Hi, for the past 4 months I have been suffering daily severe symptoms with breathlessness, burning and pressure sensation in my back and chest, pressure in my throat which makes me want to cough, burping and most recently tiredness. These don't necessarily occur after food, i have the breathless and pressure feeling all day every day.
I went to a private hospital for tests under my medical insurance as my NHS GP couldn't give me all the tests i wanted for peace of mind as i'm an extreme worrier and after Googling my symptoms i was in tears! So 2 weeks ago i had blood tests, allergy tests, a CT scan on my heart and lungs, a lung function test and an Echocardiogram. I had the results last week which thankfully shows my heart is absolutely fine but i have mildly inflamed airways in my lungs and the doctor advised the most likely cause is Acid Reflux and this is causing the breathless feeling. The doctor has advised i take Lanzoprasole 30mg daily and a steroid asthma inhaler to reduce the inflammation for 3 months.
To be honest, i'm concerned that this isn't caused by acid only because most of the threads i have read on here are from people who only experience symptoms from food. As soon as i get out of bed and start walking around i start to get the pressure feeling in my chest and i've just had enough of it. Does anyone else have symptoms like me? I'm constantly thinking about what i could have wrong or if it is acid, what damage it is doing to me! I know it's only been a couple of days on the medication so shouldn't expect it to work straight away but can anyone tell me of any other self help medications that i could take to make it go away quicker? I'm really at my wits end and it's all i think about.
Thank you
Hi Tinkerbell32
Like you I had and still have the breathless problem everyday, also burping, bloating and feeling something coming up my throat but I have no pain with it, also no chest pain. I also went through all the testing like you. The Lung doctor told me to go to an ear nose and throat doctor because he thought I had silent reflux, when I went the ent stuck the camera in my nose and down my throat and saw the pinkness right away, so I now take Prilosec everyday, it has helped quite a bit but I still have it some what. although the pinkness is gone. I have been taking medicine for about 6 months now. I m thinking of going to a gastro doc for other testing to try and figure out exactly what is causing this, I want it gone, I can't even drink a simple cup of coffee with out feeling really breathless. This all started for me about 1 year ago, right after I went off a 10 day water fast, I drank water only no food for 10 days so I know it had something to do with it
Hi Tinkerbell32, I had similar problems but mainly bloating and excessive belching that could last for days. I
Could normally get it under control by taking digestive enzymes with betaine hcl. Drinking water always made it worse. During a recent bad episode I had an operation for appendicitis. Post op a full week in hospital with no food and frightened to have even a sip of water because it would start the belching and the pressure made me feel so ill. Before I was even aware of the pressure building up I stated feeling really ill. At this time I was
Fitted with a gastric tube into my stomach. I discovered that as soon as I started feeling queer I disconnected the gastric tube from it's bag and using syringe to suck on the tube it relieved the pressure in my stomach. I did this to relieve the symptoms. When the gastric tube was removed I could take my digestive enzymes with betaine hcl and started to improve immediately. Within two weeks I had a really bad attack following taking ibuprofen for an inflamed knee. I went to Dr who arranged for endoscopy. This showed that I had an hiatus hernia plus some gastritis. I googled the hernia and found that Scottish researchers had created hiatus hernias in healthy volunteers by fitting them with a tight belt. I took lasoperazole for a few days for the gastritis. I now wear braces instead of a belt, eat little and often. Haven't had any bloating or burping or anything else since. Hope this is some help.
Thank you both very much for your responses. I have some digestive enzyme tablets that i tried for a short while but gave up quickly because i didn't see results quick enough but will try them again and persevere along with my prescribed medication. Hot food and drinks seem to make my feelings worse and cause the burning sensation in the top of my back and i definitely cant have caffeinated drinks. I used to be an avid runner but since having this i cant run for anymore than 5 minutes without feeling breathless and getting burning in my chest.
i think mine started after i completed a 3 day juice diet. People warned me it wasn't good for me and just wish i had listened now! I will try and stop worrying that i have something wrong with me other than this and wish u both the best best in getting rid of your symptoms too.
Hi Tinkerbell32, have you been checked to see if you have hiatus hernia. That can cause all the problems you describe. The hernia pushes up into the chest cavity and it can also affect the vagas nerve which can result in a range of symptoms. The pyloric valve at the top of your stomach normally sits in line with your diaphragm. When it's pushed up into the chest cavity it can't close correctly allowing acid to pass. The acid then causes gastritis which I think causes the excess gas, bloating etc. the original reason for me taking the enzymes is because I suspected I had low stomach acid which has identical symptoms to excess acid. However since relieving the pressure round my waist I,ve been free of all symptoms.
