6 months later, still getting worse

[Daxter]

There's still symptoms going strong for me even after 6 months. I keep getting palpitations and a tight throat and chest, mostly in the evening. Worse still my throat slightly burns and I always bring up a liquid whenever I belch. It doesn't usually burn but it causes excess mucus. I also get:

- Chills and a hot foreheads
- Indigestion and weakness
- Sudden chest and arm pain
- Throat flutters
- Difficulty swallowing even water
- Burning back, neck, throat, arms and even tongue
- Ear pain from belched liquid
- Sore/Dry throat filled with the excess mucus

Sometimes all of this keeps me up at night and I'm losing weight fast even when I try not to. PPIs and Gaviscon Advance have no effect. Diazepan and some sleep medication don't work either. Hypnotherapy and CBT do nothing so surely it isn't just anxiety? I've had really deprezsive thoughts of late; I can't go on like this.

[marc]

Anxiety and stress can cause all of your symptoms. I would have a complete medical work up and
if that is negative, than you can concentrate on your anxiety. Anxiety can be very depressing and
debilitating and it is important to get the support you need to get through it.

[hypomom]

Sounds very much like me. I have bad anxiety and GERD. The  more anxious I get the worse my GERD acts up. - Indigestion and weakness
- Sudden chest and arm pain
- Throat flutters
- Difficulty swallowing even water
- Burning back, neck, throat, arms and even tongue
- - Sore/Dry throat filled with the excess mucus
ALL things I go through with anxiety and GERD. I have esphogus spasms and was told they cause the throat fluttes, swallowing issues and the chest and arm pain. The esphogus shares the same nerves as your heart and thus the arm/chest pain. The meds give me slight relief but changing my diet to the GERD diet helped the most.

[Slangevar]

I've had all of those symptoms for the past month, so you have my sympathy. It sounds like you have acid reflux... the tricky part is figuring out where it's coming from. It could be anxiety, allergies, dehydration, a hiatal hernia, or a combo of those.

Like hypomom, I've had some success in controlling my GERD through diet. (It's not cured, but it's better.)  My ENT put me on an elimination diet... no garlic, tomatoes, citrus, peanut products, vinegar, etc.  I cut down on alcohol; I eat 3 hours before bedtime and I've upped my exercise and water intake (dehydration can cause all of your symptoms, too).

He also had me try Mucinex extra strength to deal with the mucus... it worked great, but gave me some lower digestive issues, so I switched to allergy meds, which work just as well.

So far, I'm not on any GERD meds. Zantac made my symptoms worse and I'll try anything to stay off of PPIs.

Have you seen a GI or ENT doc yet?  Either can help with this, though try to find someone who will help you find the root of the problem. Too many docs just throw meds at the problem.

[wegngis]

I am having many similar symptoms.  In fact, just last night I was awake until 3am dealing with severe, heart-attack like pain. It's still there today.  I've been "hyper-tested" as one Dr. put it, and they can't find what's wrong with me.  (Thanks for talking down to me doc, although I'm sure he was trying to reassure me).

Anyway, I'm working with a new doctor who is focusing on diet, among other things.  In two months I've gone from eating like a normal first-world consumer of commercial food products to whole foods, as well as a blended diet to supplement what I'm eating.  I've cut out gluten, dairy, sugar (including fruit), and grains.  Pretty dramatic, I know, but it won't be like this forever.  But a couple of times, briefly, just briefly, I've felt "normal."  I'm thinking it's my imagination, but it might actually be working.  So, I've thrown out eating "fairly healthy" and have jumped on the "insanely healthy" bandwagon.

[Daxter]

Yeah my diet is becoming stupidly restricted too with antidepressents thrown into the mix to see if stress is the sole cause. What concerns me most is the wet belching; I keep getting sore throats from it and worry I may get barretts esophagus in the near future. There's sone horrid left-sided chest pains too, and yet no endoscopy until May.

[Slangevar]

You and I have exactly the same symptoms - wet burps and all.  For what it's worth, someone on this forum said that people with LPR (i.e. where the acid travels up past your esophagus into your throat, giving you a sore throat) have a lower rate of Barrett's because the acid comes up and straight back down rather than just settling in your esophagus.

What kind of diet are you on?  I'm noticing less and less heartburn now that I'm combining more water + allergy pills + a super-healthy, organic, veggie-full elimination diet. No heartburn at all today (knock on wood) and I even just cheated with a few sips of coffee.  Btw, like wegngis, I also feel best when I'm not eating any sugar or grains. (Though I tested negative for celiac disease.)  Fruit is fine for me.

Keep us posted. I have one more thing to try: I'm going to sleep without my mouthguard for a few days in the off chance that I'm allergic to it. If that doesn't work for my sore throat, I'm going in for the scope. I'll let you know what happens!