Googled myself into a really dark place...please help

I will try to be brief, any help is welcomed, I prob will mis-spell, i am very nervous....

33Year old male, about 40 lbs overweight.

X-smoker of 14 years pack / 3 days. Quit in Jul 2007

HAD GERD since approx 1995, been taking prilosec since 1999 or so.

2 endoscopy 1 in 2000, 1 in Sept 2004. revealed irritation & hiatial Hernia (sliding) -no barretts.

ALSO, I HAVE SEVERE HEALTH ANIXIETY & ANXIETY IN GENERAL.

Have been keeping GERD symptoms under control for a while, only heartburn here and there. But i take a lot of NASID's, & vicodin for Migraines. Also been on Leaxapro, stopped in July.

Over the past month or 2, I have had a couple of times where it was like my esophagis cramped up, ar the food jameed up, took about 5-12 second to stop, i kind of had to twist arounnd, like a giant muscle spasm. The last time it happened, i googled it maybe 12/21/07 (btw, my GF says i am eathing to biig of bites too fast, she said i ate a chesseburger in like 2 or 3 bites & then wash it down with soda).

 

 

Ok now it is 1/01/08, and i have convinced myself i have espophageal cancer, and now i can feel every symptom of my GERD, I have been to 2 Doc' this week, 1 put me back o lexapro & adivan, and 20MG prilosec 2 x daily.

I cannot sleep, i have isolate myself from my girl, her family, my family, my friends. I cant eat for fear of feeling something getting stuck (it has not since i started eating slower & smaller, but when i do eat, i feel like crap after, bloated, feeling gravel in my espophagus, and this darn lump in my throat, have a lot of post nasal drip to)

Lost 13LBS since 12/21

Anybody think I have cancer???????? Anybody else feel like me??

THanks for listening

 

 

 

 

Hi there - I can help - I was in your shoes a year ago,

I have anxiety, migraines and Gerd. I also have constant esphogitius and I can relate to you and here's why. When my esophogitus is extremely irritated I get esophogeal spasms which feels like the giant muscle spasm in your chest...it can be aggravated by hot or cold food or taking to big of bites. It's painful and really annoying! It also makes your heart rate go up because it can freak you out when it happens because your first instinct is to think something is wrong with your heart....so there goes your anxiety. Or you feel like something is stuck which doesn't feel good either. So the trick is to get the inflammation decreased in the esophagus. You may need a different medication than priolesec or taking it twice a day might work. I recently switched from lexapro to cymbalta for anxiety/depression and it's worked really well for me. I also take zegerid for my Gerd.

I cannot take NSAIDs, they give me ulcers. They are really hard on your stomach so I would stop taking them if you can- that might be contributing to your esphogeal pain and I think sometimes they can increase your heart rate which makes anxiety prone people feel like they are going to have a panic attack. I have to take a preventative migraine medication daily. I take topamax and it has worked really well to keep me from getting any migraines at all. If I do get a migraine I take imitrex to stop it immediately and it doesn't bother my stomach.

I hope this info helps a little. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed with anxiety and not feel good at the same time and how it really sucks. So hang in there. The medications will work it just takes some time but it will get better.