Been dealing with something for weeks...

[RCWebb81]

Sorry, this is going to be a little long.  A little over six weeks ago (Monday, 7/6 to be exact), I went for a walk.  When I got home, I began to feel dizzy and lightheaded, and I started having trouble breathing and was experiencing a tightness in my chest as well as a strange discomfort on my left side.  Now a couple of months earlier, I had injured my knee (ironically while going for a walk) and spent several weeks just resting it and being pretty inactive, and this was my first walk since before I hurt my knee.  So when I began feeling this way, I figured it was maybe just my body readjusting and that maybe the walk was too much too soon.  But this lasted into the following, so I went to Baylor ER.  They did the EKG, drew some blood, and took a chest x-ray.  They determined that I was in no immediate danger and even said that all my stats were great, especially considering that I am obese.  They referred me to a PCP at one of their free clinics (I don't have insurance) whom I have been to see three times, and all we have done is talk and she takes blood from me.  No tests done (outside of blood work) or even ordered or anything, and long waits in between visits which is extremely frustrating.  I even began developing other symptoms at one point and wrote them all down.  When I was reading them to her she cut me off halfway because they were all "out of context".  She needs to what I'm feeling and when I am feeling it, but what I can't seem to make her understand is that each symptom comes and goes and my difficulty breathing is constant.  Sometimes I can breathe better than others, but I have not been able to breathe right since that day that I went for a walk.  One night last week, I felt a burning sensation in the middle of my chest and went to the Parkland ER.  Again, same thing.  All of my stats (and EKG and chest x-ray) looked great and I was in no immediate danger.  Now the difference between the Parkland ER doc and Baylor ER doc, was that the Parkland doc offered up some possibilities that it could be pancreatitis (due to some of my other symptoms, which will be listed below), gallstones, or something either muscular or skeletal.  I figured I would try getting into the Parkland Free clinics, but when I scheduled an appointment I was told there were no openings anytime soon and that they would call me when there was.  So more waiting, wondering and worrying.  The worst part is, I have been having bad anxiety attacks since this first started, which I never had before.  And they make things so much worse.  I actually felt more calm and comfortable laying in the bed in the Parkland ER than I do laying in my own bed, because I kept thinking to myself "maybe they'll figure out what's wrong this time and come fix me."  This whole ordeal is very scary and very frustrating.  I am constantly waiting around to get to see my doctor and when I see her I feel like the visit doesn't go anywhere, and I leave without any relief and feeling like no one is going to help me.  I don't know what I hope to gain by writing this post here, but this point I just feel like reaching to someone for anything.  Help, advice, something!

HERE ARE ALL OF THE SYMPTOMS I HAVE FELT OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS
*Difficulty breathing - much more difficult breathing out than in.  Some days are worse than others.  The other day my breathing was bad enough that I contemplated trying to get into the Mayo clinic even though I live in Texas.  Sometimes gets worse after eat, but all other symptoms just come and go with no triggers that I can figure out.  This is the worst one for me, because not only is it the constant symptom but when I have trouble breathing I have no relief.  I just have to try and take my mind off it.

*Discomfort in left side - rarely ever is there actual pain, just more of an uncomfortable feeling that starts under my left breast and goes around to my back.  Sometimes I get a little pain and/or discomfort in my right side as well, but it's much rarer.

*Pain in/on Center of Chest - I say in/on because sometimes I can't tell which, but at one point for a few days it was actually ON.  Like the actual skin of my center chest was very sore and very sensitive to touch.

*Occasional nausea - never vomiting though

*Pain in upper back and shoulder - more of a soreness really.

*Swollen right side of neck - I have had a lump on the right side of my neck for a very long time, but lately the entire right side of my neck seems swollen.  Sometimes, I even feel like my neck muscles are tightening or hardening, but that could very well be the anxiety making me see things that aren't there.

*Anxiety attacks - not getting them as frequently as I did in the beginning, but when I get them now they are very bad.  In fact, I had one last night out in public that if I had to rate on a scale of 1-10, it would be a definite 10!

*Lump in throat when swalling; difficulty swallowing; constantly clearing throat - I have had trouble with these three for years, and lumped them all in together because with all of this waiting around, Google and WebMD have become my best friends and my worst enemies rolled into one, and from what I have read part of my problem could be acid reflux.  So I though including these three would be a good idea.

Cold/hot sensations - I have only gotten these feelings a couple of times and they are a little difficult to explain properly.  A couple of weeks ago I felt the cold sensation of cold water being poured down my back.  The hot sensation feels the same, only hot instead of cold.

With all of the googling I have been doing (which I know is terrible to do in my situation, but all this waiting and worrying keeps me doing it), I have suspected having everything from acid reflux and costochondritis to COPD and cancer.  Can anyone help with any kind of info?  (I should also point out that I have begun eating a healthier low acid diet and taking a daily prevacid just in case any of this might be related to acid reflux, and I have also started taking low dose aspirin in case there is anything at all going on with my heart.)

[Londres70]

You're welcome.

With the dietary changes and the medication you should start to feel better.

Do have the Echo to rule out any heart issues.

Definitely discuss all this with your physician.  

[RCWebb81]

Londres70,

Thank you so much for the information!  I strongly believe GERD to at least be a piece of the puzzle as well.  I finally have an echocardiogram scheduled on Monday to make sure there is nothing heart related going on, and I meet with my Primary Doc the following Monday.  I will mention this to her and ask her about the possibility of a GI consult.

To answer some of your questions...

My diet before was pretty poor and I am obese.  I was in the process of changing those two things already, but since this all began happening I have I have been on a pretty strict diet (the reflux diet; just in case this is actually GERD) and I have been losing weight.

I rarely ever drink and never in excess.  I smoked for many years but quit officially this past February.

The dose of prevacid that I am taking is 1 15 mg tablet a day.  I have read about people with GERD who have symptoms like mine and they have to take 2 prevacid or Prilosec a day and then 1 zantac before bed.  I figured I would start small and see where I should go from there.  Between the diet and the prevacid, I think they are both helping a little bit.

[Londres70]

This sounds like GERD in my opinion minus the hot/cold sensations.  I believe these sensations are possibly related to your anxiety.

How many doses of prevacid have you taken and is it helping?

It's unfortunate you don't have insurance.  You need a GI consult.  

What was your diet like before?  Are you carrying extra weight? Drink?  Smoker?