Hi everyone! I'm a male in my early 20s and I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, watching my diet and exercise. However, two weeks ago I began having a sore throat and felt fatigued/dizzy, but dismissed it as just a mild seasonal infection (there was something going around at the time). I also had to get a blood test for something else, so asked the doc to include a CBC and mono test just in case it was something else - neither came back positive.
Last week though, I realized that when I lay down to sleep, I'd have the feeling of something coming up my throat, leaving me with a burning feeling (presumably stomach acid). I bought some OTC Tums and cut out coffee/mint/chocolate, but this didn't really help too much. I then saw a doc who prescribed me one-a-day 20mg Rabeprazole for 4 weeks. She said that whatever I have is likely temporary because of stress or coffee consumption (I'm a student) and told me the drug would make me feel better and recommended some diet changes. After a week of taking this drug, there hasn't been much improvement. I still feel like there's food in my throat after eating a regular meal, I've lost my appetite (one piece of toast could keep me bloated and full for hours), I find it hard to breathe at times, my throat is constantly sore, and I would often burp after eating. Recently, my jaw and bottom two molars began to hurt, and I've also noticed some soreness towards the back of my mouth/gums --> this could be from the acid reflux? Even if I lie down 4-5h after a meal with 3 pillows under my head, I often get acid reflux.
I haven't experienced any heart burn, but this all seems pretty sudden considering I was perfectly healthy 2 weeks ago...Could this be something other than acid reflux or GERD/LPR?
Any insight or similar experiences are appreciated!!!