GERD and Heartburn

was just browsing the website and found this website. i was diagnosed with nervous stomach and acid indegestion, but i also suffer from chest pain and upset stomach. i've been taking prilosec and i haven't noticed a difference. i also gave up coffee and no difference. i had an EKG and an echocardiogram, and so far nothing. i get shortness of breath and some chest pain, but all the doctors think i am crazy. when i force myself to burp i begin to feel a bit better. the only thing i found that help cools the acid/heartburn is a red apple. i hope they find out whats wrong with me too. good luck to alll who suffer!

Eating fat will cause increasing amount of acid. Just eat fresh vegetables, fish and eggs for a month.

Please do not drink or eat any meat, alcohol, carbonate, oily foods.

Try this for a month.. you will be happy !!! cheer up

Jayne,
I know you posted this 2 years ago. If your still having this problem and haven't seen a doctor do so immeadiately especially if you have or have a family history of any of these problems, heart disease, stroke, circulatory problems, smoking, chronic stomach problems, problems with your bowels. It is better to find out if anything is wrong now instead of waiting till it gets worse. If you can't afford your medication there are several reputable companies that offer free to very little cost pharmacy cards. Most pharmacies can give you a list. Pharmacies also offer generic substitutes that can cost significantly less than brand name drugs. There is also some drug companies that can offer help with your medicine costs. Ask the doctor if he can put you on a different medicine other than Nexium because of the cost. I have GERD and hiatal hernias sometimes the pain in my chest is bad. I love rice and it causes the worst pain of any of the foods I eat so I rarely eat it. Hope this helps, I'll pray for you.

I have been having these same things for two months now, ended up in ER with chest pains, thought i was having a heart attack, ER did...chest exray, all blood work with a special blood test just for heart EKG and all my vitals were normal. ER doc thought I was crazy and laugh and said why are you here you are healthy. All he said was heartburn but I didnt have the burning in my throat, he said heartburn doesnt have to be burning it affects are different. He said Acid Reflux. and gave me RX for acid pills and follow up with doc in a month. I did all my RX and went to see my doc 30 days later but things were the same. he said acid reflux as well and sent me to a gastro doc and she Ultrasound of my thorat, thyroid and all ok, did a upper GI throat and stomach all ok. had 2nd EKG done 45 days later still came out Normal still have same pain, light headed sometimes, chest pain, throat feels like something stuck or sqeezing. i can breathe ok, walk 45 min, ride a stationary bike 60min and Im okay. had check up last week and all things are the same says im fine doc wants to do a treadmil stress test on my heart on thrsday to check arteries. but he says it should be fine and doesnt think anything wrong, STILL SAYING ACID REFLUX. sometimes i hurt so bad at night where im afraid to fall asleep. its scary really scary when yer chest hurts like a heart attack and heart beats hard its scary. im gonna try the acid pills and mallox and trying to change my eating habits, gas doc says I need to retrain myself to eat. slower and smaller bites and drink allot water while eating. I already been drinking allot water, now eat less sweets and trying more fruits, I hate VEGES. so still trying to figure out what I can and cannot eat.

can u tell me what kind of dr you went to? I have been going to my primary dr since Feb. and she still cant figure out why I have chest pains.
Thanks

You Bet. Welcome to my world. I feel for you, been through the same. My doctor says I am just very very sensitive in my esophegas. I get pain in my chest, when I breath deep, in the center of my back, in my left arm. Makes me shaky, dizzy at times, slow feeling, tired, feeling like I'm sick or something. No fun at all.
Good luck, to you and all of us!!

I was just diagnosed with GERD and feel helpless. I can't stop the pain. How did I get this? Everything was fine and then one day, at age 47, boom. I am in non stop pain. Any pills lower the pain at best but non eradicate it. It seems like there should be an easier answer. I raised the bed, cut out coffee, alcohol, ccitrus, chocolate, fatty foods, etc.. I'm taking generic prilosic, and taking Mylanta often during the day to help.. but this stinks.

wow, ive been fighting this thing for several years and your symptoms are exactly like mine. I am on dexilant now which is a PPI but does not work. after 3 emergency room trips, and all the tests known to man I finally went to my 2nd ear nose and throat dr. He recommended surgery to prevent acid from coming up the the throat. I just wish someone would come up with a simpler solution to this..

