Am I having GERD ?

[Sean-Fo]

  I am a 28-year old male and I suspect that I may have GERD.
  I have been experiencing the symptoms below since about 2 months
  ago :
  1) Belching (frequent, more after meals or drinks)
  2) Neck muscle pain or stiff
  3) Headache (at temples, sculp, near the back of neck)
  4) Constipation (hard and dark stools)
  5) Back muscle pain (in the middle and side, with slight fever)
  6) Weak or sore muscle on legs and hands
  7) Frequent cold (nasal block especially in cold room or in the
     morning, not serious)
  8) Slight shortness of breath (rarely)
  9) Involuntary movement of muscle or nerves (not sure which)
  10) Nausea
  Recently I have done endoscopy and colonscopy, ultrasound on liver,
  kidney, Gall Bladder and Pancreas. But no problem was found, everything
  was normal, according to the specialist. My blood test, however, showed
  high count of eosinophils (17 %) and Monocytes (13 %). The doctor said
  it might due to allergy or presence of parasites. He gave me the pills
  to deworm and I took it. He also gave me lots of medication but I
  have stopped taking them because they didn't help much to relieve
  my symptoms. Now I drink a lot of milk and take Tagamel before I go
  to sleep. I elevated the head of the bed about 6 inches. I also totally
  do away with habits like coffee , coca-cola and alcohol. I used to
  drink coke a lot, almost a can everyday during dinner.
  I have also lost some weight since the onset of these symptoms, I used
  to be around 85 kg, now I am fluctuating between 82 - 83 kg.
  Sometimes I am normal but sometimes the symptoms can make me feel
  sick, nausea and tired. The frequency of the symptoms could be
  1 or 2 times a week.
  I don't experience chest pain or heartburn, at least not to the extent
  that I notice or bother about it.
  In addition, I have problem with sleep. I used to sleep 8 - 9 hours
  a day. Now I can only manage to sleep 6 hours maximum and I wake
  up easily, once I wake up I find it hard to go back to sleep.
  Am I suffering from GERD or any other gastro diseases ? If yes,
  what shall I do ? Please advise. Thank you very much.
  Yours Sincerely,
  Sean Foo
______________________________
Dear Sean foo,
You may have acid reflux into your chest but the majority of your complaints are not related to esophageal reflux.  The neck pain, headache and constipation are definitely not related to reflux.
I agree with the approach that you have chosen i.e. lifestyle modifications to determine if the multiple symptoms improve.  Trials of anatcids or over-the-counter H2 receptor antagonists should be tried.  You may wish to consider also adding Metamucil to your lifestyle modifications to see if some of your problem could be irritable bowel syndrome.
This information is presented for educational purposes only.  always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords; esophageal reflux, irritable bowel syndrome
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