Hi everyone,
I'm sorry this could be a rather long post. I've been suffering from horrendous heartburn for about 6 years now. I've been on various ppi's at various doses, and also tried the max dose of zantac. To begin with the ppi's helped and as long as i ate carefully etc all was fine. Then 2 years ago I ended up with the sensation of something stuck in my throat constantly, this lasted for serval months before it subsided and now happens just a few times a week. I had an endoscopy done approx 2 years ago but they found nothing, i was also clear for ulcers. I am currently taking 40mg of nexium a day, but have been up as high as 80mg of nexium a day, but dispite this i still suffer heartburn daily. It's so bad that my rib cage hurts like someone punched me. And it feels as if my diaphram is messed up, when i sit up from lying down i can feel pain there. My docs just say that happens from chronic heartburn.
I have been trying to quit smoking, got to 8 weeks but have now started smoking again ( a little), i didn't notice hardly any improvement in not smoking. But i do intent to keep trying to quit for good.
I was bulimic for serval years and because of this the doctors feel surgery is not a good option for me. But their pills aren't exactly doing much to help.
I'm now 28 and am getting really desperate. I've switched to decaf tea and never drink coffee. All i drink is plain water and a couple of cups of decaf tea a day. I watch my diet carefully to aviod trigger foods. But i'm still left with this dreadful unrelenting heartburn.
I also suffer from ibs and bladder troubles. I've found many medications seem to mess up the heartburn and can leave it horrific for serval months even once stopped. So i can't even take medication for my bladder or bowel because it messes it up....i amussed its because they are muscle relaxant medications, so i guess they might relax the les too.
I've got a bottle of digestive enzyme i keep meaning to try, but i'm worried they will just make it worse.
I can't see me ever being able to have children when the heartburn is this bad without the added troubles of pregnancy on heartburn.
I just don't see what i can do, my doctors seem lost for solutions and worse seem to think its no big deal. I'm in the UK so we kind of get a rough deal when it comes to specalist care and tests etc here.
Does anyone have any sugestions or advice as to what i can try?
Also is it possible that the ppi's have made the heartburn worse over the years?