Full Disclosure - Where I am now - Any Else?

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billtwild

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I say full disclosure because I wonder how many people dont tell their doctor everything. I try to be as honest as possible and any lack of info is usually my lack of attention to the details more than anything else.

First a quick background - I don't smoke (used to) . I run a few miles every morning. 165 - 5'10 . 40 years old. Try to eat right and not too much.

So about a year ago I had a bad chest pain. Scared the heck out of me , thought I was having a heart attack. Afterward I started feeling this weird burning and tightness in the top of my throat.

I went to my doctor and he explained that it might be GURD. He put me on protonix and within a few weeks I felt sooo much better.

A few things I didn't do I should have knowing what I know now. He told me to take the protonix a half hour to an hour before breakfast. Because of my habits I usually ended up taking it about 5 to 15 mins before.

I continued to eat and drink (beer,coffee) like I did before. I figured since I felt better the protonix was doing its thing and I didn't have to worry.

Fast forward to about six weeks ago. It was time to see if I could go off of the protonix so the doctor had me take one every other day and take zantac at night where needed.

After about a week a started to fell bad again and soon I was experiencing the pain I felt in the beginning at night.

I saw the doctor again and he told me to go back on the protonix. He also referred me to see a gastoento-whatcha-ma-callit guy. (Im a computer nerd, medical stuff totally escapes me, lol)

The pain at night has not stopped. Its like clockwork every night. For the past two weeks I have tried to do what I should have done in the first place. I stopped drinking coffee (ahhhhhhhhh). No cheese. No tomatoes , sauce etc. Everything on the bad list I have stopped. I got one of those wedge things to sleep on. to raise the top part of my body .

Still the pain occurs every night like clockwork. Well, it used to be 4am on the dot. Now its 4:30 - 5.

Well, that was long winded. Sorry but I wanted to share my story because I wish I had done the right thing in the first place. I hope someone else will read this and take heed.

I have my appointment next week.

I also am looking to find anyone with similar problem / experience and see if they can offer any solution that they may have found to the pain at night. Lack of sleep is really getting to me.

Thanks for reading.
 
If you took Protonix for an extended period of time, you may be experiencing a phenomenon that is called acid rebound. It occurs when you cease taking PPI's. Your heartburn and other symptoms come back with a vengeance because, while the PPI suppressed acid in your stomach, your body was producing gastrin (a hormone) and that gastrin signals your stomach to produce a lot of acid. Therefore, as soon as the PPI is removed or shortly thereafter, your stomach starts to dump a lot of acid.

Acid rebound can last several weeks while the levels of gastrin in your blood normalize or level off. I went off a PPI in January and I am just beginning to have normal days with the aid of Zantac. I am taking 150 mg twice a day round the clock and still experienced horrible rebound heartburn for nearly three months.

Therefore, read up and be prepared to work through the rebound if you wish to come off the PPI. Also, be aware that experiencing symptoms when the PPI is removed does not necessarily mean that your condition has returned or is worse. It may be rebound. Of course, you should consult with your doctor, but it may be useful to google "acid rebound" on this forum and on the internet in general so you can appraise yourself of the phenomenon and what to do about it.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Rose
 
Hey all. I posted my situation in another thread. The short; doc tried to get me off PPIs which didnt go so well. Going to see the gastro specialist tomorrow but something odd happened wondering if anyone else had/has this happen.

Ive been doign all the things I was supposed to do since going back on my Protonix. Eating right, no beer , coffee . Etc etc. I have been basically a zorabie since then. Terrible pain every night.

Last Friday night I want out and had a few beers at a frienRAB house. Afterward we stopped at a local pub, had a few more (I wasent driving) and split a cuban sandwich and fries. This was at 11:30 PM . Got home went right to bed. I was far from drunk so its not like I passed out but:

1. I had alcohol
2. I had fried cuban sandwich with spicy mustard
3. French fries/
4. Went right to bed after eating
5. Did not use the wedge for keeping my body up.

Why did I do this? Becuase in the past the only thing that made me feel better was some corabination of this. I know it sounRAB crazy.

Well, I had the BEST SLEEP I had in weeks! I woke up feeling like a million! I was and still am so happy.

What I cant understand is if my lower sphyncter is damaged shouldnt I have basically been is pure agony? I say that becuase when i do all the right things I was in agony. Even the night before. 4am wake up with an hour in pain. But not after doing all the things I wasent supposed to.

i doesnt make any sense to me. Has anyone else had similar experience? Was I incorrectly diagnosed with GURD? I know no one can diag me over the net but Im worried that there is something else going on and that this situation is showing me that.

Thanks again for your input.
 
You are a lucky man because you were able to have all those fooRAB and not experience symptoms. I think that the LES works sometimes and not others. That is why we experience heartburn some days and not others. If you have too many days of eating and drinking like this, though, you will be more likely to have an episode of reflux and heartburn than not. Be careful!

Rose
 
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