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test_omeprazole.json
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{"144388": {"truth": ["itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "diarrhea", "pain abdominal", "pain muscle", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "dizziness", "ache body", "sneezing", "difficult breath", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "pain joint", "bleed", "increase appetite", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "vomit", "discomfort", "wheezing", "stool loose", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "constipation", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "vomit bleed", "nose stuffy", "skin sore", "burning skin", "stomach pain", "pain body", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "skin red"], "neat": ["irritability", "depression", "bloating"], "umls": ["depression", "headache", "dizziness", "irritability", "muscle weak", "indigestion", "pain muscle", "bloating", "weak"], "neural": ["depression", "irritability"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "My experience with Lansoprazole and Omeprazole was horrible side effects being on them (for about a year): bone pain, muscle weakness, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, indigestion, bloating, depression and irritability. But, the worst part was trying to come off them: unbelievable rebound hyperacidity, that was 100 x worse than anything I had before. "}}}, "334490": {"truth": ["loss hair", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "nausea", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "belching", "dizziness", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "buzzing ear", "drowsiness", "stomach discomfort", "upset stomach", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "discomfort", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "desire sexual decrease", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "skin sore", "increase sweating", "burning skin", "stomach pain", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["irritate"], "umls": ["stomach acid", "irritate", "weak"], "neural": ["stomach acid"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi, sorry you are suffering so bad, the rebound is excrutiating. I would swap it for any other pain, given the choice. I have wanted to die when it was at its worst. It can take a while for the rebound to settle down. Most people say about 2 months, but it can be up to 6 months. It took about 3 months for my excrutiating phase to die down and now I am trying to get off it slowly. If you have bad rebound then taper off slowly to minimize the pain and other side effects. Its hell, but I hold onto the hope that there will be an end to it. Hang in there. By the way I felt extremely depressed when I took 40mg Omeprazole and it lifted, almost instantly when I reduced down to 20mg. I still don't feel normal, but not like I did, where I didn't feel part of the world. "}, "1": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi sg, I am also a strong person, and nothing has ever affected me like this has, so don't think you are being weak because this has got to you, or because you ask for help. Just coming on here and reading that you are not alone is helpful I find. I have better days now, but I reduce very very slowly, about 1/2 - 1mg a month. It helps that way with the pain, but it means it will take a long time. I get tempted to just stop taking it, but having gone through the rebound of reducing from 40mg down to 20mg (before I understood rebound) I just don't think I can go through that again. It is a pain that I believe only those who have experienced it can understand. Infact 'pain' is not even an appropriate word as it is an experience for which nothing else I have experienced compares. People tell me I am wrong, that others suffer, and of course they do, but I can think of no pain worse than your insdies being burnt alive by raging acid that you simply cannot control. It does calm down, and I hope that it is a fast process for you to get back to normal. Have the tests if you choose to though they will probably find nothing. The endoscopy may irritate the osophagus if it is already inflammed so you may want to think about postponing that and give the rebound a chance to rebalance... you may find you don't even need it. They want to do acid tests on me and I am refusing as I KNOW I have hyperacidity and a test will not prove the cause anyway, and anyway the treatment would be more proton pump inhibitors!! "}, "2": {"a": "2591", "t": "Sorry, thats what I meant, that I have hyperacidity because of coming off ppis, not that I think I have an underlying condition where the body produces too much acid. I've only had it since trying to come off ppis and is directly related to how much i reduce by each time. "}, "3": {"a": "2591", "t": "Rebound does seem to go like that. I think it takes months for the body to fully readjust. Every bad day you have is a day closer to getting better though! "}, "4": {"a": "2591", "t": "Yes, when I was really bad I couldn't eat proper food. I mostly had vegetable soup made with anti-inflammatory veg such as butternut squash, courgette, carrots, cabbage etc. Now I have progressed onto a more varied diet, but only stick to soft foods. "}, "5": {"a": "2591", "t": "I'm having a good day thanks! Just experiment with the soups. Don't have anything you don't like - its hard enough as it is! I used to just throw in different veg and varied them. You can also add lentils if you like them, for some protein. Also don't eat anything too hot or too cold as that isn't good for an irritated osophagus. And I find tap water stings. I stick to cooled down boiled water now. Its trial and error, different things help and hinder different people. "}}}, "86806": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["irritate"], "umls": ["fever", "heartburn", "irritate", "stomach acid", "infection", "swell throat"], "neural": ["infection", "heartburn", "irritate"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "6613", "t": "Post nasal drip simply refers to mucus draining down the back of your throat from allergies, acid reflux or some other condition that affects your sinuses. Usually treating the underlying problem addresses the PND so you'll probably be better off focusing on what might be causing the PND. You could have a sinus infection of some kind but that would generally be accompanied by a mild fever, pain in your sinuses and feeling run-down. If you don't have any of those symptoms it's most likely something else. What you describe here are classic symptoms of acid reflux, particularly a form of acid reflux called laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR, which many people have without any heartburn. Acid from your stomach may be irritating your esophagus, which causes the lump in your throat (swelling due to irritation) and post nasal drip (as your body tries to protect the irritated area by producing extra mucus to coat the area). The taste may well be stomach acid. Your best bet would probably be to try taking Omeprazole for a couple of weeks to see if your symptoms improve. Most people with LPR notice a significant improvement in their sinus symptoms once the LPR is addressed. "}}}, "143789": {"truth": ["loss hair", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "desire sexual decrease", "constipation", "urine increase", "voice loss", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "chest pain", "dizziness", "headache", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "buzzing ear", "cough", "drowsiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "congestion ear", "sweating", "heartburn"], "neat": ["infection"], "umls": ["infection"], "neural": ["infection"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "249", "t": "Arthritis meds can cause ulcer symptoms or actual ulcers in stomach, especially if taken regularly for any length of time. Some meds are easier on the stomach than others, so I would call your Dr. He/she may want to have you go off it for a week or so, or switch meds, but I would not just continue to take it as is. Depending on your omeprazole dose, that might be able to be increased for a bit until your stomach feels better, but your Dr can advise you on that. "}, "1": {"a": "249", "t": "Sometimes omeprazole isn't enough and an H2 blocker like Ranitidine is added to it (OTC) or another RX called sucralfate. I would call your Dr and ask about adding either of those along with the omeprazole until you feel better. Each medicine works differently and the combo can work better than one thing alone. "}, "2": {"a": "249", "t": "Eosinophils are high in GI parasitic disease, as well as allergies. At this level, with your symptoms, I would absolutely get a stool specimen tested for ova and parasites, like giardia. It can cause pain and miserable GI symptoms. There are other parasites of course too, and they require specific antibiotics, but can be eradicated. "}, "3": {"a": "249", "t": "I think it is likely to miss parasites on endoscopy and would talk to your Dr about the stool test. Parasite infection can certainly come from contaminated water, but switching water will not take infection away if you have it. "}}}, "334002": {"truth": ["ulceration", "itch", "fever", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "belching", "dizziness", "sneezing", "difficult breath", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "warm", "numb", "pain leg", "bleed", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "infection", "inflammation", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "constipation", "chest pain", "difficult sleep", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "burning skin", "tingling", "sleeping difficult", "stomach pain", "pain body", "sleeplessness", "swell foot", "congestion ear"], "neat": ["sad", "anxiety"], "umls": ["depression", "inflammation", "stomach pain", "chest pain", "pain back", "anxiety", "bleed", "sad"], "neural": ["inflammation", "stomach pain", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "21520", "t": "Hi all... Finally my endoscopy is tomorrow morning. . even tho I'm a little nervous, at the same time, I can't wait to get it done. I know now all about the fasting and all, but one thing I've seen some of you mention, (on this and other boards) is that some of you were told They didn't say anything to me about this....so I'm wondering.....were most of you told this?? I meant to call my gastro's office today to ask, but forgot all about it. I'm not supposed to eat after 9 PM tonight. . but what about water in the morning?? I usually drink a lot of ice water in the morning until I eat, as my stomach is hurting and burning so bad when I get up, and it's about the only thing that brings a bit of relief. (I have to take thyroid meds every AM, and then have wait 1 hour before I can eat) Any help appreciated... thanks so much, Deda "}, "1": {"a": "21520", "t": "Well, I went in today, Mandy, (and others) and was a bit nervous, (the nurse said everybody is), and like everyone on this board says, it was a piece of cake. You all were right about that! (and thanks for advice too to everyone) The sad news is....the Dr. didn't see anything! No hernia, no ulcers, and I just could not believe it! I was so upset, I cried....just what the hell is causing this pain then??!! I was so sure they would find something, that when he said there wasn't anything, I was stunned. I was angry too, and told him I want further tests done, (I told him I want a cat scan), and he said, \"okay, we can do that\". But now I am wondering if I even should? I do have acid reflux though.....could that be causing all of this pain?? It doesn't seem possible to me. Anyway, when I got there he asked how I was feeling lately. I told him the past couple of weeks, I am waking almost every morning to terrible pain in my stomach, it feels like I'm starving, and like if I don't eat I am going to die. Also I get severe burning in my stomach too. Sometimes eating relieves it, but sometimes too, only for a short while. Some days it hurts badly, other days just mildly, some days it doesn't even hurt. Then he asked me if I followed up with a shrink like he \"we talked about last time?\" I told him I've already been seeing one for a few months, and also seeing a counselor. When he got done with the test, I was angry, and I told him \"this pain is NOT being imagined Dr.\" He told me that he believed me completely,but he also knows that I have anxiety disorder and depression, (dad passed away in May), and said that anxiety and our emotions can present themselves in [real] physical pain, and the symptoms are real. Now I am really beginning to wonder about this,.....I do have some marital problems going on, and a ton of anger towards my husband....ever since 2 days before my dad passed away, and he left me alone to go fix other people's car's...(he could have put this off,....it's a side business, and he doesn't have to be there), and then 5 days later after my dad passes away, (the 1st weekend after) he left me alone for the whole day again...... I cried, pleaded and begged him not to leave me alone. (I don't have anyone else except my husband, mour son, (daughter moved to NC) and my not so nice brother. My husband told our (grown) son, [during a fit of rage], (as if, how dare she ask me to!!) anyway, he told our son, \"she needs to quit crying and grow up and stop acting like a 5 year old,.....people die!!! ..... [screaming], and \"People don't live forever!!!\" (as if it were something we didn't know) Then going through more tough times with my only living brother....long story, but my dad had left me as his sole benificiery on his life insurance policy, (it wasn't huge, but...it was substantial amount) as my brother was always telling him, (bragging I guess) about all the money he has in the bank. (yes, he is very successful and has bragged to me that his estate is worth \"millions\" now) Well, our dad was getting dementia and had to be put in a home, and this brother got him to sign over a power of attorney, (and he rubbed it in to me daily how much power he had, ie; \"I can do anything with dad's money, make any decisions, etc) See...I live 500 miles away from where my brother and dad lived. Well, right away, he went and phoned dad's insurance co. and changed it, and added himself as well as me,...50-50 as benificiery. I always had a feeling he would do something like this, but to tell you the truth, I'm surprised I got any of it. And he also handled our dad's bank accounts, which I later found out, he got more than 50% of that. Also he cleaned out our dad's place and took everything that was of any value, all of the photos, etc., and left me with just a box of cassette tapes....which he says he put in the attic to save for me. (I would've liked something... at least 1 thing of his to place in my home, in his memory) I know this sounds suitable for the Relationship board, but MY POINT IS, I have an ENORMOUS amount of anger towards these 2 people. My husband isn't a total jerk, he really isn't, and is good to me in many other ways, but when it comes to that shop...it has always come before me. (everything he loves always has) I am having a hard time letting go of this one.....I'm mad as hell. He has never even apologized, [as that was something he was never taught to do] and it hurts so much....to get treated like this by the one person who should be there for me, before anyone else. It almost seems unforgivable. (our own daughter said she would divorce him, as she knows of how he's always put his interests, hobbies and other people before me. And scr- - - by my own brother...the only one left of my family. So I am beginning to wonder, (all day today), could all of this pain in my stomach and chest be a result of all of this pent up anger?? Could it possibly make a persons stomach hurt, so extremely bad like this? I also have a lot of health anxiety, due to this autoimmune disease I have, as my mom and older brother both had hypothyroid too, and went on to die of another AI disease....I can't even talk about it, it frightens me so badly. So maybe my gastro Dr. is right? I wish I knew. Tell me what you guys think about this possiblity...please. Deda "}, "2": {"a": "21520", "t": "Hi dear Mandy... (((hugs))) I just happened to be on here when the little flag popped up with notice of your message. Thank you for replying. Oh, I know, this AI disease is so crappy. My mother had pulmonary fibrosis. She died at 56 years old, back in '82. They say there are some families that seem to get AI diseases in clusters. My poor beloved brother was only 46yrs old when he died of the same thing as my mom, and altogether he had at least 4 or 5 AI diseases. Mandy, what did your mum have, hon? I think the AI diseases just cause a lot of these problems, you know Mandy? Why are there SO many people on the thyroid boards with acid reflux?? It's unbelievable! (thyroid disease causes inflammation when your levels are off, but right now my levels are in a good place. But I also have read that having just about any AI disease causes inflammation) It's funny Mandy, but my heartburn/reflux didn't start until I was diagnosed with the hypo/Hashi and only AFTER I started taking thyroid meds. But this was also around the time I started really worrying a lot, about my health. I can't help it...I think anyone would with this family history. It was more controlable when I first got it, not getting really bad until about 8 months later...or so...and I don't know why. Probably too my other problems....stress, and really bad anxiety at times. Mandy...so what new tests are you having done this Tuesday, girlfriend? At least they are still trying to find out.... He told me yeasterday that I could have a cat scan...but I'm tired of being embarrassed when they don't find anything. I really am beginning to think that my problem is all connected to my anxiety and my problems with my husband. See. even that Dr. told you that there is a connection with the brain-stomach....I really am beginning to think that. . more and more. I am taking Prilosec, (Omeprazole) 2 x a day...every 12 hours. I have also tried Protonix, (Protopanazole) but it didn't work. Prilosec doesn't seem like it works that great either, but the couple of times I quit taking it, (when I was feeling better), OH My GOSH!!!! ...... IT HURT 1OO times worse!!! So I guess it does work...somewhat. I also watch my diet very, very carefully. Nothing really seems to help. I do have some pills for anxiety, (Clonazapam) which used to give me some relief, but I think it doesn't work any more. A friend recently loaned me a few Ativan's, (is it Lorazapam?) , and that helped a lot. But unfortunately, not many Dr's will give you this...as it's addictive. I see my shrink this coming Tuesday, and I will try again to get something from him. He told me flat out \"NO\" the last time I saw him. I'll tell him...well, I hope this anxiety doesn't make me sicker, and I'm not sleeping either, so what am I supposed to do? Just suffer? I am not sleeping well at all lately, Mandy...I wake after 3 hours of sleep, and then keep on waking up more again and again after that. I'm sure this doesn't help either. How do you sleep, Mandy? (I hope better than I do) Mandy, do you mind if I ask how old you are? Have you gone through menopause already? (I have, and I think that's also a contributer to these problems) I really feel though, that if I can get this anxiety-stomach pain under control that I would feel wonderful, as my thyroid symptoms are all gone. You know Mandy, sometimes when I get out with my girlfriends, and I'm relaxed and having fun, I feel great! Every now and then, I have a pain free day, or half a day pain free. This sucks... I will be praying for you Mandy....I sure hope this Tuesday they can find out what is causing that under rib pain that has been with you so long. Does it hurt all day long? Do you ever have some pain free times? Keep in touch, Deda "}}}, "377816": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["diarrhea", "tremor"], "umls": ["bloated stomach", "diarrhea", "stomach cramp", "sore throat", "tremor", "loss weight", "bleed"], "neural": ["diarrhea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "88", "t": "Hi...difficult to say what's going on until the results are back. I don't know if the doc will do biopsies, but visually if all is good with no inflammation. . then it will probably be deemed IBS. Regarding food poisoning, that's a genral term. We can ingest all sorts of viruses, bacteria, etc that can cause gastro upset. If he was vomitting and had diarrhea and nothing has come of the stool tests, it could be that his digestive tract is still reacting. The omeprazole would be given also for reflux... Did your husband have upper gastro scope as well? I think he should also have a small bowel follow-through to see if there's anything going on in his small intestine, which can also result in vomitting and diarrhea. Has he been checked for a hiatial hernia? REgarding essential tremours, it's easy to differentiate that from Parkinson's. I have it (mild),as does a friend of mine...definitely exacerbated by stress, meds and stimulants. Keep us posted as to how the c-scope went. It's great he got in so quickly. q "}, "1": {"a": "88", "t": "Hi. . what exacty regarding the visual did the doctor suspect CD? Did he take biopsies as well? q "}, "2": {"a": "33236", "t": "ok we went to the doctor this morning and I had a checklist to ask( blood count,fecal samples,stomach,colon,colonectal cancer,IBS<IBD<ulcers) he said all the tests came back all ok and the only way to test for IBS<IBD and or ulcers is a special doctor that knows his stomachs and digestive sys. he gave him diphen/atrop 25 mg and said we'll see if this helps...he also said it also helps IBS? and I did ask if