Acid reflux or something else?
Posted , 5 users are following.
In the past week I have been in agony with chest pain, the pain is bang in the center of my chest just above my pecs. The pain doesn't necessarily feel like burning but instead like w pressure, as if there is a weight or something pressing down on it. The pain is also felt in my back between my shoulder blades. I have been prescribed omeprazole 20mg which hasn't helped at all, on top of this I tried gaviscon with the tablets which also didn't help. I've noticed sometimes I feel like I cant breathe as freely and breathing through my nose feels really tight.
Around this time last year I had similar symptoms that disappeared until now, its worth mentioning during this time I had heart scans and nothing is wrong with my heart. (I'm slightly overweight but go to the gym regularly and have a decent amount of muscle)
I'm not saying this isn't reflux but it has come on so suddenly, food doesn't seem to be the trigger and the pain is always there. I have never been able to burp in my life and have always has a chest gurgle/weird noise that I release when I'm quite gassy. I just want to get to the bottom of this, currently I am 3rd year University student and I have been absent because I am in so much pain, I didn't want to go straight back to the doctors though without giving the tablets a chance. I am at the point where I'm kind of not eating, drinking water just makes the pain worse but knowing it could be gerd makes me not want to eat. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, I just want to get to the bottom of this so I can get back to uni.
0 likes, 8 replies
evelyn70125 Stiffers
Posted
just a thought could it be asthma? i recently was diagnosed With asthma I would get tight feeling in my chest and throat but no wheezing doctor didn’t think I had it until I got a test done. also I had a lot of acid reflex with it
Stiffers evelyn70125
Posted
Thats what im going to ask, I did have asthma when I was younger so its a possibility. I know reflux can cause asthma and I do have some reflux like symptoms sometimes, but the pain is constant and it was only last week I could eat a spicy curry without any issues at all (not attempted to eat one again since it could be reflux).
I'm calling the doctors in the morning as I simply cant handle the pain.
evelyn70125 Stiffers
Posted
yeah if you had it while you were younger, you still have it. chances are its just been stable but now your having flare ups. I never had asthma until now and im 29 years old and i am seriously having a hard time figuring out if its my asthma bothering me or acid reflux because my chest will get heavy and it will get hard to breath but them ill burp and it will go away..
moon53540 Stiffers
Posted
If you have an inability to burp it maybe something to do with your upper oesophageal sphincter.
I heard a story of someone who had botox injections in there throat which made them be able to burp. Ask about this when you next see your doctor.
Stiffers moon53540
Posted
Yes I saw this! The study seemed very new though and doctors don't seem to have heard of it.
I went back to see my doctor and I've been prescribed double dosage of PPI's and have been given 150mg of H2 blockers as well. As of now I am still feeling no reduction in symptoms, and it worries me how many tablets I'm taking.
From my symptoms I can tell is definitely a GERD problem but the symptoms are always there, I feel like there must be something else going on too.
moon53540 Stiffers
Posted
If you are from the UK that procedure was performed at the Alexandra hospital in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. Maybe give them a call and ask about it.
pampcid Stiffers
Posted
I wonder if the pain you're feeling isn't your Upper Esophageal Sphincter or Lower ES. I get the exact same, along with the gurgle so I did some research. I thought it was my heart too since that's the area I feel the pain and tightness. I suspect it might be the esophageal sphincter which causes the acid to come up too high. Also, doctors I've met tell me the acid can't go through your sinuses but I believe it can (and does with me). Maybe that's causing problems breathing through your nose. Sometimes it helps me to bend over (like your tying your shoes) and blow gently while your bent over.
20mg isn't much of a dose so I'd ask your doctor for more. I'm going through a lot of the same so if you find anything good out...please post it. Thanks!!!
Rogola Stiffers
Posted
Hey Stiffer!
You should bring a stool sample to some laboratory and do test for Helicobacter pilory in stomach. I had same symptoms on third year of college and I was positive. Helicobacter can cause all this symptoms, plus anxiety. As well, you probably have Hiatus hernia(google it, It's latin, I don't now english word). Basically it means that your stomach made hernia through diaphragm into your chest and that can be making pains. It is a common and really not dangerous thing, it just makes those unpleasant symptoms of heart problems and pains. Until you do the test take more frequent meals of smaller quantity, don't take coffee, cigarettes, carbonated drinks, alcohol or spicy food. And try sleeping with raised headboard on your bad. Not completely raised, but just as much as your upper body is above your lower body enough to not let acid reflux work or hernia makes a problems.
You cannot take test while using proton pump inhibitors, you should wait at least two weeks without using them for test to be valid.
I am sorry if I am not understandable, english is not my maternal language, I tried to explain the best I could. If you need any further explanation feel free to write here or contact me in private.