swallowing problems..I need reassurance

  I have had gerds probably most of my life, but was diagnosed last Fall.  I have had all the symptoms from pain between my shoulder blades to lump in throat feeling.  I also get esophageal spasms that can range from annoying to down right painful.  It can be a very intense squeezing feeling up and down the esophagus.  I do notice that when Im stressed, this seems to get worse.  I have been on protonix since last Fall, and have done pretty well on it.  I felt that I was almost getting my life back.  Even though, I did still have my share of bad days, I felt this was under control.  That is until about a week and half ago.  That week, I had more stress in my life than ususal.  Then the spasms started...I assumed they would pass.  But this time, along iwth the spasms was a new symptom.  I felt like my swallowing reflex was off.  Its not the usual tightning of the throat feeling, that I have come to live with from time to time, or the lump in the throat feeling, but its almost as if part of my swallowing reflex has disappeared sometimes.  It seems to hesitate when I go to swallow.  I cant tell you how unnerving this is.  I am so afraid to eat or drink anything that I have gone days without food becaue I am afriad i will get that sensation again and maybe even choke.  When i get that sensation its like a full panic attack overtakes me.  I am sitting here trying to eat a small amount of icecream, and I cant tell you the amount of anxiety I am feeling as I force feed myself.

  I saw my Dr yesterday and she thinks it might be from stress, or induced by the spasms which makes the swallowing irregular.  Or may even be from a hiatal hernia.  I have an upper gi scheduled for next week, but I am so frightened.  She put me on anti anxiety meds, hoping to calm me down and possibly to reduce the spasms.

  Since I joined this forum, I have gotten so much relief in reading posts from others recognizing symptoms that I have, and it has made me feel so much better so many times knowing that I am not the only one who is suffering from a certain symptom.  I really could use to hear from any of you that have experinced any of these similiar feelings or symptoms.  I need some calming reassurance friends!!  Please help.

Thanx

Rose

Hi julie,

  I had an upper gi done, which showed that I had full reflux from my lower esophageal sphincter all the way to the upper esophageal sphincter.  Meaning, I have gerds and lpr.  The acid can not stay into my stomach, because that sphincter does not work properly.  It shoots straight up into my esophagus and into my throat.

  The test also showed that I have gastritis and a hiatal hernia.  The Dr.told me that the reason why I couldnt swallow properly was probably due do the acid doing some damage to the soft tissue in my throat, and it wouldnt work properly.

  What had me confused was that I had been diagnosed with gerds almost a year ago, but I had never had that type of swallowing problem.  The Dr. thinks that it was because I was really stressed out and when you are anxious and nervous your body reacts to producing even more acid, which in turns creates more damage. 

  I was put on zoloft (anti anxiety medicine) before I even had the test.  It seemed to help a bit.  After the results, my dr changed my medicine from protonix (which i was taking for gerds) to nexium.  She wants me on nexium for one month, and then I am to go back to her and see what the next step is.  She said that nexium is stronger and should help heal all the tissues.  She doesnt want me on nexium forever because it prevents calcium absorption into the body which could result in osteoporosis.

  As of today, I have been on the nexium for 6 days,and today I actually feel pretty good.  I guess the medicine is kicking in.  I am able to eat pretty normal again, but it was hard psycologically.  I was afriad I would choke,and sometimes I am still reluctant but Im getting there.  As nervous as I was to have the test done, I am so glad that I did.  Now I know exactly what it was, and if the same symptoms happen again, I know it is nothing serious...and I dont feel as anxious about it.

  When did you have your barium test done?  I know its hard, but try to relax.  Stressing out only makes matters worse.  I know its easy for me to say now!!...but, please know that you are not alone and Ive been thru the same thing.

  Write back to me on here whenever you get nervous, and Ill write back to you.  It really does help.

Keep in touch, and keep me posted!

Rose

  What you describe is exactly what happens to me!

Now, the swallowing issue seemed to be gone, then last night it happened a little bit again.  Its almost like the muscles stop working, or arent strong enuff to complete a full swallow.  And, yes...even with saliva!  Which drives me crazy because I start noticing every single time I swallow.  I am really thinking that stress may cause some of this to happen.  But its like that old question, whaat came first the chicken or the egg?  In my case, what came first gerds or anxiety??....These symptoms cause so much anxiety for me, as I am like you and diagnose myself on the internet!!..lol...And, I always think i have the worse things!...so, its a vicious cycle in that anxiety makes the symptoms worse, and the symptoms make me worry!!!

