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[jessieblue]

Hi Ladies.  Im struggling really badly once again!  My anxiety had settled a bit and now its come back with a sting in its tail!!  I have been getting more acid reflux.  I know I am obsessing about it.  I am on meds for it anyway but just a low dose and I started to get it again daily.  I get so stressed as soon as I feel that burn up from my tummy.  I spend most of the day waiting and fearing it happening.  Then if it does I panic.  I have now gone up to 20mg omeprazole per day again.  I was on 10mg.  I am still getting weird symptoms but not sure how much is anxiety.  I seem to feel every twinge and movement in my guts.  At night I go to sleep fine but wake and feel a lump in the throat and the feeling of something creeping up my throat.  Although not necessarily acid!  I get a cold burning feeling in my throat and mouth.  The anxiety is terrible.  I sleep propped right up.  The bed is lifted and i have loads of pillows.  I wake think about it and then feel it and cannot get back to sleep.  I feel so crazy right now.  I had a scope 6 years ago and have just booked to see gastro again next week.  Im petrified.  I have emetophobia and am terrified of the scope.  I know I have to have it done.  Im so scared and down.  When will this end.  I honestly feel my life is not worth living anymore.  I have no quality and never go out or do anything.  I just survive one hour at a time.  Can anyone relate to any of this?  I feel pretty desperate just now and am running out of options really. XX

[CLKD]

      Well as a fellow emitophobe no way would I be going 4 a scope!  Omeprazole doesn't always have the best results either!

You have your bed lifted. Extra pillows.  Why not use a simple over-the-counter product, I find that Rennies works really well.  Two chewed if symptoms threaten, usually happens to me in the early hours  and the reflux and excess saliva production settles.  If I eat something in the day that causes background feelings then I chew a couple so that I don't get symptoms in the night.  It really is about managing the condition.

Eating little and often helps me.  Also not eating too much at a time.  I have eaten grilled tomatoes on toast for lunch today and can feel background reflux ......... so will keep pottering about and if it doesn't ease will chew a Rennie.  Sometimes it takes 3 within a couple of hours to settle it.

As oestrogen levels drop so muscles may become lax which can cause hiatus hernia, 'common' in ladies of our age  . 

[AnnieR66]

That sounds like me a few months ago before starting hrt patches and ranitadine. I can't say it's cured but about 70% better.
A lot less throat clearing, no feeling of reflux but still with a taste of acid in the mouth. I feel your pain, it's awful as well as everything else we have to put up with!
I also have an acidophilus tablet every day and a multi digestive enzyme after my evening meal....not that I eat much!
I still get a salty taste every so often if anyone has any idea what that is about?!
I have tried everything I can think of but this is the best I have felt in a long time, sorry if you've tried all this already ! x

[Yammy1]

I have been taking lanzaprol 30mgs for years now and I'm still in agony acid and a pain in centre of chest between boobs, I have hiatus hernia which usually flares up now and again but for the past month or so it's constant, and its getting me down all I want to do is cry . I'm not sure if it's related but I'm constantly lightheaded and dizzy and I'm at my wits end. I'm afraid to leave the house for fear of passing out, I'm panicking all the time and so down I'm feeling what's the point of going on. I know I have low bloodpressure and have to take iron and I'm not sure if the iron is causing acid and pain but I have to take it. It'sexpensive to visit doc but even when I do she seems to put everything down to anxiety. She is anti ads but i really am desperate, I'm sitting here crying as I type I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired. Has anyone got a remedy for this dreaded dizziness

[CLKD]

Yammy - get your cervical spine X-rayed to see if there is pressure causing the 'dizziness'?  I have a nerve which when I turn my head makes me go 'oh!'.

Also, how is your diet?  Bland foods perhaps for 3 weeks?  Stop the Lanzaprol and go onto something over-the-counter as the gut can become used to medications.  Do you eat LIVE yoghurt?  Which will ease the gut from top to bottom.  Large spoonfuls several times daily, half an hour B4 food might help too.

[Yammy1]

Thank you CLKD, I eat little and often as I'm type two diabetic. It's just getting me down so much I'm losing the will to live , I am going to try getting an apointment with doc and insist on ads to give my mind and body a well deserved rest

[jessieblue]

Thank you ladies.  CLKD I have tried over the counter meds but my reflux is so bad it doesnt touch it.  Rennies do nothing and gaviscon advance helps a little but only for maybe an hour.  I tried coming off omeprazole a few times but I end up in such a state because the reflux will trouble me all day and night so I cannot do anything.  I cant bend down or run or exercise or anything as acid will float up.  Then I panic terribly because the feeling scares me so much.  I dont think I will ever be able to come off the drugs.  I guess I am addicted to them because I am too afraid of the acid to try.  I tried ranitidine but that doesnt quite hit it either.  The drugs scare me terribly and everyone keeps talking about how dangerous they are but when you have it badly and its anxiety related you dont have much choice really.

