Silent GERD?

  • Thread starter Thread starter crafty124
  • Start date Start date
C

crafty124

Guest
I am being treated by my internist for GERD and gastritis: Nexium 40mg, 2 times a day. I DO NOT have any heartburn, just uncomfortable high stomach pain(at bra line), burping, shortness of breath,(yawning, etc) and pain high in abdomen that shoots straight back to my back. Started beginning of Dec after eating a blooming onion(boo). Burped steady for about 3 hours. Started taking Nexium 40mg 2 times a day about 3 weeks ago, was only taking it 1 a day before that. Gaviscon after each meal and before bed helps alot with my breathing. I guess it helps to coat the esophagus. I'm better, but still not 100%. Eat alot of veggies (no onions), and chicken. Have lost 15lbs since this started (the only good thing). Almost afraid to eat.
Anyway, DR wants me to take both Nexium at the same time each day. What about the evenings? That is when I have the most problems. How long do the effects of Nexium last in a day? Should I split it up? Is this Silent Gerd? How long has it taken others to be back to normal, if ever? I'll take any advice. I've learned so much from these boarRAB. Thanks.
 
Thanks much Bentleys. I am starting to notice a difference on the Nexium, and am to the point where I only have occasional pain my throat/esophagus and now I can see it appears to be related to when I've eaten something or maybe I've been sitting too long or have a high level of stress. I still have behind the sternum pain on occasion but nothing like when I was taking Prilosec. Weird to say, but I am actually looking forward to my endoscope in just 3 weeks so that I can get more answers. I raised my bed up a little bit more and that definitely seemed to help as well. Stress seems to be a huge factor and I'm working hard to improve my responses to stress since there are a lot of things happening in my life over which I have no control so the stress is not going to go away anytime soon!

I will look around on this site for this info, but for anyone who is taking 2 Nexium a day, do you take one in a.m. and one in p.m. or 2 in the morning?
 
Man, are you ever excited! !!!!!!!!! LOL

As for taking the single pill, I'm not sure it's a great idea. The ENT doc told me that omeprazole works for less than 24 hours and taking the two pills thus gives you acid suppression for the entire 24-hr. period. If this is true, the single 40mg dose might not work as well as the twice daily regimen. :confused: I'm not sure I'm going to go to the 40mg dose. I like the flexibility of the two pills. When I'm feeling really good, I sometimes skip the evening dose and just take an H2 blocker or nothing.
 
Hi lights
I take mine one in the am one in the pm!! I was taking them together but my doc said to take on in the morning and one at night!! I notice the feeling in my throat to come and go do you notice that as well? Sometimes it feels warm and sometimes it dosen't and it does not matter what I eat!! I can eat all the right fooRAB and it still bothers me so I'm just eating!! My doc said people don't notice a good differnce until about 6 weeks!!! So I guess its a waiting game!! The good news is people that I have talked to said once they get it under control they are able to eat the fooRAB again!!! how long have you been dealing with this? How long have you been on the nexium? Chook told me she thought the stinging in my throat could be the muscus is not as much there thats why I'm feeling the stinging and burning in the throat because the mucus is not there as much and that is what was protecting the throat from the acid!! She said she has heard that, And i think i remeraber hearing that as well! Do you know anything about that? Talk to you soon~!! Good luck you your scope let me know how it goes!! Do you have lpr or gerd?
 
Well thank you so much for your advice!!:) Its good to hear that your doing well and you can get relief form this I have had this on and off for 4 yrs happend out of the blue!! I finally found a good ent that said he thinks this is it!! They always said it was my sinius and had my tonsills out sinius surgery!! Finally found a ent and he said silent reflux so hopefully this will work!!! I just want my life back thanks for talking with me!!! Do you take both of your pills at the same time? or one in morning and one at dinner? I heard you can take them together and it is suppose to work better is that true have you ever heard of that? Thanks for all you help!!:) I dont think its anxiety I tried somethings for that and it did not help at all!! I think when I have that feeling it gives me anxiety cause it drives me crazy!! It will come and go when its not there i feel great but when it comes its hard not to think about it!! I think the meRAB will help and I will just go from there!! My doc said I should not have to be on these for life but if I do I would rather live life and enjoy it and take the meRAB than not and be miserble thanks and good luck to everyone
 
