New here - Acid Reflux or.....??

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msjen77

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Hi everyone. I am 33 yrs old, female, no health problems. About 2 weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with bad gas pains that radiated up my chest and my upper back. It has happened to me a couple times before, so I took some GasX and within an hour, the discomfort subsided. Didn't think anything of it.

About 4 days later, I started getting this hunger sensation that did not go away upon eating. It is kind of a cross between hunger/nausea/burning along with pain around the sternum. I chalked it up to being heartburn. I took some tums to no avail, and have had this feeling ever since then. So it's been about a week and a half. I also started feeling fatigued prior to this. I went to the dr last week and got routine blood work. Also got an EKG to rule out any heart problems, and that was all fiine. Still waiting for the results on my blood work, but in the meantime, my doc prescribed Ranitidine 150 mg for the heartburn/pain. It is not helping at all.

These are my symptoms and some of them are really strange: The hunger feeling/burning/nausea; the nausea comes and goes, but the hunger feeling is there non stop - doesn't get better or worse with eating, discomfort up the middle of my chest and around sternum, discomfort in my upper back (on/off), the feeling of food being stuck in my throat and chest - like when I eat, it feels like the food isn't going down. I feel like I have a lump in my throat that makes me keep swallowing (I have had that before, and usually its postnasal drip from sinus problems), mild hoarsness which I have noticed on/off over the past few months and it started after I had a cold, so again, not sure if this is sinus related or not? I also started being able to feel liquiRAB when I drink them, go all the way down to my stomach - that just started within the last few days? Then I get like cool tingling feeling in my stomach. That is really weird and I have no idea what is causing this.

I am so scared that this is something serious. I feel like worrying about it is making it worse. I also have some mild anxiety issues and my doc suggested that may be causing some of these symptoms. I just don't know what to do and I am just miserable feeling like this. I just can't stop thinking about it and worrying about what it is and what it could be. And of course I look online and can't find anything with all these symptoms corabined.

Edited to add: I also get this gurgling in my throat after swallowing, and have burped up acid a few times today.
 
My main thing is that I get very overwhelmed and feel the need to "do it all". I have two young sons, ages 3 and 1 - I work full time and I have this need to make sure my house is perfect, clean, laundry is always done...I also get up early to go to the gym 3 days a week. I feel spread too thin sometimes and I just get really stressed out and tired. My husband helps out, but sometimes he is like a 3rd child, then I get irritated at that.

Will keep you posted!
 
We are seriously living a very similar life, too funny! My son is 1.5 and my husband is my "second child". I also feel the need to do it all and be the perfect wife and mother. I am very easily irritated many days also, you just have to learn to let it all go, and be good to yourself. You have to take care of you first, and everything else will start to fall into place. Let's keep in touch, this is neat! Have a good one, and take care!!
 
I had acid reflux for 9 years, and my primary symptom was feeling hungry all the time, even right after eating. If I was on Prevacid I didn't have that, but off Prevacid I did.

Well, turned out my acid reflux was being caused by milk and dairy products- I had become allergic! My doc put me on an allergen elimination diet for an unrelated reason and my acid reflux went away. When we added dairy back in, my acid reflux came back.

The irony here is that I used to chug a big glass of milk when my stomach was burning from the acid reflux.

I no longer eat or drink dairy products and I have stopped taking Prevacid and no longer suffer from the constant hunger pangs.

I don't know if this is what you're dealing with, but you might consider doing an allergen elimination diet under the supervision of your doc to see if you are allergic to anything in your diet.
 
Milk is a low acid food and corn is a more acid food according to some info provided to me by a doctor:

http://www.healtrabroadoarRAB.com/boarRAB/showthread.php?t=763999

So both popcorn and milk would be expected to cause acid reflux.
 
this is so strange, I just googled pretty much the exact same symptoms you have, as this happened to me last night (23 August). I have no idea what it is, but this burning sensation is very strange. I ate popcorn before bed with flavored seasoning. I have eaten before bed though, and never woken up to this. Let me know if you find anything out. I am going to wait and see how long it lasts. It happened about 6 hours ago, and still burning...
 
