How to get back on track?

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Until about three months ago I was running 5 miles in the sand and going to the gym for an hour at least 4 times a week. I noticed my throat had been red for over two weeks but it wasn't really effecting anything so I thought nothing of it until I started having trouble getting a full breath. That's when I started seeing the doctor (this was in the beginning of May) since then I have had trouble breathing and now whenever I do any kind of exercise (something as simple as walking up the stairs) my heart starts pounding and I feel winded.

I've seen a couple of Dr.'s and the best diagnosis I've got is that this is all somehow related to Acid Reflux (acid coming up at night turning my throat red, breathing problems and heavy heart beat also blamed reflux but no explanation was given).   However, no one has checked for a hiatal hernia yet and they have just had me on two 150mg Zantac pills daily since June (that haven't helped at all).   How do I get my life back on track? I will completely admit to being a shallow person and without being able to run and workout my life just kinda feels empty. I want to be able to breathe again, can anyone point me in the right direction to getting this fixed?

The most recent thing I've noticed is that I can actually see my heart beating through my skin, it's making me think that it's pushing into something.  Anybody have any pointers?

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Update: Not my heart, but muscle spasms.
Shortness of breath is most likely connected to Eosinophilic Pneumonia.
Still don't have a cause for muscle spasms, but should have an answer soon.
Relieved to finally be on the right path

Thank you to all who have been supportive over these last few months, it's been an extremely stressful time and each reply helped me keep it together. Will post full report when I get it figured out.

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13ekvd_pulse-at-rest_lifestyle

at rest

www.dailymotion.com/video/x13ekyk_pulse-after-20-pushups_lifestyle

after a couple of pushups

yes I can feel it. Any ideas?

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

It hasn't subsided, it feels like everything is just getting worse by the months and it's driving me nuts. Racking up bills and nothings improving will do that though. And it's not anxiety, it's physically visible no matter what state of mind I'm in. I appreciate the help from this community I'll keep posting if anything positive comes up

[Baed]

I am thin also. Are you male or female? I am thin also, but cannot see my heart beating out of my chest. Also, the way you're describing it, it sounds as if you can FEEL it beating pretty hard. Does this happen all day or just certain times? Maybe it's anxiety? If you deep breathe and relax your mind, does it improve at all?

[Baed]

I don't know who I would see about it, but I would get a second/third opinion. Has it subsided at all? Could it be a side affect to a medication you're on?

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

it's not bronchitis I took an antibiotic that would have cleared that up way back in June.

I still have trouble breathing, and now I have the visible pulse issue on top of it. I'm also still having trouble swallowing food. I've had chest x-rays done I'm not sure if that would have shown a fungal infection of the lungs and regardless I wouldn't rule out a fungal infection anyway, it can be one of the causes of the EE I was just diagnosed with.

Does anyone out there know if Eosinophilia can spread all over the body and could ultimately cause swelling of a vein/artery/whatever the hell is popping out of my skin constantly?

[silverfox67]

     have you seen a Pulmonologist?  You mentioned that when you first started feeling sick, you had trouble breathing and you had a sore throat.  perhaps there is a lung problem that is keeping you from running and enjoying your work outs.  It could be something simple like a chronic bronchitis without the cough.  Or it could be a fungal infection of the lungs.  
       Something to consider - since all your other tests came back normal and you still don't feel up to par.
      It could be a reaction to mold.  Sorry, I keep coming back to the mold - black mold can be very harmful...

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Baed who else should/can I go see about it?  All GP's seem kind of clueless and I called today for the ultrasound results, everything came back normal.

so that means CBC, thyroid, metabolic, cholesterol bloodwork all normal
Stress, EKG, and Ultrasound all normal

So I asked him, what do you recommend I do next in trying to figure out why my pulse is visible all of a sudden?  He gave me this reply "You can see it because you're thin don't worry about it"    and I lost all hope in that Dr.

I get that it's normal in thin people, but I also know that 4 months ago I was in better shape then I am now, I've gained weight since then, and I know that I certainly would have noticed my pulse bulging out of my chest much earlier if it were normal.  

I would love to get it checked out and solved but I don't know where to go or who to even see about it anymore

[silverfox67]

     You can stop worrying about an aneurysm.  How's your blood pressure?  Did the doctor say that was okay?    That's the only thing I can think of that would make your heart beat so visible - unless you have the thinnest skin ever!!  If the doctor says you are okay, take his word for it unless or until you find that you have other problems.
    You might want to find a different place to live, however, if that mold is what's bothering you and causing health problems.  Sorry 'bout that.  
     If there are dogs or cats in the building, you could have picked up a parasite.  Wormwood and Black Walnut Hull are parasitic treatments - just trying to touch all the bases.  

     Wish  I could do more - I do like Baed says - I take probiotics and enzymes.  They do help some.

[Baed]

I am concerned about the heart beating so violently. I would have that checked.

Something that can assist in your GERD healing is digestive enzymes with each meal and probiotics. Look into it if you're interested.

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

I've never had a sense of smell, my mom doesn't either i think it's hereditary. So if the ultrasound results come back normal, or because they didn't notice anything at the time, then there's a good chance I can rule out an aneurysm? because that would be a lot of weight off my mind.

[silverfox67]

   Actually, no.  A Pseudoanurysm would not show up as it isn't really there.  Just the heartbeat is so strong that it appears as if there is a tear in the aorta.  The ultrasound would remove doubt.
      Have you tried home remedies at all?
Nux Vomica can even heal ulcers and Licorice root from the health food store can stop the pain - albeit temporarily.
     I hope your doctor gets to the bottom of it!  

