Need help...

[Christine]

Hi, I am 31 years old and overweight but losing.  I have been diagonised with GERD, and an hiatal hernia.  The only thing is that I have chest pain with it.  I have a couple of ekgs abnormal but my stress test and echo was okay.  I was also told that I have costochondritis.  Does the above conditions cause your heart rate to go up and down, went to er and heart rate was 114, 82, 52, 77, 86,111ect?  I am just wondering if your stomach can cause your heart rate to flucuate like this thanks so much
I also have to go to the bathroom when I get chest pain, at times it "(the pain)is sharp sometimes dull, sometimes squeezing.  Into shoulder and back and left arm thanks again.

[HFHSm.D.-Gastro-rf]

Dear Christine,
If you have a chance to review our archives, you will find many postings from patients with esophageal reflux who have irregularities of heart rate.  At present, we do not have an explanation for this association.  The heart rate changes that you describe are not very large and could reflect increases due to exertion, activity, change in position or anxiety.  Sometimes having pain can increase the heart rate.

[keith]

Welcome to the world of GERD.  Have you had an endoscopy done yet?  This is how they found my Barrette's and hiatal hernia.  I have the chest pain and been the ER three times thinking I was having a heart attack.  I have passed EKG's and stress test.  I go this after noon for the results of my last nuclear stress test.  I have high blood pressure, my ears ring.  I have been like this for four years and would love to have it all stop.  Your mind is your worst enemy. This is one scary sickness.  I have never been sick a day in my life and know I am 49 and worry about seeing 50.  My wife is getting tired of hearing about it.  That

[Christine]

Hi Keith!

I know  EXACTLY how you feel.  My husband says that I am driving him crazy.  I have been to the ER twice.  The first time my heart rate was going up and down the second time I was told that I have costochondritis.  Does your heart rate go up and down?  and sometimes my heart races, I have been told that GERD can cause it.  I had three abnormal ekgs but passed the stress test and echo.  So I was told that the ekgs were wrong.  Good luck on your test and let me know how things are?  P.S. Does your chest hurt like mine, into shoulder, back, left arm ect.?Thanks and Pulling for you!

[keith]

Christine HI,
Well, I passed another stress test.  I told the Dr that if I ever do have a heart attack that I would probably sit there and die.  He said that everyone has there own "set" of pains.  If those include your left should and while exercising, you right should hurts, stop, and get help.  I am for the sake of knowing, and good insurance, in July I am going to have my heart catheterized.  This will be a finale test.  My heart does not race at all.  I do have pains in my chest, left shoulder, and left arm.  It hurts through the body and comes out my back and my side.  This is why the test.  It seems to have all started from a pressure under my left lower ribs.  It has been 4 years ago and is still driving my crazy.  I feel that I am driving my wife crazy but she still says she here to support.  She still goes to the Dr appointments with me and asks questions.

[Carol D.]

Keith -

you said it started as a pressure under your left lower ribs.  I think my symptoms are similar.  I had been diagnosed with GERD but the pain was always in the center of my ribs, just where they end.  The GERD has been behaving for the past year and I haven't had any real big flare ups.  I treated myself with herbs and a change of diet, because I didn't  think the idea of bloscking by stomach acid production was good.

Anyway - around the beginning of December of this past year, I started having dull ache, pressure pain and soimetimes twinge like a gas pain in my abdomen below my lower left rib in between the rib and navel area.  The skin was also very sensitive to the touch.  The pain would go into my side making my side very tender and my mid back muscles would spasm, too.  Moving, sitting up from a reclining position, laughing, talking, bearing down - all these things hurt in that area.  I also have pain in my left groin (feels like a groin pull).

In the past week, I have begun having tightness weakness in my left arm all the way down to my hand.  My grip also feels weak.  I'm now wondering if I don't have a pinched nerve in my back that could be causing all of this (as I do also have scoliosis).  I am having xrays for that today.

