Diagnose my symptoms doc...?

Question

I'm currently seeing a doctor but I would like any input or advice you have. The doctor told me I have acid reflux disease (gerd) ... but my symptoms are that I have all kinds of saliva production and I can't always swallow it because I feel like I swallow too much air and then I feel pressure in my throat. I have difficulty swallowing because my throat feels very tight or narrow. If I eat anything crispy like a tortilla chip or some bacon my throat hurts for hours until days.

Answer 1

Check and see if youre sporting a fever, its a longshot but it sounds a little like Strep Throat. Check out Webmd.com too, that may help diagnose symptoms.

Answer 2

there is a disease that is often diagnosed as GERD it is called E.E. or eosinophilic esophogitis. I only know of it because my son has it. mild cases of it mimic GERD but it cant be diagnosed without an upper endoscopy with biopsy. It can cause ( and 9 times out of 10 will cause) narrowing of the esophogus, symptoms can be a wide range of things. for instance my sons symptoms were vomiting but his was moderate to severe. mild symptoms could be~ difficulty swallowing, burning sensation, chest pains, cough after eating, nausea, pressure like you swallowed air...its a thought...it is often misdiagnosed as Gerd and if untreated could cause the need for esophogus stretching and causes weak spots in the esophogus that could result in a hole or barrett's disease. Our family doctor didnt know about the disease until our son was diagnosed by a specialist and it took a year of talking to get exploratory testing done. It can be treated by diet change and meds. My suggestion to you is start a food diary and see if certain foods make it worse. Then take it to your doctor. E.E. can be diagnosed in adults as well as children.

Answer 3

Did the Dr. give you or tell you to take Zantec or Prilosec? you can buy them over the counter or the Dr. can give you a prescription for a stronger dose. Try them for a few weeks. If no better you need an upper GI series, and a more through workup. GERD symptoms are a burning in your esophagus due to reguration of stomach acids especially when laying down.

Answer 4

Believe me, you do have acid reflux disease. The causes of your throat hurting when you swallow is that your esophagus is damaged, burned from the acid and it has shrunk, making swallowing more difficult. I lost my singing voice that way. I still have it, but try to keep it under control...however, I'm not fortunate enough to be able to afford 'real meds' for it, only Rolaids now.

It is difficult for me to swallow as well and I have the exact symptoms. There are many, many times when I'll bend over to do something and the acid literally chokes me. Do not be surprised if you have a chronic cough with it. It can't be helped; however, if you follow your doctors advice and take your meds, you'll gradually be relieved of that feeling because your esophagus will heal.

Answer 5

it sounds like GERD. the feeling of swallowing air could be from the fact that your sphincter connecting your esophagus and your stomach is unable to always stay closed when it needs to be. tortilla chips and bacon are both oily foods which can worsen GERD symptoms (also spicy foods can do this too).
other symptoms of GERD include metalic taste in the mouth, pain in the chest (like heartburn) or in your throat, blood in your saliva, increased saliva, increased symptoms when you eat certain foods...

according to your symptoms...you might have been prescribed ranitidine or somethign more intense like omeprazole (losec) or rabeprazole (pariet). take them regularly and see if it does any good. depending on how good they work for you, it may take weeks for your sphincter to heal itself..then you'll know if it really was GERD or not!

Answer 6

Have they done an upper gastrointestinal (gi) test on you? You may have scarring in your esophagus that is causing the tightness or narrowing. You could also have a herniated esophagus. Only way to tell for certain is to have the testing done. If you do have either of the above, there are going to be certain foods that you have to avoid.

Answer 7

Well, you can get an ultrasound and probably other tests done to make sure you don't have gallstones, so get those tests done if you haven't already. But IBS does not have any definitive test, it is just pretty much a deduction of other things. They test you for things you COULD have, but if you don't have any of them, they pretty much just ASSUME you have IBS. I "have" it, because all of my tests came back normal.

Answer 8

What the doctor diagnosed as your problem is probably right. GERD maybe exhibited with heartburn, nausea or vomiting. Prilosec( OTC) is usually efffective to combat this. also the other medicine is Nexium to relieve the erosion of the esophagus brought on by Gerd.


Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known as acid reflux disease, occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) does not close properly and stomach contents leak back, or reflux, into the esophagus.

What is Acid Reflux Disease?

