Esophagitis and severe anxiety

Hi

As a fellow sufferer of anxiety and at times gastritis and esophagitis I know how stressful it can be. It does heal yes, but the esophagus is quite slow to heal. My worst flare up took me about 2-3 months before the chest pain was almost gone, but I started to have good times and days after a few weeks.

Are you still taking the Zantac? It's best to stop it now you're on esomprazole. Also make sure you take it correctly, when you wake up on an empty stomach then eat a meal with protein 30 minutes after. That will get it working best.

I find limiting liquids helps too, as I think they cause me the most reflux. Try keeping a food and drink log to see if anything is triggering more pain and learn what to avoid.

Are you taking anything for anxiety? It can make pain and heartburn all the more worse so its important to try to keep it under control. I do relaxation exercises a few times a day when Im really bad which helps keep my anxiety down.

It's hard but try to do what you can and take each day at a time. It will heal, a lot of people have heartburn with no esophagitis so you are probably one of the lucky ones that will be symptom free once your esophagus inflammation dies down, but it takes a while as its constantly being exposed to digestive juices, its like rubbing salt in a wound as its trying to heal.

Dani0011 said...
A month ago I was diagnosed with grade a esophagitis.
Spent 2 weeks on 300mg Zantac whilst waiting for my GI with the biopsy results. Went to see him and he gave me Rabeprrazole which I couldn't tolerate. Then was put on 40mg esomprazole. (Nexium).
I've been on that now for about 11 days.
I have severe anxiety since being diagnosed with this. Does it heal? Roughly how long does it take and are there instances where it doesn't? What does one do then? Also am I able to check say in 8 weeks or so if it's healed.
Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm really concerned.

Hi Dani, welcome to the forum.

I can relate to everything you've written because I've been through it before and am currently going through my 2nd bout of chronic gastritis and a grade B erosive esophagitis which can be very painful at times.  

First off, the anxiety you are feeling is very normal.   Esophagitis affects different people radically different.  It's very important for me to know how were you diagnosed with a grade a espophagitis?  Is the doctor guessing?  Did they perform an endoscopy?   I just want to make sure it's the correct diagnosis.

Some of the best advice I can give you, which I learned from making a ton of mistakes, is to change how and when and what you eat.   Though medicine can and does help, the #1 thing that is going to help you heal faster is what you eat, which means sticking to a low-acid, low-carb, all natural diet.  It's also critical that you eat small meals throughout the day (I currently eat 4 to 6 very small meals per day) and that you chew your food to the point where it's almost liquid in your mouth.

This allows your food to continue breaking down as it travels down your esophagus and into your stomach and keeps the alkaline levels in your stomach to a tolerable level.   According to Dr. Jamie Koufman, in her book Dropping Acid, it takes about 2 weeks to clear the digestive tract if Pepsin, which is an enzyme that is activated by acid and acidic foods, so she has a 2 week induction diet that is very, very strict, but it's designed to get rid of the pepsin so you can begin adding more foods to you diet.

I strongly recommend reading all her articles on her website here, as they will be beneficial in helping you recover:

http://www.voiceinstituteofnewyork.com/articles-and-publications/acid-reflux-15-groundbreaking-articles/

As already mentioned above, stay away from alcohol and make sure that you do not eat fatty, fried, or spicy foods.  Stay away from all caffeine.  Some publications state you can probably have one cup of coffee per day, but that's specifically for GERD sufferers.  If one has esophagitis already, then caffeine is definitely something to avoid because it makes esophagitis worse.

Stay away from all herbal teas except ginger root or chamomile tea.  Stay away from most herbs and spices, at least for the first few weeks while your body recovers.  Bear in mind that everyone heals at a different rate, but for most people, it takes a long time for the esophagus to heal.  I'm entering my 3rd month of recovery since my trip to the ER back in June and because of a few recent slip ups I've probably added another 1-2 months to my overall recovery (over eating and drinking a few glasses of red wine set me back).

Yes, your esophagitis will eventually heal.   Though I am not a fan of Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs, they do work for many people and in conjunction with a solid diet and other factors, they can speed up the healing process.

Another thing, sleeping with the head of your bed elevated is also very important.  I invested in some bed risers and have my bed at 9-10 inches so that my entire body sleeps at an angle.  This keeps the acid from coming up into my esophagus during my sleep. 

I think once you do some research you'll find that you WILL eventually heal and that your anxiety levels will disappear.  I know mine did. 

