HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Absolutely Terrified, Im only 27 :(

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/8/2015 11:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone,

Im insanely scared right now, Ill try to cut to the chase. The earliest memory of having heartburn was probably no more then 3 years ago. I noticed I had to start carrying Zantac around in case I got that burning sensation in my throat after eating.

Fast forward to Dec 1st of this year. I woke up in the morning with severe chest tightness and fleeting sharp pains. I was so scared I called 911 and got rushed to the ER. They determined it was not a heart attack and referred me to a Cardiologist. I went through all kinds of tests with him and it was determined that my heart was just fine. He asked if I have ever had heartburn, I was like yeh a few times. He said it was probably just that.

So on my own accord I started taking Prilosec (20mg) once a day. From there going forward I noticed I never had heartburn again, so I was like sweet, this is great.

Until now, 3 weeks ago I was laying on my bed on my laptop and started to feel sharp pains in my upper chest area. I started googling around and entered upon extreme panic when I started reading about esophageal cancer.

I have bought a wedge pillow, I've been sleeping on that, I've stopped eating 3 hours before bed but these pains keeping coming and going.

Ive now noticed that when the pains come its literally within 15 minutes of eating. Its sharp shooting pains in my chest, under my ribs etc. (not the burning in the throat feeling).

I saw a GI last week who scheduled me for an endo next week.

Im so incredibly horrified about both the test, but more so the results, I can already picture recovering from the test just for them to come in and tell me my life is over. Im only 27 years old, I have young brothers and sisters.

The fear is so intense its causing me to not be able to eat right, I can't sleep well, My work performance is going down the dumps, Im closing on a house next week, its supposed to be a happy event and I don't even care about it because all I can think of how I've made it this far just to die.

any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.
Posted 7/9/2015 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Makeitgoawayplz:

First, the endoscopy freaked me out too! My heart was beating so fast, while the nurse said, why are you so nervous? I said, having a hose put down my throat makes me nervous, ok? Anyways, the test itself went well. They sedated me, and then, soon after I woke up, groggy. So, even though I am a worry wart freak, please try to be calm about the test itself.

And, even though I am a worrier, so I have no right to say this, because, I need to say it to myself, try not to worry about what the results may show. Just take one step at a time.

I am on a journey to shed this shell of worry I carry around. First, because as a Christian, Jesus Himself said not to worry. And, on a more basic level, worrying solves nothing. I need to keep saying this to myself over and over and over again. I am not sure if you are Christian or not, but, I thought I would throw in these words anyways.

Of course, I will pray for you too. I highly recommend reading in the Bible, Matthew Chapter 6, verses 25 - 34. Great stuff!
Posted 7/9/2015 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
I'm 25, and I've had rather severe reflux since early this year. So you're not the only young person dealing with this :-)

It sounds to me like your anxiety is causing you worse pain than your actual physical pain at this point, which I can certainly relate to.

An endoscopy is not fun, I won't lie, but it's not the worst thing ever. If you are sedated, which I think most people are, you won't remember much after and you'll just feel a little woozy and maybe feel a little bloated and sore in the throat/stomach area for a bit. I can't say anything about an unsedated endoscopy since I have opted for the sedation every time. I have a real bad phobia about gagging sensations and I managed to get through 3 endoscopies so far this year, and it's been fine.

Second of all, google is never a friend when it comes to illness. Doesn't matter what symptoms you have, you can always link it to something life threatening, and then off your mind goes.

You are young, from your descriptions it doesn't sound like your reflux is constant or horribly severe (correct me if I am wrong), and you haven't had it for years and years. I'm not a medical professional but I do know that there are people who have untreated reflux for a long time - who do not have cancer. Having reflux does not mean that you have or will have cancer. Not at all. It's true that reflux increases the risk of esophageal cancer, but reflux does not automatically mean cancer. Especially not when you haven't had it for a very long time. I've had really bad reflux daily for months and months, and my endoscopies have not shown anything concerning.

If it's causing you this much distress and affecting your life so negatively maybe it'd be worth bringing up your anxiety with your doctor. Stress doesn't exactly improve reflux smilewinkgrin and it seems like your mind is jumping to the absolute worst case scenario, which is not the best way to cope with health scares - or any other stressors that come up in life. Take it one thing at a time, there is no need for you at this time to let yourself become dramatic and invision scenes where you are told you are going to die. That level of concern is not in proportion to the "threat" for you at this point. And try to keep off google, I know how stressed you can get and how easy it is to convince yourself that you have something awful.