it was safe to take with omeprazole and he said yes. what other uses does diphen/atrop 25 mg have? as for his shakes.....well........lol........the doctor says it is Essential Tremor. . which he said can be inherited. ( and my husband mom had it every since she was 30) "}, "3": {"a": "33236", "t": "he still has diarrhea and all. . doctors are clueless... "}, "4": {"a": "33236", "t": "the doctor said they did all they could. . no more medicine and talked with the tummy doctor (which is solid booked but...they got my husband in today) he went to the specialist today for a colonoscopy ... hope and pray it is just scar tissue and no bad news. (when he was a little kid,he swallowed a toothpick and got lodged in his colon...he was on a liquid diet and in the hospital until it dislodged...so it could be scar tissue now.right?) "}, "5": {"a": "33236", "t": "the specialist is leaning towards Crohns disease. "}, "6": {"a": "33236", "t": "yep the doctor at the endoscopy center took biopsies and my husband goes back in to see dr Martin Tuesday which hopefully will be the results. Praying all good. "}}}, "334462": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["anxiety"], "umls": ["stomach acid", "anxiety", "headache", "seizure"], "neural": ["anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "Very interesting! Does this mean they are finally acknowledging that rebound does indeed exist?! "}, "1": {"a": "6042", "t": "as an imbiber of clonazepam for anxiety AND an PPI i hate hate HATE being dependent on these drugs. i know they aren't good for me in the long run. i am trying so hard to try natural remedies for my stomach. at one point my doctor suggested i take my tecta (or whatever flavor ppi of the month is) twice a day (off label) AND ranatidine 150mg... my goodness i wont have any stomach acid left! i quit the ranatidine after a few days, every morning i would wake up and find myself regurgitating the previous nights supper (tuna subs was really gross btw). i'm just taking the two tectas now and trying to eat better and drink more herbal teas. i still do bad things like have an odd soft drink (never in a bottle i'd keel over in pain) or take an NSAID for a bad headache. the anxiety . . man, the GERD and ulcers and erosion give me the anxiety, so the klonopin is used. . vicious circle. i really think that the klonopin f's with my stomach too. thank you for the article! very interesting! "}}}, "314525": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["cough", "heartburn"], "umls": ["bleed", "vomit bleed", "discomfort", "heartburn", "cough", "vomit", "irritate", "discomfort chest", "infection", "nose bleed"], "neural": ["discomfort", "nose bleed", "bleed", "cough", "discomfort chest"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2260", "t": "The good news is, your bloodwork is perfectly normal! I'm so happy to hear that! Can you switch doctors? Just because you've been with one for a long time, doesn't mean you're locked-in, right? Not all doctor's are created equal, that's for sure! I'm where you were, about a couple of month's back--- Waiting for them to schedule a Pet/Ct scan. I remember you had to take a train to get there. I bet that seems like a long time ago to you, doesn't it? I can't believe I finished my last treatment today. What did you do, to keep from going berserk, before you heard from your scans? If I remember correctly, you were like me---very anticipatory. I wish I had more energy---I'd tackle some chores here at home. When did you say your energy returned? A couple of weeks? I'm praying for that to happen to me. How're you today? Feeling better? love, S. "}, "1": {"a": "2266", "t": "im not sure if i've mentioned before but a year ago, in the middle of the doctors not being able to diagnose me, i was vomitting blood, had an endoscopy and told i have a hietal hernia and they didn't do anything to push it back in. the last 2 weeks i have had a bit of a cold and cough and every morning when i wake up i cough up loads of gunk. the last week there has been streaks of pink or red blood in the gunk and whenever i blow my nose or sneeze theres spots of blood in it. so i had an appointment with my onc on tues for a checkup and told her cause i trust her. she said its probably the hernia but is ordering a chest xray just to be sure. i had also made an appointment with my GP to let her know. i told her my onc had ordered the xray and she looked at me and said 'i'm not worried'. she said its not the hernia cause i'm coughing up blood and not vomitting up blood. but then the hernia has torn my diapragm and thats all connected so how can she say it's not? does she have xray vision?! no she doesn't! so she prescribed me with omeprazole (an antacid!) and i then told her that i was prescribed that last year and it made me throw up. but she told me that with everything else going on last year i dont know how i'll react to it this year and to take it anyway and if i do start throwing up to call NHS24!!!!! (NHS24 is an AWFUL service we have in the UK and people have died from calling them and being told 'just take some paracetamol' over the phone when they can't see or monitor symptoms! So i left my doctors, tore up the prescription cause its a waste of money and i don't particularly like vomitting so i'm definatly not going to take something that i know will make me vomit! and i'm still unsure of how something for heartburn or indegestion is going to help me stop coughing blood! so yes, i think my GP is trying to kill me. i posted in the acid reflux section just incase someone has anything similar but i am really just ranting about the awfulness of my doctor! xxxxx ps. my onc says that everything seems fine. all my bloods have been perfectly normal. yay! "}, "2": {"a": "2266", "t": "Hey singer, i started freaking out about my CT scan results the night before and had sort of a panic attack on my bathroom floor! but for my PET results my onc called me a few days before my appointment with her and tols me the news so i didnt have time to stress about it. i cried loads after though! happy tears! i am so glad that your treatment is over and i pray that you get fantastic results! i think just knowing that you are finished treatment makes you feel better anyway. i think it was about 5-6 weeks before i bounced out of bed feeling amazing! Linda, thanks. I have an appointment with a new doctor at a new practice on tuesday. i do not have any of the other symptoms you mentioned which is why i am confused by the meds i was prescribed. my onc listened to my chest and said it sounded normal and my o2 levels were normal. i wonder if the bleomycin in the chemo has irritated my lungs? they stopped giving me it towards the end of my treatment because i was starting to get very out of breath and was coughing up stuff in the mornings. my onc said she would call me if my chest xray was abnormal so hopefully she won't call me. thanks guys xxx "}, "3": {"a": "2266", "t": "Hey, hope everyone is well. My new doctor prescribed me amoxicillan which i have just finished and am still coughing up stuff. my onc called me at the beginning of the week and said my chest xray is completely normal. is it possible that i have torn my throat by coughing so hard? and its actually nothing or would that have shown up on the xray? i have another appointment on thursday to see my gp and hopefully get stronger antibiotics cause i am very tired of coughing so much in the mornings. x "}}}, "332589": {"truth": ["nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "urine pain", "stomach discomfort", "bloating", "upset stomach", "drowsiness", "numb", "bad taste", "swell neck gland", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "lower pain side", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "hoarseness", "earache", "tiredness", "change vision", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "sleepiness", "weak", "pain eye", "diarrhea", "excessive stomach gas", "fever", "pain abdominal", "pain lower back", "belching", "yellow skin", "rash skin", "nose runny", "pain muscle", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "pain joint", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "bleed", "short breath", "vomit", "discomfort", "nose bleed", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "pain back", "strength loss", "taste change", "stomach pain", "tingling", "pain body", "change voice", "loss weight", "sweating"], "neat": ["irritate"], "umls": ["heartburn", "wheezing", "irritate", "sore throat", "bleed"], "neural": ["sore throat", "wheezing"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "8098", "t": "It can take more than 5 days for the symptoms to settle down if there is a lot of irritation - I'd give it atleast 2 weeks before going back to the doc. Dont give up if this doesnt work, you might be one of those who needs a higher dose of med, say 2 tablets a day instead of one, or you might do better on a different med to the one you asre on now (although most PPI's are about as effective as each other, some people find one suits them better than another) "}, "1": {"a": "9827", "t": "Sounds like the Omeprazole has helped a bit and/or it finally kicked in for you. Keep us posted on how you are doing and hope things continue to head in the right direction. Use this time to work on your diet and lifestyle to see if there are any triggers that make the irritation worse. I am a great believer in diet and lifestyle changes along with medication. Rose "}, "2": {"a": "9827", "t": "I have not experienced that symptom, but the watery mouth can be associated with reflux. Your mouth is trying to produce more saliva to coat the esophagus. It is a natural protective mechanism, albeit an uncomfortable one. You may try chewing sugarless gum after meals and also sucking on DGL which you can buy at the healthfood store. As I wrote earlier, try to work on lifestyle changes during this time as more and more literature is now coming out indicating that long term PPI use is not recommended for most people. Therefore, you are getting a reprieve from your symptoms so you can learn about what causes them and take control. I am glad to hear you are feeling better. Rose "}}}, "330807": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["anxiety", "stomach pain", "pain abdominal"], "umls": ["headache", "inflammation", "discomfort", "tight chest", "stomach pain", "heartburn", "muscle weak", "constipation", "chest pain", "belching", "infection", "anxiety", "bleed", "pain abdominal", "weak"], "neural": ["stomach pain", "chest pain", "heartburn", "pain abdominal", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "54465", "t": "Pete, I've had the same exact symptoms as you. Unfortunately, I suffer from anxiety disorder as well, and even though I haven't had any problems with it for several years, the doctors are thinking that my stomach issues are related to this. . I've had the following tests performed: -Gastric emptying scan -Esophageal motility test -48 hr. PH study -Upper Endoscopy -Complete bloodwork -Stool test -parasites -Celiac -Crohn's -Candida All negative....The next step would be a look at my small intestine, but frankly my bloodwork would have shown some sign of inflammation or infection. Final diagnosis: functional dyspepsia....i.e. sensitive stomach. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I've been to three different doctors, and they all say the same thing. It is quite common for people with anxiety and/or stress issues to have Irritable bowel syndrom, but doctors are not sure about the upper gut and the influence stress has on it.... "}, "1": {"a": "54465", "t": "Pete, Trust me on this one: Anxiety can create almost any symptom you can think of. I sat in a class of anxiety sufferers for nearly 3 months, and I heard it all. I'm looking at a list right now that has about 600 symptoms on it. Your mind is a powerful device, and it can really mess your body up. Now that being said, \"I would try to find a physical reason first, BUT either way, you need to keep your nerves in check because it can really exasperate physical ailments. Good Luck. I hope you find an answer. p.s. I didn't quite understand your post: Are you saying you can't find abdominal pain as a symptom of anxiety? abdominal pain is a CLASSIC symptom of anxiety/stress. I work in an office of financiers, and we live on Maalox, zantac, etc. Our stomachs are constantly a wreck. "}, "2": {"a": "54465", "t": "Pete, My list of anxiety symptoms is from a book from my class several years back, but if you want a fairly exhaustive list, go to the anxiety board on this website and at the top, there is a list from one of the moderators. While its not 600 long, its more than enough. Please don't dwell on every little symptom though, then you WILL get yourself in an anxious mess. One thing to keep in mind, is that you do not have to be in a current state of anxiety to experience the symptoms of prolonged anxiety. Your stomach doesn't all of a sudden get better just because you're having a few hours of relaxation. You're thinking of panic symptoms, or the \"flight or fight\" response... My stomach is always better when I stand as well...walking is even better. I'm not sure why.... The problem with health anxiety is that you never know which came first, the chicken or the egg. You don't want to discredit every physical ailment to simply anxiety, but at the sametime, you don't want to run to the docs everytime your heart skips a beat. Its difficult to determine when something is worth worrying about. I'm having stomach issues right now, and I have self-diagnosed myself with about 15 different things...the docs still don't know. My main concern is that I'm losing weight, despite eating normal meals. "}, "3": {"a": "80281", "t": "I've been to the Doctor again, and he didn't think I needed to see a Gastreologist because I'm too young and that there doesn't seem to be any signs of a major problem. I have had blood tests for things like H.ployri, Gallbladder, Liver Check, Blood Count, etc, and several other tests that were done at ER (Only those that junior doctors can do) which did come back ok. The Doc thinks I should continue with the Ranitidine for another two weeks, and has also given me a weak anti-depressant to deal with my anxiety. Do I trust this decision, or shall I try to get more tests done at ER and/or a second opinion? So far my symptoms are more or less the same, except the pressure in the chest isn't as bad as it was. But I am getting lots of other little pains, sometimes in the right side - Just short sharp stings, aches or whatnot. . None of which are very strong or last for very long - And despite that, are still worrying me. They seem to be more noticable when I'm sitting, and particulary in the evening - During the day, I can walk around town and feel absolutely fine for the most part. "}, "4": {"a": "80281", "t": "Perhaps, but if you do a search on that condition, you'll see all the listed symptoms - Many of which I don't have, the most notable one is any form of constant abdominal pain. "}, "5": {"a": "80281", "t": "No, I mean, I don't HAVE any adominal pain as it would normally be considered, I do have some pains - Short ones, some aches, some stings, but the general problem is the symptons I mentioned. The one thing I have noticed is that when I'm walking about or doing things, I don't notice it as much - But if I'm sitting still, I begin to notice it much more. 600 symptoms eh? Can I see that list, by any chance? I do have anxiety - This I know - But so far I believe it is a RESULT of something that I've got, not the cause. You see, I can be completely relaxed... Totally not thinking about myself, and yet I still get symptoms pop up...I thought anxiety was all at the level of the mind? "}, "6": {"a": "80281", "t": "Hmm, well, even though Im pretty sure I have some physical problem (due to the flatulence, belching, change in bowel movements, etc) I am sure that anxiety is where it all started. You see, in my first post, you'll see I said I collapsed - The reason was because I was overwhealmed with fear, and the sensation in my chest was telling me to sit down (you know when you get scared out of your skin, I.E on a rollercoaster and your chest feels weird - Not sure how to describe it). But if I took deep breaths, the senstation would go away - If I didn't do that, eventually I'd collapse - but only because it felt like something was \"coming away\" , per say, and that sitting down would stop it. Now - Was that a panic attack triggered by that sensation? If so, was that sensation an illusion, or something physical - I.E hernia. Touch wood though - I haven't had that for many weeks now, though I did have a brief episode last night before going to bed, which I was able to fight off. "}, "7": {"a": "80281", "t": "Yes, I've lost a bit of weight too over the past few weeks. The good thing is I can eat more now, during the first two weeks I could barely finish anything, even a bowl of soup. My Doc has given me medication for anxiety and panic attacks, but I'm a little reluctant to take it - I am on Ranitidine too which I've been on for two weeks, and I guess will be on for another two weeks. I can't say for certain it's helped, but the pressure in the chest has faded out a little bit since I started it. As someone mentioned that pressure can be anxiety, but, I don't think so - I recall waking up with it a few mornings, and after going to the toilet, it faded 15 minutes later. I also recall a few weeks ago at ER when a young Doctor said she'd looked over my X-Rays again, and after feeling my stomach, could tell that there was still things left behind - After which I was given laxative. This, and other reasons, kind of proves which came first - Chicken or egg... In this case, the symptoms came first, the anxiety second. "}, "8": {"a": "80281", "t": "Just thought I'd update - I've been continuing to take the Ranitidine, and have also started 10mg per day Citalopram 5 days ago to treat anxiety. The thing is, I'm not sure I want to be on it - I don't like the idea of having any side-effects, in particular constipation which seems to be a common one. My stomach and chest symptoms have been relieved considerably over the past few days, although not 100%. I have noticed some new pains popping up though, one is a short-sharp stabbing pain in the chest, that lasts for less than a second when it happens - It's to the left side, just underneath the chest roundabout where the rib is. I didn't notice it until a few days ago, could it be a side-effect of the medication, anxiety or GERD? It also throbbed yesturday at the same spot for about a minute. I've also been having similar \"short\" sharp-pains in the lower left and right of my stomach, I guess closer to the bowel. They too last for less than a second, but didn't experience them until about a week ago. I seem to get the pains more when resting, although not all the time. The good thing is though, many of my previous symptoms have faded. "}, "9": {"a": "80281", "t": "I no longer have any of those symptoms, and I never felt nauseous. I also don't get the kind of pains you describe. Except the occaisonal \"flash\" pains in my chest and bowel/stomach area, most of my symptoms have been reduced. And since I've already had gallbladder checked in blood tests, and that I've seen a Doctor a few times now - It's safe to say that I don't have the same problem you do. "}, "10": {"a": "80281", "t": "Well just to update (and so I can keep a log myself...) I'm still having some troubles. I'm still on the Ranitidine, and also taking anxiety meds. The only symptoms most apparent right now are general tenderness when touching the stomach in the evening, elevated body temperature in the evening - Which usually returns to normal around bedtime (can heartburn increase your body temp?) and some odd sensations in the sides of the stomach, just below the ribs. They feel like short sharp stings, lasting for less than a second - Mostly on the right side now, though today I noticed a throbbing-sensation (similar to a tooth ache that comes and goes every 30 seconds) on the left side. The \"stings\" seem to come and go, some days are ok - Some not. Anyone got any ideas? "}, "11": {"a": "80281", "t": "Hey folks. Some more news. Well, I've been feeling this lump in my right side lately - Either I didn't notice it before, or it's new... But there is no identical lump on the other side. But it's hardly a lump, more of a bump like a \"roadhump\" . . here's a diagram showing exactly where and the kind of \"shape\"--http://64.38.20.218/~hunter/upload/Image2.jpg--- The only reason I mention it is because it's also the same place I'm getting the stinging/stabbing sensations I've been getting the past few weeks. The \"bump\" is easier to feel when standing/sitting as opposed to lying down. So I thought maybe it's a small hernia as suggested on the forums, and I was due to see my Doctor again anyway for a progress report. I told him about the lump, and he felt both sides of my abdomen while standing and couldn't offer any answer for the stings, but he did say that the location I showed him was probably muscular. Looking at that diagram, does anyone know what those sensations might be? Sometimes its like a needle \"sting\", other times it's like a stab. It lasts for no more than a second, and varies in intensity - It occurs most days, but not every, and only several times a day. I have had a basic X-Ray and blood tests a few weeks ago plus my stomach being felt by a doctor, just incase you might want to suggest something that those tests rule out... Thx! "}}}, "332211": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "difficult concentrating", "face swell", "pleasure loss", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "excitement", "face red", "bad taste", "increase appetite", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "sad", "chill", "swallowing