Is this heavy crushing feeling acid?

[NancyK.]

Hello all,

Please tell me if you know.

Every single morning, for the last 3.5 months, I wake up with a heavy, crushing feeling on my chest. When I stand up and get ready to go to work or whatever, the heaviness becomes lighter, but it's still there all day long. It has become a permanent fixture in my life -- whether I'm on a PPI or not, whether I take Gavascon before bedtime or not, whether I sleep 6 inches elevated or not.

Is acid causing this feeling? Is my esophagus "aching" because when I sleep acid is rolling up into it?

If so, then I am on a fastlane to Barrett's esophagus aren't I?

Please respond.

[Dante]

Hi Nancy,

On the other thread you asked for my story, so here it is in a nutshell. I am also vegetarian (for 5 years) and have struggled with GERD for about one and a half years. It started back in July of 2001 with constant bloating and burping (no heartburn) which lasted about 6 months and gradually went away with each passing week and with the help of a 1 month Rx of Prevacid. I considered myself "cured" by the following July and only had very minor burping after a meal. Then this past August of 2002 I got the infamous lump feeling in my throat, then a month later I had almost constant shortness of breath and began to get heartburn and chest pressue much more often than I used to. After another Rx of Prevacid (30mg 1x day) I felt better but not 100%. Then about a four weeks ago I came down with a severe sore throat and throat tightness along with post nasal drip, all of which made it difficult to swallow. After being switched to Prilosec 40mg 2x day and taking Rhinocort nasal spray I feel much better, probably at about 90%. However I still get occasional heartburn and minor throat irritation. I am going in for my Upper GI endoscopy results this Monday. The doctor did say I had esophagitis, minor gastritis and throat inflammation due to acid. Since this started I have lost about 55 pounds (I'm 6" 2;

I have been watching what I eat, I know that chocolate is a trigger as well as nuts such as cashews and peanuts (I love cashews :( ) but I really wasn't eating a lot of these before all this started (hardly at all). I have given up soda and high citrus content food and beverages. I also do not eat dairy foods (I gave that up when I went veggie). I had always considered myself fairly mellow but since GERD hit me I have been stressed to the max (probably making it worse?).

In your other post you mentioned you did have the lump feeling and belching but they don't "bother" you anymore. Does this mean that you do not have those symptoms now or that they are still there but you aren't phased by them?

I wouldn't worry about Barrett's because you said your scope was clean. The stats say that about 10% of people with severe GERD will develop Barrett's and the people most at risk are white men over the age of 40.

I hope you feel better soon.

[beaner]

Get this worked up. You need tests to rule out cardiac etiology.

Beaner

[NancyK.]

You wrote: In your other post you mentioned you did have the lump feeling and belching but they don't "bother" you anymore. Does this mean that you do not have those symptoms now or that they are still there but you aren't phased by them?

I wouldn't worry about Barrett's because you said your scope was clean. The stats say that about 10% of people with severe GERD will develop Barrett's...

Hi Dante,

I'm sorry you too are going through this at our age. Not that anyone should at any age...

The lump in the throat feeling went on for about a month, even though I was taking Zantac and later Prevacid with Gaviscon/Maalox. I know lump in the throat feeling is supposed to be a sign of acid in the throat, but I always found it odd that I was on all these meds, including ones like Maalox, which are supposed to wash out the acid from your esophagus, right? And yet my lump continued.

At this time, I was VERY VERY upset about my condition and in a lot of fear. I was anxious and depressed and irritable regularly. I was also in a state of nonacceptance of my condition.

I learned to ignore the lump, since it wasn't painful, just annoying and I stopped eating foods that made me feel like there's something stuck in there, you know?

BUT, the good news is, when I became calmer, more accepting of my health, and lessened my fear and anxiety (which isn't easy) the lump did in fact go away on its own. So that is why I think lumps, sometimes, are a symptom of anxiety not acid.

My young dentist apparently also felt a lump in his throat when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He told me he was very anxious and scared at that time and that was when the lump started. The cancer was cured. He doesn't have the lump anymore either.

Did that answer your question?

I have a question now: do you get the same crushing chest heaviness every morning you wake up too? Do you think it's acid backing up into the esophagus that is causing my chest heaviness? )Why haven't others responded to me;( )

NancyK.