Acid Reflux and Inflammed Esophagus?

Silent reflux can cause esophageal muscles to spasm. It's not the same as reflux (GERD)

Hi Raellen!  I'm just wondering if you ever found an answer to your problem?  I'm having very similar issues and feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall with the docs.  It all started 8 weeks ago after being very sick after a dodgy meal.  I was fine the following morning but that evening I felt like something was stuck lodged in my lower esophagus.  I thought at first I'd probably just irrtated it from being sick and tried all the usual antacid stuff (gaviscon, ranatidine, pectac) but after a week of not getting better I went to the docs.  She prescribed Lanzoprazole for a week, which made no difference.  Since then I've been for an ultrasound (wierdly as pain is behind breastbone where they can't see!) and was all clear, an endoscopy which looked normal, doc made me try buscopan for muscle spasm (which just gave me diarrhoea) and now he's prescribed a load of domperidone and gaviscon advance saying it's probably a motility disorder!  Thing is the 'something stuck' feeling is constant all day - it's not got better or worse really in 8 weeks, just there all the time.  It radiates into the middle of my spine (just slightly off to right) also.  When I eat something and it goes past the point where it feels like something is stuck it's a relief for a moment like it's been pushed down but then the feeling comes straight back again.  It also feels better when lying down (which goes against the whole reflux thing!).  I can't see how a motility disorder can appear from nowhere either.  I'm loosing the will to live with it now!

I too have this, I'm 38.. And after a big meal on Sunday, I got this feeling like there was something stuck in my Oesophagus.. I knew it was my Oesophagus straight away, though part of me still wonders about the Larynx and Windpipe.. I once used to use Weed and I remember I time I felt like food was moving down my Oesophagus and it was because of the weed!!

Anyway.. I really hope the Drs can clear it up and I really am going to stop having such big meals, I hope that everyone else commenting is eating smaller meals to and watch what you eat, I really hope it goes away.. I hate this sensation.. That's what you get for being a glutton!

Hey everyone,

I'm having these same symptoms as everyone is describing with horrific shortness of breath that accompanies it.  I've had this to some extent now for well over 6 months, and it's gotten worse just in the last two months.  I'm a healthy 29 year old man, who's in great physical shape (perfect blood pressure, low resting heart rate, healthy diet) other than this issue. I'm in America, and the doctors don't seem to have much knowledge of this issue, as they told me it's probably anxiety and to keep taking Prilosec. So it didn't take me longer to figure out this is something I'm going to have to do on my own. I really just started today on my new diet and routine, that I'm hoping will cure this. I believe what we have (I'm not a doctor nor have any medical training nor have I had an endoscopy, so this is my opinion and should not be taken as medical advice) is a hiatal hernia mixed with esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus).  What I believe is happening is if we eat too much or too fattening of foods or the wrong foods (chocolate, alcohol, mint), the LES will relax allowing the hernia to move further past the diaphram.  This allows acid to enter the esophagus causing inflammation (the esophagus getting inflamed like this is likened to dropping lemon juice in your eye (esophagus) as opposed to your mouth (the stomach)).

Once the esophagus is inflamed, it takes quite awhile to heal. The best estimate I can find is 4 to 8 weeks. Esophagitis is further irritated by hard foods like hard proteins and hard breads, but not by fattening foods. However, if this is happening along with a hiatal hernia, then the fattening foods will further relax the LES allowing the hernia to move up, causing more acid to enter the esophagus.

So here's what I'm doing to see if I can fix this myself with all the research I've done:

-Soft foods diet for at least 2 to 4 weeks

-Skipping fattening meats or meats that are tough like lean proteins (so that leaves me with immitation crab meat, and creamy peanut butter)

-Started taking Nexium twice daily, not taking once daily probably for 2 more weeks.

-Bought a wedge pillow to sleep sort of upright

-Not eating at least 5 hours before bed.

-Reducing stress (stress apparently relaxes the LES) by not doing much right now beside bare necessities like cleaning and such.

-Twice daily (once in the morning and once in the evening) drinking 2 to 4 cups of water and jumping up and down to keep hernia down.

-Have Gaviscon on the way (apparently it forms a floating barrier of antacid, so my logic is if my acid does go up in the esophagus, the gaviscon will be the first to hit it).

