Does this sound like getting better or worse?

My acid reflux came on about 3 months ago or so. What brought it on is hard to say but I think it was these herbal drops by Bryon White for my lyme disease or possibly 30Mg Cymbalta that I'd been taking. I'd been taking the Cymbalta for over a year so I don't know if it's that or not. I've been off of everything for 10 days now.

I was having the "lump in throat" nearly all the time. That seems to be gone (but I still feel it occasionally), but now I have like a tightness feeling in my chest and pain when I take a deeper than normal breath. Sometimes I will also have a dry cough but not too bad.

The pain in my upper chest thing has been going on for may 7 days or so but doesn't seem to be letting up. I treated myself to a massage yesterday and it actually hurt being facedown on the table.

Last night I started getting myself worried and popped an AcipHex 20mg tablet that I had been given as a sample. It was expired a few months ago but I took it anyway. Then, I took another one this morning.

I have an endoscopy scheduled for May 24th so should I try not to take any PPI's?

Anyway, I don't know if I should consider my getting better because the lump in my throat has gotten better, or worse because now I have this chest pain thing going on...

Any thoughts?

Carrie

It sounds like you could be having esophageal spasms from the reflux. Don't freak out, it is mostly just uncomfrotable. The esophagus is a muscle andwhen it senses the acid it tries to push it back down to the stomache. I have had them for years and they are now calming down with a new diet and a high dose of PPI for 8 weeks. Deep breathing helps, anxiety makes it worse. Try chewing non mint gum, the alkaline saliva has helped me combat the acid. You should consider going on a low acid, low fat, low carb diet. It sucks but it helps. Some natural remedies have helped me also, such as Aloe Vera Juice and Manuka Honey. I also take caltrate plus which seems to help with the spasms as well as chamille tea (decaf). I am looking to try DGL. These remides can work with a good diet. I am on Zegrid right now at a high does to heal so that the spasms go away. Look into food combining:
eat fruit first, then vegetables, then meat. Stay away from carbs, potatoes appear to be ok though.

Carrie, if they are going to test you for Helicobacter it's better not to take the ppi. Some people are told to stop treatment 2 weeks before the scope so that they can be tested for Helicobacter, so I wouldn't worry about the long term effects of that short time off treatment.

MMM