Btw - if you have trouble smelling odors - you might need Zinc.

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Just out of curiosity would a pseudo show up on the ultrasound?

[silverfox67]

     Thanks for letting me know how you are doing.  
It really doesn't sound good that you can actually see your heartbeat in your chest/abdomen.   As long as you are not having any pain in the Aorta, however, you should be okay.  It could be called a pseudoaneurysm.   If you should start feeling pain in that area, it would behoove you to see a vascular specialist.
      So glad to hear that most of your tests came back normal!  That is good news.
      I hope the Prilosec works for you.  I have to take Dexilant as Prilosec didn't work for me anymore.
   The downside to taking antacids is that it can cause osteoporosis (which I now have).  
     I surely hope there isn't any mold in your building!  Mold spores can cause havoc on the immune system!  They cause so many different symptoms!  
Back in the Bible days if a house was found to have mold, it was torn down and a new one was built after removing all the debris.  It is known as "sick house" syndrome.  
      Are you taking supplements to build up your immunity?  You really should visit your health food store and find some good supplements.  Our food today has been modified and no longer contains the nutrients and vitamins necessary for healthy bodies.

     I would be interested to know what else your labs show.    Hope it's good news... but still would like to see that they get to the bottom of it so the proper meds can be prescribed!
   Wishing you the best...  Silverfox

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Hi silverfox, thanks for keeping an eye on this thread. I had a couple of tests done this week after getting my self to a gastroenterologist and a cardiologist.

Cardiologist: Stress and EKG tests came back normal, waiting on results from ultrasound but the doc said everything looked normal on that as well, although he couldn't explain why I am physically able to see my heartbeat/pulse through my skin. I'm not sure if I heard him correctly but I thought he said that it was my Aorta that I've been seeing in the center of torso.  I really wish someone could explain that to me i feel like it would answer everything

Gastroenterologist: Endoscopy results came in, apparently no hiatal hernia but he did say that my biopsy results showed that I had Eosinophilic esophagitis. He put me on Omeprazole 40mg 2x daily and referred me to an allergist. He said there is definitely something irritating my throat, either food or environmental. It might be coming from the air in my apartment it's an old building and there's always a lot of dust/dirt floating around and a lot of people tell me it smells musty in here (mold maybe?) I don't have a sense of smell so I never notice. I'm not sure if this could be responsible for the bulging in my chest/aorta(?) and heavy feeling heartbeat but I would be relieved if that was the answer. I'm ready to get back on track with my life but my body is not

As far as the Hemochromatosis diagnosis, I've had a bunch of blood work done over the last couple of months,  CBC, Comprehensive metabolic, Thyroids, and two others I can't think of right now. I think an abnormal Iron level would have showed up in the CBC but I'll run it by one of them the next time I'm there.

Thanks again  for keeping an eye on this post, it means a lot to me. Hopefully getting closer to an answer, I will keep updating as results come back

[silverfox67]

     Hello again,   been doing some research.  You might have your doctor check your iron levels.  Many people have Hemochromatosis and don't know it.  It is an iron overload disease that causes all kinds of symptoms.
     One of the many symptoms is palpitations or awareness of the heartbeat.  It can also cause headaches and mimic heart problems.  - You might want to look it up..

I hope you find an answer soon!

[silverfox67]

   A holistic doctor recommends taking 4 Tbs. of Aloe Vera in a glass of water 20 minutes before meals.  
      If that doesn't work, try adding Nux Vomica .  Two pellets of 30c potency twice a day until symptoms are gone.

      I don't like the taste of Aloe - but I do take Nux Vomica and it does seem to help.  (I had a fundo' some time ago and am still having problems - now have a hiatal hernia as well).  

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully have an answer soon

[selmaS]

  Hi...sorry....u have me stumped.....I suggest talking all this over with ur Dr and see what they suggest.

Have u checked ur families medical history to see if it may be something another family member has dealt with?

Have ur heart checked to be safe.

Any of the tests u mentioned will be good to have done as it can help rule things out.

And u may want to take the hike down a notch....don't do as much...4 hrs is a tad much when u r having these issues....slow down.

Once u r feeling better slowly build back up......but ur body is trying to tell u something.,

[CoyoteSpeaks0715]

The thing is I just dropped off so suddenly and have gotten progressively worse as the months have gone on.  I have been watching my diet (especially over the last three weeks, basically just eating chicken eggs and some of the acid free veggies) with the ocassional organic Flax-Bran and Almond Milk bowl of cereal.

I don't know if I could actually get back to where I was because I don't really understand why I fell off from being there in the first place. An endoscopy or a barium swallow is probably a good next step yeah? or a Cat Scan?

Usually when I hike, I mean yeah my heart beats obviously but I don't feel it/never really made an effect, you just hike until you need some water, stop take a drink, keep going. Lately all I've been doing is hiking since it's the only thing I seem to be able to handle but it really is such a strain on that area, it's so weird!  Today I went hiking for about 4 hours on a fairly moderate trail and there was one point where my chest/stomach was just twisting on itself.   Any tips on what kind of test to take next?

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the GERD forum.

It is very possible that it is GERD /acid reflux and ur vagus nerve is being affected.....and to be safe, have ur heart checked and look to ur family medical history and rule nething like a cardio issue out.

What u can do while u r on meds, is to modify ur diet and life style, this will aid the meds to help calm things down.

Since u r having issues with exercise  or just climbing the stairs,....listen to ur body and slowly build back up ....so start with ur stairs....do a little at a time and once u have that try something else, like riding a bike, ....b4 u know it u will be back to ur reg exercise routine.