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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 10/16/2015 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
First off thank you to everyone here who has taken time to read and reply to my ongoing and seemingly never ending health problems. I just found out that my immune system has been attacking my thyroid. I have no idea how long this has been going on for but most likely since last fall when my health started to go down the tubes. I have had so much going on and it makes sense since the thyroid regulates so many functions in your body. Also since the thyroid is right where I feel like I am getting food stuck when I swallow I am wondering since it has inflammation if that could be playing into my choking sensations when I eat.

I have been trying to eat more since I only been doing liquids for two months now. I have added banana slices to my breakfast now and even when I swallow those I get that sensation that its stuck. I know I am anxious when I eat because of this so I am sure that doesn't help but its so hard when eating brings such pain which I know many here understand.

How is everyone else doing?
Posted 10/16/2015 10:30 PM (GMT 0)
Maybe mashing the banana would help? Best of luck
Posted 10/17/2015 6:28 AM (GMT 0)
Thats excellent to hear that you might finally be getting somewhere congratulations!

Bananas, although they seem like a good soft food, tend to act like bread and other dense foods and end up lumping up, I only found this out myself the other day. Maybe you could try cooked apple? Toasted bread can be chewed up to liquid as well, toasting the bread stops it from clumping together like plain bread does so maybe you could try that? Or maybe try soups with chunks of vegetables, or canned vegetables, they are usually pretty soft.
Posted 10/18/2015 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Lawchick, At least you have that taken cared of. Are you taking thyroid supplements? I had thyroid surgery few years back, part was removed so I'm taking Levotroxin now. I always take it in the morning, some people take it at night on empty stomach. I found it tough few months back as I get hungry upon waking up so I take it 2 hours after breakfast. I get tired towards the evening and I always drink my boost drink if that happens. The GERD situation was making me weak already so I needed supplement food for now. Just be careful not to take the thyroid meds with your PPI, calcium or iron supplements wait at least 4 hrs. after.
I wean off PPI, so i take my Levotroxin in the morning. Yup tyroid and GERD is not a good combo, the feeling could be more emotional sometimes. I lost 18 lbs since June. That's a lot for me as I have hypo thyroid, normally I don't lose weight that easy. At least not losing much as few months back. God bless.
Posted 10/18/2015 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
LAWCHICK,
Well at least you now have some answers! On top of feeling terrible for so long, you now know what is causing your issues...knowledge is the power you need to fight! So glad you have a plan of action...so frustrating when you don't know why you are sick. Our story was reverse of yours...they couldn't figure out what was causing my son's throat/tongue issues, so our pediatrician had us to the ENT,allergist, Rheumatologist, and finally a new gastro when those all turned up nothing. But we are on our way as well.I wish you the best on your journey to good health and well being. And maybe having a concrete answer will also help with the anxiety that is always fueled by the unknown.
Posted 10/19/2015 4:30 PM (GMT 0)

Tu Wang said...
Hi Lawchick, At least you have that taken cared of. Are you taking thyroid supplements? I had thyroid surgery few years back, part was removed so I'm taking Levotroxin now. I always take it in the morning, some people take it at night on empty stomach. I found it tough few months back as I get hungry upon waking up so I take it 2 hours after breakfast. I get tired towards the evening and I always drink my boost drink if that happens. The GERD situation was making me weak already so I needed supplement food for now. Just be careful not to take the thyroid meds with your PPI, calcium or iron supplements wait at least 4 hrs. after.
I wean off PPI, so i take my Levotroxin in the morning. Yup tyroid and GERD is not a good combo, the feeling could be more emotional sometimes. I lost 18 lbs since June. That's a lot for me as I have hypo thyroid, normally I don't lose weight that easy. At least not losing much as few months back. God bless.

Hi, no I am not getting any treatment yet. I need steroids to get the inflammation down in my thyroid and also to try to tame the antibodies that are currently destroying it but my PC wont prescribe me and the Endo she wants me to see cant see me until march of next year and I am having no luck finding any others who have sooner rather than later appointments available or who take my insurance. I am getting frustrated because I just found this out and yet I sit here hitting yet another stone wall when it comes to treatment, I need medication now not in March I don't think I will even make it to March I have been so sick. My legs are weak when I walk, when I breath my chest and back hurt, I get all kinds of stomach pains from not eating enough and I just feel like im wasting away and I think its because I am and its like no one cares. They all tell me what wrong with me but they don't help, I don't understand.