Try to see this as a positive thing. If you do have GERD, the endoscopy can give you a diagnosis and then you can find treatment which will decrease any possibilities of future complications.
Posted 7/9/2015 2:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hi! I'm 32 and have recently been experiencing bad acid reflux. I know how scary it can be to have something wrong and not know 100% what it is especially if it's in your chest! But try to keep as calm as possible. I believe with the cancer you would be having a great deal of throat problems. Have you had any pains in your shoulder or back? Is your breathing alright? If you find no answers with the reflux you might want to get your gallbladder checked. I wish you the best of luck and hope they can figure this all out soon. Keep as calm as possible while doing everything you can to figure out what's up. You'd be surprised how resilient people are. When I was 21 I survived a bad car accident and then a major lung surgery (collapsed lung twice, spontaneous...never smoked or anything just my luck) Being young and having problems is horrible you feel robbed, but in a way your lucky as well as your body can bounce back far better from things. Don't give up :-)
Posted 7/9/2015 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
I am 29 and have had acid reflux since I was 20. I have had three endoscopies and was awake for one of them. I am afraid of being sick and gagging so was very scared of these but they weren't as bad as I thought they would be. My last one was three weeks ago and the nurse helped loads but telling me to breathe slowly.

As someone else said, having acid reflux does not mean you have cancer. The medications don't touch mine and I have it all day, every day for 10 years but I don't even have pre-cancerous cells there (Barretts Oesophagus). If it was originally managed by the meds then it is most likely straight forward acid reflux and you just need to switch meds. Sometimes they just stop working. Mine have never worked.

I have a hiatus hernia and GERD. I don't get the burning or heartburn feeling all that often
Posted 7/9/2015 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi makeitgoawayplz,

I completely understand your fear and it's normal to be afraid, however, I've learned that separating fact from the games our own minds play on us to be extremely helpful in coping with my mine.

Aside from feeling groggy afterwards, my endoscopy was a breeze. I'm glad you're getting one because the GI doctor will be able to check in our esophagus, you stomach, and most likely, your small intestine, and has a high probability of finding out what might be causing your symptoms.

Without knowing what kind of diet you have and what foods you habitually eat, it's impossible for me to figure out which foods are your trigger foods (and beverages) in triggering your acid reflux. I would highly encourage you to start keeping a food journal, writing down what time you eat, what you eat, and in what amounts, including anything and everything you drink.

If I were in your shoes, if you drink any alcohol or anything with caffeine (coffee, soda, energy drinks, etc.), I would stop drinking those immediately.  Also if you drink milk or eat lots of dairy, I would stay away from that for awhile.

Also, get rid of the wedge pillow. It's far more effective to elevate your entire bed as some wedge pillows (depending on the angle) will actually put more pressure on your stomach and/or esophagus.   I've had this confirmed with a sleep test and a gastroenterologist who specialized in how sleeping at night affects your digestive tract.

I would also recommend not eating 4-5 hours before going to bed instead of 3 hours and making sure that your dinner is light and very low acidic in nature. If you want to find a list of low acid foods do a search for Dr. Koufman's low acid diet and you will find websites that will have a list of these foods.

Also realize that esophageal cancer is extremely rare, so I wouldn't worry about that until you get a confirmed diagnosis. I'm glad to hear that your heart is okay.

Btw, I'm 45 years old and have had GERD for many, many years. The best thing I ever did for my symptoms was seek medical and nutritional help and changed the way I eat. Please let us know the results of your endoscopy if you don't mind.

Good luck to you.

 

Posted 7/9/2015 4:23 PM (GMT 0)

makeitgoawayplz said...
Hello everyone,

Im insanely scared right now, Ill try to cut to the chase. The earliest memory of having heartburn was probably no more then 3 years ago. I noticed I had to start carrying Zantac around in case I got that burning sensation in my throat after eating.

Fast forward to Dec 1st of this year. I woke up in the morning with severe chest tightness and fleeting sharp pains. I was so scared I called 911 and got rushed to the ER. They determined it was not a heart attack and referred me to a Cardiologist. I went through all kinds of tests with him and it was determined that my heart was just fine. He asked if I have ever had heartburn, I was like yeh a few times. He said it was probably just that.