difficult", "interest loss", "loss appetite", "wheezing", "lower pain side", "voice loss", "stiffness", "chest pain", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "headache", "tiredness", "irritability", "tremor", "bleed urine", "confusion", "increase sweating", "change vision", "congestion ear", "frequent urinate", "sleepiness", "seizure", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pain bladder", "fever", "diarrhea", "swell eyelid", "pain lower back", "pain muscle", "belching", "discouragement", "nose runny", "rash skin", "pain abdominal", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "clumsiness", "bleed", "tight chest", "short breath", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "restlessness", "moving difficult", "pain back", "taste change", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "tingling", "nervousness", "urine cloudy", "nightmare", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["nausea", "agitation"], "umls": ["nausea", "agitation"], "neural": ["agitation", "nausea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "88", "t": "Oh, I can relate!! I think it's more of an agitation, and some meds or supplements can make it much worse, especially the restless leg thing. Curious what supplements you're taking. . or medications? One medication that gives me \"jimmie-legs\" is Gravol. I take a low dosage for nausea (just took some tonight), and I know I'm going to have that agitation tonight. Stress will also do it, like an over-adrenaline in my body and I'm not burning it off. Leg stretches help and I think would all over stretching. Sometimes vitamin deficiencies can cause those symptoms...or an excess of some vitamins. Do you have any other health issues? q "}, "1": {"a": "88", "t": "Well, firstly....the flu is respriatory. So, what's in the Theraflu will most likely be causing what you're experiencing. It would give me the \"heebie-jeebies\" for sure...lol. . and bigtime. It won't help with a stomach virus. For that I would suggest you take a good probiotic. Are your symptoms in the stomach or lower gastro? Maybe take the Omega in the morning (did you recently start that too?) , because that could partly cause some gastro symptoms if the dosage is too high. I've never tried Lunesta, I did try Imovane. It worked quickly and I did sleep well. . only if I took advantage of the 15 minute window of being in bed right after I took it. Otherwise. . no. It's hard being a night owl and trying to have a normal sleep schedule. Did you just start the omeprazole as well? Do you take it morning and night? because if it's only once a day, maybe morning would be better? Maybe regarding your break-up, you might consider to talk to a counsellor or therapist. The reason I'm suggesting it is that the end result might help you put your perspective into a place where you might be able to have the tools to help relax you and understand what you're experiencing. I hope you find some resolve, it's a difficult thing when our minds just don't turn off or even onto a slow simmer before bedtime. q "}, "2": {"a": "88", "t": "Seems your ex is moving on. Sometimes people don't mix well for a variety of reasons. An amicable split is always better/easier than one that's happened based on bitter feelings and a pained heart. Figuring out the why you're hurting still will help. It doesn't make it easier when you both cross paths socially. Just curious if your ex ignores you at the gym or if you two are civil to each other... I'm not a fatalist or things are meant to be type of a person, but what we experience (whether it works out or not)...we should always gain a few \"aha\" realisations. Hindsight serves a good purpose if we gain from it rather than carry a heavy load of regrets. I hope you find balanced resolution...and sleep peacefully. As difficult as it is. quincy "}, "3": {"a": "88", "t": "Thanks for explaining further. I think some people need to cover their bases and it's very well possible that she didn't know what she wanted. Yes, it's not fair that some give hope to reclaim a relationship, but there must be issues that are not being discussed. Some also get along better when there are no commitments. It's unfortunate a child is in the mix...hopefully she won't have revolving door relationships and more \"dads\". We tend to pine for something we can't have....but if you do decide to get back together, I'd suggest not living as a family until all issues have been cleared up and that her son is at the forefront of the picture as to not cause any emotional trauma or abandonment issues. I'll say one thing as well, there is a concept of pursuer/distancer. When one's behaviour changes, the other will change as well to the opposite just to bring back the balance. It almost becomes addictive. Since you did have therapy in the past, you might be wise to continue as how to handle yourself in future relationships...whether it's back with her or another. Clear boundaries and clear decisions are most difficult to establish, but for dysfunctional relationships...it's the best thing one can do. You don't want to enable her either. I think when things aren't clear...we think then behave in a way until it makes sense or brings us comfort (negative or positive) Be well, quincy q "}, "4": {"a": "88", "t": "LOL. . that's what therapy does...we pass it on. Besides, it's much easier to see others' situations than our own. One thing my therapist said...with expectations comes disappointment. I have expectations, and my husband and I still have little struggles after 32 years of marriage. More on my side because I require the talk. Rejection seems the most difficult to deal with, no matter how trivial, but in truth...continual responses is a way for each of you to control whatever in your \"non\" relationship. I think the responses are what you need in order to have hope no matter how small. Maybe that's an aspect you need to explore...kind of punishing yourself over and over because it feels good to have hope, only to feel down when it doesn't continue as \"planned\". Kind of like an addiction. About forgiveness...it's a difficult issue. No one forgives and forgets unless both agree to do so. I personally don't think we need to forgive fully, but we can accept that some things cannot work the way we want. Don't enable a dysfunction, it's hurting you both. You're forcing her hand and treading in territory as if you have a right to. So, know your boundaries and respect that it's difficult to tell some people to mind their own business, and if silence works, then be it. If you need it told to you, then maybe ask her if you two can meet to clarify things in how your relationship is at this point...awkward. But if you ask, be ready to accept without injecting opinions of your own hurt. Have no expectations, just listen. or...just leave it be. I would suspect she might text at some point to test the waters if you've been silent for a while, and then it's up to you how to respond. I just see it as continuing to abuse each other, in a passive aggressive dance. only you have control over what you think, say, feel and do. Be proactive to grow from this, because it's not fair for the next relationship you get involved in. Your bill is in the mail. . haha. q "}, "5": {"a": "88", "t": "Thank you, but ike I said, it makes sense looking in rather than being there. While situation solutions can be simple when stated, making personal changes of habits is the difficult part. Well, I guess that's jealousy and envy and covetting and obsessing and victimisation? It's easy to desire what we cannot have and be wounded to the point in creating our own hell for whatever reasons. We all set up goals for failure in varying aspects...you're thinking in an all or nothing process...so maybe it's you being afraid to step out of the mould you've created for yourself. Not one person alone in this world has what it takes to make us happy, and not one person has everything of what we desire. Actually it's highly unfair of us to have that expectation of another at all.I don't think we have that right to do so...it's a fast and hard fall to live from such a place of admiration. I see it as not wanting to take a risk of seeing beyond the cover... And I might add that no woman will ever be worthy then. I feel for one who may want to get to know you but will fail from moment one because she doesn't fit your \"criteria\". Look into cognitive behavioral therapy or even relationship books or online. . tons of info. Even Dr. Phil's relationship rescue workbook is one to check out maybe online. If you can answer some of the introspective questions and realise your thinking pattern, you might be able to set yourself up for success in your next relationship. Not saying all will pertain to you, it's just of interest testing rather than it's the only way. I'm also not suggesting this for you to win over your past love either. No one can say you don't have feelings, don't deny them, but put them in an appropriate place where it won't cripple your way of thinking. It sounds as though you haven't healed yet. We all have bandaids on our heart's scars. I have lots of issues and I will always struggle. As I age, my perspective improves and I'm seeing a better balance. With experience comes security in ourselves when we have a desire to grow. quincy "}, "6": {"a": "88", "t": "You're welcome....it sucks to be in emotional pain, but at least it's something we can work on to feel better. It seems you've always been on the right track, but maybe just trying to avoid finality. Even if you two got back together eventually or however long down the road, the relationship won't be as before. Hopefully issues will be ironed out. I have NO doubt you will move forward....it's all about changing perspective. Some have a harder time about it. I want to also add that learning how to cope now can help when huge crisis hits us. A day never goes by without learning something new or something somehow messing with a controlled balance. For those if us who are more sensitive, it's crisis all the time, mental deal making and waiting for the moment when it'll all make sense. I, many times, need a break from myself! Be well, quincy "}, "7": {"a": "88", "t": "I check in a few times a day....how are you doing? q "}, "8": {"a": "88", "t": "It seems that she may be confused or just doesn't care or has just moved on or is waiting to see if you bite. I would hope it's not the latter, for it's VERY invigorating for someone to realise they have power over another. You have choices whether to continue to torment yourself, to go for the ride or to take the less painful road and get over it. You're not her keeper nor the father of her son, and unless you see her abusing her son or neglecting him, it's not your place to call her on what she's doing. My opinion....she's on the other side of the fence and you're taking her behaviour as something more. Unless she's actually talking to you about resuming a relationship, you don't have one. And being on the fence is a polite way of saying there's more NO than yes. BUT....if you truly want to know and are willing to move on if the answer is no, then ask to talk with her at a coffee shop or whatever public place. Just ask for a yes or no. I don't think you'll move forward with a maybe. What did your counsellor say about it? q "}, "9": {"a": "88", "t": "ah, well...I can relate. Burning the bridge isn't a bad thing....t puts finality to the issue which allows you to move forward. Dealing with it in therapy is a good thing. Not to say that some of your words to her won't hit home and she'll take them to heart. . enough to make changes for the better, especially regarding her son. That's a priority. Hurt feelings and unresolved issues is never good. . unless one can walk away and accept that being away from the situation is the only thing for self-preservation. It's usually the aftermath of figuring it out alone that can have lasting effects and self-punishment. Yes, you need to deal with your perspective and feelings to understand the why. It's not really about her...it's about YOU. Do it for your future relationships so they can be healthy. Even if they don't work out, reacting in a healthy way makes it better for self-esteem and growth. I'd like to know how tomorrow goes for you. Hang tough....life is a learning process on a continuum. It's a huge step to seek support and getting help to figure out the tough times. Oh, and the one to forgive first is yourself. q "}}}, "333483": {"truth": ["loss hair", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "desire sexual decrease", "constipation", "urine increase", "voice loss", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "chest pain", "dizziness", "rash skin", "headache", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "irritability", "buzzing ear", "cough", "drowsiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "depression", "congestion ear", "sweating", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult"], "neat": ["heartburn"], "umls": ["heartburn", "stomach acid", "muscle ache", "sore throat", "bleed"], "neural": ["bleed"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "15485", "t": "I'm actually doing pretty well. I have been off PPI's for about 2 months now and only take a Pepcid chewable before sleeping. All my muscle aches are gone since I stopped my PPI. My throat still bothers me some times but nothing like it use to. I'd rather have a slight sore throat then walk around like an old man. Every joint was aching, now I have no aches at all. I am riding a bike on the weekends and am able to run without painful knees. It's funny how one thing can lead to another, then another etc. It starts with reflux, you take PPI, you get aches and pains, reflux gets better then worse, you take more reflux meds, you feel worse etc. etc. etc. Fortunately I'm going in the right direction now. "}, "1": {"a": "9827", "t": "I am so glad to hear you are doing much better and have been able to stay off the PPI's. I feel I am doing better too, though I am afraid to call a victory too soon and wake up with horrible heartburn tomorrow. Maybe there is a way to live without the PPI's after all. Rose "}, "2": {"a": "9827", "t": "Acid rebound is the excess acid production that occurs to many people when they suddenly stop taking a PPI. One's body produces an excess of the hormone gastrin as a result of the acid suppression caused by the PPI. When the PPI is gone, the gastrin signals the proton pumps in your stomach to start dumping acid (because the PPI is no longer inhibiting the pumps) and thus the rebound effect. The theory is that you will experience rebound and excess acid until the gastrin in your blood levels off or goes down. What you are describing to me sounds like GERD or reflux. You can experience reflux with or without taking or quitting a PPI. The rebound is an excess of acid your stomach produces as a result of stopping acid suppressing medication. Rose "}, "3": {"a": "9827", "t": "Do not stop taking any PPI cold turkey. There was some study conducted that showed that even normal individuals (those without prior symptoms of GERD) developed acid rebound after taking a PPI for a period of time. I don't know if it was longer than four weeks, but I recall it was a short study. You need to wean off the PPI slowly and gradually to avoid rebound. I don't know if most or all people experience rebound, but the rebound will make you run back to the PPI. You may want to read others' posts here regarding acid rebound and weaning off PPI's before you go cold turkey. I have realized after much soul searching and trial and error that I may have to stay on some type of acid reducing medicine forever. I don't take a PPI anymore, but still take Zantac twice a day daily, and don't think I can be without it. You may also want to read about the prokinetics. They too can have serious side effects with prolonged used, so they are not necessarily safer than the PPI's. I know Reglan can cause tardive dyskenesia or involuntary movements with long use. I am not familiar with the one your doctor prescribed, but it may have a similar side effect. Please read up on the potential side effects of all medications, particularly if you have to take them long term. If your doctor wants you to take the Omeprazole and prokinetic for four weeks, that sounds like a good game plan to help you get through the most acute symptoms. After that, be prepared with a lot of information so you can have a good discussion with your doctor if he/she wants you to stay on these meds long term. I am writing all this because I am one of those people who used to trust doctors blindly and have learned my lessons the hard way. Rose "}}}, "146427": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "urine pain", "fainting", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "bloating", "face red", "vision double", "numb", "increase appetite", "sour stomach", "burning chest", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "loss appetite", "pale skin", "decrease sexual desire", "lower pain side", "stiffness", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "burning skin", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "increase sweating", "loss memory", "skin flushing", "stool bleed", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "sleepiness", "weak", "urine increase", "excessive stomach gas", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "rash skin", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "tight chest", "depression", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "vomit bleed", "skin sore", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "tingling", "nervousness", "urine cloudy", "stool black", "heartbeat pounding", "loss hair", "pale", "dizziness", "face swell", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "bad taste", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "heartburn", "wheezing", "desire sexual decrease", "muscle cramp", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "heartbeat slow", "white mouth spot", "sore eye", "headache", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "white spot lip", "bleed urine", "nosebleed", "speaking difficult", "change vision", "mouth ulcer", "convulsion", "gas passing", "frequent urinate", "seizure", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pain eye", "pain bladder", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "belching", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "clumsiness", "bleed", "pain leg", "lip swell", "short breath", "indigestion", "ulcer lip", "restlessness", "stool tarry", "moving difficult", "pain back", "taste change", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "change voice", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "nightmare", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["bloating", "headache", "anxiety", "constipation", "heartburn"], "umls": ["discomfort", "mouth dry", "heartburn", "irritate", "constipation", "stomach cramp", "pain muscle", "sore throat", "anxiety", "loss weight", "bleed", "pain lower back", "sad", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "loss balance", "pain back", "depression", "headache", "nausea", "hoarseness", "stomach pain", "chest pain", "upset stomach", "infection", "bloating", "bruising", "vomit", "indigestion", "stomach discomfort", "tight chest"], "neural": ["mouth dry", "pain lower back", "tight chest", "pain back", "loss weight", "indigestion", "stomach pain", "nausea", "stomach acid", "heartburn", "constipation", "discomfort", "chest pain", "bruising", "infection", "bloating", "upset stomach", "sore throat", "irritate", "pain muscle", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "8098", "t": "Switching from a PPI to Zantac would seem like a reasonable way of \"stepping down\" You could take an antacid (mallox, mylanta) as needed, and when things had stabalised, slowly cut out the santac by slow reduction of the dose "}, "1": {"a": "9819", "t": "Its very interesting to read of your seperate ppi journey's. I have been determined to get off this ppi at some point and time when i get the reflux under control, but its not happening. I just went to ENT dr last night and i have a viral (possible herpes/shingles family) virus in my throat...it has been there for AT LEAST 4 MONTHS! I have been treated with 2 rounds of antibiotics with some relief but it never goes away and it tears up my stomach that already has gastritis. I heard about a boof \"Why Stomach Acid is Good for You\" by Jon athon Wright but it must be out of print, hard to find. I seriously thing i am becoming more ill ON these ppis after nearly a year. Reasons why: ~Digesting my food, i have to hold my shoulders back for every meal and lots of bubbles and pressures have to happen and work there way out...never had this before. Before i was on double dose i could eat fairly normal amounts of food, now i have to e VERY careful, if i cross some threshold it is extremely painful and feels like a muscle is pushing it back out/it has no where to go, never had this before double dose. ~I am 28 and am now bruising so easily, BIG purple and green ones when i don't even remember the bump being that memorable. ~My throat is red and torn up with sores, i am truly wondering if its b/c ppi's don't allow your stomach to kill off all of the bad bacteria and i am getting infection after infection (or the same one) in my throat/back of tongue from where i hd/have esophagitis. Maybe i'm possibly chalking all of this up to the reflux getting worse when really my stomach just doesn't have the juice to digest food (I am still on a VERY strict diet months later and have not gained back my needed lost weight). ~My mouth is bone dry in the mornings, salivia is hard to come by anymore (i'd never had this problem pre-ppis) which is big, b/c i think saliva fights bacteria, hence all my painful infections. The list