As far as putting a time line on how soon you will heal, they are so many factors involved and people heal at different rates, that it's hard to predict.  I'm with Sharon, I think 8 weeks is a little optimistic.  If there's one thing I've learned with esophagitis is that it's best not to think in terms of time.  I know, I know, easier said than done, but when I shifted my focus from thinking about when I'll be healed to focusing on eating better, it became a lot easier to deal with.

I had a co-worker who had a bad case of GERD and chronic gastritis and it took her several months to heal.  I've had my current bought of esophagitis for many, many months and my GI doctor thinks my specific case may take up to a year or more to heal completely.   The most important thing you can do is educate yourself on how to treat esophagitis, not just with medicine, but with the foods you eat and the beverages you drink because for the majority of people, that's the root cause of the problem.

Good luck to you,

Hi Dani, I too can relate to what you've written because I was diagnosed with Grade A esophagitis and mild gastritis on July 2 via endoscopy. The doctors earlier, in June, said I had GERD; the endoscopy just confirmed the extent of the damage.

What Sharon, Paul and Tu Wang have said, I am continuing to learn. I completely understand your anxiety. I am an anxious person by nature, and this situation ratcheted up those feelings exponentially. However, I am seeing a therapist. I have my anxiety flare ups, but as the weeks pass, I find my anxiety slowly decreasing. The therapist echoed what this thread has already said: That it's best not to give yourself a deadline for healing, but to take it one day at a time. I was focusing a great deal on a timeline, and I finally stopped because it was adding stress and potentially setting me up for disappointment. And as a result, I've felt less anxious and started feeling better. My therapist helped me see that, in general, I have a great fear of the unknown. The way to work past this feeling is to keep focus on the present and to respond to situations with a curious mindfulness, rather than a negative emotion. Like Tu Wang, I am finding that prayer has been seeing me through this.

It's not the way I would have chosen for it to happen, but having GERD and esophagitis are showing me new ways of thinking about myself and putting myself first. Before I got sick, I put a lot of stress on myself and did not create enough outlets to unwind and relax. Now I'm discovering those.

As others have said, the esophagus can take a long time to heal, and everyone is different. I am still in the healing process after more than 2 months. I've learned that recovery isn't a straight line. I've had good days, but also times when I've made mistakes in taking medication or eating something, and it delays the healing process. I'm learning not to be too discouraged. And I'd say overall that days are getting better and less painful. Recovery will happen; we just have to be patient and do our best.

The medication has helped, but so much depends on what you eat and when, and I think it's an ongoing learning process for me. This forum and these new friends have been tremendously kind while offering great information. You're not alone.

Post Edited (Alejandra1219) : 9/11/2015 6:46:20 PM (GMT-6)

Dani0011 said...
Thank you everyone for the replies. Lots of really helpful advice.

My diet is quite bland but I'm quite underweight so can't afford to eliminate much. I'm eating quite regularly and adding in Ensure in order to add calories to my diet. I have Dr Koufman's Dropping Acid book which I'm following apart from the lactose in the Ensure. Good thing with this diet is that it promotes carb intake! I already eat a low fat diet so I need to get calories from somewhere.

Paul - yes I diagnosed via endoscopy. Endoscopy showed esophagitis and moderately severe gastritis. Dr doesn't know what's causing the gastritis which worries me. I had h pylori back in 2007 but it was successfully treated. Dr also said that the lower esophagus is inflamed.

My symptoms are chest pain which only occurs when moving in a certain way, pain under both my rib cages and sternum especially when taking a deep breath and sometimes after eating. Epigastric tenderness and dyspepsia. Not sure whether these symptoms are from esophagitis (dr said my lower esophagus is inflamed) or the gastritis? I'm going for an upper abdominal ultrasound next week to rule anything else out.

After reading all your posts it seems I shouldn't put a time frame on healing my esophagus. I've read numerous studies and the ppi leaflets which state that it can take 8-12 weeks sometimes shorter and sometimes longer but generally I see that time frame.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Thank you for the detailed post.   In my case, my last GI doctor who scoped me stated that it appeared that bile reflux was the cause of my gastritis.  He said he was able to tell from the biopsies he took from different areas of my stomach.  He said he wasn't sure what was causing the bile reflux, but said I should stay away from fatty, greasy foods for at least 3 months. 