I have had numerous other tests all of which so far have come back "normal" (CT scan, IVP, Ultrasound, blood work...).  3 doctors I have seen (my primary care internist, a gynocologist, and a gastroenterologist) all gave different diagnoses, so no one agrees.  It is making me very anxious, scared and crazy (not to mention depressed), and I too have been driving my partner nuts about it.  The gastroenterologist  asked me a few questions , pressed on my abdomen a bit, told me it was muscular and sent me home to take advil.  The gyno told me he thought it was visceral -- had something to do with my organs (not gyocological), my primary care originally thought I had a kidney stone.  Go figure!

You say you've hadthis pain for 4 years! Has it been persistent - there all the time to greater or lesser degrees?  What exactly does the pain currently feel like in your abdomen, or has that gone away?  If you get any answers from the next test and they give you a definitive diagnosis, could you please post back here and let us know.  Any clues would possibly be greatly helpful to a whole bunch of us.

Thanks for any answers / advice and keep hanging in there!

Carol D.

[Christine]

Hi Keith!  
That is what the doctor told me about the heart catherization, Right now, I don't have the nerve, but I understand what you told your dr.  I told mine that it would be awful that I get used to the pain and ignore and die of a heart attack!  I wish you the absolute best.Feel free to email me if you just need to talk, ***@****

Hi Carol,
Have you ever been checked for a hiatal hernia?  I sympathize with the different diagnoises, it is enough to drive you crazy!  Good luck and let me know if they find out anything.  Feel free to email me.  Good Luck.

Dear Dr.

Thanks for the advice.  It is truly appreciated.

[Kurt]

Ive been on propulcid and prilosic for over a year.Reflux,I
   can handle. I fighting with the,halitosis.Brought on by the
   reflux,any Ideas? Its running me nuts.The worst of it is Iam
   not aware,of the problem unless,someone informs me....
     Thanks.

[sue]

Hi: Sounds like I have The same Problem many of you people suffer with Gerd and Hiatal Hernia. My doctor said mine is also motility . I'm on propulsid 20mg 4 times a day. I am thinking about stopping propulsid since the F.D.A report came out monday.I was on 10 mg 4times a day but that was doing no good. But since I'm on the 20 mg things are moving better. My Doctor thinks the propulsid is very save if used correctly. I'm going next week for a EKG. I have been told Regan is not nearly as good as propulsid. Does anyone know of anything else that might work. My Doctor is not very helpful, because he said there is nothing else to offer me. The only thing I can eat without Regurgitating is toast. He said surgery would make things worse. I had the scope done in December. I can not figure out why my food comes back up I'm talking after 10 hours my food still comes back up undigested. Water will not even stay down. Any one with any advice please help me. IS PROPULSID SAFE IF A PERSON HAS NO HEART PROBLEMS.

[sue]

Hi: Sounds like I have The same Problem many of you people suffer with Gerd and Hiatal Hernia. My doctor said mine is also motility . I'm on propulsid 20mg 4 times a day. I am thinking about stopping propulsid since the F.D.A report came out monday.I was on 10 mg 4times a day but that was doing no good. But since I'm on the 20 mg things are moving better. My Doctor thinks the propulsid is very save if used correctly. I'm going next week for a EKG. I have been told Regan is not nearly as good as propulsid. Does anyone know of anything else that might work. My Doctor is not very helpful, because he said there is nothing else to offer me. The only thing I can eat without Regurgitating is toast. He said surgery would make things worse. I had the scope done in December. I can not figure out why my food comes back up I'm talking after 10 hours my food still comes back up undigested. Water will not even stay down. Any one with any advice please help me. IS PROPULSID SAFE IF A PERSON HAS NO HEART PROBLEMS.                    
                                        Sue

[dottie]

