lump in my throat/burning

I am 55 yrs. old.  It has been 15 plus yrs. that I have suffered with heartburn.  I can remember complaining about the lump sensation in my throat back then.  I have had repeated endoscopies.  They said I have a Hiatal Hernia/acid reflux.. And also my colonoscopy showed IBS/differticultis..  The last tests done 4 yrs. ago showed the same.  They suspected Barret's but the pathology report showed negative to the Barrett's.  I have been under so much stress.  My husband is very ill/and I have a daughter who has disabilties.  So I am under alot of stress.  So nonetheless I am having alot of discomfort in my stomach.  I feel like I have a lump in throat most of the time. All I take is Prevasid once a day and try and watch what I eat.  I do have the acid reflux and get a burning in my chest too.  I am so nervous about the tests I am having Jan. 9th.  I just hope its not cancer.

[gnorb]

If you're taking Prevacid and it's not working, why not switch to another PPI, like Nexium or Aciphex? You may have simply become resistant to the Prevacid. (Happened to me.)

As for the nervousness and stress, there's nothing I or anyone can say or do to help you there. You'll be the one that has to take charge of that situation because you're the only person in charge of your mind. I understand how stressful and fearful it can be in your position (I wasn't too far from it myself too long ago), but in the end it's up to you. Try Qigong, T'ai Ch'i, breathing meditation and/or Yoga to help get your mind under control. Being stressed out and anxious fires up your sympathetic nervous system and will, unfortunately, make digestive troubles worse. (That's because digestion is a "non-essential" function within the body, as in it doesn't always need to happen. When your body is stressed out your body thinks you're in "flight" (fight or flight response) and diverts resources to other functions, such as your blood pressure (which may now be running higher than it should).)

Good luck.