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Acid reflux disease occurs when stomach acid regularly escapes into the esophagus. A common symptom is heartburn. Persistent, frequent (2 or more days a week) heartburn, despite use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and diet changes, could be acid reflux disease (sometimes referred to as GERD – gastroesophageal reflux disease). It's a condition that could get progressively worse if left untreated.
Can it cause other symptoms?
Acid reflux disease can cause a number of symptoms in addition to heartburn, including:
Regurgitation – a bitter or sour taste at the back of your throat
Belching, bloating and early satiety (feeling full too soon) –
acid reflux disease may be associated with these symptoms
Nausea and/or vomiting

Gerd Treatment Options


The goals of treatment are: To bring the symptoms under control so that the individual feels better; heal the esophagus of inflammation or injury; manage or prevent complications such as Barrett's esophagus or stricture; and maintain the symptoms of GERD in remission so that daily life is unaffected or minimally affected by reflux.

A diagnosis of GERD should be made by a physician. The disease can usually be diagnosed based on the presentation of symptoms alone. GERD can occur, however, with no apparent symptoms. Diagnostic tests may be used to confirm or exclude a diagnosis or to look for complications such as inflammation, stricture, or Barrett's esophagus.

GERD is a recurrent and chronic disease for which long-term medical therapy is usually effective. It is important to recognize that chronic reflux does not resolve itself. There is not yet a cure for GERD. Long-term and appropriate treatment is necessary.

Treatment options include lifestyle modifications, medications, surgery, or a combination of methods. Over-the-counter preparations provide only temporary symptom relief. They do not prevent recurrence of symptoms or allow an injured esophagus to heal. They should not be taken regularly as a substitute for prescription medicines—they may be hiding a more serious condition. If needed regularly, for more than two weeks, consult a physician for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Lifestyle Modifications

Lifestyle modifications involve avoidance of factors that may aggravate symptoms, such as dietary changes or changes in daily routine. Diet does not cause GERD. Nevertheless, gastroesophageal reflux and its most frequent complaint of heartburn can be aggravated by foods. Certain medications can aggravate symptoms. Disclose the use of any medications to your physician.

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest behind the breastbone. If you have this symptoms, there are a number of things that you may be doing that promote gastroesophageal reflux and cause you to experience heartburn.


Position - Gravity plays an important role in controlling reflux. Those of us who have a less than perfect lower esophageal sphincter (LES) find that if we lie down after a large meal, food comes back into the esophagus and heartburn occurs. If you experience heartburn, think whether it occurs after meals, when you lie in bed at night, or if you take a nap after a meal. Maintaining an upright posture until the meal is digested may prevent the heartburn. If heartburn occurs regularly at night, consider raising the head of the bed or inserting a triangular wedge to keep your esophagus above the stomach. Avoid exertion after a meal. It contracts the abdominal muscles and forces food through a weakened sphincter. This is especially true of tasks that require bending such as lifting or cleaning the floor.



How you eat - How is perhaps more important than what you eat. A large meal will empty slowly from the stomach and exert pressure on the LES. A snack at bedtime is well positioned to reflux when you lie down. It is best to eat early in the evening so that the meal is digested at bedtime. You might try having the main meal at noon and a lighter one at dinnertime. All meals should be eaten in relaxed stress-free surroundings. Trips to the kitchen to fetch food or the performance of other tasks such as minding children should be suspended during, and for a time after, eating. Smaller meals and an upright, relaxed posture should help minimize reflux.

What you eat - Certain foods compromise the sphincter's ability to prevent reflux, and are best avoided before retiring or exertion. These differ from person to person, but many recognize fats, onions, and chocolate as particularly troublesome. Alcohol often provokes heartburn, by compromising the LES, irritating the esophagus, and by stimulating stomach acid production. Common beverages such as coffee (both caffeinated and decaffeinated), tea, cola, tomato juice, and citrus juice may aggravate symptoms by irritating the esophagus or stimulating stomach acid production. Certain other foods may bother some people; upon their discovery a period of avoidance or reduction may be of benefit.

Some oral medications such as potassium supplements or the antibiotic tetracycline will burn if allowed to rest in the esophagus. To be safe, one should always swallow medication in the upright position and wash it down with lots of water.



Other factors - Being overweight can promote reflux. Excess abdominal fat puts pressure on the stomach and the loss of even a moderate amount of weight makes many people feel better. Pregnancy is often troubled by heartburn, particularly in the first three months. Certain hormones appear to weaken the LES, and the increasingly crowded abdomen encourages reflux. Generally, if there has not been too much weight gain, a woman's heartburn improves after delivery. Stress or strong emotion can also influence heartburn.

Antacids may temporarily relieve heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid. Other over-the-counter drugs that reduce acid production are available for short term and occaisional relief of heartburn.