GERD? cant' eat, heart palpitations, bloating, reflux

[pindy]

I have GERD but also other symptoms:
For about 4 months a noticed I would get more and more bloated after smaller and smaller meals. Feeling bloating, pressure and fullness right under my ribcage.
Then it got worse and I started to feel actual GERD symptoms, like burning, prickling, fullness in my throat after a meal, worse when lying down. Just like the Nexium commercial, like you have swallowed metal thumbtacks.
Then, it got so I could barely eat anything without more bloating and burning. "Bloat, Burn and Fart" I would call it. It would take about 4 hours to feel normal again.
Then the bloating got so bad that it triggered off a Vasovagal attack: viscious, terrifying spasms that felt like my heart was doing flip flops in my chest, skipping beats, or feeling like a water balloon shaking flopping in my chest. It would go on for hours, often waking me up. I would lay on the floor and shake and spasm, convinced I would die any moment.
I went to the ER: Reflux with esophogeal spasm. Heart checked out fine. Went on Prilosec. No more attacks, BUT....
I still can't eat: I have been living on Ensure and crackers of two weeks now, and have lost 7 pounds. If I even eat 4 spoonfulls of vegeatable soup or the like, I get hard bloating....like my intestines have stopped working. Like they are paralysed. I have to take enemas, massage my abdomen, etc, to try to clear out my gut.
Don't most people on Prilosec or the like just keep on eating a normal amount?
Any ideas out there???? Thanks!!

[imvic46]

Pindy,
What kind of tests have you had run? I did exactly what you are doing and it turned out that I had Gerd and IBS. Once the symptoms of IBS constipation were being treated, the reflux and spasms stopped. I now take Nexium and Miralax every day. I wont waste your time spelling out my symptoms since they look exactly like yours. I would however suggest that you go to see a gastro doctor. I could not eat normal amounts of anything on Nexium alone. No enemas or laxatives were cleaning my colon the way the perscription medication has done. Do you find fibers hard to digest? Does it feel like you are still digesting food, or refluxing it hours after you have eaten? Do the spasms start within 15 min to half hour after you eat? Do you feel a little relief with the enema as far as spasms or reflux? It really sounds like you are dealing with more that one thing here. Let me know how it goes and good luck.
Vic

[Susanbrennan80]

please what does GERD mean

[pindy]

GERD: gastro esophogeal reflux disease
Thanks for replying...it really helps to hear from others; the doctors and the medical sites just don't have the detailed descriptions and information that are vital to finding out what the heck is going on!
When things were bad, I would bloat within minutes of eating even small amounts: 15 to 30 minutes could be the start of an attack, if I couldn't get it under control. antacids, Ativan, certain positions on the floor, tylenol, whatever.
Yes, several times now when the bloating would start in bad, several small enemas in a row would give about 40% relief and prevent a major attack.
The feeling of bloating is way down now that I have been on Prilosec for a week. Perhaps some of the feeling is related to the raw, burned tissue, or perhaps another aspect of the vagus nerve hypersensitivity.
One thing I just found helpful is that I was very dehydrated. I found Postum, Molasses and a little cream go down easily. I drank 3 in a row and started to feel better. It makes sense: the bowel contents will seize up if there is not enough liquid to move the stuff along.
I am not familiar with IBS; I'll look it up. Sounds nasty.
Thanks again for the info.

[Jizzle]

Hi Pindy,

You're not alone with your symptoms. You are describing the past 3 weeks that I've had. It's been a nightmare! So far, I've been diagnosed with inflamed bowels and gastritis; however, I'm still waiting for my biopsy report. My chest spasms have curbed in the last week and a half. But I know what you mean when you think you're about to die when you have that sensation. I didn't know that I was having chest spasms until my doctor told me. A couple of times, the bloating and pressure had gotten so bad in my stomach that I thought my stomach was going to burst!

In the last couple of weeks, I've been on Aciphex and I've been taking Phazyme for the boating. As far as eating goes, I've been eating very small meals (big lifestyle change for me). I've been drinking plenty of water, apple juice and grapefruit juice. My appetite has increased somewhat and I'm not as bloated as before.