My last GI doctor told me that 90% of his patients with esophagitis heal up in 8-12 weeks which is why he puts them on PPIs for 3 months and monitors their progress.  Though I've often wondered how sincere he was in offering that figure.   I've had this bought of esophagitis since February, though granted, I've made it worse by not sticking to a strict diet until around the end of June.  I suspect it's going to take me 6-12 months before I fully heal.  Though I have elected to not take any medication and do this naturally. 

If I don't see major improvement soon, I just might have to start taking my Dexilant again.

Hi Dani, much of what you write reminds me of my case. I am just shy of 5 feet tall and weighed 104 pounds before all of this started in June. But when I started having symptoms, I had difficulty swallowing (and still do, to a limited extent). The swallowing difficulties + anxiety led me to lose 6 pounds by the time I had my endoscopy. Shortly thereafter, I began drinking Ensure to help with calories and nutrition (to a degree, at least, because Ensure has sugar).

I've seen the 8-12 weeks figure as well. Does that include patients who may also have a hiatal hernia? I think the "Grade A" has led my doctors to be slightly dismissive of my case, because they claim that the vast majority heal in that time frame. I myself am coming close to the 12-week mark, and I know I will need more time.

Paul and everyone else, when the esophagitis is healed, does that mean that the symptoms are completely gone? Or just that you feel no pain and back to normal? I have been wondering whether the esophagitis permanently damaged my LES valve, or whether the reflux will stop when the esophagitis is healed? Apologies in advance if these questions don't make sense.

RE: gastritis, I'm assuming that mine came from diet, including drinking coffee on an empty stomach in the morning and alcohol at dinner. Dani, it may not help your gastritis, but I find coconut water and carrot juice to be wonderful remedies for mine.

Hi, sorry you are going through this I know it's tough as many other members here know it's tough also. I have had esophagatis since February and I still have it and it sucks. I need to get my throat checked out again soon by my ENT, last it was July and hadn't healed at all yet. I never had such issues with anxiety until this happened to me. Now I get panic and anxiety multiple times throughout the day.

My best advice is don't push yourself and eat what's comfortable. I have become the soup queen and even contacted a chef to create all kinds of bisque soulps for me because store bought is hard to find and working full time at a busy law firm gives me no time to make soups myself. I also have been seeing a therapist.

Dani do you take anything for the anxiety like Xanax? Just wondering if you do if it helps alleviate your symptoms a bit.

Hi Andy - no I don't take anything for anxiety. Although it is so tempting to take something like Xanax I worry about getting addicted? Do you take anything? I was on an antidepressant for 7 years prior to all this.

Thanks Alejandra. That's interesting that your dr said a repeat endoscopy isn't necessary. I think I'm going to demand one too. He basically wrote a prescription for the meds and that was it - see ya have a nice life was the impression I got.

Dani0011 said...
Hi Andy - no I don't take anything for anxiety. Although it is so tempting to take something like Xanax I worry about getting addicted? Do you take anything? I was on an antidepressant for 7 years prior to all this.

Thanks Alejandra. That's interesting that your dr said a repeat endoscopy isn't necessary. I think I'm going to demand one too. He basically wrote a prescription for the meds and that was it - see ya have a nice life was the impression I got.

I take Mirtazapine for depression and anxiety, I've never taken a tranquiliser though am now considering it. I wouldn't worry about getting addicted to it, Xanax is meant to be taken as and when needed so if you take it like once a week to avoid a panic attack then you wont get addicted. It's only if you take it consistently for a prolonged period of time as I understand it.

I've been on sleeping pills in the past and they are highly addictive, and I passed the point where I was addicted and needed them to sleep. But once I'd dealt with the anxiety I was able ween off them and it wasn't too bad, just have to do it very gradually and if you struggle just go back up the dose and keep trying. I actually had more trouble coming off 100mg amitriptyline than sleeping pills and that's not even supposed to be addictive!

Post Edited (Andy1986) : 9/13/2015 2:54:25 PM (GMT-6)

Hi friends, Thanks for your thoughts. I'm reading to your post thinking I'm not alone. Don't lose hope we will get better. Yes Alejandra it will be the best gift to get totally healed.

There are days that things gets tough but I am better everyday which gives me a big relief. With my experience, I only took my Ativan 2x when I really needed it. It is a big relief but it did interact my PPI. I read that on some case this will give more acid attack. I did experience that too. So If you have other way of getting rid of anxiety than meds. it will be better. My ways might be different but i pray and read my bible. This had helped me a lot.

