Please Help.. I need advice, opinions etc.

Hi everyone.. I desperately need some advice on my situation. I am so glad that I found this site. Maybe I can get some clues as to what is or isnt going on with me. I will try to keep this as short as possible but I also give as many details as possible about my medical background and symptoms. Here we go:

I am a 40 year old white female. I am a non-smoker, non-drinker ... I have been diagnosed with the following conditions: Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Sleep Apnea, and Acid Reflux/GERD. I also am suspected of going through perimenopause as well.

The diagnosis of GERD was in 2004 when I had the Table Tilt Barium Xray Test performed. My doctors at the time never explained to me the symptoms or complications etc. of GERD. Over the years, I kinda left it go and entirely forgot about it. I would have bouts of heartburn or miscellaneous symptoms from time to time but they would come and go so I never really took anything for it.

Well in late 2009 to present, I have been struggling with some weird symptoms. Back in November 2009 my new family doctor told me to take Prilosec for 14 days to see if it helped my symptoms that I was having. I tried it and after about 2-3 days, I really noticed a great change. During this time I went online and everything I read suggested that a bad bout or for damage to take the medicine for at least 4-8 weeks to help heal the esophagus. So when she didn't agree with that and only ordered the 2 week treatment, I was hopeful and trusting that she knew what she was doing. For awhile, I had no real BAD flare ups ..... until the last couple of weeks.

Recently, I went to the ER. They did a full battery of blood work, an EKG, A chest XRAY and gave me a GI cocktail to drink to help the symptoms. The result: In their opinion I was suffering from just a bad bout of acid reflux or GERD. My follow up with my doctor is for this upcoming Tuesday.

So now for the symptoms (which is the most important part of this post to me) .... Please let me know if anyone experiences these symptoms.

1. constant throat clearing
2. hoarseness
3. feeling that there is something in the throat area
4. Sometimes it feels like a lump in the throat
5. discomfort in the throat/windpipe/larnyx area... not painful, its more like pressure, tightness etc. But still very scary to me
6. Sometimes it feels like I have to push food down my throat a bit.. I can eat and drink with no problems but it sometimes feels like I should massage it down my throat (if that makes sense)
7. I do have more belching than usual ..sometimes feel like my burp is "stuck" in my throat
8. Post nasal drip ..feels like mucus in back of throat sometimes
9. Bad breath
10. of course I do have heartburn but it seems the very least annoying of the problems

The main bothersome problem is the tightness/pressure feeling on my throat. I wish I could show you all the exact spot where it feels weird the most, that and the constant throat clearing gets rather annoying too.

So that is about it ... I am scared to death to get a scope test done. I have a severe phobia .. so any tests that can help confirm GERD that are INVASIVE would be my first and obvious preference. Is there any other tests that do not require swallowing a tube down my throat??? .... ANy advice, suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Please help me with this. I am scared to death and can't sleep at night because i am so freaked out.

Hi snjmom,
What you're describing are classic GERD symptoms. You've definitely come to the right place. Please don't let your worries about tests that you might need to take keep you from finding out what's going on and getting help for your symptoms.

Have you made an appointment with a GI specialist? Your symptoms are severe enough to warrant such a visit. You're right that two weeks of Prilosec will not be enough, judging from your symptoms.

I'm sure that lots of members here will stop by and respond to your post.
Thanks for writing your post with breaks in the text. I find it really hard to read posts that are solid text, with no line breaks!
Hang in there. There is help out there for you.
We'll do our best to support you through this, and offer whatever information we can.
Take care,
Denise

Hi snjmom,
Do you have the head of your bed elevated? I'm not suggesting that you pile a bunch of pillows to raise up your head...that just creates pressure on your stomach, and is likely to cause even more reflux. If you put blocks of wood, bricks, cement blocks, or bed raisers under the legs of the head of your bed, it will elevate your head in a way that will help keep the acid in your stomach. It's very common to have more heartburn when you've been laying down...when you're upright, gravity helps to keep the acid from refluxing as much.

I've been through a lot of different PPI's. I started on Prilosec, then went to Nexium, and am now on Protonix. I was a patient who needed to take a fairly high dose twice a day to get coverage (and even then I had some breakthrough heartburn). My dose was 40mg Protonix morning and night.

My experience communicating on this forum has demonstrated that the PPI that is best for you is very individual. What works great for one person, isn't as effective for another. You haven't been on Prilosec long enough to know how it does for you. My GERD got progressively worse over the years, and my meds have been switched by doctors.

Don't worry...your symptoms are classic. As you said, the more you read posts here, the more you'll see just how many of those symptoms are shared by others!
Good luck getting answers to what's going on!
Take care,
Denise

Welcome. Relax. Stress can make you feel worse.
Denise is right, you need to raise the head of your bed.
Now, about the scope.... I am a wuss and I went through 3 scopes and all of the other tests out there. I survived. I didn't like it, but I got through them.
The first test is usually a barium swallow. There's nothing to it. You drink a chalky liquid as the position you different ways and take Xrays. I was a little nervous the first time so I got some valium to relax me. I didn't need it for the others afterwards.
The second test is the EGD. They sedate you and you know nothing until they wake you up afterwards. I was nervous so they even gave me some valium to relax me. I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep in the waiting room. They inserted the BRAVO during my first EGD. That was my third test.
The hardest test to get through is the motilty test. You can't be sedated because it would affect the data. You just have to relax and follow the doctor's orders. I had to focus hard on happy thoughts to get through it and "zone out".

You are not a hypochondriac. You have an aggrevating illness which needs help.

Joy

It's the position. You're putting stress on your stomach and esophagus.
I have a recliner which I relax in while I surf. It feels good.

I had the surgery back in December. It was the first time I had ever been in the hospital since I was born. The thoughts of having all of the tests ran and getting the surgery used to terrify me. Some how, I managed to dig real deep and find that inner strength needed to go through it all and not freak out about it. The wonderful people here helped me in calming my fears. Bill, Denise, Barb, Kitt and many others were my touchstone.
Take a deep breath...relax...
Make an GI appointment...
Go through the tests...
Ask for sedatives when you can get them if your nerves are tight.
And lastly, stick around, for we have large shoulders to lean on...big ears for listening...large hearts to comfort you...

Joy

Hello and welcome to HealingWell and the GERD/Heartburn Forum. I have been following your thread and as usual I see you have received great support and advice from our awesome members.



I am always here for you as are all of the members so please know you are not alone. Your concerns are real and I do hope you will make an appointment with the GI physician soon.



When you start to feel overwhelmed and anxious about your sx stop and take a deep breath. Remember to stay in the moment and not anticipate the worst case scenario.



Do stick with us and know that we are here to support you.



Gentle Hugs,



Kitt

do you experienced shourtness of breath and dizzyness?