Posted 4/27/2017 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
I am a 28 year old male and have had acid reflux (acid entering throat) intermittently for a few years which I could usually control with antacids and dietary changes, and also occasionally experience uncomfortable bloating and gas issues. Over the past few months, I made the mistake of eating a few heavy meals (sushi and 2x fried chicken & fries) and going to sleep relatively soon thereafter and woke up in the middle of the night with terrible indigestion. I took Gas-X for the bloating and was finally able to go back to sleep.
On April 5, I had sushi for dinner and took the leftovers home with me and ate them the next day for lunch. I made the mistake of eating a fried chicken tender wrap that night as well with buffalo sauce and fries and went to sleep 30 minutes later - terrible idea. I ate the same type of chicken wrap on April 1st and woke up with the indigestion on both evenings. about a month prior I took a 14-day OTC course of Nexium which I had used a few years earlier with success for acid reflux. Since that time, I have only noticed the faint feeling of acid in my throat when I woke up in the middle of the night on 2 occasions but at no other times.
Flash forward a week later to April 12, and I notice a pressure/tightness behind my left chest/rib cage when I breathed in deeply. This lasted for a day or so, and since that point I have not had that pressure when breathing, but various levels of chest pressure/throbs and burning towards the bottom and center of the sternum and sometimes directly under my left ribs. I went to an urgent care that weekend and an EKG and chest X-ray both came back fine. I then went to a gastroenterologist on 4/19 who said my symptoms definitely sound like acid reflux which has likely been causing the pressure and burning, and the initial pain on the left side of the chest was likely due to an inflamed esophagus. He prescribed 40MG of Protonix for 30 days with plenty of refills.
The feeling is not painful per say, but uncomfortable/annoying since it's lasted a few weeks and feels like the heartburn I experienced after eating the heavy/fatty meals in the past. I notice it sometimes more strongly than others. Does this sound like anyone else's symptoms, and if so, how long does a PPI like Protnix typically take to kick in? I find it strange I have been lucky enough not to have the terrible acid feeling in my throat, and my symptoms seem more concentrated in the chest area with burning & throbs. They also sometimes radiate to the left side of my chest. I haven't felt likely myself lately and it's been frustrating to say the least!
Thank you for reading!