goes on...those are a few that i can think of. In the past month i just finished my taper off being poisined by benzodiazepines for 3 years. Since being off my anxiety meds my stomach hasn't been burning?? I don't know if thats why, but i would get these awful sunburn feelings in my stomach and esophagus since right around when i began the double ppi dose in late Sept. I never had all these additional problems like constant infections (with no colds, etc), trouble digesting food, bloating after every meal since i began the double ppi. I am not sure if this is the right moment for me and my health to attempt to cut out one day off ppi's right now. Well, i'm pretty sure its not the right time, but then i fear when the right time will ever be having never been healed from these ppi's and my esophagus, etc worsening all along. Dr's are of no assistance and of course blame every detail on stress. When in reality, THIS is what is stressing me out. I want to live to see my sons grandchildren one day, ets, i am only 28. I feel so ill and have for so long now. PPi's are when my physical health started to take a turn for th wosre and the double dose is when i began to get gallbladder problems, the constant infections and now so much weight loss on an already skinny girl (not from stress, I AM hungry, but i have a hard time eating without all the sympyoms i listed). *sigh* I wish you ladies the best luck, i know you can get off these, please keep posting, i want to get better and when i have another round of energy after this anti-viral i'm on hopefully, i want to try another way, i don't feel well on these ppi's. Take care, Marigold "}, "2": {"a": "9819", "t": "ps. Other things i've tried while still on ppi's for gerd: ~acupuncture for 4 months, relief from anxiety but not gerd/stomach ~dgl licorice ~slippery elm bark ~ACV ~Aloe vera juice gel (still doing) ~manuka honey (still doing) I want more info on HCL that is mentioned in 'Why Stomach Acid is Good for You'--i've never read it but heard many praise this dr's solutions. Anyone hear of HCL or try it? "}, "3": {"a": "9819", "t": "totally can relate mmkay...i just finished a 1 1/2 year taper off of 5, read FIVE drugs for anxiety and depression, which in my case helped in the beginning but ultimately made the anxiety and other things worse. I am so flippin frustrated with drs right now. I have had a red, raw sore throat/esophagitis for 7 ...no 8 months! now and ppis worked for the first month and since i've only gotten worse. I now don't know what to do about these ppi's (i've tried unsuccesfully three times to get off)...but i feel so ill on them, i just listed on a new thread all of the new conditions i've had come up since being on a double dose for 4 months. Now i am on an anti-viral for a continuing infection on the left side of my throat that will not go away. I proabably should not be taking it, but you get desperate being in so much pain/the damage being done. Oh, how i wish i would of researched ppi's before i let him give me one last June 22, oh how i wish. Somehow, i'm determined to get off of these one day, i think thats my only chance at feeling better from so many things that began after i was on ppis. I keep waiting for my throat to heal first but thats just not happening....hmmm... "}, "4": {"a": "9819", "t": "Yes, dr did begin antiviral...aciclovir...but that doesn't get rid of the virus and its been here for MONTHS, they can't get rid of it. It all began around same time i began double dose ppi and got worse when i tried to stop 1 of the ppi's doses a month later. My theory is since i have esophagitis and a raw throat from acid reflux, germs can more easily take residence AND i wake up every morning with a completely bone dry mouth, it is very hard to even make spit in the mornings....i have read saliva helps fight bacteria...well, i am out of luck there. The ENT dr said he doesn't think this is related to my esophagitis or ppi. Which i found an interesting statement b/c i didn't even ask if it was. How could it not be?? I asked him if he was concerned about how red it is back there and some white patches and sores and for soooo many months now and he said he expects it to clear up in 10 days with the antiviral??? yeah, see how i'm thinking, i'm all about positive thinking but lets deal with reality. Anyways, i am at a standstill right now, i don't know what the heck to do and i am somewhat at the mercy of drs with a constant infection. I go to see GI dr next week and ENT wants to see me next week to. The only reason i am posting my infection symptoms on here is b/c i have had no colds, etc. this winter and the infections are right where my acid reflux has worn away and began after double dose ppi's. I sincerely am beginning to feel this is all related...just don't know how to fix it now "}, "5": {"a": "9819", "t": "Well, i was never one of the lucky ones ppi's helped, so my esophagus has been burning every day for like 9 or 10 months now... i have no choice but to get off these as they are what is killing me i think. . BUT i am seeing a naturopathic dr now and he said he has treated about 400 of my cases. My husbands cousin is also a naturopathic dr in another state and conferred (sp?) with this dr.'s opinion independently. Basically, they said they are seeing alot of people whom for various reasons get on ppi's, but then develop worse symptoms or side effects, etc. Ppi's encourage gastroparesis since you have such a lack of stomach acid, which is happening to me, when there isn't a proper ph balance in my stomach, the duoedoum (sp?) won't open correctly allowing fermenting gases up the esopahgus through the LES. There is much more to it. Also, my constant throat/skin infections DEFINITELY are related to ppi's. I knew it, they have been improving (knock on wood) since cutting down to 20 mg prilosec a day. For someone whom has had esophagitis everyday for so many months, coming off ppi's has been, torturous to say the least....but i now have lost 30 lbs!! during my ppi therapy since last July...NOT good, under 110 now. So, i have no choice, wish i wouldn't have let my dr tell me the ppis would never cause all of this...too trusting i was. . you live and learn. So, i am on a incredibly strict diet by his nutritionist and everything has to be pureed. I had no grain, dairy or meat for 1 1/2 weeks, now allowed brown rice here and there. My ND said he doesn't know how all of these GI dr's get away with prescribing these and never doing anything about what is actually out of balance, they just mask the symptoms. We have no money and this is NOT cheap, but i am so sick that i have decided to try this dr out. He has explained what is going on in my GI system so much better than 2 GI's and one internist. Boy, are we a bandaid nation or what...my oh my, what a price to pay. "}, "6": {"a": "9843", "t": "Don't ya hate that. You can be real good at what you eat and it still kicks you in the butt. I'm no doctor but I think when you start to have more good than bad days it's a good thing. I hope to get there one day. Today I made the decision to go back to the Aciphex everyday (for now) until I talk everything over with my GI doc which I don't see for another 3 weeks. He'll probably send me for a scope. I've only had one before and it was OK but I'd feel better getting a green light before trying anything. Uggh! How I hate tests. Keep up the good work. "}, "7": {"a": "9843", "t": "Rose: Quick question. Did you consult with your doctor before stopping the ppi or did you do it on your own? The reason I ask is I'm wondering how many doctors out there will actually encourage someone to get off these blasted drugs. "}, "8": {"a": "9843", "t": "Hi Rose. Haven't posted in a while. It's encouraging to see you have been having decent days but I feel for you when you have those horrible ones. If we could only know for sure that this is the rebound and this, too will pass. I wonder if the rebound takes longer than 3 months. It would be a shame to go back to Aciphex at 3 months because your symptoms are not completely gone. Do all the studies say 3 months? Or are they vague and say \"several\" months? As for me, I am on Aciphex every day. However, this morning I did not take one yet. I'm thinking about trying to supplement Zantac (2x day) every 3rd day to start. I was at my GP 2 weeks ago and asked him if it's possible to get off these PPI's. He said yes (although he didn't seem too enthusiastic about it....he's big on writing those scripts). Anyway, he said to substitute Alka Seltzer or seltzer water morning and night...but that's just another antacid. Uggh! I'm still staying away from those common trigger foods....not a coffee or alcohol drinker, no caffeine, chocolate, tomato, etc. My carbs are low and keeping my refined sugar to a minimum, if any. Keep up the good work. "}, "9": {"a": "9843", "t": "I, too am experiencing what I think are side effects of Aciphex. I have been taking it for 8 years. The beginning of this year I did my little \"cold turkey experiment\" and although it was bearable I felt like I may have been doing myself harm. So I went on Omeprazole (due to insurance wanting a cheaper alternative) and that didn't seem to work. Although, thinking back I think it did. Anyway, my GP got my insurance to fill the Aciphex and now I'm back on it. So I was off Aciphex for about 6 weeks and a week or two after I went back on it, I started getting these muscle spasms/cramps/twitches....whatever they are. They are mostly in my abdominal region however I have little spasms in my upper thigh at times. They are not constant and some days I really don't have them. Yesterday I took Zantac instead and didn't have them. I really didn't have them all the years I was on it but I did have headaches more. I am going to see a new Gastro and explain everything and hope I can beat this thing. "}, "10": {"a": "9843", "t": "Since I didn't consult with a doctor prior I, too felt it was not good to have the heartburn every day like that. I have a GI appt in 3 weeks. I haven't seen one in about 8 years and they have since moved their practice farther away so this is a new doc for me. I'm interested to see what his stand is on getting off these blasted drugs. Today I didn't take the Aciphex, only Zantac and had little, if any of the side effects I mentioned. I'm going to try again tomorrow and see how it goes. Taking it day by day right now. "}, "11": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi again: I did not read all the posts thoroughly. It sounds like you are on an antiviral medication already. That you definitely need to take to get rid of the sores. You will not have to take the antiviral medicine permanently and there is no rebound effect from those meds that I know or have ever heard of. I think stress definitely aggravates the GI problems and probably contributes to the viral/shingles outbreaks too. Reading through your post, it sounds like if you can get rid of those sores in your throat, then you might be able to get off PPI's down the line. When you do, please wean them off very, very, very slowly to minimize the rebound effect and all the other discomfort that comes along with the process. I also do not want to scare the younger women in the forum (I am fifty five) with my bone loss story. I think the older ladies like me have to watch out for that, but the younger ones like you should simply be watching their calcium intake and keeping an eye in the future. Rose "}, "12": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hey Abby: Are you doing anything else like take an H2 blocker, drink aloe vera gel, DGL, etc to ease the transition off the PPI? My acid rebound started about a week after I stopped the PPI and I am still experiencing it at week six, even while on the Zantac and these other measures I am taking. I think the trick is to avoid going back to the PPI if we can help it, but I don't know that I could have stayed off the PPI for so many weeks without Zantac, etc. Thanks for posting updates. It really helps to hear how others are doing and what they are doing to ease the process. Rose "}, "13": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Tata: I am so sorry to hear you are going through so much pain and discomfort. I am fortunate that the worst I have experienced is moderate heartburn, nausea and indigestion here and there. Enough to make one's life miserable, but I have never had to go to the ER thinking I am having a heart attack. I can't imagine how frightening that must be. My symptoms clearly come from my gut and do not mimic anything else. I took Aciphex for nearly three years and it was very, very effective in cutting back reflux for me. I was completely or nearly completely asymptomatic. I decided to stop taking it two months ago for fear I would develop full blown osteoporosis. I am not sure everyone can go off PPI's and you may be one of those people who needs to keep taking the Aciphex. It is a blessing if it works for you and lets you lead a normal life, take care of your kids, etc. I am not even sure I'll be able to stay off it longterm. But I am going to try at least to stay Aciphex free for a few months to see if my current symptoms are related to acid rebound or they start to go away. I recently learned that acid rebound can last up to two months and even longer. Since you mentioned you have had a hysterectomy, make sure you up your calcium intake to 1200 mg a day and take vitamin D3 along with it for better absorption. My doctor recommended 1000 mg of vitamin D3 daily along with the calcium. She also told me to space the calcium intake through the day rather than take all four pills at once. I have recently found out that the best form of calcium is calcium citrate, as in Citracal, because calcium citrate can apparently be absorbed more easily by the stomach with or without much stomach acid. No doctor gave me this information when I started taking Aciphex at 52, also at the onset of my menopause. I wonder if I would now have osteopenia if I had been warned to take calcium and the right type of calcium. I now know all this information was out there in 2007. I have read old posts here that date back to 2003 or so. I want to make sure I am not encouraging anyone who should be on PPI's to get off PPI's. My decision to try to get off PPI's was a personal decision based on the discovery that I was losing too much calcium from my bones while on the Aciphex. I started to post here because I knew nothing about this process or PPI side effects or basically anything when I decided to run the experiment and see if I can taper off to a less potent antisecretory drug. I have been reading a lot and learning a lot through this board since the beginnig of January. I don't think I would have made it through week six off PPI's if I had not started to post here, received so much feedback, information and support. I am learning every day. Rose "}, "14": {"a": "9827", "t": "Something to check with your doctor, but my sense is that if you are on a PPI, your body has a tougher time getting the calcium it needs from pills and maybe even food. You may need to supplement with calcium citrate and vitamin D3, particularly if you are going to take the PPI long term. I also take a multivitamin, but (now) take 1200 mg of calcium citrate spaced into two doses, and 1000 mg of vitamin D3 which is the type of vitamin D3 the body absorbs and helps with calcium absorption. Again, check with your doctor, but it may be helpful for you to start supplementing now even if you are young because your bones are going to need to have a good supply of calcium later on. Rose "}, "15": {"a": "9827", "t": "I used to drink a lot of water when I was on Aciphex (still do, water is good for you), but often woke up dehydrated. I also used to be very constipated while on the Aciphex. So there must be something going on with PPI's that tends to dehydrate the body. I am now drinking the same amount of water and feel more hydrated, am more regular and don't have the dry mouth I used to. Antiviral medicines are very effective and, as far as I know, they are not a double edge sword like the PPIs. I hope they do start working for you very soon because I can't imagine having a sore, irritated throat for weeks. I am sure it hurts to swallow. You may end up not needing the PPI once the virus retreats. Rose "}, "16": {"a": "9827", "t": "Wish I could say I am still drinking coffee, hot or cold! I gave that up with the PPI's along with wine, alcohol, tomatoes and anything I think will cause or aggravate acid reflux. I am happy to hear that avoiding hot liquids has worked for you, though. What I think is so interesting and puzzling about this process is how some remedies work for some people and not others. I have not found much luck with ginger, apple cider vinegar, apples, etc. However, others swear by them. Thank you for sharing. Rose "}, "17": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi TVC: I have noticed that I have to be careful when I take any supplements (vitamins, calcium, fish oil, etc) because they will irritate my stomach if I don't take them with actual solid food. I usually split my calcium supplements into two daily doses and I had been taking the morning one with yogurt. I noticed that I was developing stomach ache and some heartburn even though I was also taking an H2 blocker in the morning. Therefore, I have now switched that first dose to lunch or eat a bit more in the morning if I take my pills in the morning. I have not had heartburn if I take the vitamins with a heftier meal, i.e., lunch or dinner. So it is possible supplements may be irritating a stomach (or rather esophagus) that is already irritated by reflux. You mentioned your breakfast was bland. It may have not had enough substance in it or perhaps even a little fat to buffer those supplements. On a separate note, I have to tell you that I have good days and bad days that appear to have nothing to do with what I do or don't do or take or don't take. I practically eat the same thing every morning and lunch and I can have heartburn and discomfort some days and not others. It is frustrating for sure. I eat bananas, yougurt, cantaloupe, crackers, rice pudding, a small sandwich, almond milk, green tea with honey and that type of thing during my typical day. I eat throughout the day and eat small portions of the foods I mentioned. I also drink plenty of water, etc. I always worry about dinner time because that is when I have time to have my heaviest and heftiest meal (If I am going to have meat or something like that it will be in the evening) and I rarely get heartburn after dinner. I do eat early and don't eat large quantities of anything. That is what is so frustrating about this GERD business. I am also fortunate to not have reflux at night when I sleep. My stomach seems to go to sleep when I go to sleep. On another subject. This is the beginning of my seventh week off PPI's. I started this post a few weeks back when I decided to go off Aciphex. At first, I did not know what the heck I was doing or what to expect and, honestly, I did not think I could last two days off the Aciphex. I did not get much support from my family doctor who suggested I try Pepcid as a substitute, but said good luck and gave me another prescription for Aciphex anyway. I don't get severe hearburn every day now, but still have it every two to three days and probably have some mild heartburn, stomach pain and discomfort at least once a day. Chewing a lot of gum after dinner seems to help get that food down and digested, and the heartburn away. I recently decided to switch from Zantac 150 mg twice a day to Pepcid 10 mg twice per day. I have been told Pepcid is a newer H2 blocker and lasts a bit longer. I have been taking Pepcid for two days and, if it does not work better after a week or so, I may then go back to Zantac. I am trying to stay off the PPI. From what I have been reading, acid rebound from PPIs can last up to three months and longer. Gastrin levels (hormone that helps produce acid) apparently rise in the blood as a result of the acid suppression caused by the PPI use. Gastrin levels in one's blood then have to go down and level off upon PPI discontinuation, and then all those extra proton pump cells that were created by the excess Gastrin have to die off. Therefore, it is not a one to two week deal apparently. My sense is that one's stomach has to be sort of reprogrammed after the cessation of the PPI's, and that change may take a long time. We truly become dependent on those medications. I have been reading a lot on the subject and learning a lot even from finding medical journal abstracts online because I have not been able to get a straight answer from any of my doctors. Nobody really knows for sure and nobody was too supportive of my idea to go off the PPI. At this point, I don't know what part of my symptoms are due to PPI rebound and what part to the disorder (GERD) that led me to take PPI's in the first place. Unless I stick it out and stay off those PPI's longer, though, I am not going to ever find out. Therefore, I am still off PPI's, trying to be very disciplined with food, taking my supplements and now Pepcid and watching how things develop. TVC: I'll look into AbsorbAid to see if that is something that might help me. I started taking Align at another poster's suggestion and that seems to be helping with the gas and bloating, if not the heartburn. Thank you everyone for posting your experiences and suggestions. Rose "}, "18": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Flyerfan: We have similar stories, except that I was on Aciphex for only three years. I thought Aciphex was a wonder drug. Once I was put on it, I could eat and drink anything and everything I wanted with no reflux or heartburn whatsoever. Aciphex was my best friend. As you have read through this thread, the reason I decided to get off Aciphex was my discovery that I had developed osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis) during the three years I had been on the Aciphex. I had a normal Dexa scan as a baseline the same year I began to take Aciphex. I am now 55 and my gynecologist suggested another one this past December. I was shocked when the scan came back showing advanced osteopenia on both hips. I must add I am in the midsts of menopause, but still having periods every two-three months. Therefore, my body is still producing estrogen and the consensus, even by all my doctors, was that the Aciphex was likely interfering with calcium absorption and the main cause from the change in the Dexa scans over a three year period. Much to my surprise, neither of my doctors suggested I get off Aciphex, but rather both independently suggested I get on Actonel, another type of drug I want to avoid at all costs. Biphosphonates are an entirely different story worthy of starting an entire new post. I have been off Aciphex now seven entire weeks. Had I not read about acid rebound (neither doctor told me either before I was put on the Aciphex or recently when I announced I wanted to get off). But, I was prepared for several weeks of misery. I have read rebound can last up to three months. I am currently taking 150 mg Zantac twice a day (morning and night). I recently started taking a regime of orange peel extract (D-Limonene extract) every other day for twenty days along with the DGL, digestive enzymes and probiotics. I am always reading to see what else I can find out there and the latest I read is that a low carbohydrate diet can significantly help to lessen acid production and reflux. Therefore, I began to slowly cut back on carbs over the past three days and must admit I feel better. I have had two-three decent days of being nearly symptom free. Tomorrow is the beginning of my eighth week off Aciphex. I hope I have begun to turn the corner and stop experiencing daily bouts of heartburn. The theory behind rebound is that the body produces excess gastrin (hormone) as a response to the PPI's. Once the PPI is removed, the gastrin signals the parietal cells in the stomach to start releasing acid and what we get is an acid storm that can last for weeks until gastrin levels normalize and we return to a baseline of symptoms (whatever you were experiencing when you were put on PPI's in the first place). From what I have read, you can supplement your PPI with an H2 blocker like Zantac during the withdrawal phase. I was able to cut my 20 mg tablet of Aciphex in half and took 10 mg for a few weeks before I finally went off it completely and began to take the Zantac. The first few weeks, as you have stated, were pretty horrible. Besides heartburn, I had stomach pains, horrible gas, pain in the pit of my stomach, you name it. I started this post to receive support from the forum, but also as a way to track my progress and, hopefully, so others like you can read about my journey and make the best decision for themselves. I think cutting down on carbs is helping me along with the orange peel extract capsules. Cutting down carbs is difficult as I soon realized I was eating a lot of carbs through yogurt, milk, potatoes and other foods I thought were good for my stomach because they were \"bland.