I first saw my doctor about a very annoying earache that had been going strong for 3 weeks. I also mentioned that my throat hurt. alot. It was like having a sore throat allll the time. He said it was probably connected to what was wrong with my ears, and that my tonsils were swollen. Many many appointments later he gave up on me and sent me to an ENT. The ENT said the problems were separate. My tonsils are in their normal state, bigger than most people's. I still haven't been diagnosed in my ears (boo). BUT I do have what he called "reflux esophagitis". Basically, the acid that travelled back up my throat eroded away all the lining in my esophagus, which is why it hurts 24/7. I didn't have heartburn, but he had me take Prilosec for 5 months. Did absolutely nothing. Then he prescribed Kapidex and I've been taking that for 3 or 4 months. My throat still hurts but I definitely noticed a difference, the pain isn't as awful as it was before. And you're right about all the food restrictions.. it really sucks :(
 
I'm on nexium 40 mg twice a day I take them both in the morning I heard that this can work well!! So I'm giving it a try!!! Can smoking cause this problem? I did smoke but now have quit so I'm hoping that now that I have quit this will take care of the problem!!! My doc said if I'm not feeling better by March 5 he is gonna scope me!! and if he recommenRAB surgery I will do it anything to try and fix this!!! It does not matter what i eat I have not really found any trigger fooRAB I only drink decaf coffee and only a 1/2 a cup in the morning and if I ever have a soda it is sprite!! I could care less about the caffine but I have given up smoking i cant' give up everything at once!!! I read some where I this girl quit smoking and is taking her meRAB and not having any problems anymore that would be wonderful thats what I'm hoping for!! Have you heard If Gaviscon works well with ppi? Hope you continue to do well!! I will say a prayer for you!!
I notcie today the feeling of something stuck in my throat is hardly there today!!! Sometimes It just feels warm my throat!! So maybe My meRAB are working!!! What were you symtoms with lpr? and when your meRAB starting working what were your symtoms like!!! thanks alot talk to you soon
 
Bentleys--my scope is set for 3/22. Frankly, I can't wait because I'm tired of theorizing about what could be wrong. I have experienced some relief, but even though I've been eating all the right fooRAB for the most part, it still comes back. In fact, I just had to take a quick cross country trip last week which involved lots of airport food and the like. I decided to experiment, drank a couple of cokes, ate a soft pretzel soaked in butter no doubt and ate some other stuff totally not on the diet, slept un-elevated. Didn't feel bad at all. Came home and a couple of days later have had a couple of regurgitating incidents and wake up with the sore throat which comes and goes depending on whether I take Gaviscom or not. (I'm trying to limit the antaciRAB b/c I'm on 1200 mg of Tagamet/day for my hives--which have gone away--and I read that you're supposed to separate taking them by 2 hours which is hard to do when you are taking Tagamet every 3-4 hours!) I'll let you all know how the scope turns out.
 
I know like I said I'm excited to know there is a good possiblity that I will feel better lol!! It is nice to know that I can get this under control!!! Well I'm taking the nexium right now, my doctor said that get it under control and then we may cut back and go back to prilosec he said if your insurance will cover the nexium do it he thinks its the best, but he said other wise he uses prilosec with good results!!! I read somewhere on here that the 40 mg works well together in the morning, so I think I will try it and play around with it!!!But like I said they said if you do that make sure you have a good breakfast after you take it or it will be inifective!! take care hope you keep doing well I'm happy for you to hear you are getting it under control!! :wave: Talk to you soon!! lol
 
Bentleys: I do hope that your Nexium is working well and that you will continue to feel better. After I started taking Nexium, it took several weeks for my sore throat to heal and for that something-stuck-in-my-throat feeling to go away. Great that you quit smoking - that is certain to improve your overall health. Just a note of caution, my doctor recommended that I not drink any carbonated drinks - which would include Sprite. So, you might consider eliminating Sprite to see if that will help you. Sorry, I have never tried Gaviscon, so I don't know if that helps of not. Best wishes to you.
 
I apologize...I cannot offer any advice. But I'm feeling quite a few of the things you are. I was actually on my way here to ask some folks if acid reflux can occur without heartburn because I also experience the shortness of breath and needing to yawn to "breathe" deeply, the belching, lack of heartburn, and I also bloat really badly even when I have not eaten. And I often have issues swallowing food because I feel like it's going to get stuck in my throat. I always thought heartburn was sort of the cornerstone of reflux, but I didn't know there was a "silent" type.