You might asked them to switch to something besides
Nexium. My daughters doctors said, insurance companies
do not like to prescribe Nexium,. because it cures things, that the othes just inhibit.

I have the same problem, after i throw up i feel better.I do this so frequently that I have sores in my mouth and throat from it. but sometimes i have so much acid buildup i could scream! I have GERD and just take over the counter pills, which don't help at all.

I hope all that read this are careful. 7 yrs. ago I thought I had a bad case of heartburn. It went on for months even when taking zantec. It was usually worse in the mornings and when I was at rest. It was a burning in my chest and neck. Well, I went into cardiac arrest because I didn't get it checked right away. They had to use the paddles on me twice to get my heart back in beat, I was 45 years old. After being hospitalized for a week, they still didn't know why it happened. I went and saw a cardiologist in St. Paul and he had an idea that it could be "Coronary Artery Spams". I already had an appointment at the Mayo so he told me to keep it because he knew the doctor down there and would work with him. Well they took me in and did an angoigram (sorry for the spelling), and my arteries went into spasms. 2 months ago, I thought my heart was acting up again, only this time it isn't and I'm doctoring now to see what the problem is, we think it's gerds. So PLEASE be careful. And if your not comfortable with the answers from your doctor, get a second opinion. Good Luck!

I too had such severe chest pain it caused me to double over, and eventually started radiating down my back and jaw.
I had short Barretts esophagus, and was on 40 mgs. of nexium a day. I, didn't know if it was my esophagus or my heart. I went to see Dr. Smith an esophogeal specialist at Temple University, in Philadelhia and Dr. Meshkov, a cardiologist at Temple. I had a heart catherization which showed a 60 percent blockage in the distal artery; I did not get a stent, but was put on 40 miligrams of lipitor.
Dr. Smith the esophogeal specialist ordered a esophogeal motility test and a barium esophogeal test. These test showed I had a weak esophagus, and the sphincter was not closing. A weak esophagus can not take a large amount of heavy food, hamburgers, large plates of potatoes, etc. It will cause pressure on the esophagus and severe pain. In addition to the nexium. Dr. Smith put me on carafate suspension for six weeks. Though I had a heart blockage, the pain was coming from the large amounts of food I ate during the day. A week esophagus can not take the pressure of a normal esophagus. You need to see both an esohogeal specialist and a cardiologist. Since I changed my diet, and take my medications faithfully, I no longer have chest pain.
Please take action immediately. You don't need to live with this pain. Good luck. Betty 899

I have many of the same symptoms as several of those on this page. Major chest pain, irregular heartbeat, occasional stabbing pain in left side of chest only, stomach acid that builds up so much I can taste it. I've tried all the OTC medicines for heartburn and none work well. The only things I found to feel better from mild onsets on up are... try some milk and eat crackers to absorb the acid....sit or stand up and lean forward so the air pockets in the intestines and stomach can escape... force myself to throw up then do the milk and crackers... I'm 39 years old 6'1" and 230 lbs which is definitely over weight and even though fairly athletic, should expect health problems based on my size and consumption habits. Every time an episode happens to me, it scares the **** out of me and I have my wife on high alert with phone in hand if I go down. I've also been to Doc and did the stress tests and meds which changed nothing for me. I've found that Dr. House type experiments are not for me. Listening to others with the same symptoms is a very valuable tool and I appreciate all of you that took time to let the rest of us know what you have gone through. Besides staying away from game night at Buffalo Wild Wings, the best tips I've found so far to help the onset of GERD for me is drinking a 16 oz glass of milk or water immediately before ALL meals and adding Potassium supplements to my diet. Thanks, Joe

what do you do to help with all this pain i have all the same feelings and so tried of this WHAT DO YOU DO

I AGREE I was diagnosed in May 2012 on same meds and still have all the pain. it REALLY SUCKS