Could this be a sign that my esophagus is healing?

Hi everyone, new to the forums.

I'm a 25 year old man who was diagnosed with GERD about 6 years ago after a barium swallow. My doctor said I should take something for it, but alas, I was young at the time and scoffed at the idea.

"It's only heartburn! I'm not gonna take medicine everyday for something stuuuupid like heartburn yuck yuck" was pretty much my reaction.

Well, fastforward 6 years later, and I've finally gotten serious about treatment. I've been taking 40 mg of Zegrid a day, with some Tums and Zantac in-between for good measure. No more pop, and I'm trying to give up caffeine in general as well.

Naturally I thought this would help my throat and esophagus heal from the acid damage, but for the time being it's having the opposite effect. I find that whenever I eat, or lay down, I get this scary sensation of not being able to catch my breath. I've seen my primary doctor about it, and even went to the ER once (thinking I was having an allergic reaction), and they both said that I wasn't in any immediate danger, and that it was either reflux, or anxiety.

Now, I've had reflux for a long time now. It's given me sore throats, made my voice hoarse, and all sorts of other things, but it's never given me acute breathing trouble like this before. Is it possible now that my throat isn't being exposed to as much acid, that's it's swelling up for some reason? I'm scheduled to be scoped in about two weeks, but that seems like an eternity right now, so any input would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I very seldom had a problem breathing but I coughed a lot and my chest did hurt some.

My GI doctor dilated my throat during an endoscope and the problem was resolved for the time being anyway.

I'd tell my GI doctor about the problem before the scope so he/she would have your permission to stretch the constriction if there is one.

You would have to tell him to correct it during the scope since they can't do it without your authorization.

I wish you well.

God bless,
Cme

TriLink

you truly are not alone in this gerd-anxiety thing...trouble breathing is typical of severe anxiety

many besides you have taken a trip to an ER over this

the vagus nerve connects a whole bunch of organs and systems in the body..heart lungs esophagus stomach, various sphincters, and more including feelings....that is, its a part of the parasympathetic nervous system

the pain causes fear and the fear excites the nerve bundles which in tern flutters the system causing more GI tract dysfunction esp reflux etc, and more pain-anxiety

it is critical that we push back against the anxiety anyway we can...supplements, calm exercise,meditation and more,,,its a constant and continuous effort

waiting to be scoped, or any procedure that holds a chance to give us good news or a dire diagnosis is down right scary. three months ago in the middle of a huge gerd flair up, and right before my CT scan that was supposed to tell me if i had cancer in my right kidney (undiagnosed hematuria), i literally started to come apart at the seams...i mean i was so freaked out i was a basket case

hang in there, i know its tough waiting to be scoped...you are not alone

best wishes
mock turtle

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I've been on a lot of internet forums in my day, and this is definitely one of the few with class.

Thankfully the breathing issues haven't been so prevalent for the last 24 hours, now I just feel like crud from all the PPI's and Zantac my doc's got me taking. Also going into day 4 without any caffeine, so I'm sure the withdrawl from that is taking a toll on me as well. For years my morning routine has consisted of waking up and guzzling down a cup or two of cofee, along with something sweet like a donut, so I'm sure it's a big adjustment for my body to give it up cold-turkey. I'm hoping that if I lock myself in my room and try to distract myself with T.V. or something, my body will eventually get the message and adjust.

Trilink, I know what you mean completely. I had a slightly sensitive esophagus with a slight sore bit on the right side and light pressure in my chest a few weeks ago. I went to the doctors and he diagnosed GERD and gave me a PPI. I was confused as I'd never noticed any reflux issues. After looking at the internet and seeing that the same symptoms could apply to Esophagus cancer I literally was beside myself with worry immediately - my father died of exactly this 3 years ago. Almost overnight my symptoms got 3 times worse, my throat swelled up from massive amounts of reflux, and I got lots of inflamation type pain through to my shoulder blade, down my arm, and also slightly into my chest. I cut my eating down to just healthy soft foods and water to drink, along with all kinds of natural remedies. I also found myself going through the side effects of the ppi and unfortunately many of them are expected symptoms of GERD - sore throat etc - so I wasn't sure if my problems were partly the tablets! This lead to more worry, sleepless nights and therefore more reflux. I am still trying to work all of this out, 4 weeks later.

Anyway, just to reassure you that the pains can be wide and varied, and anxiety can be a massive role.

PPIs made me soooooo much worse. I'm actually allergic to ppis, so I'm exploring surgery options. I tried the stretta but it hasn't worked yet. I have to give it one more month.
Your symptoms sound so much like mine--my two cents:yes anxiety makes reflux worse, but I think what you're experiencing IS from reflux. My throat feels like it's swelling and I feel like I'm choking--like I'm getting strangled almost--for most of the day. It's been two years now, so Ive accepted it and it doesn't scare me any more. It's just freakin' annoying and painful. I wish it was from panic attacks! I might have better luck treating that. Anyway, for breathing, I started taking pulmicort (which I wasn't happy abbout. You know. More medicine) but it has helped me quite a bit. The only medicine that has helped me. I went to a pulomologist instead of a gi doctor for this and he really understood gerd related asthma and is really helping me make it through this hard time.
I wish you luck trilink and I hope this was helpful--we all feel your pain.