Food impaction-reflux-hiatal hernia HELP!

[Electra42]

Hello everyone.  I am a 42year old female.  10 years ago I suffered food impaction in my esophogus from a steak I had eaten.  It had to be removed via endoscopy.  At this time I had been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and reflux.  I was perscribed Pepcid.   I suffered acid reflux on and off from that time forward.  In March I went thru a very stressful time when a freind lost her baby to SIDS.  I ended up in the Dr. office thinking it was a heart attack.  They ran all the tests and my heart was fine.. I reminded the Dr. that I had the hiatal hernia and he said that the chest pain was a result of this.  I was perscribed 30Mg. Prevacid to be taken twice daily for 7 days and once a day there after.  Which I took intermetantly. This past September I had been perscribed 600 Mg Ibuprofin 3X daily for torn ligaments in my elbow.  (I advzd that Dr. of the hernia and reflux and he said it would not hurt me.)  UH-HUH!  Right.   I only took a total of 9 pills and began to have increased reflux.  Then began to feel like my stomach was trying 'swallow itself'.  There was a 'chruning' feeling in the center of the breast bone at the bottom of the rib cage.  This was accompanied by a constant nawing feeling of hunger/nausea.  I was restarted on the Prevacid 3Mg 2X a day.   The hunger/nausea is subsiding (have nausea from the drug as well as diarehha)  The chruning feeling has reduced somewhat but is still there.  At times feels like there is a 'pill'stuck when non taken.  3 different Dr. have mentioned esphogial cancer... I am freaking out.

[Electra42]

There is a typo in my earlier post.  I was given RX of Prevacid 30 Mg 2X daily (not 3!)  Also have a question.   I tend to get a weird sensation in the esophagus.  It can be described as a feeling of 'butterflies'... just like the 'butterfly in the stomach' only in the area of the esophagus... has anyone else experienced this?  What on earth is it?

[JackieG]

Who were the three different doctors that mentioned esophageal cancer ("EC"), and what did they base their suggestions on? EC is relatively rare, with approximately 12,000 new cases diagnosed in the U. S. each year from a population base of 290,000,000. I would not take the disease lightly, by any means, but I would not "freak out" at this point either. I would suggest that you have your family doctor refer you to a gastroenterologist, who can perform an endoscopy with biopsies, if required, to grade the condition of your esophagus. That way you will eliminate the stress the fear of EC is causing you, and get a definitive diagnosis that will provide the basis for treatment, if treatment is indicated.

Good luck.

[Electra42]

Thank you for your response.  I hope all is well with you as from reading this board I note you are living with this difficult problem.   The three Dr. were my internist, my GP and my surgeon.   I am going in tomorrow AM for the endoscopy w/biopsys. The only information the Dr.s have so far to draw from is my long history of reflux, the hiatal hernia and the history of food impaciton.  (Of which there has only been on time when drinking a highly carbonated beverage i.e. Coke, would not move it through to the stomach.) I suspect the Drs only wanted to provide me with the possibility, however it is so hard not to 'over-react' especially as you are stitting with your 3year old child on your lap and you hear the dreaded word 'cancer'.   I lost both my parents to lung cancer.  

I have never really had so much trouble with reflux that I had to restrict my diet, other than when I ate.  I think what set this all off was the 3X's daily 600Mg of Ibruprofon the orhopedic Dr. perscribed!   After having been back on Prevacid 2X's daily for 2 weeks, my symptoms have vastly improved!  I feel there is a good probability they will find a stricture and erosive esophogus... one can intensify ones symptoms when you focus on 'what may be', especially if it is the worst case scenerio.

[gemart]

about the fluttery feeling in esophogus, it could be your heart.  I had a stricture once with a sore and I also had palpitations, the doctor told me my problems in the esophogus could cause the palpitations.

[mike330]

Sounds like you have what I have! I have been looking for an answer for 4 years now and still it seems that the doctors don't REALLY know or else it would be gone right? This is so very frustrating I know, especially when eating (at least for me). Sometimes I am hungry, but can only get a few bites before I am "full". Actually I just can't handle anymore food after that feeling without being physically sick and having to vomit. Sometimes it comes sporatically. It will seem like I am doing fine for a while, but then like a ton of bricks it hits me for weeks. It sucks when everyone else around you can enjoy their food and then there is me trying to eat very slowly just so I can finish my meal, not even able to carry on a conversation because I am having to "zone" myself out so I can concentrate on eating, frequently taking breaks between bites. Whew! Its discouraging. Especially when all the doctor wants to prescibe you is an acid blocker, which Im sure is part of the problem, but they want to write you off as "just another reflux patient". All the symptoms you described I have, and I am 22/male.I just want to eat normally like everyone else. Its a damn war just to prepare myself to eat a meal. Sometimes it seemed as if food was actually "stuck" in my esophogus, but after a barium swallow and an endoscopy they swear thats not the case. Well, what is it then? Im tired of this battle. I feel your pain though. I hope one of us gets an answer. Please tell me if you do. Tell me how anything is working for the better and what they say. You're not the only one with this unlucky predicament