heartburn/diarrhea/sensations

I'm a 21 y.o. female with no health problems aside from the ones I've been encountering recently.
4 weeks ago, I had a bad bout of heartburn one night.  I took a pepcid, but it took a while for things to calm down.  This was kind of how it was on and off for the first week.  At one point, I also started having general stomach discomfort and diarrhea/loose stool, which is usually yellow and mucus-y.  Sometimes, I can see bits of undigested food in it.  As this has gone along, I have encountered some general body weakness.
My doc gave me Nexium for the heartburn.  One 40 mg pill a day seemed to help at first (my heartburn was really not as bad at the diarrhea had become when he did this), but a week later, it didn't feel like it was working as well.  Acid regurg was back.
Since it's been back, there have been two cases where I've eaten, the food has kind of stuck in the back of my throat and come up soon after.  I've also encountered more regular nausea (though I haven't vomitted) and a loss of appetite.
And this is odd, but since the heartburn became worse, I've been feeling aches and warm sensations.  Some I would expect (like in the chest area, shoulders), but others leave me scratching my head (a warm sensation in my neck, head, in ears...annoying but painless intermittent aches in areas at the back of head).  Throughout this, I've been thinking I've had some sinus issues (nasal drip), but this is different.
Between then and now, I've tried to relax a little.  I've been losing sleep and worrying 24/7, believing that I have stomach cancer or some other horrible disease.  I'm sure that hasn't been having a soothing effect on anything.
My Q's:
-Does the heartburn related stuff sound like GERD?
- Any thoughts on the diarrhea?
- From your experience, can anxiety make a big difference?  (I should also mention that I've thought maybe stress is what started my problems)
-Any thoughts on the warm sensations?  Could they be acid related?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

GERD is certainly possible.  However, I would also rule out an ulcer or inflammation of the upper digestive tract.  An upper endoscopy is recommended at this point.

Diarrhea can be caused by irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel, colitis, or malabsorption, amongst other causes.  Sending the stool out for analysis, as well as a colonoscopy should be considered if the symptoms are refractory.  

If the symptoms are caused by irritable bowel syndrome, stress and anxiety can be associated with it.  

I cannot comment on the warm sensations.  I would consider an upper and lower endoscopy to further evaluate your symptoms.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

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.
kevinmd_

[kassiestarr]

i have the same problem with heartburn badly and am now taking nexium well i ran out at work and
had not taken one in 3 days I had a serious attack at work felt like I was having a heart attack well
one of my customers handed me some Big Red gum for temp. relief and i am telling you it  really worked. She said only for temp. relief keep something with cinnamon in it to relieve symptoms for a while.