I had an echocardiogram and the nurse looked for hiatus hernia but said it was fine. I do have some gallstones though so could this be making my symptoms worse? I don't get any acidic taste or regurgitation of food but i suppose this disease comes in different forms. At the moment, I'm willing to give anything a try just to feel normal again hence maybe trying the digestive enzymes again, i cant remember what that feels like! I definitely know that overeating causes the breathlessness to get worse and i cant wear any belts or tight clothing for long periods of time.
Hi, I think that the hiatus hernia can come and go. I think it causes gastritis which causes gas and bloating. I agree that over eating and wearing tight clothes is bad news. The vagas nerve that I mentioned runs right up the abdomen and up the side of the neck. When I had a neck problem the bloating in my stomach had me in A & E with a suspected heart attack. Is it possible that your gall stone problem is affecting the vagas nerve. Just a thought.
Hi Gallee, I will mention this to my GP when i see him for a follow up if i don't see any improvement with the meds. I also went into A & E just before xmas because the feeling of choking and not being able to breathe made me think i was having heart problems too! The doctor obviously didn't find any problems with my heart but mentioned gastritis and spasming of the oespahgus which can also cause these feelings.
Hi tinkerbell, I suffer from most of your symptoms along with a fe more, I've suffered for about 15 yrs and still can't find a cure. I had an endoscopy last year that showed 4cm hiatus hernia and erosive gastritis.
I have tried most ppis out there but they all seem to make the problem worse, I suffer with the chest burning that goes through to my shoulder blades also pain and burning in lower stomach,, feels like my lungs are on fire, also tight neck feeling one sided sore throat and ear pain, when I'm having a bad flare up I have an increase in throat mucus that makes me want to cough an gag all day, then my sinuses get bunged up have constant postnasal drip.
I was wondering if whenever your having a bad flare up do you ever feel lightheaded , as I feel like I have a hangover everyday.
I feel like I'm never going to get better
Hi Daisiedoo, i do get the lightheaded feeling on occasions, feel like I'm just floating around. A colleague at work is now suffering from the burning chest feeling and is getting dizzy frequently so it sounds like this is a common problem. I don't have the sinus issue (yet). I haven't been suffering with it as long as you have so cant imagine how awful it is for all that time, I've had enough just for the short time I've had it! The burning shoulder blades really make me feel ill especially tired. I just hope these Lanzoprasole tablets keep it at bay although I've changed my diet too and take probiotics to help. Do you find food triggers it or does it happen at random times like me?
Hi tinkerbell thanks for replying, yer that's the feeling I try an explain to my family like your floating around in a daze.
The sinus issues seem to happen when acid has hit the throat , I've been to many ENT doctors with the dizzy feeling thinking it was my ears etc, one doc even booked me in for sinus surgery, but has time has gone by I can no honestly say that these feelings only occur when my stomach is bad so there is a connection,
Yes the burning is enough to make you want to crawl back into bed an along with all that I find you can become very tired, muscle aches etc. it's a horrible thing to deal with. to others we look so well on the outside so they don't understand are pain.
I have tried lansoprazole and opeprozole, they are ok at keeping the reflux at bay but carry lots of side effects, my daughter is currently taking them but feels ok on them were I did not.
I find that foods can trigger it especially greasy food dairy products etc, but I can also be on the blandest diet an still get symptoms.
Have u ever had an endoscopy or been tested for h-pylor tinkerbell as that can produce all the symptoms we both have, I have been treated 3 times for it. Just a simple blood test will tell you if you have it or not.
I found Omeprazole didn't do anything for me. The Lanzoprasole seem to be working at the moment although I'm finding that for the last few days my voice is horsey although i don't have a cold or sore throat. Not sure if that's because I've coughed a lot previously from the lump in throat feeling or wether I've damaged my voice box.
I had an Endoscopy last year as i was getting stomach pain, even before all these other symptoms started, but it was clear, same with the h -pylor, this was negative too.
if i eat food that's too hot, heat wise, that definitely starts it off between the shoulder blades. I'm trying to re-train myself to eat slowly too because my boyfriend eats so quickly and i got into a bad habit of trying to keep up!
The worst symptom for me is the pressure feeling in my chest. Everyone kept saying i was having panic attacks but i knew it wasn't! As you say people think you look well but inside you're struggling. I totally understand how u feel.
Yes I often get the horsey feeling this is either because the acid is touching the vocal cords mainly happens at night while sleeping which u probably won't notice, or can be from the throat clearing if you get a lot of postnasal drip mucus etc, (caused by reflux) this gives that lump feeling ur experiencing ypthe doctor calls it globes feeling, so u probably haven't damaged your voice box this is common feeling with most suffers.
Well that's good u have out ruled any other problem via endoscopy, it most definetley sounds like ur suffering bad acid reflux
I was told by gastro doctor to eat little but often but that doesn't seem to help I get the burn even of a small slice of toast at breakfast.