So on my own accord I started taking Prilosec (20mg) once a day. From there going forward I noticed I never had heartburn again, so I was like sweet, this is great.

Until now, 3 weeks ago I was laying on my bed on my laptop and started to feel sharp pains in my upper chest area. I started googling around and entered upon extreme panic when I started reading about esophageal cancer.

I have bought a wedge pillow, I've been sleeping on that, I've stopped eating 3 hours before bed but these pains keeping coming and going.

Ive now noticed that when the pains come its literally within 15 minutes of eating. Its sharp shooting pains in my chest, under my ribs etc. (not the burning in the throat feeling).

I saw a GI last week who scheduled me for an endo next week.

Im so incredibly horrified about both the test, but more so the results, I can already picture recovering from the test just for them to come in and tell me my life is over. Im only 27 years old, I have young brothers and sisters.

The fear is so intense its causing me to not be able to eat right, I can't sleep well, My work performance is going down the dumps, Im closing on a house next week, its supposed to be a happy event and I don't even care about it because all I can think of how I've made it this far just to die.

any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

I just turned 29 in June. I have been dealing with severe GERD since November of last year however I think I have suffered from it for much longer. I understand how frustrating it is. I also just closed on a house and while I should be happy I honestly haven't been because I feel so sick everyday. I also get worried that this is going to kill me but my fears stem more from my eating problems since GERD has basically destroyed my throat making it feel like I am choking when I eat.

I was so afraid to have the endoscope done but when it happened I didn't even know. I remember being in the endoscope room and then being out in the recovery room that is it. You mention you are worried about esophageal cancer but you do not mention any issues with swallowing, current pain in your throat ect. Why are you thinking you may have it? I know its hard but stress really does make this condition worse and it sounds like you are really in a panic and I understand because I am in the same boat as far as this disease causing panic is concerned. I would try to relax the best you can, try to focus on your work, I know its hard but try.
Posted 7/9/2015 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I am 21 and I have been struggling with GERD symptoms (feel like I can't breathe, severe chest pain 24/7) for 9 months - I got a parasite in October 2014 and haven't been the same ever since, even though I got rid of the parasite with antibiotics quickly. I think the antibiotics led to an imbalance of gut bacteria, which led to GERD.

It feels like life will never be the same - never before have I been depressed or had anxiety, but this condition had made me both depressed and anxious.

I am writing to let you know that there are others of us out there struggling with this awful condition - it is confusing and after having tried dietary changes, every PPI, every test in the book (including an endoscopy), and even natural/alternative medicine, nothing is making me improve...I don't know where to turn next, but it helps to know that there are other people who are also dealing with this...

The endoscopy is not the most comfortable procedure, but it's a necessary evil - The only bad part is just waiting for the test and thinking about it - I wasn't even that groggy after - no pain at all. I hope you find relief soon.
Posted 7/9/2015 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

Thank all of you for your replies, it means alot to me. I was able to calm down enough to be able to get a good nights sleep last night at least.

To answer your question LAWCHICK, what makes me think that is the sharp stabbing pains that happen shortly after eating. I do not have problems swallowing (at least I dont think i do) nothing ever gets stuck but ever since Ive been thinking about it I keep wondering if its traveling too slow or whatnot. But mainly my fear is that my symptoms have not gone away, infact they have worsened.

Peabs im going to heed your advice and ditch the wedge pillow and prop up my bed with some blocks tonight.

I dont remember having heartburn at all when I was younger, is GERD something that can develop over time?.
Posted 7/9/2015 6:21 PM (GMT 0)

makeitgoawayplz said...

"Peabs im going to heed your advice and ditch the wedge pillow and prop up my bed with some blocks tonight."

You have chosen wisely.   Some people like 5-7" off the floor, others like it higher.  You might need to experiment a few nights with this.  Also it's key to eat an early dinner.  My GERD symptoms are much better when I wait 4-5 hours before I go to bed (and no heavy meals either).

makeitgoawayplz said...
"I dont remember having heartburn at all when I was younger, is GERD something that can develop over time?."

