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Breastbone pain - is it acid reflux?

Posted , 2 users are following.

jay77456
jay77456

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with acid reflux last year. I am a 26 year old male, and I was living alone and eating a very poor diet. Apart from a couple attacks, my reflux has always been the same: Daily feeling of acid in my chest, can be pushed up into throat if I try. Apart from that, there's one potential symptom I'm wanting to clarify.

One of my attacks was after eating curry. I was lying in bed when I regurgitated acid, which coincided with this sudden pain over my breastbone. This pain is isolated in the middle of my upper chest (between the breasts) where it feels like the muscles over a hard bone is tender. This happened 6-9 months ago now, but very frequently this exact spot hurts. I ignored this pain as I didn't believe it to be related to acid reflux: when I looked it up, acid reflux apparently causes pain behind the breastbone, not in front of it. However, recently I came off PPIs due to side effects and noticed this once forgotten pain returned the same day I felt acid reflux again.

Over the past 6-9 months, the pain in this exact spot has come and gone. Some days, I don't think I even felt the acid in my system when it came on. But now I realize it's most likely linked to acid reflux, I'm wondering if it's more serious than I thought. Since the pain is always isolated in one spot, I worry if I've caused severe damage to my esophagus. Is this a warning sign of permanent inflammation?

I'm going to the doctor's anyway as I need to try a new PPI, but last time I brought this up it was dismissed. I'd like to discuss this so I know what it is I'm dealing with & what the outcome will be.

Thank you in advance.

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • MarvinMartian
    MarvinMartian jay77456

    Posted

    I think the pain is sternum pain from inflammation of the cartilage. Chest pressure caused by acid reflex tends to make us over breath and cause this. Do you also suffer from anxiety? Acid reflux or GERD and anxiety and all the symptoms both can cause tend to go hand and hand. I never was able to figure out what symptoms come from what. It all started in my late 20's and now I am in my late 40's. Anxiety can cause acid reflux and acid reflux can cause anxiety.

  • jay77456
    jay77456

    Posted

    Hello Martin,

    When my problems first started, I was under a lot of stress. It's been over a year now and my situation has improved, yet I feel some anxiety is still leftover. I've always been an anxious person, and a hypochondriac to boot.

    By the sounds of it, was your reflux anxiety related too? What is it you've done to tackle it?

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