Background; I am a healthy 52 YO white male who has been running daily for 25 years. I run with 5 lb weights in my hands to raise my heart rate. No history of any health issues. I do not smoke, drink do drugs. I am very fit. However, my job is VERY stressful and I did have the occasional need to take Pepsid once every other week or so due to spicy foods.
My problems started approximately 2 months ago I came back from a 7 mile run and quickly drank very COLD but very OLD refrigerated commercial ice tea. Almost immediately I had signs that mimicked a heart attack. Pain in the chest and across the back but also a feeling that there was "trapped air" in my stomach causing pain. This situation was so severe that I drove myself to the ER but did not go in a the pain began to subside and was gone completely later that night. The pain was a 7/10.
I resumed my jogging routine the next day without incident. However, over the next weeks on occasion when I would return from a run after drinking or eating something, I would become prone to mild/moderate acid indigestion. I would take OTC ant acids and the pain would disappear after a few hours. Yet, I noticed a New PARADIGM that occasionally acid re flux would now follow my running. Never during my running routine but usually when I got back, it would slowly creep up on me and it would be very uncomfortable and last for 6-8 hours.
Approximately 10 days ago, I was going through a stressful time at work and I literally felt my acid reflux rise and give me heart burn. No exaggeration, stress was triggering GERDish symptoms.
The following day was a Saturday and I went jogging as usual. However on this occasion the GERD/REFLUX hit me while I was running which has never happened before. The pain was terrible. Across my back and in my lower chest- Felt like compressed air was building. Pain was brutal. (No sweating, no nasaua, no numbness in limbs) This time, I called a physician asst friend of mine who said I was having GERD go eat something, take some ant acids and get scoped.
Well, this time, unlike my other incidents, the GERD pain lingered for a few days and would moderate from mild to severe. Long story short, in order to rule out a heart attack, I went to the ER. At the ER I was given a cocktail to drink that had lidocaine. Within minutes the GERD pain was completely gone- strongly suggesting a non cardiac event- likely gastro related. My EKG was normal as was my blood work except my Topolin level was elevated suggestion a cardiac event. I was admitted to the hospital, given a battery of drugs and 3 additional EKG's all were normal. A attending cardiologist said given my symptoms and "story" he wasn't very concerned about
my elevated troponin and said that he expected no blockages as I was scheduled to be catheterized the following morning. He referenced a condition called the "Japanese Octopus" ??
The following morning I was catheterized and there were no blockages or issues with my heart. The cardiologist said everything looked good and the only thing he could do further was cut me
open. He said it somewhat tongue and cheek. There was some plaque building in one area but it could be dealt with by medication. I was released later that day with prescript
ions for Metoprolol 25MG 2 x a day (cardiologist said this was temporary for stress) I was also given omerprazole 40 MG 1 x daily and Lipitor 40G 1x.
I was released from the hospital last Friday and told to take it easy. I went running Sunday with no incident. I went running again Thursday without incident. Friday was another stressful day, and I felt the GERD start again. Well, it is back and while not as bad as before, the omerprazole has NOT fully worked although I just started taking it 4 days ago. Since Friday night, the GERD/Burn/Low grade center chest pain has been present with moments where it subsides a bit where the pain is more manageable. The pain is in my upper back and above my sternum. I am also burping A LOT and I don't know the significance or reason of it except I feel a little better when I do; feels like a relief of pressure and pain. I have no problems swallowing food, no problem with acid backup when I sleep. Just a constant numb/low level burn pain in my lower center chest area that sometimes radiates to my right back area.
I am scheduled to get a echo EKG later this week but expectations are it should be fine just as the 4 EKG's were and the catherization.
I am also going to get scoped as well for gastro.
Questions; Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Does it take longer than 5 days for omerprazole to work? Is my condition a hiatal hernia?
What I find very exculpatory is the fact that the GERD/ pain was completely gone beginning with the lidocaine cocktail in the ER and returned 7 days later.
Thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
Post Edited (Crspear1) : 10/11/2015 2:49:15 PM (GMT-6)