Yes, and there are many reasons behind this.  I'm a firm believer that at least 80-90% of the GERD issues are diet-related, meaning it's linked to what we eat and drink, the amounts of food that we eat, and when we eat.  We have thousands of chemicals now in both our foods and beverages that we didn't have 20, 30, 50 years ago.  And many of these chemicals have not been tested on humans on a long term scale.

My own GERD symptoms got worse and worse over time because I was heavy drinker at one point, ate lots of fatty foods, overate a lot, and would eat right before bedtime.  Over the course of many years it finally took it's toll on me and I eroded my esophagus and parts of my stomach lining.

But the good news is for many people, you can alleviate the symptoms or even get rid of GERD for good.  There is still a lot about our digestive systems that the medical community doesn't understand.  For example, some people are known to naturally secrete a lot of stomach acid and it's not entirely understood why. 

I'm glad to hear you were able to calm down and get a good night's sleep.  I hope it's the first of many for you.

Posted 7/13/2015 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hey guys, So ive had good days and bad days over the past week trying to manage my fear of the upcoming endoscopy this Thursday.

Im still getting the sharp chest pains shortly after eating (15 - 20 mins). Its not very intense but a dull achey / stabby pain.

I fell into the google trap AGAIN and of course found tons of people who had chest pains and bam they had EC :(

I really need to stay off that but its just so hard not knowing right now. Im also sacred cause I dropped 8 pounds in a month (from 168 to 160) and of course read that as another sign of the dreaded :(
Posted 7/14/2015 12:52 AM (GMT 0)

makeitgoawayplz said...
Hey guys, So ive had good days and bad days over the past week trying to manage my fear of the upcoming endoscopy this Thursday.

Im still getting the sharp chest pains shortly after eating (15 - 20 mins). Its not very intense but a dull achey / stabby pain.

I fell into the google trap AGAIN and of course found tons of people who had chest pains and bam they had EC :(

I really need to stay off that but its just so hard not knowing right now. Im also sacred cause I dropped 8 pounds in a month (from 168 to 160) and of course read that as another sign of the dreaded :(

Good luck on the Endo, please keep us updated. I know how nerve racking the endoscope is. How about you do something nice for yourself as a treat for getting the test done? I ordered something I had been wanting for awhile. It doesn't have to be big just something. Also when I went for my test I brought my favorite pair of comfy socks. I know sounds silly but it did make me more comfortable lol.

Another thing and this may be hard but how about trying to lay off google until your test is done? It's really not helping and just making your more stressed than you all ready are.
Posted 7/16/2015 10:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys I'm Sil I'm 22. I have acid reflux and these past few days I've been feeling anxious I'm confident that the nervous feeling I get is from this nervous stomach. Is it possible to feel this way? Can acid reflux makes you feel nervous? Inervous don't like feeling this way :( need to get another scope done
Posted 7/16/2015 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
Good morning everyone!

Just got done with my endoscopy this morning.

I must say, easiest procedure ever. So the nurse sets you up in the recovery room with an IV. Then you meet with the anesthesiologist who tells you whats going to happen. Then they wheel you into the endoscopy room (This is where i started to get pretty nervous) then they tell you to lay on your side and they put the bite-block in your mouth and then the anesthesiologist says "your going to get sleepy now".

So I was sitting there like "well im not getting sleepy". Then I felt the cold liquid enter my hand into the IV and literally a split second later I woke up back in the recovery room thinking that I had fell asleep and never had the procedure. My GF was there and was like "its all done"

So gotta say, all in all, there is nothing to be scared of as far as the procedure itself.

Now on the results.

The GI doc came in and spoke to my GF about the results, I was still sleeping at the time. Apparently all he told her was that there was just some mild inflammation and that they took biopsies. I got a script for 40mg omeprazole and was prescribed once daily.

So now my only concern is, If they found a tumor or something really bad. Would they have raised the concern then or would they be waiting until the biopsies come back before they said anything?

tad bit concerned...
Posted 7/16/2015 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
It depends on the doctor. After my first endoscopy my GI doctor told me exactly what he found and stated he would be calling me in a week or so once the results of the biopsies came back.

Though I suspect if they had found a tumor they would have told you and then advise you that they won't know until the biopsy results came back.