The weird thing is all my symptoms showed up at different times. The excess gas/belching started when I was 17, and then the breathing issues began when I was about 19, and I can eat absolutely anything (including jalapeno peppers) and not get heartburn. The swallowing problem started within the last few months.

The breathing issues are most concerning because being unable to breathe is frightening. I've had all manner of testing done...CAT scan, X-ray, blood tests, TSH test, asthma challenge, EKG. But I never would have thought I could possibly have reflux.

Thank you so much for writing this topic. I never knew there could be such a subtle form of GERD and now I want to see if maybe this is the answer to my symptoms that have been making me crazy these last few years.
 
I'm so glad to finally find this board. I've spent so much time researching GERD in the last few weeks that I now know researching GERD can give you more GERD!! But hearing others experiences makes me feel a little less insane. I was diagnosed with GERD toward the end of January after having massive gastric upheaval (so to speak!) AFTER quitting smoking in the beginning of January. I felt the strangest flutter at the top of my stomach (probably my LES letting go!) about a week or two after quitting and immediately started having reflux, burping, constipation. I basically felt like my everything inside was inflamed. It wasn't until a week or so later that I started to get severe esophageal pain and pressure. It was maddening. No shortness of breath, just overwhelming pressure. I was on Prilosec 20 at the time, but I upped it myself to 40. It seemed to help somewhat but still had significant pain, mostly in the esophagus and not the throat so much. I ran out of Prilosec and since I had upped my own prescription, the pharmacy wouldn't refill. I happened to have Nexium around so I started taking that and realized it made the pressure go away but the esophageal pain was still there. Have since raised the head of the bed, given up everything :( including coffee and any soda (initially ginger ale gave me gastric relief, but the stomach symptoms subsided and I read that carbonation in any form was an irritant, so I quit), tomatoes, spices, etc. I also have chronic urticaria (hives) and have off and on for about 2-3 yrs so I am already on singulair, zyrtec & tagamet (H2 blocker). I am interested to know if anyone else has experienced unexplained hives as I've read that doctors now believe urticaria & gastric disorders can be linked. I am set for a scope, but not until March 22 and I've been freaking out so it was good to find this thread to hear I am not alone since most of the medical websites don't talk about what it actually feels like to have your esophagus burned or for how long you might need to take the meRAB to get any relief.
 
I've had Gerd for years.
I take prescription Protonix..have tried others but this is best for me.
I think most of my problem is stress!
I do have to watch what I eat..no spicy food or food with lots of gas producers.
I was diagnosed with severe reflux..only once have I had the acid actually come up in my throat and I thought I was on fire!
Thank goodness, that doesn't happen often.
I do get the chest pains and stomach pains.
Since I have been under much stress for months, I think this is my problem right now.

Good luck..it isn't any fun!
 
Yes, it sounRAB exactly like Asthma. My symptoms paralled yours almost to a T. I maintain control of the Asthma with Spiriva (1puff in am) amd Asmanex
(1 puff in the pm.) If my reflux gets out of control, so does the asthma; it's a delicate balancing act. I take Nexium in the am and Protonix in the pm.; I am able to eat and drink pretty much anything. I do not use a Humidifier or Vaporizer. I have severe allergies that play a part in all this too. Good Luck!
 
Did you your sore throat come and go? Some days its hardly there and other days it there all the time!! My throat is always on the left side when it bothers me!!and the days its hardly there I had not changed any eating habits at all that is what is so werid!! The pharmist said i should notice a improvement with in one week so that is what confuses me!!! Did you notice in the beginning that it your symptoms come and go and then just got better from there on out? I just don't know if I should have my doc scope me now or wait til march 5?!! Are you able to eat fooRAB again like chocolate and caffeine and soda now that you have it under control!! talk to you soon thanks again for all your help!!
 
Thanks everyone for responding. I am now taking Kapidex 60 and feeling much better after such a short time. The Nexium was getting me nowhere fast. Just didn't work for me. I still take Gaviscon after every meal (I think just to be on the safeside, so my breathing won't be affected). The pain wasn't good, but the feeling of shortness of breath was the worst. Never had swallowing problems. I pray that the Kapidex works as it seems to be so far. I have faced the facts that I will always have to be careful with what I eat. Have lost 20 lbs since this started 2 months ago. That's the only good thing. Most of what I have learned I learned from these threaRAB, not from the DR. Thank-you.
 