With God's grace, I wean myself from all meds. I am taking supplements like Organic Aloe Juice ( the lily of the Valley, inner fillet) gives me more benefit than just regular Aloe. I eat on time, small portion every 3 hrs. possible, do not wait to be hungry. I chew my food properly. I make my own food as basic as I can. No msg, use Himalayan organic salt. Very boring, but on the road to recovery this eems very important. I'm taking very vanilla Boost drink to keep my calorie intake. I have 1/2 banana and organic apple Fuji is better as it is sweeter for my snacks. The forum moderator have site/ info as to food we can eat that are not trigger foods. I pick the ones I like but I make sure it's ok with my gut.

I did for 5 days raw organic honey 2x a day(1tsp AM and 1 tsp PM). This seems to help me and will be doing it for 2 more days. Just make sure you're not allergic to honey or diabetic. I also use minty oil to rub my back and Doterra (Lemon) chest rub. This had helped my constant coughing.
Don't lost hope. God bless to you all my friends.

Hi all! New to this forum, but glad I found it. Has helped relieve some of my anxiety reading your posts.

I will try to keep my post short, but would like any input on the symptoms I have been experiencing.

I was diagnosed with GERD quite a long time ago, and in an endoscopy done in 2004 had the beginnings of Barretts at the lower end of my esophagus. After treatment with prescription antacids (dont remember what, been so long), I went for another endoscopy with a different GI and was told he could find no trace of Barretts! He stated I had a hiatal hernia. He told me to stay on prilosec OTC to control my acid reflux.

Over the years, I have been pretty good about not having any real noticeable problems with reflux. But, in 2012 I started to wake up at night with reflux, and my GP put me on pantoprazole 20mg once a day, after hearing about the possibility of Barretts. I have been on the pantoprazole since.

In January of this year I started having some very severe stomach and gastric pains which my GP diagnosed as an ulcer. So he upped my pantoprazole to 40mg. And prescribed Sucralfate. Seemed to help until May when I had a really bad flair up of the pain, especially under the sternum. Was so bad I couldn't even press down on my sternum. Don't know if this had anything to do with the flair up, but a day before had a steak at a restaurant that was way too rare, but stupidly I ate it. Went back to the GP and was told that it was my ulcer flairing up and that I should become a VEGAN as he had done some 6 months before! I am considering looking for a new GP, as you might guess.

The stomach and gastric pain did not completely go away so in early August I went to a new GI and saw his assistant. She said I deefinitely needed to have another endoscopy done, which is scheduled for this Wed, Sept 16th. Thats how far out in advance he was booked for endo's. Just a week after seeing the GI assistant I started to feel what I thought was the beginning of a sore throat on right side of my throat. It seemed to get worse and was really hurting after eating anything hard, coarse, crunchy, etc! It got so bad I made an appointment with an ENT, and he scoped my throat, and to my relief found nothing. The pain on the right side of my throat got much worse and it seems like I have trouble swallowing at times and a constant lump in the throat feeling. I have started to eat only soups and soft foods, and it has helped the pain considerably. The funny thing is when I wake up in the morning I feel really good, but as the day goes on the pain returns, especially if I eat anything fairly hard in texture. I almost look forward to going to sleep, knowing I will feel better in the morning, but getting to sleep isn't easy with the anxiety I am feeling!

Sorry for the long post! My question is does this sound like a problem anyone else has experienced? Can the symptoms of esophagitis or anything else feel so high in the esophagus that it feels like it it almost in the larynx? I, like most people am terrified of the "C" word. Any help would be appreciated. I know I should have n answer Wed., but I am so anxious and worried, I can't sleep!

Post Edited (rdrnnr1971) : 9/15/2015 8:46:20 AM (GMT-6)

Hi rdrnnr1971, Welcome to the forum. I agree with Andy1986. What you're feeling was same as I had last June. Due to that horrible feeling, you feel anxious and think of the worst. Good that you will have your check tomorrow. Keep us posted. Sounds like GERD with your symptoms. Just take it easy. The more you worry, the more you get anxious and can't sleep. Going back to Vegan will be a good move. Just be careful also on what food to eat. Some can be acidic, and right now just try soft foods. I did white rice and steamed fish for a month, then after I felt better, introduced the non triggered fruits and cooked veggies. Anything rough textured food will not be good, as you are still healing, even brown rice could create discomfort.
Hope you feel better.
God bless.