Somebody please help me figure out if this is a GERD issue?

I have seen THREE doctors in the past 2 weeks concerning my tongue and left ear pain/congestion that comes and goes throughout the day and I have had the ear congestion for months... I got used to it. 3 weeks ago my tongue started having this burning/tingling sensation that got worse as the day went on. so my dentist put me on prednisone. after day 4 the burning went away but the tingling was constant. like pins and needles in my mouth and roof of my mouth when i push my tongue up on the roof of my mouth there was pressure (like sinus i assume) so my doctor said i did NOT have thrush. all doctors said this. even though there is always this thick coating on the back of my tongue and it feels like wool all the time. by the afternoon and evening whatever i eat it's hard to swallow and it feels like my tongue is swelling in the back of my throat. my mouth feels sticky and like this film all on the roof i can't explain. it's horrible. i drink water constantly. i am currently taking prilosec twice a day because i have a small hernia by my belly button, not sure if that is the culprit? i do NOT get a heart burn feeling at all, but I do belch often after i eat and i eat small amounts throughout the day. i tried keeping a track of what foods i'm eating that makes my throat more dry and scratchy and like a swelling sensation as if something is stuck down there. but last night it happened with ANYTHING i ate. so i'm so frustrated and confused and i am afraid to eat anything now. i take allergy meds, starting zyrtec D today and i take benedryl at night ONLY because it calms me down and helps me sleep. i know anxiety makes this condition worse. but there IS a condition here. and it's only getting worse with my tongue and back throat. i also thought TMJ but my bite doesn't feel off and i can chew fine. it's only left ear and in the morning it's not bad at all, i can barely feel congestion.. as the day goes on and in the evening it feels like i am dying of some fungal infection in my mouth and ear, EVERY night. i started rinsing with biotene 4x a day just to get some relief from the wool feeling in my mouth. i changed toothpastes (dentist recommended that) nothing changed. all doctors said my tongue looks fine and it blows my mind. just because it's not thrush doesn't mean everything is ok. my mouth shouldn't feel like wool and sticky and swollen in the back of my throat. food allergies/sensitivities i have thought about, but it seems to happen with anything i eat as the day goes on. and that coating gets worse, so i try to brush it off with a tongue brush (gently) and tongue foam. i have asked family if i have bad breath and they all said no. i'm going insane with this! if anyone can share their thoughts i would greatly appreciate it. i only get 2 more visits with my doc for the rest of the year and the year just started. :-/

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the GERD forum.

Have u been to a GI Dr? Had an endoscopy done?

If not this is where I suggest u start...since it seems everything else was ruled out....a GI Dr will or should do testing to see what is going on and if u r on the right meds and diet.

Do keep us posted

[mandolyn610]

I haven't been referred yet to anyone. I see my doc again next week. The thing is I only get 4 visits a year with my co pay and I already used 2. So I want to take the RIGHT route with this and solve it before I go through too many tests and obstacles. I know everyone wants that. My question is, does a hernia by the belly button cause GERD? I know hiatal ones do, but I don't know if I have one of those. Mine is small by my belly button and I push it in a lot during the day. It's become a habit to push it in when it pops out. It's not big at all. I do belch a lot after I eat and I don't eat big meals AT ALL. I eat small meals or snacks throughout the day. Even with water I belch so it could be a GERD issue but a silent one as I do not get heart burn.

[selmaS]

  Hmm let me ask u a few questions...do u have very flexible joints, like being double jointed?

DO u bruise easy, and slow to heal?

The reason I ask is umbilical cord hernias are typical in those with Ehlers-Danlos and u could have GERD as a result of EDS.

Not everyone with GERD has heartburn...I would suggest u look into EDS, and look at the Beighton Scale to see if u fit some criteria.