I just found this forum last night and find it very sad that so many people are suffering and can't be diagnosed. After 6 years of this I believe it is a syndrome, not a disease and that is what makes it so difficult to diagnose. There isn't a symptom listed that I don't or haven't had - left arm pain and numbness, excessive belching, pain below the sternum and to the left, numbness in lower right leg, abdominal pressure, high blood pressure during what I now call 'spells', a husband I'm driving nuts, trips to the ER, constant ringing in my ears (usually indicates by BP is on the rise) and anxiety attacks - to mention a few. I've even had gout and shingles. I've had every test in the book including an angiogram, endoscopy, stress tests, MRI's, complete blood and urine tests - all inconclusive. The only absolute is that I am now hypoglycemic - the result of the fight or flight theory. My former cardiologist prescribed Carafate and it worked well - for awhile. I won't take Reglan or most of the other drugs because of the side effects and I think they just address the symptom but not the problem. I then went the herbal route taking Digestaway and charcoal - both of which helped tremendously but didn't elimate the problem as I'm just coming off another spell. I had 6 good weeks though and will continue with the herbs and be more aware of the stress factor. I think it's the key so I'm going to start taking kava kava again - don't know why I stopped. I guess I just felt better.

[patricia WALKER]

FOUR WEEKS AGO 12/25/99 I HAD LAPROSCOPIC SURGERY FOR HERNIA REPAIR AND ACID REFLUX DESEASE.  I HAVE NOT TAKEM A PREVICID
(MEDICATION FOR REFLUX AND INDEJESTION) HAVE NOT HAD HEARTBURN OR REFLUX SINCE SURGERY.  IT INVOLVES REPAIRING THE HERNIA AND WRAPPING THE STOMACH AROUND THE ESOPHAGUS.  THIS PREVENTS THE REFLUX.  I STILL HAVE SOME GAS, BUT HAVE BEEN ASSURED THAT IT WILL GO AWAY IN 6 TO 8 WEEKS.  IT WAS HARD TO SWALLOW AT FIRST BUT NOW I EAT ANYTHING I WANT AND DON'T GET HEARTBURN. I CAN ALSO SWALLOW BETTER NOW.I FEEL BLOATED MOST OF THE TIME AND MY DOCTOR ASSURED ME THAT THAT TOO WILL PASS. IT IS WONDERFUL NOT TO HAVE HEARTBURN WHICH I WOULD GET FROM ANY AND ALL FOOD.THE PROCEDURE INVOLVED 4 SMALL CUTS. I WILL WRITE AGAIN AT THE END OF THE 8 WEEKS AND LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BLOATING AND GAS. TO ME THE SURGERY WAS UNCOMFORTABLE BUT WORTH IT.

[Annette]

I can relate to SO many of you.  The middle of the chest pain, reflux, belching, left arm and shoulder pain, back pain.  All with no answers either.  Been to the ER, have had EKG done, stress test, Zantac and other meds, and then was told I had gallstones.  Had the gallbladder removed 4 months ago and when asked to see the gallstones, was told there weren't any!  Just sand particles.  I actually have had more back/arm/chest pain since the surgery than before tho I was told it would CERTAINLY take care of much of my pain.  Its been a rollercoaster ride.  Along with the daily, unpredictable pain has come the depression and anxiety of not knowing what is happening.  Its been 4 years of drs, tests, worry, and no answers.  Its taken its toll on my spouse and children.  I would like some herbal/natural suggestions since I have tried so many meds and most have negative side effects.  Now I have been told I have a pinched nerve and scoliosis (which I knew about but was not a problem).  Can a pinched nerve cause this much trouble?  Can stress cause that much havoc?  Is it GERD?  I had the endoscopy and was told it was normal.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[harry]

I can relate to most all of the symptoms that everyone seems to be listing,pain in the left shoulder, neck, numbness in the left arm that goes down into my ring and little finger, a spot about the size of a quarter that usualy is in the left upper chest that feels as sore as a boil, pain at the base of my throat on the left side a pain in the left groin area, and for good measure from knee down into left foot that stays swollen most of the time.
I have been diagnosed as having Barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia, gastritus, and one other that I can't remember right now. Used to have severe problems with reflux, but one 20mg Prilosec takes care of that 99% of the time. Use to have lots of difficulty swollowing, but stretch job has helped that to a great extent.

