acid reflux / ulcer so painful , my days are numbered

Hi Damien, your do sounds uke mine, I was accused of wasting nhs resources because I asked for a gastroscopy after months of pain. 

He may well be right in the fact that it's smoking related or an ulcer but you need a proper diagnosis. The way I see it is you have 2 choices, you either go in and demand a gastroscopy or you change doctors. You need to have some answers in order to help with the anxiety but ( as a fellow anxiety sufferer) you may need to be referred for help with that too as anxiety plays hell with your stomach, trust me, I know. 

Also make sure you are taking your meds regularly and 30 mins before food to get the full effect. 

Make another appointment with your doc and ask for a gastroscopy. If he says no then change doctors. Best of lick and let us know how you get on 

Ps. The reason the pain comes back when you stop the ppis is something called acid rebound- your body makes excess acid for a few weeks as you've become used to the tablets. Also the dizziness can be caused by reflux - I've had that twice now. Not good  

A good doctor makes all the difference when you're battling an ongoing condition. Since my diagnosis the doc who told me I was wasting nhs money has bee. As nice as pie as she knows she made a mistake. Keep taking your meds and push for that test!

I would just get another doctor since you don't like him.  If you do have an ulcer smoking is with out a doubt a big problem, you really should stop no matter what.  That said I am sure all this is causing a lot of your anxiety, It is tough when you don't feel well.  I was on Prilosec for 1 year.  I slowly have weened myself off. even with that I can tell my body is producing to much acid. It has been 13 days since I took my last pill.  I am hoping once my body stops producing more acid then it should that I will be fine. Try your best to have a positive attitude even though I know you don't feel it.  tell yourself everyday that you are going to get better, that is what I tried to do, I wasn't positive everyday but you have to fight. keep us posted. The best to you

It sounds as if a lot of your problems are linked to anxiety although if you have got acid reflux perhaps you could try changing your diet.  I used to get bad heartburn and bloating and was on omeprazole for months but then thought I would see if it was diet related.  I started by changing from cow's milk to soya or almond milk and it was miraculous.  After all those months of heartburn it more or less disappeared overnight.  The only time I get it is if I've eaten a tomato or bacon. Maybe you could try something like that to see if the stomach ache goes but it does really sound like anxiety.  

What I can't understand is that you are frightened of dying from all the symptoms you get but you think it's still OK to smoke yet you're more likely to die from that than from anxiety. Aren't you terrified of dying of lung cancer or all the horrible things that go with smoking?  It does so many things to your body so if you just gave it up I'm sure you'd start to feel much better.   I'm assuming, of course, that by smoking you mean cigarettes and not cannabis as that causes other problems.

I think you're in a situation of when you go to see your doctor his heart sinks because of all the other times you've been and so his mind it set against you before you even sit down. Going to another doctor might be a good idea but remember that they ARE trained and DO know what they are talking about so don't dismiss everything they tell you that you don't want to do and maybe you will get a better response.

Damien, Anxiety attacks can cause all sorts of symptoms. When I was suffering badly, I had to be rushed from work to a hospital twice as I had symptoms of a heart attack.I remember holding on to the edge of my boss's desk as I was so dizzy I was going to fall over. It was all due to anxiety and panic attacks and unless you experience it yourself, you will never understand how bad it can be. Unfortunately no drugs help - you have to get it under control yourself. Firstly buy some vitamin B1 tablets and take 500gms (2 x250gm tablets) three times a day. Also see if you can get a very old book from the library called "Self Help for your nerves" by Claire Weekes - read and follow it - it is fantastic. Then go to a new doctor and demand a gastroscopy. Do not worry about the diagnosis yet - not knowing if you have a serious problem is much worse than any diagnosis could be and worry can cause a lot of digestive problems. Take control of your life and get an answer fom the doctors.

 

How can you even afford to smoke when you are "On the Sick"?

Your Doc has had years of training and experience and you think that you know better than him?

Google smoking and stomach acid:

Hopefully you’ve cut out the pizza and Burgers, lost weight, and raised the head of your bed. But your heartburn just won’t go away. Before you reach for a new bottle of antacids, you can do one more thing that might help: Quit smoking.

A large study found that smokers were much more likely than nonsmokers to have acid reflux, a condition that causes acid from the stomach to leak upward into the esophagus, the tube that food travels through. A tell-tale symptom of acid reflux is heartburn -- that burning feeling in your chest. Smoking also sometimes goes hand in hand with other habits, like drinking coffee or alcohol, that are thought to fire up the burn in your body. But cigarettes alone can bring on the discomfort"

Lots like that that probably won't convince you

When you stop taking a pp1 or pp2 it is normal for the pain to come back soon after, this does not mean that you still have an ulcer it means that your body has not yet adjusted to having acid in it.

Hi there,

I would advise you to first quit smoking, my daughter too has pains in her stomach the doctor did a gastroscopy found mild gastritis but she had and still gets bloating,gassy, constipation too, They sent her to a nutritionist who asked her to follow a FOB map no milk, wheat  products etc, before this she could have had everything without an issue, she culd only have certain fruits and vegies, and no fried products either, then they introduced one by one and what she noticedwas that the milk caused issues they did the test for coeliac, etc and they all came negative,  she also takes metamucil if she feels like she is not been regular with BM, she was 21 when it all started and now she is 23, she gets an episode every now and then but the doctos think it is IBS, so try to stop milk and milk products as well as gluteo on a gluten free diet, continue with the meds though, I too have issues and take nexium 40 mg now the doctor has asked me totake 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg in the night, also try an d get some tablets to help you relax, I was given Valprim 5 mg to be taken at night, raise the bed head when you sleep, someone mentioned to  place two bricks at the head area , rather than sleeping on 3 to 4 pillows, I know you  feel like your heart is racing, tightness near chest area which can go to the back, I get a dry cough which become mucassy very quickly and that trigger my asthma as well as cause sinus and congestion in nose.  Also see if you can get a breath test done for h pylori, this is a bacteria I think that can  make yu very sick and it lives in your stomach but in order to do this you should have to stay away from all the tablets for at least 7 days, anyway see another doctor if you are not happy with this one.  Good Luck and keep us updated

God bless you all

hg