Are these reflux symptoms? Scared about camera down throat, only 24

Hello,
I am a 24 year old female, I have never smoked in my life and I don’t drink alcohol. I do live with anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia, I am housebound and have been for years, i have lived with anxiety since i was very young so can usually distinguish between panic sensations and real physical issues before people just in case anyone assumes this is all down to anxiety.

I had a cough back at the beginning of May and had to have some penicillin antibiotics for an ear piercing infection, these gave me awful side effects, I had painful indigestion and heartburn and a gnawing pain under my sternum as if i was being crushed almost so was told to stop them. ( I am not new to indigestion and heartburn i have dealt with it a lot in the past but this was daily pain)
The gnawing pain continued mainly in the mornings and I developed chest pains mainly central and to the right side, the dr gave me nsaids for possible costochondritis with omeprazole to help my stomach while taking the nsaids, after taking the omeprazole i started getting sharp pains in my throat when inhaling (i don't know if this is coincidence or if it set my issues off) these pains are like the pains you get when you've gone for a run and those sharp pains shoot up your throat, it feels different to the pain I've experienced with reflux before which I've felt is more like glass coming up the throat.
I had a d dimer blood test to test for clot as i was getting shortness of breathe with the chest pains etc which came back negative, i also had a h pylori test also negative.
I also was given some antibiotics (not penicillin based this time) in case it was all down to an infection- again didn't help which didn't surprise me.
I started getting a lump sensation in the right side of my throat and sometimes in the chest too, as if food was stuck there, no matter how much i swallowed or drank water or even ate to try to shift it it wouldn't move and really scared me! I in fact felt like i was going to choke during one episode. The lump sensation comes and goes, and when its there and i eat i can feel the point where my food passes and its hurts. Mostly the lump is more of an annoyance and makes me anxious. (I do also suffer with anxiety but have done for years so can usually differentiate between anxiety sensations and real illness however it can be hard when you are a very anxious person and think something could be seriously wrong)
I had a chest X-ray, which was terrifying for me as I had to leave my home for the first time in years with the help of strong diazepam! The chest X-ray came back normal, again which i thought would be the case as i tried to explain to several gps it feels like it's more in my oesophagus.

I have been feeling some form of chest pain, breathing pain in throat, back ache etc every single day now since May and i am getting really depressed due to it, it doesn't help my anxiety either.

to break it down my symptoms now are:
-cough since May (almost 12 weeks)
-sharp pain inhaling in my throat (right side and central) like the pain after running feels different to reflux
-on and off lump sensation on the right side of throat and sometimes in my chest again on the right side
-bad back ache between shoulder blades primarily on the right side (sharp and achy)
-sore throat and hoarseness not constant, comes and goes
and I haven't had a day without symptoms since May when it all began

Tests done:
Chest Xray- ok
H pylori - negative
D Dimer blood test for blood clots - negative

The dr has now said he'd like me to see an ENT, the thought of having to leave my house again is scaring me but more so to have a camera down my throat terrifies me but I know it needs to be done, it's just probably one of the worst things to have done when you're anxious, but I need to know whats wrong, for my own piece of mine and so i can begin to get better.

I have been taking some natural things for reflux like slippery elm, dgl liquorice, dried marshmallow root and chewing fruit gum from doing research as well as taking gaviscon in case its acid related, but it doesn't seem to have helped me. I feel like the omeprazole made my symptoms worse somehow as i started with just the indigestion now i have agonising sharp pains in my throat. I have also been trying to keep my diet clean, I only ever drink water anyway, I don't drink caffeine, I drink ginger tea and other herbal teas, I have stopped eating chocolate for now and fatty foods, but again I am still in pain.


If anyone has the same symptoms id' really like to hear from you and give me some piece of mind as I have been going out of my mind thinking something is seriously wrong and am so scared. I have had a good cry about it all on several occasions now, hopefully I'm not alone!

Thank you ... and sorry for the long post!