  You mentioned something called sustingen.  Can you tell me what that is, and if it is helping any?

I know what you mean about lack of energy.  Its from not eatting.  I was getting so weak it was hard to walk around or climb stairs.  I would feel my heart beating so hard, i thought I was going to have a heart attack!

  Please keep me posted.  Its good to have someone to talk to!

Rose

  Have you tried eatting any pasta?  Im usually okay with this.  I get so tired of the puddings and yogert and soups.  I was eatting a bit better, and had a ham sandwich last night when the swallowing problem occured again. Now,  I am afraid to try and eat again. Sometimes I think I am going crazy.  Does my anxiety cause this?

  How are you when you are sleeping?....Sometimes when I am sleeping, i wake up feeling like something is forcing me to swallow when I really dont have to.

  My throat almost always feels tight,and I almost always have that sensation of a lump in it.  As if I am going to cry.  When I was first having gerds problems a year ago, Id have the sensation of food getting stuck half way down, and it was like i could feel it going down my back.  I dont seem to have that anymore, but who knows.  Ive learned with this condition, that things change so fast.  One minute Im feeling okay, the next minute Im feeling awful.

  As if feeling like this isnt bad enuff, what is even worse is that my quality of life has gone down.  I cant go out to dinner anymore, I feel like I dont have energy to do things....And, sometimes I get so depressed by all of it.  I just wnat to feel "normal" again.  I guess we have to take it one day at a time.

~rose

  Good to hear from you again.

I know you must be really anxious about the test.  I do not do well with tests.  I totally freak out...so,I do know how u are feeling about them.  I almost cancelled out of my uppr gi tests, but Im glad now that I didnt.  It does ease my mind knowing that there is nothing "bad" in my throat or esophagus making all this happen.  Not that gerds and LPR arent bad, but my mind plays tricks on me and I get to where I imagine all kinds of terrible things!  So, when the swalloing thing happens, I have to remind myself it is the LPR because the test would have shown if it were anything worse.  I got so bad at the time of my upper gi that I actually started to cry in the x ray room!...I am having terrible anxiety.  I think that I was always an anxious type person to some extent, but having all this going on, has sure made it a thousand times worse.  I know that the anxiety is making this condiiton worse, but its a vicious cycle and I want it to end!

  I know that I will eventually have to have a scope done too.  I am dreading that.

  You asked about cracking voice, and I never answered that question in one of your other posts.  Yes, I do get  a cracking voice.  I also get where my voice sounds hoarse, or kind of muffled.  I suppose it is the acid affecting our vocal chords.  Also, a feeling like phlegm or something is on my vocal cords and i try to swallow to get rid of it...doesnt work.

  I also have plugged ears that is so annoying.  They get so plugged as if I am underwater.  This comes and goes.  This symptom is annoying too!   but, I have to say the worse symptom  is not being able to swallow, and it makes me so afriad to eat.  I still dont know if it is the anxiety doing that or the LPR.  I have to get the anxiety under control in order to feel better.

  I also get a very odd sensation in my lower throat.  I am assuming it is spasms...it feels as if something is crawling inside of it, and I feellike there is a puddle of liquid there somnetinmes.

  Yesterday I felt pretty good, but this morning i feel crappy already!  I am sooo sick of this tihng!!!

Please keep in touch.  good to have a friend to talk to about this.

I will be thinking of you on your test day.  Please let me know how it goes.

Rose

Hi Ecarroll,

  Please dont feel as if youre intruding into our conversation.  I welcome everyone and anyone to reply.  It helps knowing there are others out there with simiiar symptoms.

  I have not felt that open sore sensation that you are referring to..(yet anyways, as I have learned with this condition, new things seem to flare up on a moments notice!!)  But, I do alot of research and reading on this subject, and I have seen others with similiar symptoms on other boards.

  Try and relax...I know its difficult, and I am no one to talk because I still worry, even though Ive had the upper gi done and I know there is not anything else bad going on there...but, my mind still tends to wander and create all kinds of terrible things when I let it.

  This acid does alot of strange things to us and creates alot of strange symptoms.  Im afraid to eat too,and Im losing alot of weight.  I dont think that the nexium is doing much of anything different than the prtonix did....Ill have to see what the dr says when I go back.  The swallowing problem gives me the most anxiety out of all of this.  If I could only get rid of that, I could cope with this alot better.

  Please continue to write, it does help....and please let me know how your appt goes.

***And Julie, if you are out there...Please let me know how your test went!!!

Hang in there Ecarroll...try and think positive.

Your friend,

Rose