1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Reflux Oesophagitis

Acid reflux, gerd, help I have no idea??

Posted , 6 users are following.

ashwhisper
ashwhisper

Back again I have gone from thinking I have uclers, to hernia to gerd I have no idea, for the past 3 months now, I have been having upper middle  stomach pain, goes to chest . sometimes in neck, heart burn, bad indeigestion, feeling sick, feels like pain in my ribs, mostly after eating but sometimes when not eating, Feels like something is stuck in my chest area for a while then settles, pain n my breat all over chest area really, cant get comfty, so tired as not sleeping with it, had blood test, endoscopy, barium swallow water test all normal, recently been put on laporazole,been on then 2 weeks, not helping, can someone please help me, doctors have not said whet it is, they think it could be gerd but not said, I have also been constipated a lot and do have ibs, dotors are not helping any adive please.

0 likes, 23 replies

23 Replies

Prev
  • ashwhisper
    ashwhisper

    Posted

    Thanks for all your help on here, I woke up this morning again with upper middle stomach chest pain and in left side uder rib cage, I am not going to call the doctors, I think they think its all in my head it is not.Goin to try with foods, It seems everything I eat triggers me off,even drinking water can do it,So I will continue and see what happens, got a check up next tues so if nothing as changed have to see what to do next, it is getting me down ,thanks evryone 
  • paul38620
    paul38620 ashwhisper

    Posted

    Hello Ash, your mention of water triggering the heartburn is also common. Even someone I know has that happen and they don't have a stomach illness.

    I learned that the best way to get my daily need of water - with my seven medium meals - is to drink around 130 ml of it with each meal, which, in my case, is added to by some sips of a nutrition drink as well. So generally I don't have to drink fluid between meals, a thing which would slow my digestion a bit anyway and interfere with my set meal times.

    Evidence also suggested in 2014 that some people with reflux suffer heartburn through drinking water in several gulps because their lower eosophageal muscle doesn't open and close correctly when doing this with fluid, and so acid can escape upwards. But simply adding water to your stomach when there is still food and fluids in there will increase its volume and raise it nearer to the top where the muscle is, the pressure of which can then cause it to open and let acidic fluid up. Cold water can also cause spasms, so sips of usual water is best.

    Some say to drink water only between meals at points when the stomach is empty, but that cannot be done easily - certainly not in my case, where I need to eat every couple of hours or lose more weight. I can't have water slowing things down. So I find that a little drink of water with each bite of food that gets well chewed, then a few more afterwards does the trick. I also have water with two cereal meals, which may sound utterly bland but is fine to me, as I avoid milk and have yet to try my cereals with the likes of oat, rice, almond and soya milk. But they are good milk substitutes unless a person has issues with them.

    A last point, just in case you aren't aware of it, is that the upper portion of the stomach is under your lower left ribs. That's where I usually get the pain during setbacks, but sometimes the other ribs as well. I used to think that the whole stomach was lower than the ribs, a thing which could make anyone else who thinks this to quickly worry that their heart was in trouble when upper stomach pain occurs, especially if eosophageal pain is felt in the centre of the chest at the same time.

    • thi20955
      thi20955 paul38620

      Posted

      Thanks Paul for sharing this I have been in dull pain lower left ribs and then when I stopped Nexium, I felt a sharp pain and I don't know why. I asked Dr who refered me to Ultrasound that they found nothing. I also find water gives me dyspepsia and bloating though I drink a small glass and I dont drink it after meal. So it really confuses me. Is it my stomatch has problem or my oesophagus? It drives me sane. I will have PH study I hope in March or early April but if they found nothing what can they do to help me. I am worrying and depressed. 

       

    • paul38620
      paul38620 thi20955

      Posted

      Hello Thi, the nexium lowers the amount of acid produced in your stomach, so after stopping the medicine the acid production will increase to the normal level again, which could result in more pain if reflux is occurring, or if your stomach itself has some damaged, inflamed or ulcerated area which needs to heal. The likes of nexium can help such healing, though I don't take any now.

      I find that having the majority of my mealtime water well chewed into my bites of wholewheat sandwich/sandwiches suits me best. The bran in the bread also absorbs water so that there is a bit less of the meal sloshing about as much, at least until the digestive fluids and acid are added. But that's where meal-size comes into it. The bigger the meal, the more trouble is likely once all the fluids arrive to do the digestive work. This is one of the reasons why smaller meals - medium-sized in my case - cause less bother. They also result in less pressure and less swelling of the stomach, which can worsen the pain and make it easier for acid to escape or be squeezed upwards into the eosophagus. That's why the "little and often" advice is usually given regarding meals to people who suffer these illnesses. In fact it is wise advice for everyone, not just the ill, and can prevent some of these troubles arising in the first place.

      Since water makes you feel bloated, then it could be that trouble in your stomach causes that. But, as I said, if your meals happen to be too big, then this could be why you feel such a degree of bloating pressure. So maybe you need to look at your meal sizes and frequency, and see if you need to spread them out into a greater number across the day. I could do eight a day if I chose to, but seven is what I'm easier with presently. Naturally everyone has to try to find their own optimum dietary routine, a thing which work and other activities can have a bearing on, so that eating every couple of hours or so like me might not be easy or possible for all sufferers.

      The depression side of things is as nasty and hard to bear as the illness, and it can take time and some improvement to settle some of that. But since the ultrasound found nothing major wrong, that is a good thing.

    • ashwhisper
      ashwhisper paul38620

      Posted

      Thank you Paul for all your help,it does seem to be gred now but can I ask something else sorry to keep asking you, But I have a acidy taste in my mouth all the time a bit like a match if that makes sense, also when I sneeze they smell funny and i feel if i press on my timmy i will pop and I feel the acid rise, is that normal asn is there anything I can take other then  what the doc as give me  thank you x
    • paul38620
      paul38620 ashwhisper

      Posted

      Hello, the taste would suggest the acid is being refluxed high up to your throat, while your tum suggests it is tender, bloated or inflamed - though your endoscopy fortunately didn't reveal inflammation. The med you're on should be reducing the acid production by now, and will reduce it further with time. But there could still be reflux even then of other stomach fluids which can also irritate tissues. Which all sounds horrible I know. Next time you see your doctor tell them all of these details, including the match-like taste, which would be like sulfur.

      The fact you suffer IBS and constipation could also have a bearing on how your tum feels, and confuse the issue further. I too had a lot of lower-end bother, but having the wholewheat bread.cereals, bananas, peas,etc, helps with that. I can only look at the matter the way I would if it was me, and the way I deal with my trouble, and that is first to establish a diet of small/medium, or both, of roughly two-hourly meals, or a bit longer, and try the other rules I stick to. But all of us being unique means that things might not work exactly with one person as they do with another. That's why personal experimentation is best. bAnd it takes time either way.

      Such an upsetting business. Ultimately, if you make no headway, I would hope for you to be checked to see if reflux is happening and happening severely, though the tests you've had haven't shown any major troubles in your tum or elsewhere. Oh to be a magician and wave that wand!

    • paul38620
      paul38620

      Posted

      I forgot to say that the likes of gaviscon or its 'double-action' variety might give you some ease, especially if taken before you go to bed. But aim for non-mint flavoured.
Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.