Suspected GERD

Hi everyone,

  I'm new to this forum and hoping some of you may be able to answer some of my questions?  I've been feeling quite sick for a little over three weeks now.  Started out with just chest pain (felt like someone was squeezing my heart) and then started to feel really tired and just plain sick.  Ended up going to the ER and then seeing a cardiologist but all my tests came back normal (chest x-ray, EKG, Echocardiogram, blood work).  Both the cardiologist and my family doctor then said I may have mild Pericarditis of my heart and I was on prescription meds for a week and then taking aspirin a couple of times a day for the pain.  I started feeling better for a couple of days, then everything came back (only this time, I also have nausea 24/7, headaches, and a feeling like I have a lump in the back of my throat).  The cardiologist now suspects that I never had Pericarditis and have had acid reflux and an acid build-up in my esophogus this whole time (which would be causing the chest pain).  I've started taking Maalox, but the chest pain is still here.  I'm no longer feeling as nauseous, but I think that's just because I stopped taking the aspirin all the time (the nausea always seemed to get worse right after I'd taken the aspirin).

  I'm going back to see my family doctor, but in the meantime - are these all regular symptoms of acid reflux disease?  Can it make you feel really sick overall and really tired (can't even walk up the stairs kind of tired)? and do the symptoms last all the time and not just after you've eaten?

  What tests should I make sure my doctor schedules for me?  I'm sick and tired of feeling "sick and tired" and just want to know what it is I have so I can do something about it!

  Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated.

  Thanks!

Hi CanadianJane,

I've had uncomplicated Gerd for two years.  When I say uncomplicated Gerd I mean I have alot of heartburn but not alot of other symptoms.  The symptoms you describe aren't anything like what I experienced when my started.  A Gerd person can feel a lump and burning in their throat due to acid exposure but these people usually don't have heartburn or pain in their chest.  For some reason the acid just goes so fast past their esophagus that it really zaps their throat.  This is known as LPR or laryengealespohagitis reflux.  Most often people exhibit chest burning, throat burning, lump in throat,  upper stomach burning, sometimes vomiting, sometimes ear pain, sometimes nausea, even dizziness. 

Do you think you have chest pain or is it a burning in the chest that is so severe that it feels like pain?  I never have nausea. Although I've heard some people say they have nausea.  I think you can be tired from Gerd but the tiredness you describe is not a typical symptom of Gerd. 

Like Acid Prone says, Gerd has a miriad of symptoms in different people and you need an endoscopy to find out what's happening.  If your GI suspects Gerd, he will put you on a PPI like Prilosec or Nexium and if it stops your symptoms, you probably have acid reflux.  If it doesn't or it doesn't help at all, then you can eliminate acid reflux.  Also, be away that different people react to PPI's differently also.  If one PPI doesn't work sufficiently, then another brand may work better.  I tried Prilosec, Prevacid, and Aciphex, all of which did not stop my acid completely, but Nexium did the trick.  Many people find sufficient relief from OTC Zantac or Pepcid.  Hope this helps...god bless you. 

  Thank-you all so much for your replies.  It's been so frustrating to feel so sick and still not know exactly what I have that is making me feel this way, but knowing that others have or are going through the same thing makes it a little better.

   I went back to my family doctor and she thinks it's one of three things:  1) either mild Pericarditis, 2) GERD, or 3) a virus that is taking it's sweet time to get out of my system and I just have to play the waiting game.

   I have now started to take Prevacid to see if that helps at all - if that doesn't work we're going to try Nexium and if neither makes a difference I at least know that GERD is probably not what is causing all my weird symptoms.  I was a little concerned to start taking these PPI's if I don't know for sure that I have GERD, but she said it wouldn't cause any harm. I did do some reading on the internet about PPI's though, and I keep reading about how once you start taking them, it's really hard on your body when you stop.  Decided to bite the bullet though, 'cause at this point I will try pretty much anything in order to start feeling better.

   I'm now on day three of the Prevacid and haven't seen a difference yet with the chest pain, but I guess it takes a while for these things to start working.  I've also started to really watch my diet and see if certain foods seem to be triggering these feelings.

   Here's hoping something will work soon!