\" Apparently carbs force the stomach to produce acid, and a diet low on carbs reduces stomach acid and reflux. I am not a scientist, but have already read about this from different sources and different internet sites. Apparently the acid produced as a response to ingesting protein is used to digest that protein and does not linger in the stomach. My suggestion to you if you want to try to get off Aciphex is to do so very gradually. I am not sure why you cannot cut your pills in half and gradually taper off. You'll probably have to go on an H2 blocker like Zantac or Pepcid as well as a low carbohydrate diet. Once you start to wean yourself off, then get set to likely experience weeks of discomfort. Besides the H2 blocker, I was supplementing with liquid Gaviscon, DGL, and chewing an awful lot of gum between meals. Somehow, chewing gum helped my digestion. I am not sure everyone is meant to be off PPI's and perhaps you need your Aciphex. Who knows whether I'll be able to stay off Aciphex long term. For sure, I am going to have to be more disciplined, stay off coffee, alcohol, all those starches, etc. I am being very, very careful right now and I am going to try to give the Aciphex a run for its money. I don't think my reflux will ever be \"cured.\" I have accepted it is a chronic condition and I'll probably have to take some type of medication my entire life. At this point, my goal is to try to use the H2 blockers rather than the PPI's. H2 blockers have not been associated in the literature with hip fractures or stomach tumors, likely because they are not as effective in blocking the production of stomach acid as the PPI's. It was the panic of fracturing a hip that led to my decision to try to get off and stay off Aciphex. I am not saying it is a \"bad\" drug. I am only saying it caused problems with calcium absorption for me, and I made the decision to get off it rather than add another type of drug (Actonel) that is associated with another host of bad side effects that, ironically, include heartburn. Good luck in your quest to get off Aciphex if you feel that is the right decision for you. Be prepared it will not be easy and arm yourself with all the information and support you can. Sadly, I have received no information and little support from my doctors. Neither doctor told me about the calcium malabsorption with PPI's or acid rebound. I have found all this information on my own. Rose "}, "19": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Sharon: As far as the Aciphex, I don't know if they make more than one type of tablet. Mine were 20 mg, round and small, and I had no trouble cutting them in half with one of those pill guillotines you can buy at the pharmacy. I never knew they were enteric coated or that they could not be split (Then again, aspirin is enteric coated and I have to trouble splitting one in half and taking a half if I need to). The half dose (10 mg) worked very well. It was actually when I started to cut that half in half that I began to experience symptoms. I guess 5 mg is not enough to suppress acid. I actually told my family doctor that I was splitting the 20 mg pills in half and she said \"OK.\" Maybe she does not know any better. But split them I did, and they still seemed to work pretty well while I was using the halves (10 mg). The reason I refer to going back to a baseline is that I have been through seven weeks of pretty severe symptoms, but have begun to feel almost \"normal\" on the Zantac now that I am at the beginning of my eighth week off Aciphex. Before, I was feeling pretty crappy even on two 150 mg daily doses of Zantac. I don't take DGL all the time. I only take it when my throat feels raw, which has not occurred for three or four days. I don't find it very pleasant and it makes everything I eat taste like it. But there were a few weeks there when I was sucking on those pills three or four times per day. I was also taking teaspoons of honey to soothe my throat and esophagus and drinking the aloe juice. I have cut back on most of that by now that the Zantac and low carbs seem to finally be doing the trick. It is hard to remember to take all that stuff unless you feel miserable. I also had to be careful not to drink too much aloe juice as it gave me stomach cramps and diahrrea. A little aloe went a long ways for me. In my particular case, and assuming that my rebound symptoms have now begun to finally subside, it has taken almost two entire months for me to go for three entire days without experiencing heartburn or some other gastric symptom. I took my last Aciphex on January 20th or so. When I first got off the Aciphex, not only did I experience horrible heartburn, but I also began to experience symptoms I never had before the PPI's. These included: stomach pain, bloating, feeling of pain on the pit of my stomach, gas, and general indigestion. I have not experienced heartburn or indigestion for three entire glorious days, and I am being very careful to keep those carbs down and still stay off coffee, onions and other irritants. I love my coffee and love bread, rice, potatoes and all that good starchy stuff. But I'll stay away from them if I can manage my symptoms and stay off PPI's for good. If I can continue to maintain my present functioning and have decent days like the past few days, then I have finally begun to turn the corner. But I don't want to declare victory too soon. I think the low carbs are helping. I also think the orange peel extract is helping (or at least not hurting). I guess the trick is to keep that esophagus and throat coated and minimize the damage as much as possible as we are going through rebound. I took quite a bit of Gaviscon during the first couple of weeks. Rather than allow the heartburn to go on, I would take a tablespoon of liquid Gaviscon and start to feel better after ten minutes or so. I was very discouraged many, many days. There were days when I felt I was doing better, but others I felt I was going backwards. Three days forward, four days backward. I am going on spring break for a few days and hope I can hold on to my healthy diet and not give in to too much temptation. I am taking the DGL along just in case. Too bad I can't take a bottle of aloe juice on the plane. The one thing I would do differently if I had to do it all over again is to get off the Aciphex more slowly. I cut the pills in half for a week, then cut those halves in halves for a few days and, in about two weeks, I had stopped taking it completely and started the Zantac. I might do as you suggest to start alternating one day on Aciphex and the next on Zantac. Then, maybe one day of Aciphex, and two on Zantac and so on until you are taking more days of Zantac and less Aciphex. There has to be an easier way than the way I went about it. My goal at the beginning was to stay off Aciphex for at least three months to see if I could work through the rebound and get to a level where I could keep my symptoms manageable. Maybe I am there or maybe not. GERD is a fickle disorder. I'll report when I get back from spring break. Congratulations on your weight loss and hard work. I am sure they'll pay off health-wise. Rose "}, "20": {"a": "9827", "t": "Not bad. I was bad a couple of times and had a cup of decaf coffee and both times experienced heartburn. The rest of the time I may have felt slight heartburn after meals which I was able to fight off chewing gum and drinking a bit of water. I am still on my 150 Zantac twice per day and finishing up the D-Lemonene pills (every other day). I have cut down on the DGL a little bit and the Aloe, but I am trying to stick to my diet of low carbs and no offending foods as much as possible. I am definitely not in agony and have noticed that my days are no longer revolving around obsessing about rebound symptoms and whether or not I am going to experience heartburn after I eat. I think I can probably stay off the Aciphex if I eat carefully, avoid coffee (I am sad about that) and keep taking the Zantac. I may be able to eventually go to the 75 mg pill twice a day, but I don't think I'll ever be able to be medicine free again. I just hope I can avoid the PPI's. Their superior acid suppression is also what makes it harder for the stomach to absorb the calcium and such. Thank you for asking. It was not hard to keep to a low carb diet during the vacation. Fortunately, almost everyone sells a salad with chicken or a similar protein and I was able to keep the carbs to mostly mornings. Rose "}, "21": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Jayner 1: Sorry for your trip to the ER and feeling your throat close in on you. I have a good friend who ate shrimp all her life and had a similar situation once. She ate shrimp at a restaurant, felt her throat closing, took some benadryl she had in her purse for allergies and drove herself to the hospital. Not sure why she did that, but she did. She arrived in the nick of time, was treated, given an EPY (sp?) pen, and told to avoid shrimp. She subsequently tried to eat a little bit of shrimp again to test the allergy and after a very small bite, started to feel her throat closing again. She gave herself the shot and vowed to never eat shrimp or shellfish again. Therefore, your throat closing may have nothing to do with the PPI or anxiety, expect that one's throat closing would certainly trigger an anxiety attack in me as well. I can't imagine the sensation of not being able to breathe. My only warning about PPI's, since you are starting or dealing with Menopause, is to have a Dexa scan to see how the PPI's may be affecting your bones, how much calcium you need, etc. Also, I was recently told by my doctor that it is a good thing to have one's levels of vitamin D checked to see if they are low. If so, we then need to take more vitamin D3 to assist with calcium absorption. I consider myself an informed person and didnot know any of this until recently. I feel like such a \"Duh\" for not knowing or checking. Even if you need to continue to take your PPI, there may be ways to prevent bone loss if you take more vitamin D3, calcium citrate (which is more easily absorbed even without stomach acid), etc. Hope you are feeling better soon. Rose "}, "22": {"a": "9827", "t": "It's weird how this process works. I have experienced quite a bit of heartburn tonight after dinner. I had a pretty decent dinner of baked fish with almonds (trout almondine) and carrots. No bread, no carbs, nothing fried and nothing but a little water to drink with dinner. Then, I came home and took my vitamins and whamo! I have experienced heartburn for close to three hours even after taking Gaviscon twice and sucking on two DGL tablets. All I can think of is that I took a bunch of vitamins after a fairly light supper and that may have irritated my stomach. I still hope I am turning the corner as you say but episodes like tonight are frustrating, particularly after I just posted here that I had done well for nearly my entire vacation. When this happens it makes me feel that this is a random process that has nothing to do with what I eat and not eat. Rationally, I know that is probably not true, but tonight I am feeling frustrated by the apparent setback. Rose "}, "23": {"a": "9827", "t": "Thanks for the good wishes. I finally ended up taking a third Zantac last night at about 1:30 in the morning (about six hours after the last one) when I realized the heartburn was just not going away. I took it again this morning, was fine this morning and up till lunch, then had some heartburn after lunch (not as bad as last night) and then nothing tonight, no heartburn after dinner. It is just as if my stomach had gone to rest or decided to give me a break tonight. I'll keep working on it. I am giving myself at least three months off PPI's before I make my decision to stay off them permanently or go back to them. But I need to give it a decent shot to see if I can work through the rebound and not experience heartburn almost daily. "}, "24": {"a": "9827", "t": "I seem to have one bad day, three good days and then another bad day. I had pretty bad heartburn last Monday afternoon-evening, then three fairly decent days and today, after following the same routine and taking the same medications/supplements, etc., I started having heartburn at around 10:00 A.M. and pretty much had it all day. I took DGL, drank lots of water and ate minimally and still had heartburn. I came home, took my evening Zantac and ate a dinner of chicken and vegetables. I am keeping my fingers crossed to see what happens once my stomach starts to empty. But it is very discouraging. I don't know if this is the way it will be from now on, and if I am through the acid rebound or not. I have now been about two months off PPI's. Just got through taking the 20 days of D-Limonene (orange peel extract) and I am still experiencing heartburn (on top of taking Zantac, DGL and everything else). So that did not work for me very well (sadly). Anyway, I will continue to post and report what is going on, what I am trying and if anything is working or not working. Today has not been a good day. I was stuck at work and could not run home to get antiacids or to the store to buy some. I pretty much had to suffer all day with this nonsense. It is discouraging because I am trying so hard to try all the different suggestions. Rose "}, "25": {"a": "9827", "t": "What remedies have you tried besides diet and elevating the bed? I don't have nighttime reflux and already eat a pretty healthy diet consisting of protein, fruits, vegetables, almond milk and as few carbs as I can get away with. I got off PPI's two months ago and have suffered through pretty heavy duty rebound. I am now on H2 blockers and hoping to be able to someday be off medications and only on natural treatments for reflux. Rose "}, "26": {"a": "9827", "t": "In a way I consulted. I had been cutting down on the dose of Aciphex (from a whole pill to a half) between the discovery that I had developed Osteopenia (from a Dexa scan) during a visit to the Gyno doctor on December 22nd and my visit to the general practicioner January 24th. I explained to my family doctor then my intention to stop the Aciphex in efforts to slow down or stop the calcium malabsorption. She was not too enthusiastic but told me I could try Pepcid AC twice a day instead of the Aciphex. However, her recommendation to me was to stay on the Aciphex, take Actonel for the bone loss and then take even higher doses of Aciphex if the Actonel caused me any stomach trouble. I know that is the easiest way to do it, but I did not like the idea of taking Actonel (that's the subject of an entire new post) or having to then take even more Aciphex to counteract the Actonel. It seemed to me like creating a crazy, vicious cycle of more and more medicine to deal with a side effect originally created by the Aciphex. I took my last Aciphex on January 24th and have taken OTC Zantac from then on. But the general medical consensus from my two doctors is that I should stay on the Aciphex, take Actonel and then increase the Aciphex as needed to deal with the Actonel side effects (heartburn, etc). In other words, both of my doctors know but my sense is that they do not agree with my decision. The general practicioner mailed me new prescriptions for Aciphex and Actonel when she sent me the results of my lab work. Needless to say, I am currently taking neither. Rose "}, "27": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hang in there if you can. I am now a little over two months off PPI's and can say that I have barely begun to feel semi-normal. I was still experiencing pretty bad rebound by week five. Therefore, when gastroenterologists write that rebound can last up to three months, I believe it. You are probably going through the worst of it right now. Nobody ever told me about acid rebound or the dependency the PPI's can create. It just seems like such an easy medication to prescribe that I think doctors now have a tendency to overprescribe it without thinking too much about it. Then, we are stuck. I cut down my Zantac from 150 mg to 75 mg twice per day a couple of days ago to see if I can further wean myself off prescription medications. If I can hold it at 75 mg, I may stay there for a while with the blander diet, low carbs and other remedies I have been trying. But it has been a tough two months, that's for sure. Rose "}, "28": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Co/1mm: Sorry you are going through a divorce. I know the stress and upheaval don't help the body heal. I am sure they keep your tummy churning. I had horrible rebound until about two weeks ago and I feel I may have just started to turn the corner and see a life without the darn PPI. I can't predict how it will go for you, but I think it can get better. If you are at week three, you are probably still in the thick of it. Hang in there if you can and feel you can play this out for a bit. What I did wrong when I started the weaning off process was to get off the PPI too quickly. I was off them a week when I started to experience the rebound. However, by then I was a week out and did not want to start the cycle all over again. That was the last week of January. This is what I have done to deal with this rebound phenomenon. All this may or may not work for you. 1) I took 150 Zantac twice a day until a couple of days ago when I reduced the dose to 75 mg Zantac twice a day. I'll see how it goes and will go back up to 150 mg if I feel I need the higher H2 blocker dose. I tried Pepcid too, but the Zantac worked better for me. 2) I found that a low carb diet has helped me. Try to reduce carbs as much as possible if you can and eat more lean protein, nuts and veggies (along with some fruit). For a while there, I was eating a lot of dairy, rice and potatoes and, tough bland, that type of diet was not helping me. For whatever reason, the stomach produces more acid to break down the carbs. 3) No coffee, alcohol and other acid producing foods. I think milk and dairy go into that category. I now drink almond milk and take my calcium citrate pills twice a day. I think decaf coffee has a lot of acid too. 4) Don't eat close to bedtime and don't go to bed with a full stomach. 5) I started drinking aloe juice but I now take aloe pills and slippery elm pills in-between meals. I also suck on DGL. I chew sugarless gum after meals for about an hour whether I have heartburn or not. I think it helps produce more saliva and aids with digestion. It is not hurting and I think it may be helping me. 6) I never take any pills, including vitamins, on an empty stomach. 