Hi, new here w/ chest pain - Acid Reflux / GERD Message Board

tscorpio72 · 08-17-2007, 06:55 AM

I've posted this on other boards, but want to make sure I get it on the right board.
I've had severe chest pain that started 4 years ago, when I was 30 years old. I got it once a month, which made me wonder if it's related to hormones changing (progesterone?). After doing a lot of research I began to think that they are esophageal spasms. It feels like a contraction under my sternum, right in the center of my chest. It lasts a few minutes, and returns every few minutes. This can go on for like 4 hours or more. It's usually at night. I wake up with it a lot. It feels like a heart attack, and radiates up to my neck/jaw. It seems to hurt more if I lay down or talk. So I usually just pace back and forth all night long until it goes away. Oh, and I have a terrible chronic cough. I've been to all sorts of doctors, who basically like to give me meds like Nexium for GERD and antidepressants! I'm not depressed. If anything makes me anxious or depressed, it's the fact that no doctor seems to take me seriously. I've tried everything the dr's gave me, from Protonix to Xanax. Nothing helps at all! I KNOW something is wrong! I've had a CXR, gallbladder u/s, upper endoscopy, and heart echo. Just showed some acid in my stomach, and MVP. I'm afraid that something serious is happening and nobody is catching it. I'm pregnant now, and so far the pains have been very mild when I get them. I even skipped a month. So again....I'm thinking hormones must trigger these spasms. But after I have the baby, I'm hoping to find another dr. who can help me. They all kind of just give me this blank stare when I tell them my story. I'm so glad I found these message boards. t's nice to see that I'm not alone, and maybe someone out there found some answers and can share them with us.

sammyo1 · 08-19-2007, 05:19 PM

I don't normally go on this board just surfing alittle but I do have gerd and have went through the whole crap with doctors to, depression, yea right, only by the time your done trying to get a doctor to help you depression can be a real issue, so I get that same feeling, as I said I do have gerd/acid reflux, but other things also, sometimes muscle spasms or back problems can bring on this type of feeling. If your preganant now perhaps trying to raise the head of the bed(a few inches put the frame on boards) if reflux maybe that will help, ask you doc about chewable papaya tablets or ginger root, I took those when I was pregnant but that was 15 yrs ago, I will tell you the rule about not eating after 6:00 pm really makes a differance,like it or not, & I am a nighttime eater. Had ended me up in ER with cardiac symptoms. So watch that, & yes it is worse for me lying down. As I said I have other issues with muscle spasms & I swear the other problems I am having is making the refux worse. good Luck, Sammy

Red60 · 08-19-2007, 06:50 PM

Sorry I don't have any solutions for you but I find your story very interesting. You usually hear of women having more difficulty during pregnacy. I would recommend keeping a log to see if you can tie the hormonal events to your chest pain. If you find there is a pattern then bring the log and a 2x4 with you to the dr. It always helps to get their attention prior to giving them your history. BTW, there is some evidence that reproductive hormones can effect IBS. If that is true then I don't see why they couldn't be involved with acid reflux also.

I hope all goes well for you and the baby.