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Acid reflux is ruining my life. Depressed, please help.
I'm a 19 year old guy and since I was 15 or 16 years old i've been getting weird feelings in my chest when I exert myself. At first it wasn't too bad it was simply a strange very faint "uneasy feeling" in my chest. But now and for the past year its been absolutely horrible. I finally went to a gastroenterologist and they did a barium swallow to make sure everything was ok. They diagnosed me with GERD or acid reflux and said that is what is causing the problem. I was put on Prilosec and many other acid reflux medications. None of them seemed to work, they only left me with chronic stomach aches and minimal relief.
I'm really starting to get depressed to the point i'll lay in bed for hours in the dark cause I feel disabled and can't enjoy any of the activities that I loved so much before. Whenever I run, weight lift or do any form of moderate exertion I feel this horrible feeling that I can only describe as an "uneasy" or "irritated" feeling in my chest. It gets so strong that I can't run or do anything. If I try to push through the feeling I start getting pains in my throat where my voice box is and I begin to feel like I can't breath, like my chest is already full of air or doesn't have room for air. If the sensation was 3x worse i'd end up in the ER. It happens every single time I exercise. I just don't know what to do cause when I run or weight lift I want the thing I feel most to be the weight i'm lifting or the muscles in my legs working while I run. But the thing I always feel most is that horrible irritation in my chest that makes me stop exercising.
What should I do, my gastroenterologist isn't very nice and says that these pills for acid reflux are the only options and I should just live with it. I try to tell him how disabling these sensations are, and I have a high pain threshold so i'm not just overreacting. Its really unbearable and stops me from exercising.
Sorry this was so long and thank you for your help I just don't know where to go from here or what I can do to get these symptoms to go away so I can get back to leading a healthy active life. What can I do to help my symptoms?
I'm really starting to get depressed to the point i'll lay in bed for hours in the dark cause I feel disabled and can't enjoy any of the activities that I loved so much before. Whenever I run, weight lift or do any form of moderate exertion I feel this horrible feeling that I can only describe as an "uneasy" or "irritated" feeling in my chest. It gets so strong that I can't run or do anything. If I try to push through the feeling I start getting pains in my throat where my voice box is and I begin to feel like I can't breath, like my chest is already full of air or doesn't have room for air. If the sensation was 3x worse i'd end up in the ER. It happens every single time I exercise. I just don't know what to do cause when I run or weight lift I want the thing I feel most to be the weight i'm lifting or the muscles in my legs working while I run. But the thing I always feel most is that horrible irritation in my chest that makes me stop exercising.
What should I do, my gastroenterologist isn't very nice and says that these pills for acid reflux are the only options and I should just live with it. I try to tell him how disabling these sensations are, and I have a high pain threshold so i'm not just overreacting. Its really unbearable and stops me from exercising.
Sorry this was so long and thank you for your help I just don't know where to go from here or what I can do to get these symptoms to go away so I can get back to leading a healthy active life. What can I do to help my symptoms?
Everyone who has commented to you are good sources. I would like to ask you how you know you don't have a hiatal hernia? I had a upper GI Barium Swallow and it never showed that I had one. After a 3rd PH probe test it showed a lot of acid and I had surgery. It was during surgery that my hernia was discovered. Hiatal hernias move up and down. when down I had lower acid and when up I had excessive acid. Does anyone know if there are any other tests for a hiatal hernia because after 16 yrs I have the symptoms again and again upper GI and endoscopy showed nothing like before. I would suggest you get a new doctor and get a ph test, but only when you are at your worst so it will show the true acid level. I felt just like you and after a Nesen fundoplication wrap where the stomach is wrapped around the stomach valve I still had some pain because it took two years to fix. Then I was put on Nortriptiline for neurological pain and have had 16 wonderful years without medication or pain. I hope I will be allowed to have the surger again as I too am misserable like you. Keep us posted on your journey and YOU BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE because my GI doctor years ago said I had to live with it until my husband came with me and insisted he refer me to a surgeon because I didn't have quality of life and the PPIs weren't taking care of my pain and discomfort and I was just existing. My new GI doctor just told me my symptoms were not the usual for GERD or hernia, but I pushed back and said they are the SAME symptoms that surgery took care of before. BE agressive because YOU are the one sitting home depressed. Bring your dad or a boyfriend with you to help you make your point expecially if you have a male doctor. Let us know where this takes you. best wishes
Thank you for your reply, I know I don't have a hiatal hernia but i'll try talking to my GP instead. Thank you for the article :)
All acid blocking drugs are short term drugs only. A maximum of 8 weeks however in the case of PPI's (eg: nexium. prilosec), the FDA made a statement to take up to 14 days, 3 times a year. You need stomach acid to kill of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and to absorb essential nutrients.
My mother suffered severely from Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) for 5 years. She now suffers neither. Throwing away all acid lowering drugs and taking digestive enzyme supplements (helps break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) and betaine HCI with pepsin supplements (helps with the stomach's production of hydrochloric acid), GERD and LPR were gone in a few weeks! After a year of these supplements, my mother's gastritis improved 95% (suffered for 25 years)!!
Digestive enzyme supplements can be used for high or low stomach acid. You can trial betaine HCI with pepsin supplements or try apple cider vinegar to make up for stomach acid insufficiency.
"The popular belief is that acid reflux is due to an excessive amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. New science has revealed that this is not the case. GERD is most often caused by too little hydrochloric acid being secreted by the stomach.
During digestion the stomach secretes acid to lower its pH to around 1.5-2.5 range. More protein in the meal results in a greater need for stomach acid. Individuals with non-obstructive acid reflux are often not able to get their pH low enough. The LES is known to be a pH sensitive valve that initiates closure when pH drops under 3.0. When the stomach does not have enough acid, the LES remains open and acid can spill into the esophageal region and damage the tissue."
My mother suffered severely from Gastric Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) for 5 years. She now suffers neither. Throwing away all acid lowering drugs and taking digestive enzyme supplements (helps break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins) and betaine HCI with pepsin supplements (helps with the stomach's production of hydrochloric acid), GERD and LPR were gone in a few weeks! After a year of these supplements, my mother's gastritis improved 95% (suffered for 25 years)!!
Digestive enzyme supplements can be used for high or low stomach acid. You can trial betaine HCI with pepsin supplements or try apple cider vinegar to make up for stomach acid insufficiency.
"The popular belief is that acid reflux is due to an excessive amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. New science has revealed that this is not the case. GERD is most often caused by too little hydrochloric acid being secreted by the stomach.
During digestion the stomach secretes acid to lower its pH to around 1.5-2.5 range. More protein in the meal results in a greater need for stomach acid. Individuals with non-obstructive acid reflux are often not able to get their pH low enough. The LES is known to be a pH sensitive valve that initiates closure when pH drops under 3.0. When the stomach does not have enough acid, the LES remains open and acid can spill into the esophageal region and damage the tissue."
Hi...well there r things u can do in addition to taking ur meds...u need to modify ur diet and lifestyle to help the meds help u feel better.
I am adding a link so u can see a list of foods to avoid, and tips on life style changes u can make to get things back in balance.
Do u know, do u have a hiatal hernia?...If not u just need to restore the natural balance in ur digestive track....probiotics may be helpful....talk to ur PCP since u do not seem to like ur GI dr.
http://www.medhelp.org/gerd/articles/What-is-Heartburn/247
There are more articles of info in the Health Pages- found at the bottom of this forum.(not seen while in the thread)
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