baclofen is another drug I take to close the esophageal sphincter. If you feel reflux is that bothersome, ask your doctor to prescribe stronger reflux meds.
Posted 4/14/2016 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
GERD issues, costocondritis, or a lower respiratory infection are what come to my mind (although since you don't describe any other related symptoms, I assume it's not the latter option). I'm allergic to PPIs and Zantac never did anything for the tightness/inflammation in my esophagus. I would talk to your doctor about adding/switching up your meds to see if that helps.

Regarding the bile, do you sleep flat? You could try sleeping with your head inclined to reduce the amount of bile that moves up the esophagus while you sleep. Also, does the feeling change throughout the day (e.g., is it worse in the morning)?
Posted 4/14/2016 4:38 PM (GMT 0)
Using a wedge pillow or angling your bed, like vitaka said, can help. Different acid reflux meds work differently for each person. Omeprazole used to work great for me, but after a few years, even 80 mg wasn't enough. Now I take 40 mg of nexium, and that works better.

It could also be a random reaction to the protonix. I always feel a bit nauseated and sick to my stomach if i take my PPIs on an empty stomach, so I take them half hour after I eat right before bed.
Posted 4/15/2016 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for the responses! I spoke with my GI and he put me on sucralfate. He said if this doesn't work, we can try ursodiol.

I only notice a difference in the mornings, and not all mornings. But aside from that, it's 24/7. It doesn't typically get worse, besides two days that I can think of and both of those days, it got worse in the evening.

I do sleep with my head propped up a bit, but I'm going to try and prop it up more.
Posted 4/17/2016 4:31 AM (GMT 0)
Could it be ulcers in your upper GI tract? I get ulcers in my mouth and down my throat sometimes and that can have a burning feeling to it, especially when taking open mouthed deep breaths.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply