Posted 12/14/2013 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,
I have been reading this forum for a while and it has been very helpful. I've decided to post today because I've been feeling quite desperate in terms of my condition. It all started a bit over 3 months ago - I was working late night in a meeting and had a salad with shrimp and a san pellegrino. I quickly started having difficulty breathing and heart palpitations. This had happened once before (a year beforehand) and after taking a short walk, it had seemed to calm down. But, this time, no matter what I was doing, I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I was also dizzy and having chest pains. I thought I was having an allergic reaction, although I had never had one before, so I left and went to get some benadryl. I stumbled outside and someone decided to call an ambulance. The doctor at the emergency stated that I was probably just intolerant and was having a reaction as I hadn't slept much and had consumed a lot of coffee/red bull.
I believed him and went home. Sadly, the symptoms kept returning in the next couple of days - random trouble breathing. I had to call the ambulance again that weekend, as I sincerely thought I was having a heart attack. I never got to see the doctor at the emergency that day, but was sent to another hospital to check whether I had a pulmonary embolism. I underwent a blood test, urine sample and chest x-ray - but all was clear. They told me that it was probably GERD and to keep taking tums.
My symptoms persisted and the tums were doing nothing to help me. The symptoms included constant belching (sometimes with Reflux, but more rarely at the beginning), trouble breathing, all around dizziness, back/shoulder pain, all around discomfort. I was also put on Nexium, but it didn't seem to improve the situation. I also started taking liquid gaviscon. I went to see many doctors, who kept dismissing the issue. One of them sent me to a radiology center to obtain an ultrasound and a barium swallow - both which were absolutely clear. I was thus sent to a gastric specialist.
He stated that my symptoms left him perplexed and that a gastroscopy would be required for him to properly diagnose me. This was performed last week - i was very nervous - and he said that it all seemed clear as well! He took a biopsy to check for H pylori and Celiac disease, which I'll know in January. But, he said it would be probably clear and suggested that it could just be anxiety!
This really really discouraged me - I have a stressful job and am aware that stress can make things worse, but there is no way that my symptoms are only a result of stress. I sincerely believe that I handle stress and pressure very well in terms of work and life. I've been increasingly stress BECAUSE of my condition - I've had symptoms occur in meetings with clients and at lunches, this is very embarrassing. When I have bad symptoms, usually at night, i've had panic attacks but were able to calm myself down. The uncertainty of the situation is what gets me most nervous.
I also got a call-back from the hospital, 3 months later, stating that they wanted to re-do my chest xrays, as the radiologist had noticed a "shadow on my lung". The caller indicated that it was probably just the machine, that they had dismissed it earlier because they ruled that it was the machine, but that they wanted to be prudent and re-perform the x-ray. I am hoping it is nothing but I can't help but wonder if it may be a lung problem that is persisting...
So, what now? I am awaiting results of my test, but what if they are clear?
I am a 25 year old female - not overweight, drink socially, never smoked or taken drugs.
I occasionally ate "fatty" food, but nothing excessive. Exercised regularly (not since the symptoms started...).
Symptoms: discomfort in stomach, mostly after eating, but sometimes unrelated to food, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, pain/lump in throat, sometimes reflux, difficulty catching my breath when walking in the cold outside (seems like a cold intolerance), pain in back/shoulders, constant burping (sometimes with reflux), discomfort sometimes in arms and legs, choking sensation, frequent peeing, symptoms sometimes followed by trip to bathroom for a number 2, and I also feel like I have gas stuck inside me and can't breathe until I force a burp + the gas out.
Tests done: ECG (small arrhythmia, but they said it was probably there since my birth), blood test, urine test, Chest X-Rays (will be redone in january), ultrasound, barium swallow, endoscopy (done last week, waiting for results in jan).
Is this GERD? Or can this be related to a lung problem, or something more serious?
I'm really desperate!