Also have had two heart caths in the last ten years and have some blockage there. Thats were the scary part comes in with all these pains. You don't know from wence it comes, but I have decided that 90% of mine is gastro problems.

Went to a new Internal Medicine Doc last week just to have something like a G.P.
Listed all my pains and complaints and was basically told "You're getting old(64)learn to live with it."

Forgot to throw in that I had gallbladder surgery, the old fashioned way (14 inch incision) in September of '99. That did help some of the pain in the abdomen.

Well, I feel better writing all this and knowing that probably most of the people who read it won't label me a hypocondiact!!!

[Carla]

has anybody else had all these chest pains and shoulders and arms and neck....suffered with cronic ear pain and infections...for about the last 2 yrs....started suffering with ear pain and infection..doctor is stunned i'm 36.....but it never occured to me that the reflux might be causing it...ear canal is attached to the throat.....so i wondered if the reflux can be getting into the ear canal...and causing the infection and pain....dr says ...lots of puss pockets on and behind ear drum...and some fungus....pain is awful...takes about 2 to3 weeks of antibiotics to relieve....but pain never goes away...starts deep in ear and travels down neck,,,, shoulders and arms hurt and upper back ...sometimes feel like being stabbed with a knife and twisted......repeatedly...can be unbearable...had ekg...indicated enlarged left upper chamber...but at that time i also had upper respitory infection...but constantly have chest pains....especially after eating.......and feel like i can't breathe very well.......but this ear thing has puzzled me greatly....don't swim...and mostly showers...sometimes a bath..but don't dunk my head.....let me know.... email  is  ***@****  make sure subject says ears and reflux... or reply here ...i'll check back....thank-you...carla

[kari]

I've been having pain in my stomach and back for over a year now.  My doctor gave me medicine for a kidney infection and it cleared up the problem for about 6 months.  When the pains returned to my stomach (just under my sternum) and my back (on either side of my spine in the center of my back), I went back for another dose.  This time there was no kidney infection and they prescribed tagament for a possible ulcer.  It didn't work.  I went back and was given prevacid.  It's not working either.  The only time I experience pain is after eating.  It doesn't seem to matter what I eat, though.  Anybody have any suggestions?  

PS> It's nice to know I'm not the only one who is suffering, however, it's sad to know that there are so many who haven't gotten the help/relief that is needed! I feel for all of you and hope that relief is in our near future!

[priscilla]

Hi,
     It seems there are a lot of people out there who are very ill and/or very irritated by this GERD.  I feel for every single one of us.  (I include myself in this.  I do not have symptoms as severe as some but I do have symptoms just the same).  It really stinks to wake up from a very good and much needed sleep with a burning in your chest and bile in your throat.  I have been reading the messages posted here and I am at my wits end as how to proceed for myself.
     I read so many horrible things about Prilosec that I am afraid to take it.  I am sure that in some cases where there is no heart problem and the patient is otherwise healthy it may in fact be a good product to take, but what about the people who may have some sort of heart problem that is undiagnosed and take the drug.  There was a 22 year old woman here who had three hart attacks because she had a heart condition that she and her doctors were unaware of.  This could have killed her 3X!  I have heartburn.  I do not have it every single night, I almost never have a problem with it durring the day just at bedtime when I lie down.  I sometimes have bile come up and have actually woken up only to have my stomach contents in my mouth and had to rush to the bathroom to throw up.  It was scarey because I woke up gagging.  But this is rare for me.  I was gestationally diabetic and have not had my blood sugar levels taken since I left the hospital and that was in Sept. 1998.  I do feel that i am still diabetic but maybe not to the degree that I was while pregnant.  I want to have the scope thing done but am afraid it will cause pain or they will accidently cut me with it while doing the proceedure.  I want to know if it is a big deal to get this done.  

