Silent Reflux, difficulty swallowing, tiredness.

[LittleLionMan]

I don't know if anyone can relate to any of this, but it's causing me huge problems!

I have had a bad time of it lately, starting with a sore throat, lethargy and dizziness a few months back.

The doctors didn't take it seriously initially, basically saying I'm an anxious person with a sore throat, but one commented it could be glandular fever, blood work including a mono spot test showed no glandular fever and no other problems in my blood work. Turns out, from them looking at me properly, and looking back at a scope I had done 2 years ago, that it will be a more severe reoccurrence of silent reflux. I have tried Omeprazole so far, and had a reaction to it, (it did the same to me 2 years ago).

It quite frankly is hell. I have no appetite, dropped 3 stone in the last 3 months, don't have the energy to do anything making my agoraphobia pretty crippling, (I haven't been anywhere in the last 2 months) I get tired and dizzy to a point where my eyes sting. I have to force food down me, as it hurts and painfully grinds past my adams area, although I think this could partly be me getting anxious when trying to eat, I'm going dizzy and disoriented so I won't even hold my little nephew anymore incase I collapse, I am constantly thinking and worrying about my throat to the point where I can't concentrate on anything else, including my work.

It's literally destroying me, if anyone has similar, or has any advice, it would be great to hear from you.

Cheers, Phil.

[cjemc]

I don't know if anyone can relate to any of this, but it's causing me huge problems!

I have had a bad time of it lately, starting with a sore throat, lethargy and dizziness a few months back.

The doctors didn't take it seriously initially, basically saying I'm an anxious person with a sore throat, but one commented it could be glandular fever, blood work including a mono spot test showed no glandular fever and no other problems in my blood work. Turns out, from them looking at me properly, and looking back at a scope I had done 2 years ago, that it will be a more severe reoccurrence of silent reflux. I have tried Omeprazole so far, and had a reaction to it, (it did the same to me 2 years ago).

It quite frankly is hell. I have no appetite, dropped 3 stone in the last 3 months, don't have the energy to do anything making my agoraphobia pretty crippling, (I haven't been anywhere in the last 2 months) I get tired and dizzy to a point where my eyes sting. I have to force food down me, as it hurts and painfully grinds past my adams area, although I think this could partly be me getting anxious when trying to eat, I'm going dizzy and disoriented so I won't even hold my little nephew anymore incase I collapse, I am constantly thinking and worrying about my throat to the point where I can't concentrate on anything else, including my work.

It's literally destroying me, if anyone has similar, or has any advice, it would be great to hear from you.

Cheers, Phil.

Is the reflux making you agoraphobic? Have you not left the house in 2 months? I am the same, apart from work I haven't been anywhere since 2015 :( And its all because I keep retching/dry heaving.

[LittleLionMan]

I was agoraphobic before this, but was getting out and about and really feeling like I had broken it before this struck me. It's horrendous. I don't really get nausea, what causes that for you?

[cjemc]

I was agoraphobic before this, but was getting out and about and really feeling like I had broken it before this struck me. It's horrendous. I don't really get nausea, what causes that for you?

I don't know why I get this retching/heaving? It's been 5 years now so its unlikely to be anything serious. It is horrific though.

[LittleLionMan]

That is strange, I heave a couple of times, sometimes in the morning before I get my day started. Think it's apprehension for me. I've just got a full throat feeling at the minute. Can't believe it's only reflux like the doctor says. It's horrific. Have you tried just daring it to happen? Going somewhere where you don't care what people think and seeing if it still happens?

[Sparkling_Fairy]

I can't tell you how much I hate silent reflux. Because as much as I can understand it's that, if you're not getting the acidity it's hard to know it's happening.
All last night and today, I had the feeling that my throat was being squeezed and I had a hard time breathing. And I didn't by the way, I could breathe just fine. But the feeling was there. Couldn't swallow anything and occasionally felt like I might gag. All the way, all day long, having small burps. Which always cleared the feeling for a few seconds, before it came back.
After a couple of antacids and a lot of water, the feeling is now gone and my burps have become less. But burping is always a sure way for me to tell it's reflux.
But sometimes the feeling is so overwhelming and the burps follow so much later, that you just don't know what it is.

[LittleLionMan]

Ah see, this is where I'm even more lucky, I can't burp! Haha! I get an intense gargling in my throat and just builds up as pressure. It's horrible. I can eat, but I have to force it down, and I'm never hungry! I don't really feel worse after I eat though, it just randomly decides to strangle me, it's like a fullness in my throat, as if my tongue is swollen at the back. I picked up a prescription of Ranitidine today, so going to start taking that. I hate taking new meds though, always wonder what they will do to me after reacting to omeprazole! Do you take anything for it?

[Sparkling_Fairy]

No, I don't take anything for it. Can you not force yourself to burp? It doesn't usually come out automatically with me, I just make the movement to make myself burp and loosen the gas.
I probably should take something for it, but I don't have it when my anxiety has been gone for a few weeks. And I also don't like taking new medication.
So I'm hoping I'm on the way down again with my anxiety and this stomach stuff will stop soon.

[LittleLionMan]

Sorry, haven't been on for a few days.

No, I never have been able to burp. I don't know if I did as a child, I've never thought to ask my parents. I haven't reacted to this medication, but it doesn't seem to be helping. The doctor isn't concerned, she worried me when she said 'there's no signs of cancer yet' but that must of been a slip of the tongue! I was getting her to check all the things that had been playing on my mind, so we had a bit of a joke about it all and what a worrier I am. I find it so hard to believe anxiety can be this relentless and painful. I never get any let up. Even when I'm not feeling anxious I still struggle to eat, that's my main concern, and the pain and discomfort after I eat. I haven't failed to eat anything yet, as I don't want to go down that road.