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5400335 tn?1367400485

Terrible reflux but no heartburn.. What the..

For the last 15 years every year or so I get about a month here and there where I had regular severe shortness of breath. The doctor said it was asthma and gave me prednisone and inhalers. They had no effect on the problem but my doctor insisted it was asthma and by the time I could get too worried about it, it was gone and I could breathe more or less normally again. Then the next year the same thing. I had lung function tests done 5 years ago and the spiro showed up 20% below normal. But the breathlessness went away again so they let it go. Then one day as it came back I suddenly thought about it and realized that it usually happened after a big meal and then I was looking down my throat for some reason and noticed the back of my hard pallette was bright red and my tongue was yellow. I told my doctor and he put me on antifungal  medication for thrush, which had no effect.

Meanwhile I had my own running theory. I take REALLY good care of my teeth but yet they are constantly filled with cavities, I'm forever at the dentist and the roof of my mouth up to a certain point is yellowish.. In my mind (as crazy as it might sound), it's almost as if stomach acids have somehow come up there and been eating away at my teeth! But then I didn't have any heartburn or symptoms of GERD so I couldn't understand how that was possible. Well the redness in my throat wasn't causing me any pain so I figured.. hey.. maybe it's just always been that way. So I went on with my life for the next 5 years where it remained red all the way up until the present day. The breathlessness started up again and over the past 3 months a hoard of other symptoms arose (that may or may not be related) and have been getting steadily worse. It's all really worrying me because my doctors think I'm a hypochondriac because I have severe anxiety but I really think something serious is wrong with me and that's causing more anxiety that no one is taking me seriously. I started out getting chest pains behind my breastbone. They checked my heart. It was fine. Then I found after large meals it would get worse but no heartburn. Soon enough I would grow to constantly clear my throat after every meal, cough, sneeze and my nose runs, chest pain, sore throat and chest when I breathe. At first this would happen with spicy or saucy meals only but now it happens at EVERY meal no matter what I eat. The only thing I seem to be able to tolerate is bananas, skinless chicken, herbal tea and wholemeal crackers. And even the crackers have begun to give me difficulty now. I can taste them in my throat hours after I've eaten them when I burp. I drink a lot of water as my mouth gets dry a lot. Since all this started I've lost 20kg in 2 months while leading a completely sedentary  lifestyle. I cut out all sugars and fats apart from some honey in my tea so they may explain some of the weight loss but I've tried to lose weight for years unsuccessfully so it seems strange I would lose so much so quickly. I still have my appetite mostly, don't feel sick or anything but have been getting almost constant diarrhea with mucus in it. I do chew a lot of gum to help the reflux and take Nexium as well as something called Kalma for my anxiety.. which who knows it may be side effects from that. My stomach has been very bloated for many years but more so these last months. My chest makes burping and groaning sounds after meals and everything gets much much worse when I lie down. I get some days where I feel like I have a fever but it's just now and then. I had blood tests done and urine sample and it came back normal. My doctors seem content to treat me for anxiety and with PPI  (which don't seem to help that much even after trying three different kinds now over 7 weeks) The current one (Nexium) seems to help the most so far but it's still all bad enough to stop me living a normal life. I can't sleep well, I'm tired all the time and I'm a wreck because I feel like I might have some terminal illness no one is recognizing. I realize that is partly part of my anxiety issues but the reason I am anxious is because I don't know what the hell is going on with me or how to fix it. Anyway forgive the length of this I just wanted to get it all down. If anyone else has had anything like this please let me know.
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620923 tn?1452915648

  It is not really the water causing the symptoms, but u can feel a flare even drinking water when u have a large flare up....that is more when I meant to say
Chewing on a piece or two of gum, it seems, helps force fluids back into the stomach and flood the esophagus with alkaline saliva, neutralizing acids that cause the characteristic burning sensations.

When taking Nexium u should look to ur Dr for what may be depleted.....

Here is what I found-
Nexium DEPLETES vitamins B1, B12, and D, iron, calcium and zinc. Nexium can cause bacterial overgrowth of the
small intestine, and taking a probiotic (acidophilus/bifidus) while taking the drug is important.
AVOID St.
John's wort.
Take magnesium 1-2 hrs away from this drug, as this mineral can bind to the drug and reduce its
activity.

Alcohol is one of the items we r to avoid as it will cause a flare up.

Is ur Dr a GI Dr?
Helpful - 0
5400335 tn?1367400485
And yes my doctor has seen the yellow on my tongue which is gone now actually since I first posted but is still present on the roof of my mouth. He didn't seem concerned at all about it and told me to brush it off with my toothbrush.

Interesting you say that water can cause symptoms. I've never heard that and thought it would help so drank a ton. My mouth being so dry I'm almost always drinking water or chewing sugar free gum.
Helpful - 0
5400335 tn?1367400485
Firstly thank you for both for your response. I was never checked for yeast but someone said I could have a candida overgrowth but when I told my doctor that he laughed and told me to stop going on the Internet. I haven't had vitamin or mineral levels checked but how would I do that? Request it from my doctor? I've been taking probiotics since this started and also adding "Concentrace" trace minerals to my water (I drink chlorine free bought water.) Apart from that I take a multivitamin and of course the Nexium.

Recently I had a friend's party where I drank several glasses of vodka and for about a week after had near constant chest pain under the breast bone and shortness of breath that was at its worst the morning after. When it went away I wanted to know if it was a coincidence that I drank alcohol so to experiment I had a few drinks again and the same thing happened. Now I'm giving up drinking altogether.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
What kind of water do you drink? Have you checked the PH of it?
Helpful - 0
620923 tn?1452915648

  Hi and welcome to the GERD forum.

I was wondering as I was reading ur post, if u were ever checked for yeast?
The yellow u mention on the roof of ur mouth...could be a thrush like substance, has ur Dr seen this?

I also wondered if u ever tried a pro biotic....and have had ur vit levels and minerals checked? Vit D, B12, magnesium and potassiun....


When u r in a flare water can cause symptoms, I suggest seeing ur GI Dr and let him/her know how u r being affected with ur meds....and talk to ur pharmacist regarding side effects and interactions.

Helpful - 0
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