[Dawn]

Hi, I commented in another area, but saw some similar symptoms as mine in this area.  About a year ago I started having this pain that felt like a runner's stitch under my left rib area.  When I went to my doctor, he felt around and noticed my left rib area was much more tender then it should be, actually causing me to flintch.  He diagnosed me with costrocondritis (sp?) and although I disagreed with this, he proceeded to send me home presribing only ibuprofin.  The pain has not gone away and I have been trying to pinpoint when the symptomes come on, to no avail.  I recently went back to a different dr. who also noticed the tenderness in my left rib area.  He ordered Xrays of my ribs which were normal.  I have also experienced numbness in my left leg, especially when driving (which I told teh dr about and he dismissed without blinking an eye)and sometimes in my left arm.  I don't usually notice the numbness until I go to stand up.  Within the past few months I have begun getting reflux and pressure in my chest area, even after eating only a small quantity of food.  I have also noticed that my bowel movements (BMs) have been slightly irregular for about the past 6 months.  I will not have a BM for several days and when I do my BMs are soft but I wouldn't describe it as diarrhea.  I have increased my fiber content whcih has helped to have more frequent BMs, but it hasn't changed anything else.  I am 30 female, slightly overweight with mild asthma, which I was diagnosed with about 5 yeaars ago.  I am in good health otherwise.  I work out 5 days a week and have been a vegetarian for about 11 years.  Any clues as to what's going on here or any suggestions would be great.  But glad to see I am not the only one that can't get a true diagnosis.  GOOD LUCK TO ALL.

[Gerd Sufferer NY]

Can Anyone relate or help.

I am 42.

I had my first episode when I came back from a business trip from the far East a year ago. I had tightness or a full felling in my chest and I panicked. I told my wife to take me to the Emergency Room because I thought I was having a Heart Attack.  The ER Cardioligist checked me out and said I had a normal EKG.  He suggested I might have gastro-intestinal problems and that I go to my regular physician.

I went to my doctor, he again gave me a EKG and listened to my heart and felt my pulse in my extremities - perfectly normal, but to play it safe sent me for a Myocardial Perfusion Treadmill test.  The results from the test showed a slight abnormality near the Apex of my heart after exercise - but returned to normal on the 2nd set of pictures.  Also, my treadmill test was - perfectly normal.

I was sent to a cardioligist who suggested I get an Angiogram to be absolutley sure - since I may have gotton a false positive on the Myocardial Perfusion Test.

Well the results of my Aniogram were normal - as a matter of fact the cardioligist said my artieries and heart were "perfect".  My pumping ration was also 69% - above average.

Since I was diagnosed with GERD (I have not had any Upper GI series or scopes to confirm this or Hietal Hernia yet), I have been getting symptons which include, gas, belshing preceded or followed by skipped or slightly irregular heart beats.  How can this be - my EKG was normal, QPF ratio great, angiogram and treadmill normal.  I would thing that if I had electrical problems or valve problems this would have been picked up in my prior visit (6 months ago).  My wife thinks I am a hypochondriac nut and am suffereing from anxiety attacks.  Could GERD or Hiatel Hernia actually irritate my Myocardial area and causing this??

[Gerd Sufferer NY]

Can Anyone relate or help.

I am 42.

I had my first episode when I came back from a business trip from the far East a year ago. I had tightness or a full felling in my chest and I panicked. I told my wife to take me to the Emergency Room because I thought I was having a Heart Attack.  The ER Cardioligist checked me out and said I had a normal EKG.  He suggested I might have gastro-intestinal problems and that I go to my regular physician.

