that's what me and the PCP are narrowing down to after every test under the sun except an endoscopy which i had years ago and probably need another. anyone else? and if so what is your treatment?

I believe I do but so far the drs havent said that.The only way I learned of them is from these boards.I have had them called "a bad reflux attack" ," a gallbladder attack" and just plain old results of acid reflux.I get them usually once a month or two.VERYpainful.I usually just suffer through,but after the last one(a week ago)I told my husband that I should ask my dr for some sort of painkiller or something,even though I hate pills.What do they feel like for you?Please update any meds you go on that help.
Heather

hi heather-----i have had reflux since i was 10 years old. have been on prevacid for about 5 years. in the last 2 years i have started to have attacks that create severe crippling pain in my jaw and neck that only last a few minutes but are horrible. they happen about every month or so pass quickly but then i am sick to the stomach and washes out. have had heart cleared by the cardio and TMJ ruled out by neuro and dentist. from what i understand these spasms can go all the way up to the back of your throat and tongue and are quite painful. since i have a history of stmach spasms from a child i can believe this as i remember them in my stomach being very painful. have been using nexium for a couple of weeks and have 2 more weeks of samples left. they have made no difference so i will go back to the prevacid. I am under alot of stress and have found myself clenching my teeth during the day i am so wound up i think that's what causes them is tension.

hi heather-----i have had reflux since i was 10 years old. have been on prevacid for about 5 years. in the last 2 years i have started to have attacks that create severe crippling pain in my jaw and neck that only last a few minutes but are horrible. they happen about every month or so pass quickly but then i am sick to the stomach and washes out. have had heart cleared by the cardio and TMJ ruled out by neuro and dentist. from what i understand these spasms can go all the way up to the back of your throat and tongue and are quite painful. since i have a history of stmach spasms from a child i can believe this as i remember them in my stomach being very painful. have been using nexium for a couple of weeks and have 2 more weeks of samples left. they have made no difference so i will go back to the prevacid. I am under alot of stress and have found myself clenching my teeth during the day i am so wound up i think that's what causes them is tension.


I started getting these spasms a few weeks ago...seems like every few weeks I develop a NEW or DIFFERENT symptom...first symptom was I COULDN"T STOP CLEARING MY THHROAT...after that...excessive saliva, throat tightening, lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing, and now the SPASMS...my Esophageal "area" feels tight, almost a pinching feeling...it goes into my neck and my jaw...it sometimes lasts quite long....it is extremely UNCOMFORTABLE to say the least, and VERY FRIGHTENING!

Has anyone found any type of a remedy to control this?

that's what me and the PCP are narrowing down to after every test under the sun except an endoscopy which i had years ago and probably need another. anyone else? and if so what is your treatment?

Without explaining the lengthy post I posted on 10/06/2006, you can find it by clicking on my screen name. It's in the thread entitled esophageal spasms.

My first esophageal spasm was in June 1990. Yes, 16 years ago. I think the post will help you alot. I sure wish I had the awesome info available to me then, that you can now get by reading personal experiences on the net! I learned by trial and error, along with my gastro.

what r the symptoms of esophageal spasms? and the reason why i has it?

JOG1151-----YES! OMG!! i have exactly the same symptoms as you. the throat clearing, lump, trouble swalllowing, drowning in saliva all started in May. the rest of it was there for a long time.

vickie306---- thanks i will look it up.

I have pretty much been recently diagnosed with GERD (taking perscription Prilosec). No GI tests -- yet, but the meds ain't working so my GP has told me that if my symptoms persist after my current perscription has run out she'll go ahead and order a barium swallow...thing. Anyway, one of my main symptoms is recurrent esophageal spasms.

E. Spasms are when the esophagus contracts as a result of the reflux, I believe. These can be incredibly painful, like heart attack-painful. Off and on for a few months I've been waking up in the middle of the night with mild/moderate upper back/rib pain which would last at most twenty minutes before I could get back to sleep. Then, a few weeks ago, I was struck with such severe chest pain I could hardly breath, I was sweating like crazy, and very hot. My mum rushed me to the ER where, after quite a few tests, they ruled out heart problems and guessed it was reflux. The pain itself went away about fifteen minutes after we arrived there. >>

E. Spams usually don't last a long time. I haven't had one as bad as the one I described above since but I am still plagued by the 'smaller' milder ones, which are really painful anyway. Generally whenever these happen I take some antacid like Mylanta or even pop some Tylenol, which helps to a degree.

I hate these things darnit.

yes they are horrible, I agree. The last one left me with 12 hours of terrible chest pain that bore thru my back. Traveled up my left jaw, down my left arm. Your basic classic heart attack symptoms. I kept telling myself all thru the nite that it was just a very very bad spasm, (I have a 16 year history of them, have had cardiovascular workups, etc.) but by 8am the next morning I was as pale as a corpse and still in moderate pain.

