Hi all,
I have been worrying myself sick. Yesterday I posted on the anxiety boards. Here's what's going on with me. I've been to several Dr's appts and the possible causes of my symptoms are: Anxiety, Acid Reflux, Thyroid, PAD, stomach ulcer(s), esophagal cancer. Yes, the last one scared me half to death. To be perfectly honest I really didn't give the acid reflux much thought. But after reading some of the posts I'm really wondering. I know that I am zoning in on the cancer. Can't help it though, it's terrifying to be told that... In November I started having a lump like feeling in my throat. Somedays the lump seemed quite large, others small and some days I did not have a lump at all. When the lump is large I get ringing in the ears or earaches. I get itchy, sometimes everywhere. Mostly on my face, neck and head. More of a skin crawling feeling. Sometimes on my stomach or back as well. I have pins and needles in my arms and hands several times a day. (I do get them in my legs, however was told they were caused by my vericose veins.) I wake up like this every morning. Bad upper back aches, I cannot sleep on my back. Started snoring about a year ago. I do get heartburn, but not all of the time. Certain things I know I have to stay away from or it is severe. Spicy foods, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, peppers, onions etc. The absolute worst culprit is most alcohol. No mixed fruity drinks. Is it the juice, the alcohol or both? I can one day have a beer and be fine and another time I can drink a few sips and have horrid heartburn. I'm just avoiding all of it right now. I have had blood work done and several appts. Thyroid, PAD and others have been ruled out. Anxiety is still a possibility. I am going in for an EGD as soon as my referral goes through.(Been waiting over two weeks, hope it's soon) For those of you that that have acid reflux please, please help. I am so worried. Also I read a post about antibiotics making reflux worse. I few weeks ago I was given the Z-Pak for a bacterial infection. I had the worst diarrhea I have had in a long time. (I've taken it before with no issues.) I'm just searching for some answers. The not knowing is the worst!!!!!!!!!

Hi Azrose,

Welcome :)

Let me first say - that I am very sorry for your suffering. Being sick and not knowing WHAT is wrong, I feel, is one of the most difficult things to go through.

MANY of your symptoms sound like GERD or LPR (a type of reflux) - have you tried at all Pepcid A/C, Zantac, Prilosec OTC, etc. for any length of time to see if it helps your symptoms at all? You could do that while you wait for your EGD so that you can at least see if you get some relief. That may help your stress level a bit.

Also, do you have an anxiety medication (Valium, Xanax, etc.) - perhaps when you get really upset you could try that to see if that helps.

I hope you get answers and RELIEF soon!

PS: Zithromax (Z-Pack) does that to me EVERY time I take it. Also, whenever I have to take a Pack - my relfux is always worse for a week or so after.

Vanessa

Hi Azrose,

I suffer from both anxiety and LPR. I think the anxiety feeds the LPR and the LPR definitely feeds the anxiety. I get the lump in my throat sometimes too, and then it will go away. What I try to tell myself is if it was cancer, the lump wouldn't come and go. I don't really worry about the cancer. I just get the feeling sometimes like my throat is swelling very bad, that about puts me into a panic attack. If I take a Xanax then I realize most of that sensation goes away and my throat just feels a little swollen and sore. It does always seem to affect at least one ear though. My GP said it is referred pain, meaning that the nerves are all attached, so your throat can hurt from the acid but that can also affect the nerve to your ears. Makes sense when you think about it. Problem is, its hard to think logically when you feel like you might be taking your last breath. I'm really about convinced that my symptoms are not as bad as I think they are, but I concentrate on them so much and dread them so much, that the anxiety makes them worse than they really are. It is very exhausting. When my ENT diagnosed me with it, he put a scope in my nose to my throat just to look and said that is what is was. He said alot of people with LPR don't even feel the acid come up into their throat, which I didn't ever feel it, just the burning sensation afterward. I also get a swollen feeling from my nose to my throat and it burns a little, just enough to let you know it is there. I guess that may be post nasal drip. There seems to be alot of symptoms to LPR, I hope you find your answer soon so you can get on the right meds.

I suffered from both anxiety and acid reflux. The acid reflux was the initial cause of my anxiety. I didn't know I had acid reflux and I would continuously get this pressure in my chest and then I would find it hard for me to breathe. This would be magnified if I drank the night before. One day I had a major anxiety attack at work where I thought I was about to have a heart attack. I rushed to my doctors who did tests on me and gave me some antacid. The next day I had a stress test and blood work. The tests all came back negative. I was suffering from anxiety from stress at work and at home tied in with my acid reflux is what made this major episode occur. I took anxiety medication for a couple of months and it has subsided for now. Every morning and night I take Zantac for my acid reflux, which has made a very enormous difference.

I also suffered from constant throat swelling, which was a result of the acid reflux.

Chris

Okay, I think you are freaking out. This is totally normal if you don't feel well and don't know why. Trust me, I have been there! Anyhow, it sounds to me like mostly anxiety with all the symptoms you have posted. Try to relax and wait for your doctor's appointments to rule things out. Hang in there, you will feel better soon!