-Walking some after eating, and not lying down after eating for at least 30 minutes or so).

I will update this thread on how I'm coming along, and if this worked. I don't want to jump to any conclusions though for at least a few weeks, as I've thought I had this beat before, but it came back with a vegeance, so this time I'm going all out on it. Wish me luck!

-Eric

 

So.. I have had this issue of food imapction and dysphagia for nearly 20  years.  I eat something and it gets stuck in my esophagus, only wait to get it out is to throw it up and this is very painful, it is also dangerous if it wont come up.  So like you I have googled I  talked to doctors and I don't get much feed back other than you are eating to fast.  I also do not have acid reflux.  Recently I started doing a Paleo diet which eliminated Gluten out of my diet.  Guess what these symptoms which over the last 3 years have gotten much worse, vanished.  I got to talking to a firend about it and she said "wow, this sounds exactly like what my son has".  Guess what, it has a NAME now!! All of you need to look into Eosinophilic Esophagitis. 

This has only come to light in the last 10 years and is still considered rare, probably because they dont know enough about it and those that have it have a hard time describing it.  Just wanted to share some knowledge and i hope it helps some of you!

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the article that was pasted here as it may breach other website's copyright. Please do not paste whole articles in posts. Users can find more information by searching Google for eosinophilic (o)esophagitis.

Hi Everyone, Iv been experiencing the same kind of thing .

Its not painful but its reall really really discomforting , I wake up in the middle of the night thinking there is something stuck in my throat and esophagus. I feel like Im getting nowhere with the doctor, I hope I have found the right place' to get help .

Ive been to 3 doctors, and all have found nothing, chest xrays all that stuff, I feel like Im talking to a brick wall to the point where Im getting no help. Iv been prescribed all sorts of tablets. and none have worked, but omeprazole no I havent been prescribed those tablets'. I just want this feeling to go away . Im quite upset cause the doctors I feel should know what the problem is. I hve had back pain and chest pains in the past and majority of the doctors have put it down to that. I visited the doctor last week and she told me I had anxiety, I find a hard time believing that.'. I feel like vomitting I have recently been put on fluoxorite some kind of tablet I was diagnosed with Anxiety . Iv mentioned to 2 doctors that I feel like I have a feeling of food stuck in my throat or something of some kind. and I had an unusually big meal, I was hungry. after taking fluorozxite tablets and its only been three days Iv been feeling like vomitting - Im not sure whether its a reaction to tablets or food intake etc'. But I feel Like Im getting nowhere with the doctors'. they all some too ignorant to hear what I have to say and just kind of brush things off like they dont want to deal with it, because its like they dont have the answer for it'. I wanted to be referred to a specialist but the doctor I spoke to said No. They have no idea the Discomfort of living with this can be Very Upsetting and as for people such as my family they too dont have the answer for it not Like Id expect them to know the answer to it just I feel so lost with answers here;. 3 doctors have told me I have a skeletal problem why I am getting this feeling. But I refuse to believe the reason why I am getting this feeling is because of skeletal problems, it could be due to other things'. Someone Help Please'.

Hi one and all of you sufferers.    Gosh I did not realise there was so much of this going on.      I wish I had read this all a lot earlier.        Since Easter Sunday I have been suffering as you all do with a bitter foul taste which I assume is reflux.  It came on all of a sudden,  one minute I was absolutely fine and the next - well,   it got that bad that I stopped eating and drinking (foolish) and ended up in hospital on a drip.       I was so dehydrated and my bloods were rock bottom.   I have since felt better day by day my strength coming back but this acid taste still is with me every darn day.  I am taking Lansoprazole 15mg once a day and was on Rinitidine for a while but that made me extremely thirsty.     I have decided that it is something I will have to live with,  one of the pleasures of getting old ,  I am 70 next birthday, normally as fit as a flea.

I am trying the deep breathing.  will let you know how I get on.

hello,please help,,ive been dealing with a tightness in my esofagus for a while now,,this seems to come on shortly after i eat,like someone is squizzing it,,then,,after say 5 minutes its gone,,,has anyone else had this,,please help,,ive tried medications from my doctor,but dont seem to help,,could it be gerd? peptic ulcer? greatly appreciate any help  thanks