7) Read all you can. Reading about acid rebound did not make the rebound any easier to deal with, but understanding the process better has helped me to make better decisions regarding whether or not to wait it out. If I had not come here and read old posts, I would have probably been back on the Aciphex within a week. Nobody can live through this rebound misery forever. On certain days I was experiencing heartburn for five or six hours non-stop. 8) I use liquid Gaviscon as a last resort when I experience heartburn, particularly if my stomach is bothering me before bedtime. I don't want to take too much because it has aluminum and a lot of aluminum is not good for you. But Gaviscon is a God-send when I am having one of my \"heartburn attacks\" that can last for hours. I think this has been it in a nutshell. I don't think PPI's are evil, but I am upset my doctors never informed me of side effects (possible osteopenia or osteoporosis, acid rebound, etc). I was simply told I had GERD, and would need to be on the PPI forever. Best wishes to you and please post and let us know how you are coming along. I have had some really bad days when I thought I had to take that PPI and here lately, I have begun to have more \"better\" or \"good\" days. I hope I can continue to stretch those out. Rose "}, "29": {"a": "9827", "t": "I actually thought the rebound would last one or two weeks and was shocked to find out it was still in full force for me at week five and even week seven. Not everyone is the same, but by week five you could still be experiencing rebound. I think the trick is that all those extra acid producing parietal cells in your stomach wall that your body created while the acid was being suppressed have to go through their cycle and die off. In the meantime, they are producing a lot of extra acid. When those extra cells die off and, assuming there isn't such strong acid suppression going on, then your body will not produce so many acid producing cells and the rebound should begin to level off. I know I am not explaining the process correctly, but that is what I read in a couple of journals. Are you taking any other medication to help you through the rebound? Any natural remedies? Rose "}, "30": {"a": "9827", "t": "It sounds like you are going at it the right way by slowly reducing the PPI. Then, if your doctor agrees, you can switch to a less potent H2 blocker for a while and eventually wean yourself off the acid suppressing medicines altogether, which now your doctor is not even sure you need. Good luck to you and please keep us posted. I would love to hear how others are doing and if they have been successful and getting off PPI's. It is my intention to stay off PPI's, but my goal is to stay off at least three months and re-evaluate about my quality of life without them to see what the trade off is. At least, I want to be able to find out what is rebound and what is my disease. Rose "}, "31": {"a": "9827", "t": "I hope it starts to become easier for you and we all keep posting updates here to keep each other going and see if we are able to stay off. I started this post when I was exactly in your position six or seven weeks back and in a lot of discomfort. One big difference for me this time is that, when I went on the PPI's almost three years ago, I did not alter my diet or lifestyle one bit. The PPI made it possible for me to drink coffee, drink alcohol and eat whatever I wanted at whatever time of the day or night. The PPI just masked my problems rather than solved them. I am now being forced to make dietary and lifestyle changes that I hope will help me stay off PPI's with less medication or at least medication that does not rob my bones of calcium, like the PPI did to me. Rose "}, "32": {"a": "9827", "t": "I am trying to cut down on wheat as well but I am not sure about all the products that have wheat. I am eating a diet low on carbs and that means eliminating a lot of bread and dairy for the time being. Low carbing seems to help my reflux. I wonder if the low carbing also means I am avoiding wheat/gluten. Worth reading more about. "}, "33": {"a": "9827", "t": "I think the consensus is to NOT get off the PPI's cold turkey. I almost did that and have suffered a lot. I tapered off a bit and then went from the PPI to Zantac and experienced a heck of a rebound. I have good days and bad days on Zantac. I don't know at this point how much of what I am experiencing is still rebound and how much is just my GERD. I have experienced nausea and heartburn today on and off on the same dose of Zantac (150 mg twice a day) after three or four pretty good days. I am like you. All the natural remedies seem to help a bit, but do not seem to have the same impact they do on others. I have tried aloe juice and capsules, orange peel extract capsules, cutting carbs, taking DGL, etc. with limited success. I read all the different posts about using probiotics and then feel frustrated when I am throwing everything and the kitchen sink at my heartburn and it seems to have a mind of its own. I now follow a pretty predictable diet of foods that typically do not produce reflux for me and I still have days of pronounced heartburn regardless of what I eat. I frankly still don't know if I'll be able to make the permanent switch to Zantac or I'll have to return to the PPI eventually. I don't mind followig a strict diet and I no longer drink coffee or alcohol and I still experience symptoms. Therefore, it is frustrating. I am on my second month off PPI's and I said I am going to give it three months before I decide whether I can stay off the medicine or will have to return to the PPI. My suggestion to you would be to cut off the coffee to see if that has any impact on your symptoms and start cutting back on the Omeprazole very slowly and gradually. Going cold turkey is probably going to be painful and not effective if in the end it forces you to go back on the PPI. I will keep posting here until I finish my three month experiment and make my decision to stay off the PPI or go back on it. I would like the other members who are struggling with this to know the eventual outcome of my situation. At this point, it appears that I can have two-three good days and one day of reflux and heartburn regardless of what I eat or don't eat and in spite of using Zantac. If that is the course of this disorder for me, I will then eventually have to decide whether I will continue to live with these symptoms or go back to the PPI. As you know from reading these posts is that what got me to quit the PPI was the discovery that I had developed osteopenia in both hips after two years of using Aciphex. The Aciphex worked great, only I did not know it was not allowing my body to absorb calcium. But please, do not go off Omeprazole cold turkey. I think that is the one mistake I made and others have also posted about that in here through the years. Rose "}, "34": {"a": "9827", "t": "I have had two pretty lousy days of feeling nauseous and with heartburn on and off (not the worst kind like in the early days off PPI's but annoying enough to keep me in a bad mood). These are the days when I feel so tempted to go grab that bottle of Aciphex and pop one in. The sad thing is that I am being very good about my diet trying to keep those carbs low and not eating offending foods. I am also religiously taking the DGL (which is why I may be nauseous rather than have horrible heartburn. It is probably coating and protectig my stomach a little bit). But this thing definitely has a mind of its own, and today I feel like it is defeating me (sigh). I have read so much stuff and I am trying so hard to eat alkaline foods, low carbs, no coffee, alcohol, sodas, junk, etc. and I am still experiencing moderate symptoms almost daily (with the exception of little phases of three or so good days here and there). For a while I thought I had turned the corner but I now seem to have taken three or four steps backwards. Again, I don't know if this is just the disease itself and what I am left to deal with or I am still experiencing acid rebound. I will stick to the plan until April 24th when it will be three months to the day that I took my last PPI and see if I can continue to endure this or go back on the PPI. I will hate to admit defeat and be one of those who cannot live without PPI's. I guess the jury is still out, but it ain't looking good today after two days of nausea, hoarseness and mild heartburn. Feels like I am building up to something here. Rose "}, "35": {"a": "9827", "t": "I have just had two \"decent\" days again. I feel better and hopeful when I have one or two good days. I feel I get a reprieve or break. Then, I have a bad day and feel very frustrated. At least, I have not run back to the PPI yet. I'll keep reporting to see how it goes for the next week or so. I would love to be able to stabilize. I can live with mild heartburn even if it occurs daily, but it is the \"attacks\" that are hard to tolerate. Rose "}, "36": {"a": "9827", "t": "Another pretty decent day. Very light to minimal symptoms. Have been eating light with lots of salads, fruits, veggies and proteins like nuts, chicken and almond milk. Still taking 150 Zantac twice daily. I tried cutting down to 75 a week ago and that might be what sent me in the latest downward spiral so I increased the dose again to the 150 mg. If I can continue to experience days like this, I may be able to continue to manage with Zantac and lifestyle modifications and not go back to the Aciphex. I am still not sure to what extent my symptoms are due to acid rebound and what portion is caused by the disease (GERD) itself. Rose "}, "37": {"a": "9827", "t": "Thank you for the words of encouragement. Lo and behold! I had another \"good day\" today. I took my Zantac and usual supplements and did not experience heartburn today. I am keeping my fingers crossed. I hope I can continue to \"extend\" these good spells. I think this is my third day without too many symptoms. I feel almost \"normal.\" But I have gone through several good days before only to then experience heartburn all of the sudden for no apparent reason. Too early to tell if the good trend will continue. From what I have read, acid rebound can take up to three months and sometimes longer for some people. I don't think everyone reacts the same, but I suspect that the rebound has something to do with how effective the PPI's are at acid suppression for the particular person. My sense is that the more effective the acid suppression the worse the rebound when the person goes off the PPI. In my case, the Aciphex worked like a charm. In fact, half a pill worked great! I used to cut the pills in half and take 10 instead of 20 mg. I must say the Aciphex was wonderful for me until I discovered I had developed osteopenia after using it for only three years! That got me going on this quest to see if I can get off and stay off the PPI. I don't know what other side effects I might develop if I take it for the next twenty years or so. I am only 55 and I hope to live to a ripe old age (longevity runs in my family). I am really afraid of developing osteoporosis and ending up with a fracture that might have been preventable. This is why I made the decison to stick with the three month commitment to not take PPI's even if the symptoms keep recurring. I would hate to give up at two months if I am almost there in terms of working through the rebound effect. I know I have GERD and I am probably going to have to be on some type of medication and restricted diet for the rest of my life if I want to stay off PPI's. But I have done my homework and feel I am taking a calculated risk. We'll see what happens. The reason I want to continue this thread until I make a decision one way or the other regarding PPI use is that I have read many posts here where people get off PPI's and one never knows whether they stayed off or gave up and went back on them after a few days or weeks of suffering. I suspect people post when they are in distress and then forget to come back to post or give up posting on their progress when they decide to go back to their old medication. Maybe in the future someone will read through this thread and it will help him/her make a more informed decison regarding whether it is worth it for them to try to wean off PPI's or it is a futile attempt. I hope I succeed, but the jury is still out or whether I'll be able to stay off PPI's long term. Anyway, April 24th will be the date when I come to three months not taking PPI's. Rose "}, "38": {"a": "9827", "t": "I am still off the Aciphex and only on Zantac twice a day plus the other supplements, DGL, etc. I seem to have three or four decent days and then one or two either so-so or bad days. I am not sure why. That may just be what the disease is going to be like for me without the PPI. I am being careful with the diet, taking my supplements. I find this tolerable, but do not know what is going on internally and if those two days when I have heartburn are doing serious damage to my esophagus. With respect to the poster who wrote that being off PPI's made her constipated after a few weeks, I experienced all sorts of weird side effects during more than six or seven weeks as I was trying to come off the Aciphex. I had constipation, bloating, pain in my sternum and all sorts of other weird symptoms I never had before the PPI. Now, I seem to just be back to the same old heartburn that got me on the PPI in the first place, but all the other weird symptoms have sort of resolved. Maybe five weeks off a PPI is not long enough to figure out what is PPI withdrawal and what are one's own symptoms. Unfortunately, neither of my doctors has been much help in this regard. Rose "}, "39": {"a": "9827", "t": "[QUOTE=LMF123;4226248]Hi everyone, Well I tried something different for me this morning. I am at 3 1/2 weeks off Nexium and have been treating with Tums/Gaviscon and occassionally Zantac. When the heartburn hits, it is absolutely dreadful. Pain in my esophagus and awful burning. I can see how people just go back on the PPI's because if I had to live this way indefinately, I would be miserable. This morning I took a Zantac 150mg on an empty stomach. So far so good. Perhaps I need to do that until things settle down. There are so many unknowns, it just seems like a game we are guessing at what is the right and wrong thing to do. I do know that I had considerable physical side effects and I have to find a way to stay off the PPI's. Hi LMF: I am so glad you brought up the point about taking Zantac on an empty stomach. I meant to post about this, but I had completely forgotten about it it until you mentioned it in this post. When I take the Zantac first thing in the morning with water and wait thirty or so minutes before I eat anything else, the Zantac seems to be absorbed and work better all day. When I am in a rush and take the Zantac along with all my other vitamins and breakfast, it seems to either not work or not work as well. It took me a while to figure this out but I have seen a definite pattern. I now take Zantac with water first thing in the morning, take my shower and when I get out of the shower and dry my hair, then I go and take my vitamins with almond milk and whole grain toast. That seems to work reasonably well or work perhaps ninety percent of the time. I now have to go back and pay closer attention to see if any future \"bad\" days correlate with a day when I was in a rush and could not give the Zantac the chance to be absorbed by my stomach before I took a bunch of other competing stuff along with it. Maybe this information will help others who are also using the H2 blockers instead of the PPI. When I took Aciphex, I could take it any time, with or without food. Before that, when I took Zegerid, I had to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait thirty minutes before I could eat anything else. I don't know if others see a correlation between how they take their medicine and its effect. I am still hanging in there. I had another decent day today. I did not notice any heartburn all day and did not find myself thinking about it either, which is a nice break. I could not have stayed off the Aciphex without some other type of medication to ease the rebound. The heartburn was so bad the first two-three weeks that I would have gone back running to the Aciphex. It was worse than anything I experienced before I began to take the PPI. This is why I am now trying so hard to stay off the Aciphex and continue taking milder/older medications like Zantac. Rose "}, "40": {"a": "9827", "t": "My understanding is that prescription Zantac comes in either 150 mg or 300 mg doses. One of the OTC Zantac is now 150 mg. That is what I take. I am not sure there is much more of a difference beyond that. I am prone to develop headaches and I think both the Aciphex and Zantac probably contribute to them. Zantac has been around for a long, long time (over twenty five years) and I have not read of serious side effects like the increase in stomach tumors and hip fractures that you read about in some studies on PPI use. However, I am sure all medicines have side effects. I make sure to take Zantac on an empty stomach and wait thirty minutes before I eat or drink anything else. I want to give it a chance for my body to absorb the medication. I have found Zantac a bit constipating. But it is a histamine blocker and I get the same effect from Benadryl which is a different type of histamine blocker. I drink prune juice and take fiber tablets almost daily which help for that. Not too glamorous but it works and keeps me from using laxatives which is not a good thing to use regularly. I am sure I will follow up with a gastro doctor sometime in the future and probably have another endoscopy. But I would have done that even if I had stayed on the Aciphex. I think those of us who suffer from these symptoms should probably be scoped once every five years even in the absence of symptoms. You can have damage and not feel heartburn. Rose "}, "41": {"a": "9827", "t": "Marigold: I would love to read more on what your naturopath is telling you and the reasons behind the treatment he or she is prescribing. The idea of eating pureed food when the stomach is irritated makes good sense to me. It gives your gut a chance to rest. My acid rebound coming off Aciphex was horrible and I think it has lasted nearly three months. I feel like I am just now beginning to have more \"normal\" days on the Zantac. The first month off PPI's, not only did I have horrible attacks of heartburn, but I also had bloating, pain and many other symptoms I had never suffered from before. Anything I ate gave me heartburn. I think even pureed food would have given me heartburn. I immediately cut out the main offenders such as coffee, alcohol, etc. but even then I would have days of constant heartburn and throat irritation. I had to do some digging to come up with literature on rebound and finally found some journal article somewhere that stated it could last three or more months. I am glad I read that or I would have run back to the PPI after two weeks of misery. What makes me really angry is that I was on an H2 blocker and not doing badly three years ago when I went to the GI doctor to see why I could not get rid of the heartburn and find out whether something else was wrong. The PPI's were pushed on me as \"far superior\" and guaranteed to make me feel better. Nobody told me about side effects and I failed to do my research back then. I am very health conscious. I don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess. I am not overweight at 125 lbs. I exercise. I still ended with this darn GERD and now have osteopenia to boot due to PPI use for only three years! I may have to do some research on naturopathic medicine to see if I can find books to read and see what their philosophy is in this area. I feel modern traditional medicine has failed me on this GERD/PPI deal. Rose "}, "42": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Jayner. Zantac is definitely more \"binding\" for me if I understand your question correctly. Not sure what its PH is. But that is a good question since we are supposed to be taking in more \"alkaline\" foods and stuff if we have these GERD issues going on. But I would love to hear more information if anyone has it. Maybe there is a pharmacist out there reading this who can answer the question. "}, "43": {"a": "9827", "t": "Well, I may be beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel with respect to the acid rebound. Today is April 19 and I am a few days short of the third month anniversary of the day I stopped taking Aciphex. I have been nearly one hundred percent heartburn free for a week and only taking the Zantac twice per day. I have not had to take antiacids, chew gum or take a lot of DGL. I hate to jinx myself but I feel almost normal. Maybe I am on the other side of the rebound. I can see myself now staying on the Zantac until I can begin to decrease the dose from 150 mg to 75 mg. I hope I continue on this course and can be a success story. I guess the moral of the story is that it can take up to three months for one's body to get used to being without the PPI and for blood levels of gastrin to go back down to normal. Rose "}, "44": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi LMF: At week four, I think it is safe to say that you are still going to experience quite a bit of burning. At week four and much later, I was still having three decent days followed by two pretty rotten days. Those were the days when I took a lot of DGL to soothe my throat and esophagus. I would also take Gaviscon after dinner which I have now not taken for over three weeks. That Gaviscon was a lifesaver. Not the best thing to take long term because it contains aluminum, but great for short term use. You may want to try it and see if it works for you. Everyone has their little remedies that they swear by. I think mine is going to be coconut water or coconut juice (the unsweetened kind). I