I understand totally about the chest pressure it happens quite often with me, and yes the people used to say exactly the same to me ,I knew mine wasn't panic attacks either, although having that feeling when out and about etc can make you panic and think your having a heart attack, but trying to reassure yourself its just acid heartburn is hard isn't it
I have today bought some aloe Vera juice and coconut water hoping it will help
I forgot to mention I suffer a lot of migraines due to all of this also
Hi, I'm so relieved to come across this website, my life is made a misery by acid reflux
I'm a slim health conscious person but every minute of the day I suffer with this terrible
Condition it's so uncomfortable and some of the sensations are frightening. I have a terrible
Hoarse voice earache pressure around my chest and between shoulder blades, that become
Painful has the day goes on. I have given up work now, the only relieve I get is if I lie down.
Sitting bending just makes me feel worse. I feel ok in the morning then as soon as I start
Everyday activities that's it. I have had all the tests done and everything's normal. I try so hard
Not to let it rule my life but I'm suffering in silence I don't know what it's like to feel normal. I look
At people and wonder what it must be like to be symptom free. So sorry to come across so negative
If anyone is out there who has the same problem please post
Hi Sourtongue8
You have the exact same symptoms as me. The only relief i have is when i go to sleep and wake up in the morning, the rest of the day is miserable. I'm getting to the point where I'm scared to eat because i know that anything i eat or drink starts it off and then i have it all day. I actually don't know what its like to be symptom free anymore and have resigned myself to the fact it wont get better. I burp all day and the feeling clears for about a second then its back.
The Lanzoprasole doesn't appear to be doing anything now. I take them out of habit. I suppose I'll have to go back to the doctors but not sure what else they can do. Don't feel alone. I am in the same situation!!!
Thank you so much for your reply, the doctor prescribed all those anti acids to me
But none of them made any difference. I worry about the long term damage it will
Do, surely there's something that can be done, I have tried all The diets potions
Given up mostly everything now, I brought some Zantac today I'm going to give that a try.
Like you I will have to go back to the doctor but just like you stated what can they do.
I will keep in touch with you to see if there's any thing to relieve this condition, it's horrible
To have to live with it it's so uncomfortable most days I can't wait to lie down and feel a bit comfy.
It's strange first thing in the morning I feel ok. I really hope you find something to help you it would
Make all the difference, everybody is different what works for one person does not necessarily work
For the other. Also I've resigned myself to the fact that I may have to live with it , (that's if it doesn't
Kill me off lol ) take caret
Hi, I just wanted to let people know that I went back to the doctors last Friday because I was suffering so bad with the reflux so my doctor has increased my Lanzoprasole to 30mg morning and night which (touch wood) is massively helping. He is also referring me to another gastro consultant to investigate further as he doesn't want me on this high dose of pills for too long.
I admit it's so good not to be suffering the way I was, 4 solid months day in and out of the reflux. Just hope now the horseness in my voice improves and my lung inflammation can now start to heal. There is hope out there, my doctor promised me that as I was crying my eyes out to him in the surgery last week! It's just finding the right treatment for each individual.
Hi,
Tinker bell so pleased you have found some relief from this horrible condition
I went back to the doctors yesterday because my throat was so painful also earache
And my voice is so hoarse I'm struggling to speak. She just looked at me said they have
Done all the investigations and there's nothing they can do. I explained what an impact on my
Life it is creating I do not socialise anymore so she suggested I go on social networks
Face book, twitter etc , so I don't have to speak I'm so upset I feel totally alone. I'm not sure
Where to go from here. Keep in contact and let me know how you are getting on.
Hi Tinkerbell,
I just wanted to share my experience with acid reflux and gerd. I was diagnosed with gerd and my doctor had started me on protonix wich worked for a while and then just stoped working.So he said double the dose and he had also told me I was going to have take the medication for the rest of my life.That didnt really sit we;; with me so I started researching on internet.I stopped drinking caffeine, no coffee.no soda none of that,also I started drinking more water and drinking licorice tea.Lots of licorice tea.Couple of month after I had started drinking licorice tea I stopped taking any medication.It has been about seven years now.no heartburn,no gerd.That worked for me so I just wanted to put it out there maybe it will help someone else too.
Hello
I'm new to this site but after suffering for over a year with reflux and acid in my throat at night which I ended
Eating ice cubes to cool my throat down.
The doctor prescribed Omeprazole and 600mg Zantac. Unfortunately this has not help at all and I went back
To him this morning as I now have a 40 a day smokers cough (never ever smoked) and am constantly
Being sick during the day and night.
He has now prescribed me Domperidone 3 times a day, Lansoprazole 30mg twice a day
and to carry on the Zantac 300mg twice a day...he also told me that my Hiatus Hernia is 10cm with polyps
and because of the swelling under my breast and the pain it gives me I may need surgery
but to see him in 3 weeks time.
I am so scared and worried...can anyone give me a light at the end of this very dark tunnel ?