Its probably nothing, but ulcers cause hunger like pain like you are describing. Follow up with your Dr if it doesnt get better.
Wishing you well
 
That is interesting. Thank you for sharing that.
I drink a glass of milk every night - never thought it could be an allergy.
 
Wanted to post an updated.

After taking the Ranitidine for about 5 days, I noticed improvement, but still had some discomfort. My doc gave me 10 days worth. By day 9 I felt completely cured. After I stopped taking it, I felt some of the symptoms coming back. I ended up talking to my dad who has suffered from GERD and peptic ulcers. Everything I described - the hunger pain, burning, and lump in my throat feeling is the same symptoms he struggled with. He was diagnosed with GERD and an ulcer years ago after seeing a gastrenterologist. His dr told him to take the Prilosec. So, he recommended that I try it. I went out and bought it since it's OTC now, and within 2 days, I felt completely normal again - no more stomach pain, sternum pain, hunger feeling or lump in my throat. So, I really think my problem was an ulcer.
When I read about ulcers online, it said the burning pain reserables hunger.
I was really stressed out a few weeks prior to this, so I wonder if that aggrevated it.

I cancelled the ENT appointment because the more I thought about it, there was likely nothing they could do. My plan is to continue the Prilosec for 2 weeks as recommended and stop. If it start ups again, I will take it for 2 more weeks. I believe ulcers can take 6-8 weeks to heal. If I continue to have a problem, I will see my reg dr again, then a gastroenterologist if needed.

Thank again for all your feedback on this.
 
Just an update. The burning sensation/hunger feelings have improved a little over the past few days, but the lump feeling in my throat and food stuck in my chest feeling is driving me absolutely insane. I cannot stand it anymore. I made an appt with an ENT and we will go from there. Hopefully he can give me some answers. My appt is next Wednesday Sept. 1
 
And the funny thing is too, I am female and 32 years old, and also suffer from anxiety...are you on any prescriptions? So strange as reading your post, I have all of those exact symptoms, the hunger, the plugged feeling in throat...this is bizarre. Please let me know your findings (if any)..thank you and hope you get some relief soon, this sucks!
 
Thank you for your reply. It helps to know I am not alone. This all sounRAB so strange, that I feel erabarrased to have to give all these symptoms. When I tell my husband about it all, he looks at me like I am crazy.

I am still waiting to hear from my doctor. He said if all my bloodwork is fine, he is going to assume it is anxiety related and will prescribe me something for that. I suppose that would be the first step to see if it gets any better after taking something for anxiety. I was prescribed Xanax about 7 years ago, but only took it a few times on an as needed basis while going through some difficult situations. I had things pulled together after that and my anxiety issues did not surface again until recently..

I am hoping it is tied into my emotions and not something physical. If I end up going to see a specialist, would I need to go see an ENT or a gastroenterologist for this?
 
My burning is gone, I think it was a fluke thing from the popcorn. however the constant hunger and ball in throat feeling never leaves. That, my friend, is probably the worrying and anxiety I think. Best wishes to you, keep us posted on the results!
 
MSJen
I have some of the same symptoms and i have a hiatal hernia and acid relux. You need to get an upper gi series done. Go to a gastro dr not an ent. Years ago i started with the lump in my throat and i went to an ent and he told me there was nothing wrong with my throat that it was most likely acid reflux. Sure enough he was right. Good luck and i hope you feel better. LaLa
 
I thought of that too...

I just find it strange that this just came on all of a sudden. I always think with reflux, ulcers, or anything like that, I would have had some kind of symptoms leading up to this? Maybe I did, but they were so subtle, I thought nothing of it? I am baffled

Edited to Add: My dr's office just called me and all that bloodwork I had done was normal...Which is good, but I thought maybe that would explain some of this.
 
Hi There,

You are definitely not alone, and this is so bizarre that we are so close in age and having the same symptoms, and definitely cool that we are not alone!!

I definitely have anxiety (more specific, I developed post partum and ocd after my first son, and it runs in my family) - so it could definitely be anxiety related if you are a sufferer as well. If you have never taken meRAB for the anxiety, I assure you, they will change your life and go for it!

As for the acid reflux or whatever this other problem is, I hope it goes away. Totally annoying! I hope you have a good day otherwise - and let's keep each other posted!
 
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