have been sipping it during the day. Today, I experienced a little bit of heartburn after dinner and I began to sip the coconut juice and it is now gone! It's amazing how we all have different remedies that help us. Apple cider vinegar and ginger give me terrible heartburn and yet they are touted as heartburn remedies by many. I am still on the Zantac twice a day. I take it on an empty stomach thirty minutes before breakfast and dinner. I have tried to take Pepcid twice and, for whatever reason, it does not seem to work as well for me as the Zantac. I ate a bit more carbohydrates today than usual and that might be why I am experiencing a bit of heartburn tonight. I am reading more about low carb diets to see how safe it is to be in one and how low on carbs one can safely go without risking one's health. I absolutely love coffee and really miss it. I am going to research to see if there is such as thing as \"acid free\" coffee out there. I know it is not the lack of caffeine but the acid in the coffee that is tough on the tummy. Coffee was my only vice before this thing started. Even on Aciphex, I could drink as much coffee as I wanted without any heartburn. I still have a few sips of coffee here and there when I go out to eat and my stomach is full with dinner. Then I feel I can cheat a little bit, but I would not dare have a cup of coffee on an empty stomach right now as I used to. My throat definitely burns when I have heartburn. I take slippery elm lozenges that you can buy online. Singers use them and they are soothing to the throat. They are supposed to be natural and safe. I also take a tablespoon of honey when my throat burns and let it slowly slip down my throat. These are the little tricks I have tried to ease the discomfort and try to protect my tissues from damage by the acid. Anyway, hang in there. I think there is light at the end of the tunnel. Please keep posting. Maybe all these posts will inspire and support future forum readers who are going through this same process in the future. By my calculations, I am now at week eleventh off PPI's, Rose "}}}, "333233": {"truth": ["loss hair", "itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "dizziness", "pain abdominal", "sneezing", "difficult breath", "buzzing ear", "stool black", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "bleed", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "diarrhea bleed", "bowel movement difficult", "vomit", "discomfort", "wheezing", "loss appetite", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "desire sexual decrease", "constipation", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "stool tarry", "nose stuffy", "skin sore", "burning skin", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "prickling", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "stool bleed", "tingling", "nervousness", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["tingling", "pain back", "nausea", "stomach pain", "belching"], "umls": ["tingling", "pain throat", "stomach pain", "irritate", "stomach acid", "chest pain", "belching", "burning chest", "bleed"], "neural": ["pain throat", "belching", "stomach pain", "burning chest", "irritate", "chest pain"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "48", "t": "Hi, I agree entirely with what Janewhite has told you. Just one question have you had an Endoscopy to see if you might have an Ulcer. I had one along with H.Pylori over a yr ago. It is suspected I have another one and I am going to the Hospital 16 th Sept. The pain from an Ulcer is awful, my pain is right in the middle half way up from my Belly to my ribs. I am on Nexium but it does nothing for the pain, I know its to reduce the Acid. Lets hope we all soon get some pain relief. All the best, Solofelix. "}, "1": {"a": "48", "t": "Glad to help!! I am taking 20mg Nexium x 2 per day. I take 1 before my breakfast and 1 before my evening meal. I have taken 40 mg at bedtime instead of before evening meal, cant say it made any difference. Solofelix. "}, "2": {"a": "48", "t": "Hi, I'm not sure about finding an Ulcer with a Barium Meal test. Mine was discovered along with H.Pylori with an Endoscopy/Biopsy. Its possible I have another Ulcer and am seeing my GI Dr shortly. They are so painful. What are your symptoms. Mine are Belching/Gas/Nausea and awful pain anywhere between my Belly and my Ribs. Like you I keep hoping I don't have to have another Endoscopy. Ive had three already. Were you ever tested for H.Pylori. Solofelix. "}, "3": {"a": "10881", "t": "Hi , thank you for the reply. When you mention omeprazole can take up to 2 months to take effect , do you mean to hopefully resolve the problem or to start helping with the pain ? . I've been taking omeprazole 20mg on and off for the past month because I was under the impression they were simply a sort of pain killer but if they could help towards sorting the root of the problem out that would be great. I'm almost certain as mentioned that antibiotics were the cause of my acid reflux and the idea I had in my head was that the antibiotics had killed off good and bad bacteria and then maybe bad bacteria had grown over more than good. My plan is to start taking \" Allicin Max \" which are supplements containing Allicin , an extract from garlic which kills bad bacteria and they were used to great success to fight MRSA in hospitals. With that acidophilus probiotics and of course 20mg omeprazole. One more thing to ask also since I know most people reading this will be in a different time zone. Is stomach burning and tingling a common symptom of acid reflux ? . This is my biggest problem , since sorting out my diet my throat and the sickness ( knock on wood ) hasn't been bad at all. The stomach burning and pain has been terrible though so that's what is worrying me the most. Thank you again. "}, "4": {"a": "10881", "t": "Hi , I have had an endoscopy but I didn't have this burning and tingling back then so I'm not sure if I might have an ulcer now. I might have to have another ! . Thanks for all the help everyone. "}, "5": {"a": "10881", "t": "Hi guys , one other thing I've been wondering since you've been so helpful. Since my pain is 95% at night time and I'm taking omeprazole in the morning before eating aything , would it be better to take on later instead or do they not work this way ? . Sorry for all the questions and thanks again. "}, "6": {"a": "10881", "t": "Thanks guys. I'll give it a shot a little later , see how it goes. It's frustrating having to keep taking them , ecspecially since I'm already low in B12 but I suppose there's not much else I can do. Just cross my fingers they let my stomach heal ! . Feeling like this for a year has me tired out and annoyed with it so it's hard to imagine waking up without it. I haven't had a single night pain free for a long time , I'd love to get on top of this. "}, "7": {"a": "10881", "t": "I'm starting to think I could have an ulcer looking at my symptoms and the fact that regardless of what I eat or do I'm in pain , burning and tingling. I read a Barium meal test could find ulcers , is this true ? . I'm a little reluctant to ask for another endoscopy and it wasn't very pleasant anyway. This pain has only been in the last month though so I doubt the past endoscopy would have seen whatever this problem is. I can't belive I have to wait until decemeber for my appointment ! . Argh ! . "}, "8": {"a": "10881", "t": "The crazy thing is I don't even know what I was tested for. I'd never heard of H.Pylori until after the endoscopy and after mentioning it to my GP she said they would have picked that up in the blood tests they did. I'm not sure what tests they were though , so wheter they would have picked them up or not without actually looking I'm not sure. This is all something I'll need to ask him myself in December or hopefully sooner. I've asked my GP to write to get the appointment forwarded. Thanks for all the help and I hope you start to feel better soon also. "}}}, "150297": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "nausea", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "fainting", "drowsiness", "bloating", "stomach discomfort", "upset stomach", "face red", "numb", "warm", "swell neck gland", "sour stomach", "cough", "swallowing difficult", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "irritate", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "prickling", "tiredness", "burning skin", "loss memory", "confusion", "skin flushing", "neck red", "congestion ear", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pain eye", "diarrhea", "pain abdominal", "pain muscle", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "belching", "rash skin", "difficult breath", "crawling", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "labored breath", "short breath", "vomit", "discomfort", "discomfort chest", "stool loose", "constipation", "pain arm", "skin sore", "pain back", "strength loss", "tingling", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "stomach pain", "jaw pain", "change voice", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["fainting", "tremor"], "umls": ["fainting", "bloated stomach", "headache", "pain body", "diarrhea", "mouth dry", "stomach acid", "bad taste", "chest pain", "sore throat", "upset stomach", "tremor", "bleed", "bloating", "shaking", "weak"], "neural": ["diarrhea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2224", "t": "I am an IBS / Gastritis sufferer. My stomach \"flutters\" from time to time and it feels like the heart is beating elsewhere and there is some kind of an earthquake going on inside. I've noticed this to happen after heavy meals at times. Besides taking light meals, is there anything that can help with this? It happens before I go to sleep at times and that means, I'll keep waking up. The body naturally doesn't allow you to sleep when the stomach is like this and even if you somehow fall asleep, it doesn't let you stay that way. I do take my meals 2-3 hours before sleeping. But even this doesn't help sometimes. Any tried and tested methods are really appreciated. "}, "1": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi Solofelix, Thanks for this. Mm...not all the time but as you say they occur in episodes. Very uncomfortable and annoying when they do appear though. I started to suffer terrible GERD and IBS at the same time 2 months ago following 5 courses of antibiotics (!!!! no wonder huh?) . My symptoms were so severe and honestly it felt like dying. The breathlessness was just dreadful on top of so many other symptoms. That chapter is still continuing and I'm on medication to try and settle things down. Feels much better compared with what it used to be but still the stomach is highly sensitive to certain things...like heavy meals, chili, strong spices. So, I'm careful to avoid them but yesterday was bad judgement. It was rice and only after eating can you really judge how heavy it is on the stomach. So, that was a big mistake. I am on Nexium at the moment and I so fear the rebound because I've already had one when I cut the dose by 50%. Thanks to antacids, they saved the week! Still more to cut down but watching the symptoms again before taking another step. One other question I keep wondering..., how can you tell whether you are ready to come off of the drugs...like how can you know when the stomach is healed while you are still on drugs? Do you just have to go by the \"settlement of symptoms\"? Any ideas appreciated!! "}, "2": {"a": "2224", "t": "Thanks for the post Solofelix. Has anyone found a relationship between Nexium and the digestion? Something I wonder is whether the lack of acid is contributing to my issues with digestion at times. Say for example, if you end up having a meal that is a little harder to breakdown (hence we call it 'heavy'), that breaking down process to the best of my understanding has a lot to do with the acid. So, in theory, if there is enough acid, then logically, the meal should not be found 'heavy' to digest. When Nexium stops the acid this makes even normal meals become 'heavier' on the stomach I feel when thinking along these lines. That means the stomach will struggle and perhaps the extra stain may cause spasms? So, in a way, this Nexium I am taking might be preventing me from achieving 'normal' digestion...hence, the stomach might be OK as it is, but when I eat something even a little heavy, it becomes upset again because it finds it hard to digest. This may leads to these tremors, bloating etc? So, in theory LACK of acid caused by Nexium might be a cause behind the tremors? Have you had any experiences that might suggest what I'm guessing at here. . ? ... Thanks! "}, "3": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi Gmak, Thanks for returning. My tremors are like....well, you know how when we burp the \"grrrrrr\" sound comes sometimes and with that brings an internal vibration sort of feeling. Like the esophagus is momentarily shaking up like feeling...well, the stomach is like that. Makes noise sometimes but that is minimal. When I say stomach it feels like the middle part near the belly. Feels like some earthquake tremor going on in there and with the beating of the heart combined with that, good luck sleeping ;-) Since taking this medication I've noticed that my heart is more 'felt'. Usually unless you focus on it, you don't feel its there right...but, this is no longer the case. The stomach also does jazz to a cracked up rhythm now ;-) No cramps. No pain. Just feels like tremors. I am also suspicious that this Nexium is causing it. \"Internal Tremors\" is apparently a side effect. I also feel minor tremors in my hands sometimes....this was highlighted by another helpful comment which pointed out 'magnesium deficiency' (Nexium makes the body unable to absorb with calcium and magnesium). But those tremors are more 'rare'. The stomach ones are far more frequent. Sometimes they go down and I cannot feel them but they surely return. Particularly close to a bowel movement, I feel these strongly. Also a certain weakness comes through the body. They do get relieved after I go. IBS? Gastritis? I have both so maybe both AND the drugs? .... What a mess isn't it.....it is depressing to think about and also go through this day after day. The tremors by the way started recently (they had stopped for a few weeks). This got triggered after I had that 'heavy' meal. That night I couldn't even sleep well. Yesterday I slept much much better. Tremor was very lightly there but not enough to keep me awake. I have noticed that if I eat, fall asleep for say 10 mins and suddenly get up, the whole system shakes badly. Then after a few minutes it settles back to 'normal' tremors that are much milder. I have bloating. Mainly on the upper stomach. Lower stomach also gets bloated sometimes. I do get the 'acid' like feeling now and then and a funny taste in my mouth (like metal. .) . I either eat something or take an anti acid when this happens and it goes away. Occasional chest pain comes, mild but the moment you do the anti acid or eating something it subsides. Heaviness in the chest is more or less the same though harder to be rid of, occurs not so frequently. Like yesterday I had it for a few hours...just hanging there like something is holding the chest weighing down on it. This is what I'm going through. Any ideas appreciated. "}, "4": {"a": "2224", "t": "Thanks so much Gmak. Do you know whether there is a test to see whether yeast is behind this? I too wonder where on earth I end up getting bloated so much. I've not been able to establish a connection between my food and the bloating. It's like it just does its thing whenever it likes no matter how careful I am with the diet. I don't eat raw vegetables. I do take some well cooked ones and potatoes. The antibiotics must have killed everything that was good inside the stomach. The last time I went to the doctor I had a sore throat. He had one look at it and put me on yet another course of antibiotics (that was the 5th course that broke my stomach completely)....I think he misdiagnosed me. My throat must have been red due to all that acid that was building up for a major attack which only took a few days more :-( I started to faint too. He said I was having faint attacks (I thought a WHAT?) . The attacks were sooooo severe. If you know of a test please let me know. Probiotics might help? Somewhere I saw something about bacterial overgrowth...thought probiotics might cause this and I was worried because they said that if that happens, there is nothing that can really be done! So, I stayed away from Probiotics....maybe my understanding is not correct? Also, for the yeast overgrowth issue, do you normally burp a lot or send gas the other way a lot? Thanks! "}, "5": {"a": "2224", "t": "Aha...maybe that explains why I keep drinking water so much. Well, water is awful so I try to put some flavor like liquorice in it. For some reason, I can't seem to put up much with just water since I started on this medications. Get that horrid taste too much when I drink it pure. When you have ulcers there's a lot of pain right. . ? Are you much better now with the medication? I wish my tremors would stop and this heavy chested feeling. And of course this gas / bloating. I should go park myself at a gas station with a notice board \"free gas\", but of course nothing much would come out because I'd be bloated with pretty much all of it inside...<sigh>. It is very uncomfortable when they occur. From what I understand, you take Nexium from time to time, correct? If so, do you also get acid rebounds? For how long do they go on? Thanks Solofelix. "}, "6": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi Gmak :-) Fainting was 'analysed' by the doctor and said it may have been due to pressure drops. He kind of explained to me how that is possible but I have now forgotten. Something to do with how the gastritis worked with the breathlessness if I remember right. This fainting went away two month ago and didn't return. So, not to worry, this was resolved for good. Did ECHO and ECG due to the strange heart beat and both came out alright. The gastritis was upsetting everything (apparently some get this rapid heartbeat). I will look in to this yeast matter and thanks so much for pointing this out. I've lost quite a lot of faith in my doctor hence I feel like I cannot go back to him. He got me confused with another patient and wrote me a CT scan. I nearly went to get it (all that radiation!) but double checked to see whether I REALLY needed it because I was not showing signs of ulcers or anything else...just gas gas gas. Then I found that he did that by mistake because he got me confused with a different patient. Things like this and also, I kept telling him that I've had gastritis for like 10 years and he kept repeating from time to time \"wonder why this condition came all of a sudden\" and also \"if it was someone who had this condition for a long time I'd wouldn't have been troubled\". So...is he even hearing what I'm saying...I wonder! :-( I felt that he was asking me to go get the endo and the colonoscopy done because he was puzzled by the sudden appearance of gastritis/IBS. But I've HAD this for such a long time...just that 5 courses of antibiotics was the 'new' addition to my list after which my stomach entered a new realm of reactive existence :-o When doctors are like this, it is so hard to think they can do much for you. But I will go back to him and ask whether I can cut down on the doses of my meds as my symptoms settle down. <sob sob sob>...they are so busy these doctors. When I go to show my reports, he looks at them in the corridor while in transit from one ward room to another. Maybe 2 mins spent with the reports. . ?! "}, "7": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi Gmk, That was very interesting. Who'd have guessed that the innocent vitamins bottles could bring about this type of agony. Thanks! "}}}, "407027": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "speech slurred", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "behavior change", "ache body", "movement uncontrolled twisting", "shivering", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "longer period menstrual", "shaking leg", "urine pain", "fainting", "bloating", "menstrual period heavier", "upset stomach", "excitement", "drowsiness", "fast pulse", "warm", "vision double", "face red", "twitch", "increase appetite", "dry skin", "trembling", "numb", "shaking hand", "anxiety", "burning chest", "sad", "swallowing difficult", "sour stomach", "chill", "decrease awareness", "interest loss", "bowel movement difficult", "tearing excessive", "loss appetite", "pale skin", "change speech rhythm", "movement bowel difficult", "irritate", "irregular pulse", "decrease sexual desire", "stiffness", "lower pain side", "voice loss", "depersonalization", "sleep disorder", "pain cheekbone", "mood change", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "pain breast", "earache", "prickling", "burning skin", "irritability", "eye itch", "increase sweating", "loss memory", "confusion", "change speech pattern", "tremor", "skin flushing", "neck red", "orgasm abnormal", "sluggish", "muscle ache", "stool bleed", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "hallucination", "agitation", "sleepiness", "weak", "discomfort abdominal", "urine increase", "foot shaking", "pain calf", "excessive stomach gas", "skin disorder", "urine red", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "rash skin", "swell tongue", "arm red", "crawling", "move inability eye", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "pain joint", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "labored breath", "ringing ear", "gain weight", "heartbeat weak", "pain intercourse sexual", "depression", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "overreact", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "shaking arm", "inability