Need help dealing with reflux and trouble swallowing.

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gillyrosh

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I was diagnosed with severe acid reflux 2 months ago. My doctor prescribed Prevacid, which I took for 3 days. The first 2 days it worked ok, but on day 3, I felt awful - horrible globus sensation in my throat that made me feel like I was about to drown in phlegm. I told the doctor & he suggested going off it for a couple of days, which I did. I took the medicine again and the same thing happened. So I stopped taking it and went back to taking Prilosec OTC.

I've reduced my diet to soup and oatmeal and nothing is taking away the feeling of constriction in my throat and esophagus. Today, I tried to eat some fruit (blueberries & raspberries) and apple sauce for breakfast and I just could barely choke it down. And every time after I eat, my throat is sore and/or I feel like something is pushing at the base of my throat (this happened to me last night when I went to a party and had nothing to eat but water - no alcohol, no hor d'oeuvres, not even a cookie).

I've been crying on and off all day today because I feel like I've tried multiple remedies - medicinal and natural - and nothing seems to work. I'm depressed all the time because I'm at the end of my rope and don't know what to do. I've been to 4 doctors - 1 gastro, 2 ENTs and 1 allergist - and they all tell me something different: it's reflux, it's gastritis, it's allergies! GAH.

Can someone please give advice? I've spent so much money on tests and meRAB and still nothing is working :-/
 
i'm not sure what to tell you except i am in your SAME boat....i am mentally and financially exhausted (and physically) exhausted after nearly 6 months of this and still suffering. When did yours come on? I know EXACTLY what you mean that you could barely get applesauce down, it is the most horrifying feeling day after day, like you are withering away, BUT we're not, there is an answer out there. I just don't understand why its so hard to find an answer. I am going in for a 2nd opinion with an internist this week and in the meantime on prilosec (does nothing anymore) and some chinese herbs and acupuncture, that do help with my mental state and gallbladder pain.

I have been told mine is dyspagia, gastritis, esophagitis, gerd, dyspepsia.....(by the same dr). All i kown is wwIII happened in my digestive tract or throat and i don't know how to settle it let alone heal it (if its not settled).

Just wanted to tell you, you are not alone and there is an answer out there and i'm glad we have this board to compare notes, b/c i swear i learn more from here than my dr. Take care and have a good evening :)
 
Hey marigold. My reflux officially started 2 years ago (I'd also had it in '99, but was able to treat it successfully with Prevacid and some temporary changes in diet). But in the summer of 2007, I felt this pushing at the base of my throat one day - completely out of the blue. It subsided a few weeks later, but kept coming back occasionally.

Earlier this year, it came back full force and got really the bad over the last 2 months. None of the doctors can really figure out what's wrong with me. I'm now thinking of going to an osteopath. Please let me know how your internist session goes.

Good luck & take care:)
 
My husband is having a nightmare at the moment. Can only take a little soup and milk shakes. Can't swallow anything solid. Tried some soft mashed potato yesterday but coughed it back up. He has lost two stone in the last month. He has had symptoms for about six weeks.
He describes it like when the food get to bottom of oesohpagus it gets stuck and he has to cough it up. He has has a lot of frothy bile. Constantly clearing his throat and coughing. Came on really bad after a bout of what we think was swine flu. He does have a gastric hernia and was three stone overweiight but GP says it is nothing to do with this and put him on omprazole. After a week this made no difference and emergency doctor at walk-in centre changed it to lansoprazole, Still no different but now how really bad stomach cramps, constipation and BAD back pain.
He is seeinga consultant on Friday after GP made an emergeny appointment. He is diabetic and can;t exist on a cup of soup and a shake. I am going mad with worry.
 
hmmm...how strange, mine came on VERY suddenly too, like i know the exact date and where i was at. Starting in Jan i developed IBS and then awful migraines and i thought it was all b/c i've been weaning from psychiatric drugs (for anxiety) b/c i've NEVER had the severity or duration of problems that i have in my life...i mean ever......then when i thought i could possibly be in the clear, "THIS" started....i call it this b/c its so much more than gerd. Prilosec was able to control it for a few weeks (in June), then i stopped the prilosec thinking i was all better after that odd fluke, it came back with avengence, then started to get better after a month (by better i mean like scotchtape holding a broken tight together..it kinda works but not for good). So, i thought maybe i was having side effects from prilosec and stopped again in sept (for ONE day)...then it became ungodly awful....and since then i've upped my prilosec and have had a few instances where i ate "too much" food which is a joke b/c its not even my normal amount, my 5 year old son can eat more than me now :(...and i will feel a muscle down there bulge and its just pure hellish anymore, i don't even know how else to describe it. For a few weeks there, it was hard to get ANY food in, even an ensure, now its kinda getting easier but it still feels like someone seared the inside of my throat and now its sore and feels odd and food still doesn't go down right. I honest to god cannot believe this is happening.

I did not know something this painful and debilitating existed with gerd...and better yet that the dr wouldn't know what to do when i didn't respond well to a ppi....i am sooo sick of dr's and urgent cares. I am just trying to go about life as normal as possible to have some type of "normal" but this is crazy. I will tell you what internist says. I have a feeling more expensive tests and i pray for not bad news, oh how i pray right now after months of this.
 
I had all of your symptoms for 2 years, couldn't even swallow water in the end. Had 7 specialist tell me I was constipated, yeah right! Finally, I found a great doc at UCLA, they did the endoscopy on me and found that I have Achalasia, meaning that one can't swallow, and also, that the constrictions in my esophagus do not work. They can do a balloon procedure on you that can help. Look up Achalasia.

Sunny
 
Several years ago I had the swallowing problem, although it was never connected to GERD by any doctor I saw. I had it worst when I laid down to sleep at night. I had one doctor tell me to have a glass of water next to my bed to force me to swallow....like I couldn't figure that out myself! Brother. I cannot believe that this is such a mystery to the medical profession. However, one day mine "went away", so there is hope for you.

I have gerd and have had IBS...I cannot belive that there isn't a connection, but there again, nobody seems to know. Most recently...for the past 6 months..I have had burning mouth...gums, tongue, lips. After visiting no less than 10 drs, ents, dentists I finally decided to have the EsophyX TIF. Had it Friday. All weekend, my mouth felt fine (of course I was on pain meRAB). This morning I work up with a raging burning mouth again.

I feel pretty much like a lot of you writers...nobody knows, nobody cares, I'm out of ideas and really discouraged.
 
ps...i will update you on my status and please let me know if you learn anything new about yours as you are describing exactly what my muscle does and my severe gerd and how the drs are confused and i haven't met alot of others that have these same feelings. Also, in the beginning i never felt any burning just tight throat, trouble swallowing and tight breathing. i am possibly thinking of going to the University of Chicago as an urgent care here told me they specialize in esophagus disorders? and to seek them out ughhhhhhhh...i just don't know.
 
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