Health anxiety and GERD

Posted , 2 users are following.

I have been dealing with this for awhile now, never knew the cause would be GERD, my main symptoms I get would feel like food is stuck in my throat, first time I experienced this and I immediately started having a panic attack and was worried I might end up choking to death, my throat felt so tight that I felt like I couldn't breathe, never choked though, I only felt the sensation and it happened when I ate a piece of steak that I knew I chewed well on before swallowing and it felt like a big chunk was stuck and my throat was hurting and I had difficulty swallowing and breathing, I quickly ran to the ER and they did x-rays first and found nothing and labeled my symptoms as anxiety. The symptoms do subside on it's own a few days later, but seems like meat, cereal and bread , trigger my symptoms the most. I had cereal this morning as well and it feels like a piece that I ate is stuck on the side of my throat and it's making me panic. This happened a few times that I would go to the ER and they didn't find anything, I was so embarrassed and just accepted the fact that even if I feel the sensation, nothing is really there. I finally went to see a ENT doctor today who diagnosed me by using a nasal endoscopy and he said I had acid reflux, prescribed me with medicine to take and for how long. But, today when I ate something, the entire day I'm feeling that sensation of something stuck and it's so frustrating. As soon as I eat, I feel it right away which makes me worried, but I'm able to eat, drink and talk just fine. Having health anxiety and acid reflux is so difficult to deal with. Am I going to be okay?

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1 Reply

  • Posted

    you are going to be just fine! You’ve been checked out by doctors and all is OK.

    Remember that our thoughts are very powerful so when you think negative that will expand unless you start to talk to yourself and say repeatedly that you are fine. That you are going to be OK. That the doctors checked you out and all is well.

    Turn your thinking around little by little. there’s a saying that goes....

    don’t believe everything you think. So you have to take control of how you think. The minute you think scary thoughts, talk to yourself!

    Also when you are feeling scared, stop everything, sit down or lay down and practice long slow deep breathing to calm everything down.

    when you do that, you realize that your breathing is just fine.

    You can find some great breathing exercises for anxiety on YouTube and they work great. you can also find some great positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself. That way your brain starts to believe that you are OK. hope this helps!

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