They should have handed you some paperwork with a description of what they found and some pictures of your stomach and esophagus. If there is no mention of any tumors, polyps or ulcers, then they didn't find any. At least that's how my last GI's doctor / office handled things.
Posted 7/16/2015 5:39 PM (GMT 0)

makeitgoawayplz said...
Good morning everyone!

Just got done with my endoscopy this morning.

I must say, easiest procedure ever. So the nurse sets you up in the recovery room with an IV. Then you meet with the anesthesiologist who tells you whats going to happen. Then they wheel you into the endoscopy room (This is where i started to get pretty nervous) then they tell you to lay on your side and they put the bite-block in your mouth and then the anesthesiologist says "your going to get sleepy now".

So I was sitting there like "well im not getting sleepy". Then I felt the cold liquid enter my hand into the IV and literally a split second later I woke up back in the recovery room thinking that I had fell asleep and never had the procedure. My GF was there and was like "its all done"

So gotta say, all in all, there is nothing to be scared of as far as the procedure itself.

Now on the results.

The GI doc came in and spoke to my GF about the results, I was still sleeping at the time. Apparently all he told her was that there was just some mild inflammation and that they took biopsies. I got a script for 40mg omeprazole and was prescribed once daily.

So now my only concern is, If they found a tumor or something really bad. Would they have raised the concern then or would they be waiting until the biopsies come back before they said anything?

tad bit concerned...

Glad to hear your test went smoothly and I think its ok to relax now. If there was a tumor I am sure they would have told you and then said they took a biopsy of it. Its standard to do some biopsies they did a biopsy on my intestine I think. Just be happy its mild inflammation( I know whats there to be happy about but atleast its nothing too serious) and you now have a script and hopefully will be on the road to recovery.
Posted 7/20/2015 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
So no biopsy results yet.

Out of fear I called the location where I had the scope done and asked "If they saw a mass or a suspicious lesion during the procedure, would I have known that day or would the doc have waited"

They said yes I would've known then and there, she put me on hold and pulled my file, then came back and said "there isn't anything of concern, routine biopsies were taken to rule out infection etc." she said I can stop worrying.

So the day after that (Friday) I called my GI docs office and asked the same exact questions, whether I would've known if he saw a mass etc. The receptionist said she will talk to the doctor and call me back. about an hour later she called me back and said "the doctor said he didn't see anything of concern, just mild inflammation" and that If I haven't heard anything from their office by tuesday afternoon to give them a call.

Can I relax yet? Im still stressing out pretty hard thinking its all fine and dandy until the cancer results roll in.
Posted 7/20/2015 8:44 PM (GMT 0)

makeitgoawayplz said...
So no biopsy results yet.

Out of fear I called the location where I had the scope done and asked "If they saw a mass or a suspicious lesion during the procedure, would I have known that day or would the doc have waited"

They said yes I would've known then and there, she put me on hold and pulled my file, then came back and said "there isn't anything of concern, routine biopsies were taken to rule out infection etc." she said I can stop worrying.

So the day after that (Friday) I called my GI docs office and asked the same exact questions, whether I would've known if he saw a mass etc. The receptionist said she will talk to the doctor and call me back. about an hour later she called me back and said "the doctor said he didn't see anything of concern, just mild inflammation" and that If I haven't heard anything from their office by tuesday afternoon to give them a call.

Can I relax yet? Im still stressing out pretty hard thinking its all fine and dandy until the cancer results roll in.

I think its ok to calm down. Im guessing the biopsy was for H Polyeria which is an infection I think. I know its scary when something is going on inside of you because you cant see it but it seems like it is looking like you do not have cancer from you have said..
Posted 7/21/2015 10:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there I thought of stopping by and throwing in a reply... don't worry, I had reflux since I was 19 years old and I'm 25 now.. it's an irritating illness but chances of developing cancer..etc are very slim..I learned to cope with my illness, and sometimes I have good days sometimes bad days... worrying makes things worse, eventhough I feel how much it sucks to be worried and under stress all the time... I hope you get better and all is well with you...
Posted 7/23/2015 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
UPDATE:

Biopsy results are in:

no cancer
no baretts
no infections

only mild reflux.

Thank you everyones for the support while I was going through this.

I hope that other people out there who where just as scared as me have their fears relieved.

You too can have these insane sharp stabbing pains in your chest and it could just be mild reflux, not even severe.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply