Wits end with GERD and extremely scared please help

Hi jay , im sorry youre going through all of this , first i understand the worrying of the unknown , yet you must try not worry . The endoscopy will show what is going on . Of course anxiety will make you think it id everything but the right thing . Googling it will make you think its everything else . I had a friend die from esophagus cancer ,he couldnt swollow at all ., Lost lots of weight and always had a fever . You have an upcoming appointment , yes request them to do an endoscopy plus a full blown lab panel . Request them do a vitamin D check as well . Best wishes , keep us updated .

Hello,

im 34 and after a really bad day of eating i suddenly started getting very bad acid reflux, they class frequent reflux as twice a week but i was getting it more like 4 times a day.

i was put on omeprazole and went to the gym aswell as improving my diet but it was still present for months this went on.

i went back to the doctor and he said omeprazole only works for around 50% of people and referred me for an endoscopy.

i really wasnt looking forward to the procedure as i was told it was horrible but it really wasnt that bad at all if im honest.

The doctor couldnt see anything bit took some biopsys to test for virus of the stomach lining and other similar ailmmets which im now waiting for the results for.

I was also scared about cancer bit my doctor was very good and explained that cancer in someone my age 34 would be very very rare only 8 cased per year on average for stomach cancer in under 35 year olds.

My father in law died of it two years ago and he ignored chronic stomach pain for months and was taking pain killers 3/4 times per day and swallowing was so hard he would even have to cut the crusts off toast to swallow it.

the burping and acid reflux could be something simple like a hiatus hernia that would cause issues for swallowing, burping and acid reflux.

Hello man,

A year ago I also started belching a whole lot. That was the MAIN symptom. Had endoscope asap with 1 GI doc n labeled with "Bile Reflux Gastritis" initially....but when I tryed some of the meds he prescribed and went back to him he was not so sure about the diagnosis. We had to part ways as he was not patient with my questions n concerns.

I now see a different GI doc referred to me by my PCP of 12 years. This GI doc ordered these 3 test called hydrogen breath test. They revealed I have lactose intolerence , Fructose intolerence and a sensitivity to wheat.i have been working with a dietician for this. This whole process took about a YEAR...I have been on and off multiple med.

We are now doing a trial again of a medicine called BACLOFEN as I HAVE "Supragastric Belching disorder. ( google it). This GI doc ordered a test called a PH impendence test. It really test for reflux as well as what type of belching disorder. It was a 24hr catheter in nose n throat. Not painful but uncomfortable. Mannn..I had about 8 visits to patient first to have EKG done as I kept having chest aches..throat pain..etc n my anxiety kept telling me I was having cardiac issues. ( you are not alone).

Insist your GI doc order some of these test and/or maybe see another 1. I get the fear/anxiety but it's most likely digestive related. The way it can mimic cardiac stuff is scary...I hope that my journey and info helps you. For ME..supragastric belching is mainly treated via diagraphatic breathing and baclofen. It's not gone but MUCH better than it was. I hope this was useful for you!!!

You can still get heartburn and reflux on omeprazole, especially if you are eating foods that may not agree with you or drinking alcohol. I take Nexium/ esomeprazole it is better than omeprazole but if I eat or drink certain things, I can still get symptoms. I have a hiatus hernia and I had that swallowing thing before as well. You can take some gavisc0n as well as your ppis, sometimes I think it works better. It may be that you have a food intolerance or allergy. Keep a food diary and a symptom diary to see what foods or drinks make you worse. The things to watch out for are alcohol, dairy, fatty foods, processed foods, citrus fruits and drinks, carbonated drinks, pickles, high protein foods, foods containing sugar, caffeine. Try and cut down on these as much as you can and see if there is an improvement.

Try not to think about cancer as you are still young and it is more likely that you are eating or drinking foods that are disagreeing with you and causing reflux and heartburn symptoms which can affect your swallowing.

Anxiety can cause issues with swallowing as well.

Hi jay16004

As already mentioned certain foods will cause acid such as spicey and fried foods..citrus fruits, caffeine, fizzy drinks and some veggies like sprouts and cabbage. If you haven't already done so change your diet and include gluten free and lactose free foods. Adding some info on excessive salivation....

One of the major symptoms of stomach cancer is pain around the navel

first of all thank you to all of you for the replys. there was a lot of good info and it was just nice to relate to someone experiencing what im dealing with . the swallowing issue has just heightened my anxiety and that had been crippling to my mental health . my son is 6 months old and dealing with the anxiety has caused me to miss out on special moments with him . its just been bad . i see some have suggested hital hernia that could be reason for swallowing issues ? are there any other synptoms of this type of hernia that i would notice ? do they get worse ? it seems the swallowing issue has been more pronoucned lately over the last few weeks . also what about gerd causes swallowing issues ? i believe some of my anxiety is from not understanding why how or what. difficulty swallowing seems to be listed as a symtpom for gerd , but what causes it ?

Gerd can be managed by eating a restricted diet , of green leafy veggies . It has also been shown GERD has been healed by eating the right duet for awhile ... To your question about your swallowing , the muscle can restrict while eating ,with esophagus and stomach issues . Eat small bites and eat small meals at a time , to rest the muscles ...

This sounds just like my current situation. I'm same age as you with 2 kids under 3. A month ago I started getting heartburn after heavy meal and it turned into constant burping and chest pain. I went to my Dr and said it was gastritis and put me on omeprazole. I tried it for a week then they switched me to Protonix and then recently nexium. Nothing has stopped the burping and weird stabbing chest pains. It occurs all times of day and seems unrelated to what I eat. Was told by my GI it's likely GERD but now the medicine has given me some bad side effects and being tested now for CDiff on top of it. I do have a endoscopy scheduled in a couple weeks and a breath test. Until then, I dont see how I can get this under control but if I figure out something I will let you know. I did get a barium swalow x ray last week which just found intermittent GERD and no hiatal hernia