I called my internist and he told me to go to ER anyway. They treated me in ER as if I were a heart attack patient. All the protocols....including 24 hour hospital monitoring with battery of tests. Diagnosis......severe esophageal spasm brought on by loaded baked potato soup from Logan's steakhouse! LOL

They even did ultrasounds of my gallbladder, liver and pancreas to rule out problems there.

So yes, these spasms can be very debilitating. The worst one was this past summer though by far. Suffice it to say baked potato soup has been added to my list of known antagonists!!

Hi just a question, does it also cause a sudden nerve pinched like feeling in the side of the neck? up to the base of the head? I seem to have that feeling.. it somehow is the same to the feeling of lightning feeling in the chest. :confused:

chikkie----yes i also have that feeling but having a relly bad neck with a pinched nerve i have put the feeling on that.



vickie306----potatoe soup? ok i do understand these spasms somewhat now and am glad i am not "nuts' they do exist and are crippling but what i cannot figure out is everytime i have had a really bad on (just starting to realize i have lesser ones at times) I am doing nothing. the first one i was watching my daughter parade bikinis for a trip to south beach.not eating, drinking, nothing. have be woken out of a dead sleep with them. the last one that brought me to the ER i was on the phone. again not eating or drinking. any thoughts?

ICC:confused:

If you're really concerned you should see a doctor. However I can sympathize with you -- whenever these come along I am either asleep or sitting on the couch/inactive, not eating or drinking or anything at all, really. It might just be 'normal' with this disorder (or for people who have spasms as a symtpom). In fact now that I think about it, I've never had a spasm during/directly after eating or drinking something.

jE23---I have seen several dr.s in the past 8 months since this started. my PCP, 2 ENT's, a neuro, cardio, spine specialist as i have a very bad neck. oh and forgot the endo for a thyroid biopsy and an enlarged thyroid. all has been outruled until the neuro said he felt i had all the symptoms of esoph spasms. that was last thursday. i am not really concerned but would like something to settle the spasms down. left a message for my PCP and missed his call back so i am sure i'll have some help tomorrow. thanks for your concern.

I can't really say it's a pinching sensation in the neck. It's more of a radiating pain that moves up into the jaw. The classic heart symptoms.

Hot or cold liquid or air can bring them on. I don't drink extremely hot or cold beverages. In the dead of winter when the temp are in the 20's or below, I make sure I cover my mouth and nose with my glove before taking in a deep breath. Early on, I experienced some of my worst attacks with the hot/cold deal!!!

Bread, thicker chewy type meats like steak, spicey foods, rich food, caffeine, acidic foods and juices, can throw you into one as well. These are known antagonists. The attack can come on immediately or up to a few hours later.

But I have also been awakened by them out of the blue. Or just relaxing on the sofa watching tv. In all cases, though, the cause is either stomach acid that has splashed up into the esoph, or irritation caused by hard to swallow food i.e. bread, meat. One major thing esoph spasm sufferers have in common, is damage to the coating around the nerve endings in their esoph. Unfortunately these cannot be repaired once damaged by meds or surgery.

But speaking as a 16 year veteran of this condition. You can lead a very normal, happy productive life. You just need to be committed to a lifestyle change of what you eat, when you eat, wardrobe modification and medical management. For me, making those changes was a "no brainer". I think most here would agree with that one! LOL

When something does trigger one though, my medical management consists of xanax .5mg. If within 10-15 minutes that has not stopped the spasm, (which it does, except for the 3 times one landed me in the ER) you chase it with a GI cocktail. That definitely does the trick.

hi vickie---being a diabetic i eat really healthy. i have my moments but 95% of the time i am good. have had acid reflux since a child so i don't eat fried, greasy foods. and tomatoe products rip me up. don't drink carbonated drinks at all and only have an alcoholic drink on occassion. i do smoke and have tried numerous times to quit and have lost it. i never noticed a lessening of symptoms even when i have quit for 1 year. i took a round of steroids for an injury in may and had that followed by some nsaids. plus the overwlming stress i have be under i don't think helped. the speech therapist in on my last test told me to make sure i take all meds with a full drink of water not a swallow. well i have done the swallow enough to get them down for years os i think the were probably all dissolving in my esophagus. dr. just prescribed bentyl for me to be used for spasms. the smoking has to go and i know it but it is so hard. also working on some positve wasy to deal with th stress. don't knowif any of this will help but i will try anything i cna to at least get this under control. thanks for your help.


ICC:wave: