LPR Acid Reflux or Something Else? I'm Scared! - Acid Reflux / GERD Message Board

AngieBaby77 · 06-20-2008, 12:17 PM

Hi everyone,

(I posted this on the Digestive Disorders board first because somehow I overlooked this board which is where this post should be)

I am currently seeing a regular doc and an ENT. Recently I began having trouble swallowing, like there is a lump in my throat. My regular doctor says "globulus hystericus" from anxiety, however Xanax and Prozac has not made this go away. My ENT says "reflux" and put me on Prevacid which I've been on for two weeks now. I don't have heartburn and have researched this and think I may have LPR instead.

However, I do have severe health anxiety. Basically, I feel like I have something life threatening. I am scared I have a tumor or cancer. I am 30 years old and smoked and drank from the age of 15 to the age of 29 which is almost 15 years. I feel like I'm waiting for a death sentence.

Anyway, the doctors don't seem to think so. ENT wants me to take 30 mg Prevacid every morning for a month then come in. If no improvement he may send me for a barium swallow.

I am scared because I feel like they are ignoring me and being slow. Why do I feel this way? It's like a lump/stuck sensation in my lower throat area in the center above where the collarbones meet. It seemed to get better a little but now it is back with severity.

Does this sound like LPR? Does anyone else struggle with this? I am afraid I have something bad wrong with me. I'm losing lots of weight but apparently this is a Prozac side effect which I just started a week or two ago.

I am miserable. I have followup appointments in July. I feel like my doctors think I'm a hypochondriac and I am determined not to bug them until my appointment and hope I can get some advice here.

Thanks,
Angie

AngieBaby77 · 06-21-2008, 07:36 AM

Having a very rough time of it...sometimes it seems this "stuck lump" feeling wanes in severity then comes back. I am so scared I have cancer but no one else thinks so.

If I had cancer it wouldn't get better and worse, it would just get worse, right??? I am tired of being scared. I am tired of feeling bad. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

mrlpr · 06-21-2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngieBaby77

Having a very rough time of it...sometimes it seems this "stuck lump" feeling wanes in severity then comes back. I am so scared I have cancer but no one else thinks so.

If I had cancer it wouldn't get better and worse, it would just get worse, right??? I am tired of being scared. I am tired of feeling bad. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Chill! Give the prevacid some time to work. Make sure you are on a day/night dose for at least a couple of months -- you should be seeing some improvement. Many time you'll need upwards of six months of 2x day therapy to clear it up.

It's very stubborn, and its important you keep cool and don't fret about it -- trust me, it only makes it worse.

Also, make sure you don't start and stop the PPI -- that will make the symptoms a lot worse. When you are ready to get off them, make sure you taper down -- cut your dose down over a 4-6 week period and liberally use zantac 2x day several months after that. Stopping cold causes rebound acid which can make your symptoms worse than ever.

Finally, if prevacid doesn't work, try nexium or even otc prilosec 2x. Often, one ppi works when another doesn't.

Good luck.

AngieBaby77 · 06-21-2008, 12:36 PM

My ENT says Prevacid 30 mg one time per day in the morning...should I call him and tell him he's wrong and I should be taking it twice per day? Is 30 mg twice per day too much should it be 15 twice per day?

This is the only doctor that will take my financial aid so I can't get a second opinion.

I just want to know for sure what is wrong with me. If they could just look down there and say, "no you don't have cancer" I could relax a lot more. I am so frustrated and scared.

TEdds83 · 06-21-2008, 09:13 PM

Hello Angie, Try not to panic. I know how you feel. I worry like you, that I have something serious or life threatening. But worrying doesn't make it any better, it only makes it worse. Try to let the meds work. You will feel better. I didn't think mine would work but after a few days I felt remarkably better. I am still battle reflux and probably always will the rest of my life. My goal is to get it under control. I had that lump in the throat for days. I just couldn't swallow the gunk. Then I thought I couldn't breathe. But the meds helped so much. Try to relax. It will get better!