1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Abdominal Disorders

Possible Reflux

Posted , 3 users are following.

magnets123
magnets123

I have been having weird stomach pains and the best I can describe them as are bad hunger pains. I also feel the need to clear my throat constantly throughout the day. Sometimes I force cough to get mucas out of my chest and it's mostly clear.  For the most part it is bad in the mornings.  At least once a week I will wake up in the morning feeling like a heaviness in my chest area. It makes me feel almost like I am short of breath but I am not. Most of the time if I exercise it will go away at least for most of the day.  All of this will cause some anxiety of course but I try to focus on other things and it helps a little. I had heart tests done because of a prior issue and they all came back normal, spirometer test and it was normal so no asthma or COPD, sonogram of my liver, kidneys etc and that came back normal. I was diagnosed with silent reflux 3 years ago and I am wondering if it could be this just getting worse? I should be on a proton pump inhibitor but I never took it and I should be on a prescription antacid but like an idiot I never took either one. I am scheduled to take a endoscopy test later this month but really do not want to take it. The though of having a tube run down my throat and into my stomach is not so appealing. Reflux or something else? Anyone have this issue and if so what could it be?  Thanks

1 like, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 magnets123

    Posted

    Sounds like silent reflux if you have been diagnosed with it. Trust your diagnosis.  Take antacids or PPIs.and milk and that will help. I cough and have mucus with silent and normal reflux when you feel the acid coming up. All the remedies I have mentioned help me,  Try this first.  If frightened of the endoscopy, I wouldn't bother with it as it can cause side effects particularly if you have sedation. I had an endoscopy and the sedation gave me very bad depression.  Nothing was found and all they could suggest was a weak oesophageal sphincter which was letting acid come up.

     

     

    • magnets123
      magnets123 pippa58442

      Posted

      Pippa, 

      I have heard horror stories over the endoscopy test and I don't really see the point in it quite yet. It seems to me that doctors just want to put people through a lot of unnecessary testing procedures for that buck. I do think in some instances yes certain procedures are mandatory. I will make an appointment with my primary doctor soon and get on some meds. My ENT diagnosed me with silent reflux 3 years ago but whatever meds he put me on gave me headaches and I felt loopy so I stopped all together. Now I am at the point to where I feel that I need to get back on them and push through the side effects because the final outcome could be much worse. Thanks 

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 magnets123

      Posted

      There is no point in taking medication that disagrees with you. You will only end up feeling worse than you did with the acid reflux and it will make you feel miserable. OTC medication is milder but will clear the heartburn. I take Gaviscon and it is very gentle on the stomach..  If medication disagrees with me, I throw it out.  
    • magnets123
      magnets123 pippa58442

      Posted

      Well I took Nexium and would get nasty headaches and I tried the generic Zantac and that made me feel strange with a headache. I take Gaviscon extra strength right now and that seems to work well. It does not clear up my constant throat clearing but I think it helps a bit with the heavy feeling in my chest first thing in the morning. I am guessing that the PPI will eventually help with the throat clearing ? Also I don't get heartburn per say but it will sometimes come up my throat

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 magnets123

      Posted

      Gaviscon and other antacids stop my heartburn and my throat clearing immediately.  PPIs are designed to block acid so in theory they should stop the heartburn cough.  However, everyone is different. I used to take Omeprazole. It stopped the heartburn but since I didn't have silent heartburn at that time, I didn't have a cough do I can't say from personal experience that it stops the cough.  The best thing to is to try a different PPI instead of Nexium since it disagreed with you and see if it helps.

    • magnets123
      magnets123 pippa58442

      Posted

      The cough I have is pretty much self induced. I know that I have sinus issues and have for years. They have never been real bad but for the last year or so they have become worse. I was initially thinking allergies producing post nasal drip while I am sleeping  but my doctors said that it's possible that I have sleep apnea as well. Some mornings I just wake up with almost  a tightness or heaviness in my chest but my breathing is fine. Now anxiety will make it worse and then my breathing becomes affected. My doctors also said it could be morning anxiety. I am starting to think it is my silent reflux and maybe a combo of sinus stuff contributing to my morning chest tightness. Now the tightness is not every morning but usually there is a degree of anxiety when I wake up. Exercise usually minimizes the feeling though. The throat clearing is every day now. I am a smoker which I know does not help and I want to quit. Test were run on my lungs and they are fine so not thinking asthma or anything like that. I guess reflux maybe causing the majority of these issues?

    • pippa58442
      pippa58442 magnets123

      Posted

      Anxiety can trigger breathing problems; I have had this   It can also cause acid reflux or make existing reflux worse.  My reflux began after exam stress.  Seeing lots of doctors is stressful especially if they are all saying different things and are not focusing on any one particular cause.This in itself can cause anxiety and aggravate your reflux.  Anxiety seems to me to be a plausible diagnosis since you have anxiety and the symptoms you have link to this.

      I would simply concentrate on treating your reflux with your antacids or a suitable PPI and leave it at that.  I have leaned to live with my Aspergers, anxiety, IBS and acid reflux and I have a completely normal lifestyle.

    • magnets123
      magnets123 pippa58442

      Posted

      Thanks a lot for your input. I will make an appointment with my primary doctor and see about him putting me on a PPI. If I hear anything else I will update you. 
Back to top

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.