Acid Reflux/Anxiety

[hockeycrazy3033]

Hey everyone! I'm new here. My name is Reem, and I'm a 20 year old female.
This past summer I went to the ER twice within a week because I had a really fast heart rate *around 120ish* which absolutely freaked me out. I also became really numb, tingly, and was hypervenilating from thinking I was going to die because I was so scared of what was happening to my body! They kept me over night and did tons of tests on me and found everything to be normal with me. A couple months ago I started having the heart racing problems again *with sweating, frequently goi to the bathroom, feeling extremely hot, mouth dry..etc* and I was SURE something was wrong with my heart. I went to my cardiologist twice and he had me do and EKG, Ultra Sound, and wear a heart monitor for 30 days. He told me everything was fine and that I just have a very nervous personality.  In December I went to an ENT because I was having throat and ear problems and he put a tube down my throat to check everything out and told me that I have Acid Reflux and he put me on some prevacid. I took it for 4 weeks and stopped because he told me I only needed that amount for then. I noticed after I stopped I kept having heart burn, reguritating, stomach aches, hard to swallow, and shortness of breath. My question is, is it possible that havin Acid Reflux can somehow make your heart race, and have shortness of breath?

[ElizabethAnne]

I wouldn't think so. Taking the meds and then stopping them could have actually made your heartburn worse. A lot of meds have after effects like that.

[abl]

Hi you,
Well, I am somewhat of an advocate for checking out the health of your thyroid as a possible reason for heart problems.  I googled "hyperthyroid symptoms" and a website came up with this list.  So, I did a little cut and paste.

Common symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism:
    Palpitations           Heat intolerance
    Nervousness         Insomnia
    Breathlessness      Increased bowel movements
    Anxiety                 Light or absent menstrual periods
    Fatigue                 Fast heart rate
    Trembling hand    Weight loss
    Hair loss               Muscle weakness
    Staring gaze         Warm moist skin


These are just some.  If you should decide to have your thyroid checked out, which based on your symptoms I would urge you to, make sure they palpitate your neck, do an ultrasound, and do ALL thyroid blood work tests, from TSH, t3's, and t4's.  

Now then, for acid reflux, screw the prescription drugs and do this.  Drink 8oz. of distilled water with, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (Bragg's is easy to find & cheap)  and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Drink 3x's a day, an hour before each meal.  The regergitation, heartburn, and all will be gone in 3 days...I promise!!!!!!!  Let me know how it all turns out!!!
Take care!  abl ;0)

[hockeycrazy3033]

Hi there! Thanks for the information. :)

I'm pretty sure when I went to the ER and they kept me overnight that they ran some tests on my thyroid. If I can recall correctly it was the middle of the night and a doctor said he was doing a test on me in which he drew blood from my vein and I asked him what for and he said my thyroid. I know all the tests came out normal. *if indeed he did check it all out* so I guess that's a good thing!!

I guess I forgot to leave the part out where I've had several anxiety attacks whic are very similar symptoms to a thyroid problem. My physician told me from the second I saw her and explained my symptoms that she thinks it's anxiety as well. As did my cardiologist.

I got the testing of everything *including thyroid* in July. Do you think I'd have to get another test soon? Or is it if you don't have a problem then there's no need to?

[abl]

Yes, something could still be wrong.  Case in point.  I went to teh Dr's and had some bloodwork done for preconception care 2/1/07.  I asked for him to test thyroid since my ob/gyn thought she could feel it in 2004.  Even though all of teh bloodwork at that time came back normal.  I also asked him to check my thyroid, of which he said nothing is wrong with your thyroid and I left without him touching it.  So, while he was on vacation and we were waiting for my blood work to come back, I went in to see the substitute Dr, and asked her to feel my thyroid.  She, said, I think I can feel it.  So, she ordered a thyroid ultrasound.  So, I went back to regular Doc for results, and he said, I am fine nothing is wrong.  So, I said even my thyroid.  He looked at teh papers and said yep.  So, I said even teh ultrasound?  Then he said, what ultrasound?  So after finding those results, he said, "huh, looks like you have a multi-nodular thyroid gland."  So, because I am meeting with a new ob/gyn I asked to have copies of all recent blood work and test, since I didn't want to do it again.  When I got teh copies, I saw that he never did order all of my thyroid function tests.  Only my TSH, which is normal.  So now I have to go through another round of testing, to check my t3's t4's and antibodies, because he didn't do it.  

So, him saying that my thyroid was fine was based on one stupid TSH test, which apparently isn't alwasy accurate.  Because if my thyroid was fine, I wouldn't be growing a goiter.  

So, you look at your labwork and see if it gives levels for your TSH, t3's and t4's t3 uptake, t4 uptake, and antibodies.  Then you can say for sure.  

Also, because I am leaving my idiot Doctor, I asked to have copies of my file, and ya know what, my first blood work I did in 2004 with him said?  my t3 uptake was below the normal range.  Had I known that then, I could have stopped the heart palpitations 3 years ago, and I would not have grown a multi nodular thyroid gland.

take care, and let me know if you try the natural remedy for acid reflux!

abl

P.S.  your Doctor says that Anxiety and Hyperthyroid have similar symptoms, well, if hyper and left untreated it could turn into bigger problems, anxiety left untreated has no consequence.  So, I'd be sure if were you.

[hockeycrazy3033]

Wow, that's pretty crazy about your doctor! What a moron! lol. That's not cool. What the heck kind of doctor doesn't make sure for what he's doing and says you don't have a problem when you actually did.

Just recently I went to an ENT and he felt my throat/neck and put a tube down and found nothing. What exactly is a nodule? Would he have felt it or seen it by feeling/putting a tube down my throat? I don't feel any lumps or see any difference in my neck at all.

Oddly enough everything that is happening or has happened to me this year is exactly what I went through 10 years ago when I was in 5th grade! I had the rapid heart rate, loss of weight, stomach problems..etc and they did soo many tests on me and found nothing wrong. All of a sudden I felt better and for years I was perfectly normal up until this past summer where the same symptoms came back again. My doctor says it might be my hormones. I don't even know if that would make sense since im 20 and it's not like im just growing up.

[abl]

where on your neck is it?

your thyroid is located at the base of your neck