Have you lost the weight because you have been unable to eat due to the GERD? That's what happened to me. Now I have a new thing where if I eat I can feel the food literally just sitting in my esophagus its like a backlog. I had to leave work the other day because I tried mash sweet potatoes and I could just feel it like a clogged drain. I was just having yogurt and same clogged drain feeling happened and when I went to drink water to push it down I could only take a few sips and it kind of felt like the water was in my nose abit. Im seriously about to just give up and stop eating.

Post Edited (LAWCHICK) : 10/19/2015 10:33:20 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/19/2015 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lawchick, Yes March is a long wait. Can you go to the urgent care and tell them your situation? I did that few years back, I did not leave until they give me some medications for it. Unfortunately, the doctors will take us lightly if they don't see any urgency of what we feel. Not sure if you are hyper or hypo thyrodism. Hiper Thyroid made me have very fast heartbeat and when I raise my arms forward it shakes. I get tired for no reason and so sensitive to light. So i had surgery years ago, as it was affecting my eyes (graves disease). After surgery took some supplements to normalize my gland. I get anxiety from it. And when I developed GERD, the mix feeling was not easy. I'm with you my friend. Hang in there and try some remedies to help your swollen thyroid. I was eating Manuka honey (half tsp 2x a day) that had helped my throat irritability and was using iodized salt and gargle with warm water.

I lost weight few years back when I had hyper thyroid and before the surgery. My recent weight lose was due to GERD at least 18 lbs. since June, I was not able to eat and was on Boost drink supplement just to survive the day and get my calories for strength. Even white rice was carbs, I had that with steam fish (mix with apple cider). I try anything just to eat something. ( Personal thing, but I prayed so hard and cried). I did not know what to do with the mixed horrible feeling. For two months I was so scared just to collapse and like you got so scared to eat. Now, I have some comfort food :) (rice and fish). Praise God i'm better now. I'm still on Boost at least down to one bottle a day. If I don't drink it, I lose weight a lb per week.

I wean from PPI,(July 24,2015) then Zantac(August 17) and Tums/rolaids (around end of Aug). I regained my strength back. I'm still Careful on what i ate, because sometimes I feel it's still on my stomach for long. I think I developed Low Acid due the PPI I took for 6 weeks. So my steamed fish mix with ACV is my common food for the day.

You will get better my friend. God bless.
Posted 10/20/2015 2:10 AM (GMT 0)
Good to hear you are getting some answers. I know you have been frustrated for a while now.
Posted 10/20/2015 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I get the clogged drain feeling all the time, and it seems like it happens even with liquids, it can get quite painful at times too. No structural abnormalities showed on my EGD, and my manometry was pretty much normal so I'm wondering if it could be caused by a spasm.
Posted 10/20/2015 1:19 PM (GMT 0)

Tu Wang said...
Hi Lawchick, Yes March is a long wait. Can you go to the urgent care and tell them your situation? I did that few years back, I did not leave until they give me some medications for it. Unfortunately, the doctors will take us lightly if they don't see any urgency of what we feel. Not sure if you are hyper or hypo thyrodism. Hiper Thyroid made me have very fast heartbeat and when I raise my arms forward it shakes. I get tired for no reason and so sensitive to light. So i had surgery years ago, as it was affecting my eyes (graves disease). After surgery took some supplements to normalize my gland. I get anxiety from it. And when I developed GERD, the mix feeling was not easy. I'm with you my friend. Hang in there and try some remedies to help your swollen thyroid. I was eating Manuka honey (half tsp 2x a day) that had helped my throat irritability and was using iodized salt and gargle with warm water.

