Hi there, this is my first post on the GERD page... usually I'm over at the Fibromyalgia page, but I've got some questions about
some recent problems I've been having with GERD.
A little background info... I've got a Hiatal Hernia, and have had major heartburn problems since I was a teenager, which often ended up with me not eating and losing a ton of weight for fear that I would have constant pain and vomitting if I ate (I should also say that during this time I was a smoker). I was diagosed with Acid Reflux/GERD at 16 and prescribed Ranitidine, which I was on for about 10 years. I was then switched to Losec at 26 and continued on that until about 30, when I got pregnant with my son (I quit smoking as soon as I found out I was pregnant). Most women get heartburn when pregnant... mine actually decreased from it's normal recurrance. I still had the odd night of chugging Malox out of the bottle, but it was nowhere near what I had experience in years prior. After the birth of my son in 2008, the heartburn seemed to stay at bay, so I stopped the Losec and have been off it since, I've had the odd night of heartburn after a spicy meal of too much to eat, but other than that, it's been pretty good.
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia early in 2011 and started on Cymbalta, I also had my BC pill switched to a new pill as a result of some pretty brutal symptoms with my monthly cylce. For the last six weeks, I have had problems with heartburn and find myself reaching for the Tums regularily, and the last 3 weeks have been viscous. I have had what feels like someone squeezing my esophagus... right behind hte sternum for the better part of the last 5 days and it is constent (this happens after I eat and never goes away), acid reflux at night and during the day, vomitting for about 6 hours one day (thought it was a stomach bug... but no one else I was with was sick), the constant feeling of needing to burp and worrying about vomitting acid if I do, sore throat and trouble swollowing meat or dry food, and sometimes I choke on liquid. Generally it really sucks and I'm tired of feeling this way.
I have recently had a colonoscopy, and am constantly B12 deficent... my Gastro specialist wants me to test for Celiac disease, and also wants to do an Endoscopy... which at this point I'm happy to do just to see if he can take a look at what's going on with this GERD stuff.
Does anyone have syptoms like these... my concern is Barette's Esophagus or Esophagial Cancer. Anyone with any insight would be most helpful to me.
Thanks.