Yammy I had a lot of dizziness too.  I still get it sometimes.  I had a cervical spine and brain MRI which showed prolapsed discs in my neck the doctor thought was causing the dizziness.  In actual fact I think it was anxiety and the discs were a coincidental finding from an old injury but I could be wrong.  You could get it checked out to be sure.  I know how you feel.  All I have done is climb the walls and cry for the last 2 weeks.  This is no way to live is it.  I hope you get some help from the doctor. xx

[Yammy1]

Thank you jessieblue, I feel your  pain. We just have to believe it will all end some day, otherwise we ll go mad, will say it to do about having X-ray or Mri because I'm not willing to be fobbed off any more

[CLKD]

One doesn't get addicted to these types of medications so put that worry to 1 side.

Maybe you need to revise your diet?  Bland food stuffs little and often.  LIVE yoghurt to encourage good bacteria in the gut.  When do you swallow the antacid medication?  When I had IBS initially I had Colpermin peppermint capsules to ease upper gut wind - [which would probably cause reflux ] which I took within the hour of my main meals.  That didn't go down well with his family 'cos they are quite flexible about eating if and when, so I told them to treat me as they would a diabetic    .  I would take my own foodstuffs which I knew I could eat and eat it when I needed to do so.

Scrambled egg is supposedly good for us but when 'off' I can't face eggs except in cakes ;-). 

Perhaps put your diet down so that we can give more advice?  Ginger and garlic used to cause me indigestion but I don't have problems now and ginger is good for the gut.  It's such Trial and Error 

[dangermouse]

Please note that the PPIs (and Ranitidine even moreso) can cause anxiety as a side effect. Although my adrenaline surges are still bad at times they are nothing like how I felt when on Omeprazole etc. where I actually felt as if I was losing the plot.

Do also check it's not low stomach acid causing the reflux (from inability to digest food properly), in which enzyme supplemts can be much more effective.

When you stop any acid suppressors you will get rebound reflux for a couple of days and quite strong anxiety but this goes away after a few days. It's one of the reasons many who shouldn't be on them long term think they are addicted as it hits them so badly when they try to stop. It's just your proton pump coming back into play and it's too strong for the first few days.

Oestrogen surges can also cause over stimulation which can cause the churning up of acid and very strange sensations in your throat and lower chin.

[CLKD]

Oh the lower chin sensations - I get that sometimes, like a creeping pain along the jaw 

Thanks dangermouse, it all makes sense. 

[Yammy1]

Very interesting dangermouse, I didn't know ppi's can cause anxiety. I really would love to stop taking them bcause I Beleive  they are causing a lot of my problems. I don't seem to be able to absorb vitamins and now I have very low iron, b12 and magnesium. Jus want to feel'normal' again, I think I could cope if I could get rid of the lightheaded/dizziness

[Yammy1]

Hi sparkle, I get vitamin b12 injection every three months and I'm taking iron at the moment but the iron is killing my stomach. I really am thinking strongly of asking doc for ads, I really am tired of feeling so bad. I mentioned it to doc on last visit about poor absorbsion from ppi's but she said not true, even though it states on leaflet, think I'll have to highlight this to her on next visit. Don't know how long I'll have to wait for apt, and then I'll have the privilege of paying her. I'm not going o let her fob me off this time saying it's all from anxiety.

[jessieblue]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  Dangermouse I wasnt aware that omeprazole can cause more anxiety.  I have taken it for years so in my case I dont think it is causing my anxiety as my anxiety has been a law unto itself for the last year.  The acid however does cause my anxiety to escalate.  I dont understand it.  I know I am obsessing about it as i have with other symptoms and I think this is causing the acid to be worse or at least I am aware of every little feeling.  Even so I still am struggling not to go down the whole stomach oesophageal cancer route or thinking there is something mechanically wrong with my insides.  I have suffered such bad health anxiety for the last year and I cannot break out of the cycle.  I wish I could get off the drugs but my head wont let me.  I expect worse symptoms so i get them.  I hate myself so much at the moment.  I am my own worst enemy.

[CLKD]

It's menopause a time when the muscles may become lax which can cause hiatus hernia = reflux.  Bugga ..........