I lost weight few years back when I had hyper thyroid and before the surgery. My recent weight lose was due to GERD at least 18 lbs. since June, I was not able to eat and was on Boost drink supplement just to survive the day and get my calories for strength. Even white rice was carbs, I had that with steam fish (mix with apple cider). I try anything just to eat something. ( Personal thing, but I prayed so hard and cried). I did not know what to do with the mixed horrible feeling. For two months I was so scared just to collapse and like you got so scared to eat. Now, I have some comfort food :) (rice and fish). Praise God i'm better now. I'm still on Boost at least down to one bottle a day. If I don't drink it, I lose weight a lb per week.

I wean from PPI,(July 24,2015) then Zantac(August 17) and Tums/rolaids (around end of Aug). I regained my strength back. I'm still Careful on what i ate, because sometimes I feel it's still on my stomach for long. I think I developed Low Acid due the PPI I took for 6 weeks. So my steamed fish mix with ACV is my common food for the day.

You will get better my friend. God bless.

I have been surviving on ensure since July. I know that this cant be good for my body to pretty much just be drinking three ensures a day with a cup of soup and lately I can barley manage the soup. I have noticed that my heart rate per minute often shoots up to the 130's often. I will get this feeling of being out of breath, like my throat is closing up and like im going to faint and when I take my bpm its like 136, I never had that issue before getting this sick. I use to love to eat and cook and go on trips now I dont want to go anywhere and even cancelled the annual trip I go on with my mom every year. I know people have it worse but this is really making me very depressed to the point where I think atleast if I do collapse maybe it will finally be over. I just have no faith in any dr's anymore I feel like im just a paycheck to them and its back to their vacation planning after seeing me.

Im so happy to hear that you are doing better. I hope it keeps up.

Post Edited (LAWCHICK) : 10/20/2015 7:23:26 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/20/2015 1:27 PM (GMT 0)

jenagade said...
I get the clogged drain feeling all the time, and it seems like it happens even with liquids, it can get quite painful at times too. No structural abnormalities showed on my EGD, and my manometry was pretty much normal so I'm wondering if it could be caused by a spasm.

Have you found doing anything that makes it better? Could acid reflux if severe enough cause immediate regurgitation I wonder? I was on dexilant but it wasn't truly getting rid of all my symptoms so I have been on pantanprozle for a couple months now and while at first it was working good for me now it seems like its not working as well as I burp all day, been getting more chest pain and pretty much have just been overall feeling worse lately. My dr wants me on it twice a day but my insurance refuses.
Posted 10/21/2015 1:26 AM (GMT 0)

LAWCHICK said...

Have you found doing anything that makes it better? Could acid reflux if severe enough cause immediate regurgitation I wonder? I was on dexilant but it wasn't truly getting rid of all my symptoms so I have been on pantanprozle for a couple months now and while at first it was working good for me now it seems like its not working as well as I burp all day, been getting more chest pain and pretty much have just been overall feeling worse lately. My dr wants me on it twice a day but my insurance refuses.

Not really :( I've heard that sipping warm water is supposed to help. Instead I just try to make sure I'm not hunched over at all, try rubbing my sternum - which probably doesn't do anything its just instinctive, and just keep swallowing. Its so annoying and it leaves lingering pain.

I don't know about the regurgitation, sometimes it feels like its because I've eaten a bit too much because it happens within minutes of eating - and I eat tiny meals since my cholecystectomy so beats me why that is. Other times it will happen hours from when I last ate, and all it takes is a few sips of water for it to start. Its awful, and I usually get pretty gassy with it too, but trying to burp just forces the regurgitation further up. I think maybe it could be instant, I'm getting my full pH test results sent out to me so I'll have a look at the times when I marked regurgitation and see what type of reflux it was.

On a side note, I was talking to my friend who is a dentist in the army, she has seen tons of LPR cases with acid erosion of their tooth enamel, and she strongly recommended that I swish a mixture of baking soda and water, or just plain water, around my mouth for 1 min after a reflux or regurgitation event to help neutralise some of the acid to prevent erosion. She also said to not brush my teeth within 60mins of eating, drinking (except water) or having reflux because you end up brushing the acid into your teeth. Good to know since my first instinct after regurgitation is to go brush my teeth coz of how gross it is, but yeah just swish water around it instead then wait an hour if you need to brush them.
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