(and before anyone asks regarding the anxiety etc, I have had pretty much every therapy to offer for agoraphobia and anxiety, seen specialists in agoraphobia, been through the mental health system, CBT, EFT, NLP, gateway workers, general therapists, hypnotherapy, you name it I've probably tried it during the many years dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia)

I agree with Alcie, insist on Propofol - there's a reason why Michael Jackson was so fond of it!

You should read Dr. Jamie Koufman's two books, "Dropping Acid" and "The Chronic Cough Enigma". Get these ASAP. Most of the symptoms you're describing are dealt with in her books.

Additionally, you do not need to be anesthetized during an endoscopy. I had mine, fully awake, with Dr. Koufman where she put the scope down my entire esophagus and into my stomach through my nose. It's called Transnasal esophagoscopy (TNE). Not a picnic, but I was comfortable and pain free during the procedure. She was even able to biopsy various sections with no discomfort. In all, it took about five minutes and, after a thorough consultation, I was on my way with no after effects.

During my hospital endoscopy a year earlier, I was petrified of being anesthetized, too. Guess what? It was absolutely fine. Once they started the anesthesia drip, all I remembered was waking up in the recovery room. Once again, no after effects. So don't sweat it if you do wind up getting an endoscopy at the hospital. It's not bad AT ALL.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask me any questions. But seriously, check out those books before you do anything. She has changed my life.

Glad you found it helpful. Best of luck with whatever you do.

This article will give you a flavor for Dr. Koufman's iconoclastic approach.

http://transnasalesophagoscopy.com/tne-today

Also, if you go on Amazon, you can get many pages of the book by clicking the "Look Inside" icon.

Post Edited (GuitarGERD) : 7/24/2015 1:30:24 PM (GMT-6)

I was wondering what your thoughts were on proton pump inhibitors, I was given omeprazole a couple of months ago as a test but after a week on it i started getting the pains in my throat, i don't know if this was just a coincidence. I am not scared to take it in fear of making me worse, I also have a b12 deficiency and have to have b12 injections and have heard that PPI's can actually cause b12 deficiency so am scared to take them already have a b12 deficiency.

Did you have to take any medication for your issues?

I am so glad you managed to find an amazing Dr who has treated you and done all of the necessary tests to find out what was going on!

I only wish Dr. K was in the UK so I myself could see her!

I do have bad health anxiety so I am also terrified of throat cancer, I am trying to be logical in that I am only 24 and I know my anxiety makes me think all sorts of terrifying things!

Are you on any medication now as a result of seeing Dr. K, I am sorry if that's too personal and please don't feel you need to answer all of my questions. It is just nice to speak to someone who actually understands my anxiety during this time and has been there, all of the GPs i have spoken to have been pretty useless, I only hope the ENT dr i get referred to is good!

Thank you so much again for taking the time to reply to me.

Thought you might find this helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8U0b3TVbEU

Just my two cents- if you are nervous about an endoscopy, I would be put under for the procedure. And I agree with those above who like propofol. It's like a nice nap and you wake up with a slightly sore throat. I would be much more nervous, personally, if I knew I had to be awake for the procedure. I hope you can figure it out and feel better!

GuitarGERD, thank you for the alkaline water advice. I would try to get that. I'm on a transition phase and needed some diet to make me stronger. Was diagnosed with GERD two months ago. After an emergency and urgent care visits. All test are normal as to EKG, blood clot, Stress test, HPylori and chest Xray. I just had my CT Scan done, Praise God all are normal. My doctor did a CT scan instead of the endoscopy. I have to have food every 2 to 3 hrs. With endoscopy, pasting is necessary and that is tough for me. Any other advise please post. This site helped me a lot. Few weeks ago, I was so scared and Anxiety kicked in. I was not able to sleep for being so tired. Took Ativan per my doctor's advice. It made me relax but my acid reflux became worst.

Eevie, based on what I had, seems that the antibiotic had worsen my GERD. so take some better probiotic. I drink Yakult after each meal and it had helped too. Hope you feel better.