LPR / thyroid issues
I am going through the ringer with this LPR but my ENT doc was not very helpful. One night after eating pizza in January. I was fine after eating for about 1/2 hour then I started coughing and choking on my salvia. Got to the point I couldnt breathe, husband called 911. They took me to the hospital. They did no testing, looked at me said you have acid reflux here's a nexium and ativan follow up with your GI doc.
So I saw my GI doc he did an endoscope, it came out normal, no reflux. So I continued to have breathing issues, ended up at family doc said oh you probably have bronchitis. Gave me an inhaler, predisone for 5 days, albuterol, and amoxiclian. I followed up with my pulmonary doc who sent me to an ENT. Speech pathologist stuck the camera down my throat said it was okay but I could possibly have LPR. Also did a barium swallow which was normal.
So I started taking nexium 2 x a day, I am only eating grilled fish, veggies, smoothies, graham crackers, pretzels, and water. I am not eating anything that is causing acid reflux. Taking nexium 2 x a day and added zantac. I eat and drink and immediately start clearing my throat and coughing. In the meantime I was having swallowing issues, (that comes and goes) did a barium swallow it was normal. My chiropractor told me to have my thyroid looked at so they did an ultrasound and sure enough they found 13 nodules on my thyroid. Back to my ENT I go, he didnt examine me walked in the room said you have acid reflux I will see you in a year there is nothing I can do for that or the nodules. Aggg. So I am waiting to see an endocrinologist. I am 5'4", was 115 pounRAB I am not about 98 lbs. No one seems to think thats a problem. I went and saw a new doc (PCP) the other day for a second opinion. I am so frustrated I cant even explain. Do I have LPR, or is it the thyroid that is causing all of my problems. The only reason they did the ultrasound is because I complained about being 35 years old and not having regular perioRAB. I cant eat any fooRAB that are hard to swallow like apples (which are great for reflux) has anyone experienced this? I am miserable and getting worse but its nothing but a waiting game with doctors. :( Ended up in the ER last night due to breathing problems. Still having them a lot today.
I have a call into my pulmonary doc. O2 stats at hospital are fine, but cant take a deep breath, chest is tight. I have asked him about asthma and I just get brushed off. I know its from not eating much the acid is getting into my lungs but when I do eat (the stuff I am eating) I am constantly still clearing my throat. So frustrating. does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks :)
 
Hi I'm new here!! My Doctor thinks I have lpr What is the best ppi for lpr? I just got a prep for nexium 40 mg twice a day!!! I dont know what triggers it? It seems like even when I watch my diet it is still there!! I have been taking prilosec for 1 week notice a little difference!! My major thing is feeling like something is stuck in my throat!!! Comes and goes is that part of lpr? anyone taking nexium and still be able to eat what you want over time? When the say no coffee and soda do they mean beause of the caffine!!so could you drink decaf? no caffine soda!!??like sprite? I was a light smoker but have quit for about a month now!! Any help would be great!!
 
Have you tried a humidifier next to your bed to keep the air moist in your room at night? The moisture can be very soothing to your airways. I know this is not much, but your symptoms sound so much to me like asthma and that is what I used to do for my girls when they were little and going through their bouts of asthma and bronchitis. They were, of course, doing their albuterol treatments, but the moist air was wonderful!

Something else you can try is taking a warm/hot shower and breathing the steam from the shower to see if that is soothing to you.
 
Dont have problems with hives but do have hot throat and sore throat that comes and goes!! Feeling like something is stuck in my throat!! I quit smoking in Jan too good for you It will only do good!! They say nexium take 4 weeks to notice any difference so hang in there!! You should look at the thread what to do by marigolRAB mucus is on that site and she had some good things to say!! For me it does not matter what I eat I gave up stuff to for weeks made not difference So I eat what I want in moderation!! They said to just eat and the meRAB will do there job!! It just takes time!! They did say to watch the things you eat in the begining to help get it under control, but you will be able to eat those things again everyone that I have talked to that I know is dealing with this meaning frienRAB or people they know are able to eat the things again just in moderation but I believe there is hope!! I think people do get over this some people may not just depenRAB on how bad it is and if they have other issues!! take care hope this helps some
 
Back
Top