I went to my doctor, he again gave me a EKG and listened to my heart and felt my pulse in my extremities - perfectly normal, but to play it safe sent me for a Myocardial Perfusion Treadmill test.  The results from the test showed a slight abnormality near the Apex of my heart after exercise - but returned to normal on the 2nd set of pictures.  Also, my treadmill test was - perfectly normal.

I was sent to a cardioligist who suggested I get an Angiogram to be absolutley sure - since I may have gotton a false positive on the Myocardial Perfusion Test.

Well the results of my Aniogram were normal - as a matter of fact the cardioligist said my artieries and heart were "perfect".  My pumping ration was also 69% - above average.

Since I was diagnosed with GERD (I have not had any Upper GI series or scopes to confirm this or Hietal Hernia yet), I have been getting symptons which include, gas, belshing preceded or followed by skipped or slightly irregular heart beats.  How can this be - my EKG was normal, QPF ratio great, angiogram and treadmill normal.  I would thing that if I had electrical problems or valve problems this would have been picked up in my prior visit (6 months ago).  My wife thinks I am a hypochondriac nut and am suffereing from anxiety attacks.  Could GERD or Hiatel Hernia actually irritate my Myocardial area and causing this??

[patrick]

Wow, Finally I learn there are others that have experienced all these chest, shoulder, arm neck etc pains and are only being treated for reflux or similiar stomach problems. Pantolac, prepulsid, cimetidine have not provided constant relief for my mild reflux (doctors diganosis)even having taken them for about six months. Still get severe bouts of pains and look forward to sleeping as it is the only relief I can get from the pains some days. Had the same problem several years ago and after every test in the book for heart problems, utmost trust in my doctor and minimal doses of valium the problems went away and did not reappear until about eight months ago. Current treatments inability to get rid of the various pains has put so much additional stress on me (thinking it is my heart) that I am currently also bring treated for mild depression. Have been on Wellburtin for about two weeks and while too early to feel it is the be all/end all the bouts of pains appear to be receeding. Also reflux symptoms,if that is what started it all, are considerably less. Go figure, is all or some of it just in our heads or is there a connection? Look forward to your comments if you have had similiar additional problems and responce to treatment. As an aside early in this most recent bout my doctor had me try to quit smoking and prescribed Zyban, which is the same as wellburtin. While not successful in quiting I can recall that for the two or three week period that I was taking the Zyban the pain problem either went away or was substantuly less. Is there a connection with a good mind set and fewer pain problems?

[pete]

At last...some people who seem to feel the same as me.  I have pain in my chest, down my left arm, get hot flushes and my my chest area goes red like a rash.  Has anyone else experienced this?  Ive had this for about 3 years now and been for all the heart tests which were all OK.  Got to go for a endoscopy soon.  The worst thing is not knowing what is wrong with me and I always fear the worst.  Reading all these comments has helped me greatly and I will read this every day now.  Good luck to you all and dont let this get you down!!

[pete]

At last...some people who seem to feel the same as me.  I have pain in my chest, down my left arm, get hot flushes and my my chest area goes red like a rash.  Has anyone else experienced this?  Ive had this for about 3 years now and been for all the heart tests which were all OK.  Got to go for a endoscopy soon.  The worst thing is not knowing what is wrong with me and I always fear the worst.  Reading all these comments has helped me greatly and I will read this every day now.  Good luck to you all and dont let this get you down!!

[Dee]

I am new to the internet, but have haital hernia (Gerd) and wonder if all you gals and guys out there have heard of the drug called Prilosec?  It is a "lifesaver"!!!You will go back to normal digestion, no pain, and a "real Life" again,..Let me know if you ask your Dr. for it and the results...Good Luck!

[Dee]

I am new to the internet, but have haital hernia (Gerd) and wonder if all you gals and guys out there have heard of the drug called Prilosec?  It is a "lifesaver"!!!You will go back to normal digestion, no pain, and a "real Life" again,..Let me know if you ask your Dr. for it and the results...Good Luck!