Prickly Heat feeling and strange belching

Doc, I have been going to a gastrologist for quite some time now.  I went there intitially because I was having stomach pain.  We found out that I had an ulcer during an endoscopy. He found a palyp that was non cancerous and removed it.  I am 36 years old and he put me on nexium.  In the past couple of years nexium changed to prevacid which changed to protonix.  

From a heartburn perspective I have been okay for a bit, but there was a period of time where I was feeling heat in my chest, I was also feeling it in my left ear.  I know it's not cardiac related I took a stress test and was fine.  So my doctor had me take a ph test and I failed I didn't do well on the test where you swallow water.  3 of 10 gulps were good, 7 bad. He was testing some sort of pressure. As for the ph monitoring, I had a number of examples that weren't good I think he said I had a number of readings that came back poorly but when I slept I was fine. I noticed while checking out the monitor that I had attached to me that one of the numbers constantly dipped really low down into the 1s at time, especially after I would eat.  I would also notice that when I would have this strange belch that I have, it's very deep sounding and very distinctive that the ph number on the monitor would decrease significanlty.

Right now I'm in a situation where I have a ton of prickly heat that is driving me nuts.  I haven't isolated it thoroughly but it seems to happen more in the evening and I think when I walk around it helps a bit.  It's the most frustrating thing I have ever had to deal with.  Right now it seems to be really bad and doesn't seem to be making any headway.  At times I will be sitting on my couch and it just flares up on me...it is normally accompanied by heat/hot flashes and some sweating.  

Do you have any ideas what this could be?  Can you cc a copy of this to ***@****

Thanks,

Will

[Kevin Pho, MD]

The tests you have had are comprehensive, and the major GI disease would have been ruled out.

The pH study would be excluded GERD, and the upper endoscopy can evaluate for anatomical dysfunction or masses.

More specialized tests like an esophageal motility study or gastric emptying scan can be considered to further evaluate.  

I would also consider imaging the abdomen with a CT scan.

These options can be discussed with your GI physician.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
www.kevinmd.com