move eye", "vomit bleed", "responsiveness decrease", "skin sore", "change menstrual", "strength loss", "tingling", "stomach pain", "jaw pain", "nervousness", "muscle twitch", "urine cloudy", "stool black", "heartbeat pounding", "clammy skin", "gas excessive intestine", "increase hunger", "dullness", "pale", "problem coordination", "dizziness", "face swell", "difficult concentrating", "pleasure loss", "buzzing ear", "menstrual pain", "problem control muscle", "stomach discomfort", "itch genital", "react fast", "bad taste", "twisting uncontrolled movement", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "skin red", "heartburn", "pain groin", "wheezing", "itch vagina", "hand cold", "blistering skin", "muscle cramp", "changing mood", "intestine gas excessive", "odor bad", "white mouth spot", "chest pain", "heartbeat slow", "headache", "nose stuffy", "intercourse sexual pain", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "cold sweat", "euphoria", "thirst increase", "white spot lip", "bleed urine", "foot cold", "urine frequent", "irritate skin", "speaking difficult", "mouth ulcer", "change vision", "noise ear", "convulsion", "gas passing", "frequent urinate", "unsteady walk", "seizure", "pulse pounding", "pain eye", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "paranoia", "pain bladder", "swell eyelid", "fever", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "muscle weak", "nose runny", "discouragement", "pain abdominal", "belching", "lightheadedness", "bloated stomach", "throbbing", "difficult breath", "hyperventilation", "swell joint", "gas excessive stomach", "body increase movement", "shaking", "clumsiness", "pain leg", "bleed", "forgetful", "lip swell", "short breath", "stomach cramp", "dysphoria", "indigestion", "discomfort chest", "double seeing", "ulcer lip", "difficult sleep", "restlessness", "stool tarry", "pain arm", "moving difficult", "pain back", "taste change", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "change voice", "sleeplessness", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "nightmare", "sweating", "cold skin", "pain heel"], "neat": ["pain body", "pain muscle", "sad", "throbbing", "fatigue", "anxiety", "constipation"], "umls": ["pain body", "discomfort", "constipation", "pain muscle", "pain lower back", "anxiety", "bleed", "pain heel", "sad", "pain joint", "pain back", "pain leg", "pain calf", "depression", "headache", "nausea", "muscle twitch", "confusion", "jaw pain", "itch", "sweating", "throbbing", "pain bladder", "vomit", "euphoria", "fatigue", "twitch"], "neural": ["pain lower back", "pain back", "pain leg", "nausea", "muscle twitch", "pain heel", "confusion", "twitch", "jaw pain", "constipation", "discomfort", "euphoria", "itch", "depression", "fatigue", "bleed", "pain muscle", "pain joint", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "5", "t": "To discuss yoour own health issues, please start your own New Thread. Thanks. "}, "1": {"a": "2335", "t": "I take Morphine sulfate 30mg. t.i.d. (three x day) I try not to take it that often. A lot of the time it helps but I usually lie down also. I am having a flare up right now so the morphine at 30mg. is not helping me. I will probably have to take two for awhile. In answer to you, I do not know why this guy won't at least let you try the narcs. Drs. can get into trouble over narc if they do not follow all the rules but this is their job. PM Drs. tend to want to try and alleviate pain differently than say a regular or internal medicine Dr. Try going to a doc that will listen to you. You are on quite a few meds already. Try explaining why it is that you feel you would like to try narcotic pain medicine. Drs. appreciate it more when a person can give them rationale about their wants and concerns. Sincerely, searchin Seems I did not realize you were already on a narc pain med. Opana is twice as strong as oxycontin and works in much the same way as morhpine. Do you exercise and I mean stretch? "}, "2": {"a": "23214", "t": "Of anyone out there taking narcotic pain medication, is there anyone receiving relief from their medication? I'm currently on MS contin 15 mg, vicodin, flexeril, and skelaxin, along with relafen for arthritis. I can truthfully say the contin is not a long-lasting medication. And no, I'm not addicted. Just trying to find relief from the pain. "}, "3": {"a": "23214", "t": "I really can't see the difference when you're hurting 24/7 each and every day. Like the last poster, in bed at 10, up at 12, up at 4. No one wins with this disease. "}, "4": {"a": "23214", "t": "My doctor had mentioned the patches, although right now I'm on the Lidoderm patches which are only for localized areas. Had heard bad things about the FP but if this pain continues, may be willing to try them. Didn't really get any relief from oxi, but it sure put me in bed with IBS when my stomach and constipation came together. Had to come off that fast, quick and in a hurry. I, too, am not receiving euphoria from the taking of medication. I just want to be able to do the things I used to do and do them without pain. Even trying to get to sleep some nights is a chore because of neck pain, I can't really seem to get comfortable. "}, "5": {"a": "23214", "t": "You are so right! The drug users using drugs to get high ruined it for all of us who are really in pain. I agree! Doctors are so afraid of the DEA to prescribe to help for the pain, we're still caught in that familiar Catch 22. I hope one of these days, we all overcome this pain and become productive again. I believe the right medicine is out there, it just has to be found and prescribed. "}, "6": {"a": "23214", "t": "I love this site. I'm learning so much here. I tell everyone, even taking medication doesn't make the pain go away, it just dulls it for a little while (and I mean a little while). Thanks so much for everyone's imput. "}, "7": {"a": "23214", "t": "If there is any kind of narcotic out there without some kind of side effect, let me know. All I know if when I'm in pain, I want something to help with the pain. And while taking all medications, they really just dull the pain. The pain never goes away. When I'm in one of my Why me Lord moods, I often tell him I'd just like a semblance of my old life, the one I kinda took for granted. When you're in pain, you really don't have a life. You just kinda focus on your pain, and that's really no way to live. Good luck with the Lyrica, it didn't do a thing for me and the doctor and I ended up discontinuing it. Hope you have better luck. "}, "8": {"a": "23214", "t": "You are just now developing the \"burning\" sensation? You have not lived until you have that pain, especially at night. There have been nights I've had to get out of bed (after I move the dog of course) and take a vicodin because of the burning and throbbing in my left hand and right foot. It pisses me off because sometimes it is so hard to get narcotic pain medication which will and does enable me to keep working. I have an appointment on the 25th to see my rheumy. Currently taking MS contin and vicodin, along with host of other pills. I think the mgs. need to be raised in the contin to tolerate pain better. We will see. Doctor did say he wanted me to quit relying on the flexeril, but they really help with the muscle and nerve pain. One of these days, I am going to find a doctor who hurts like me, understands what pain I'm going through, and will not be so hesitant about prescribing narcotics. Course the other idiots who take drugs just to get high ruined it for us people who actually need drugs. "}, "9": {"a": "23214", "t": "I hope the Lyrica and neurotin work for you. Neither did for me and the neurotin turned me into a staight zombie. Good luck! I'm taking vicodin, which I think is another word for Lortab. Do you know the difference between the two? "}, "10": {"a": "23214", "t": "I agree with everything that everyone has said and is saying. I just got through taking a vicodin to help me make it through the rest of the work day. My left hand right now is killing me, not to mention the pain in my neck, radiating down both sides of the shoulders, and feet. There is, and has to be, some kind of medicine out there that will dull more of the pain. I'm with everyone else. Taking narcotics doesn't take away the pain, it dulls it and makes it more tolerable. I'm still one of those people who have no choice but to keep working for a living. I keep thinking if I could retire and sit home, I wouldn't hurt as much. But I know that's a lie too. I gave up on the gabepentin. It made me function like a zombie and did nothing for my pain, same with Lyrica and Savelle. Am currently taking morphine, with vicodin for the break through pain. As of right now, I can truthfully say, either I'm not taking enough Mgs. of the morphine, because it really doesn't seem to help. But if I quit taking it, I'd probably feel worse. Thank God for vicodin. This DOES dull the pain but, again, these drugs are so hard to get doctors to prescribe. Heaven forbid, we become drug addicts, we should just muddle through the pain I guess. Also exhausted right now because had such a light sleep, woke up about every hour on the hour. "}, "11": {"a": "23214", "t": "Oh, I forgot. Hugs and kisses for everyone and also a thank you. "}, "12": {"a": "23214", "t": "You are lucky you have a doctor who is willing to prescribe that for you. My problem is getting the drugs. My GP, who I really, really like, won't treat me for the FMS because he said I have a good (and he is good) rheumatologist, who refuses to really prescribe drugs. Try working and only taking two 5/550 of vicodin. It really does nothing for the pain. Am not even able to wear shoes. I spend all my time at work in tennis shoes and at home in my house shoes. I just keep thinking it has to get better. And don't know what in the world to do for the exhaustion. "}, "13": {"a": "23214", "t": "Not sure what's in it, but it sure works. Some people are able to get all they want of this drug, but with my rheumy, it's pure hell. "}, "14": {"a": "23214", "t": "You take as much medicine as I do. "}, "15": {"a": "23214", "t": "Have never heard of Nuvigil for fatigue. Is it a narcotic and you feel it actually helps? "}, "16": {"a": "23214", "t": "I know exactly how you feel. It's hell trying to get medications from these quacks, especially when you tell them nothing is working. I told my doctor, I wish you were in my shoes so you'd know how I'm feeling. He had the nerve to tell me his neck was hurting because he'd slept on it wrong. You know what that means, the pain goes away. Our pain is 24/7. No one understands. They can tell you all day, nothing can be wrong with you because you look too nice. I've often wondered, how the hell do they expect me to look? I'm not the best looking thing but I am going to come out neat and presentable. I'm thinking about finding a new doctor too. The one time I tried that, this quack was no better than the one I had and wanted to prescribe the same medications I had already taken. After having said \"tried that, didn't work,\" I crawled my but back to my first doctor. Still with him, but he just doesn't understand the pain and is loathe to really prescribe medicines. I keep telling him the 15 mg. of ms-contin isn't working. His reply is to take it three times daily instead of two. I told him we need to up the mgs. so I can feel relief. Well that why I have the vicodin. This fool doesn't know that the vicodin works better than the -contin, but for some reason, no one really prescribes vicodin. I really miss the old days when people used to have medicines they'd sell just for $5. I do with doctors understood the pain and were willing to work with us. "}, "17": {"a": "23214", "t": "When you figure out how to get more than a handful of vicodin for pain and not for recreational use (sarcasm here, as I believe that's how the doctors think we're using them) please, please let me know. Sitting at work right now in pain, and I could really use one, but hte ones I have, I have to use sparingly. "}, "18": {"a": "23214", "t": "I'm taking the morphine sulphate also, and I do have the oxi, which made me so constipated, I was literally in bed for two days, with the worse stomach ache. I'm sure people with fibro know what I'm talking about. How did you manage to get rid of the constipation, or did the oxi affect you at all. Right now, my dosages are minimal. 15 mg of the MS and I think 15 of the oxi. Any tips will be appreciated. My FMS sufferers know we do probably take too much medicine, but when you're in pain, you want instant relief. Too bad we just can't find a balance for it. "}, "19": {"a": "23214", "t": "I know exactly how you feel. When I told my quack of a doctor that the MS-contin he gave me didn't alleviate all of my pain, he didn't believe me. I did tell him I hoped one of these days he'd hurt as much as I did, so he'd know exactly how I felt. I don't think he ever will. The narcs don't take all pain away, but I wish doctors would understand, while it doesn't exactly let us live the life we previously lived, it does allow us to function, and I do mean function somewhat. I too take vicodin for break-through pain, and this quack wants me to take only one a day. I wish I could, but since the vic is lasting only 4 hours on a good day, it's almost impossible. Especially since I have no option but to continue working. Glad people on this blog understand because everyone else doesn't seem to. "}, "20": {"a": "23214", "t": "Let us know what your doctor says about prescribing better breakthrough pain medicine. I'm really curious. "}, "21": {"a": "23210", "t": "Hello!! I am taking Lortab 7.5 for pain right now. It helps alot. However, my problem is the stupid tolerance issue. Geez. They work for awhile and then don't help as much. Then, when the flare up is bad enough, nothing seems to help. I have just been diagnosed and have an appt. with the fibro specialist at my pain clinic. My pain doc said that they do not treat fibro with narcotics but she was kind enough to leave me on the Lortab until I get some help from their specialist. From what I hear, he is really into diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. In my short time on this board, I have realized one thing....everyone is so different in this. I do not really think there is a right or wrong in this....I think is depends on the individual and what works for them. Oh, one Robaxin muscle relaxer at night before bed seems to help me sleep and help with some of the muscle pain the next day. oh, and I agree that it is frustrating how hard it is to get narcotic pain medicine when you DO need it. My PCP wanted to wean me off the Lortab before we even knew what was going on!!! They are all big into rebound pain now. AND I , too have a truck load of muscle relaxors which I cannot even function on!!! I can't work or drive on them, YUK! "}, "22": {"a": "23210", "t": "Seriously, it is awful how Dr.s treat people sometimes. I went to the ER awhile back ago when I was in horrible pain and had run out of Lortab. I thought I could go back on the Darvocet I had previously and then wean off of it (this was when I though it was some sort of tendonitis rxn form Levaquin and I kept thinking it would get better on its own). . WRONG! I was in so much pain that my BP and HR were throught the roof and I was in tears. The Dr. gave me Elavil and Tramadol...now I had a bad experience with Tramadol when I was taking it every 4-6 hrs. I was also on a high dose of Paxil and I started vomiting, having sweats, and heart palpatations. Stopped taking it and was prescribed Darvocet...then Lortab...possible seratonin syndrome. I am very sensitive to meds. Anyway, when I told this ER doc this he said \"Tramadol does not cause seratonin syndrome\" and prescribed it to me anyway. Well, I finally took off my monitors and went to the desk and had to ask for lortab. He gave me 16 and I made an appt with my Dr first thing monday (this happened on a Sun). Worst thing is, I WORK THERE IN THE LAB AND HE STILL TREATED ME LIKE THAT. Ugh. Good luck with a new Dr, I hope u find one. sorry so long!@! "}, "23": {"a": "23210", "t": "That's the bad thing about opiates. Tolerance, and rebound pain!! Oh, and the hassle of trying to get from your Dr. That is why I am praying that diet, exercise, cymbalta, and a muscle relaxer before bed works for me. I am really looking forward to seeing the specialist!! Everyone is so different, though, and we all have to do what we have to in order to get through this. My goal is 1. try natural, 2. if that doesn;t work, try other drugs such as lyrica 3. if nothing works, then i guess pain meds. Who knows! "}, "24": {"a": "23210", "t": "Definately!!!! I have been on SSRIs for years and now NSRIs. Can't get off of them to save my life. Talk about dependence! Oh, and withdrawel! Geez, I turn into a certified NUT! I have to say that cymbalta is helping me, though. I am also having alot of pain from my cervical region in my neck and am scheduled for an MRI Tuesday on top of the fibro. One thing I like about opiates is that they put a stop to the constant irritating IBS symptoms. (I only have one kind of IBS). I live in an area that is RAMPANT with Rx drug abuse....esp. opiates. Nothing life is simple, is it??? In the limited time I have been having full blown fibro (6 mos now), I have really become frustrated how some Drs. want to put it in a box. Diane "}, "25": {"a": "23210", "t": "F150STX, I really do hope that you find the right doctor!! After experiencing how horrid this pain can be personally, I would not deny anyone whatever meds they took or what they did to cope. You know what, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 29. I actually was taking paxil at the time for anxiety and they put me on strattera (selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor). Now I am on Cymbalta instead of the paxil and do not take the strattera anymore. Never tried the stimulents. Good luck! louisef1, I feel the same way you do about medications. I was put on paxil 10 yrs ago and I cannot get off of meds like it. I did ok with the switch to Cymbalta, but go nuts if taken off. Nice, huh! I think the prescription drug problem and the DEAs strict regualtion of narcotics have alot of docs freaked out. Stinks, cause a lot of people are suffering because of it....They have absolutely NO clue how harmful unresolved pain is to a person. "}, "26": {"a": "23210", "t": "I agree with cherdox57, your Dr. stinks. Hyperalgesia is definately a problem with opiates, but not everyone develops it. Good article on Medscape, just search for opiates and hyperalgesia. After experiencing this type of pain first hand, I am definately all for whatever helps!! I is a shame that you are getting the run around like this. As if chronic pain is not enough to deal with is not enough.....good luck! "}, "27": {"a": "23210", "t": "Girls, I am having the same problem with my marriage. I love my husband with all of my heart. We are best friends and lovers. That has always been a wonderful part of our marriage. However, I hurt all over and am in no mood for sex any more. Has nothing to do with him, but everything to do with the pain and fatigue. I usually go ahead because I love him. And I enjoy the bonding part. And, occasionally, if I am on the right pain level, I can enjoy it too. But, usually it HURTS. And he is trying to be understanding, but the hormones just take over.....sigh..... MEN! I have we all go through this, but I am glad for a common ground with someone. Good therapy for us all. cherdox57, I truely hope you find the right thing for your pain. It is so hard to find the right combo of meds and have your quality of life. I am hopig to eventually get off of the Lortab. That is why I am not on a longer acting stronger med. ~~hugs~~ Zoey1977, I am sorry you had to go through that, too. xoxo "}, "28": {"a": "23210", "t": "F150STX, I apologize for that sexist remark. I was just explaining to my husband how different men and women are. He replied that he has know some really \"hormonal\" women in the past too LOL. (I deserved that one) I am sure this pain is hard on a you, as well. We are all in this together, male or female. You know, what stinks is the stupid pain meds can interfere with certain things as well. Sex is a very important part of marriage and I miss the pleasurable part but still enjoy the bonding. AND, as you pointed out earlier, I don't want my husband to think that it is him...... Anyway, please forgive the stupid remark on my part...(sigh....WOMEN!!) Take care and hang in there. Many prayers for you finding the right doctor. "}, "29": {"a": "23210", "t": "Well said. "}, "30": {"a": "23210", "t": "F150, I hope and pray he is the right Dr. for you. When is your appointment??? "}, "31": {"a": "23210", "t": "It is so hard when you have to depend on opiates for pain relief. Everyone does seem to give you a hard time, don't they?? My chiro and ND are driving me nuts overr lortab! Opiates can cause more pain, but not in everyone. Also, I asked my pain NP about abuse, and she says not everyone gets the euphoric feeling. People like to put everyone in a box. I guess its easier that way. Anyway, it really stinks when you feel like you constantly have to defend the medications you are taking to function. My opinion: looks like you have tried plenty of non-narcotic meds. Do what you need to do to have a decent quality of life. And remember, the people who are giving you a hard time, well, I bet they do not have the kind of pain you do. "}, "32": {"a": "23210", "t": "I am so glad to hear this!!! PT may really help you. I have no clue about your new treatment, but hopefully someone else will. Prayers comin' your way!!! "}, "33": {"a": "23210", "t": "Yes, lortab is the only thing that is helping me right now. The first thing out of my new pain NPs mouth own my first visit when she decided that I had fibro was \"we do not treat fibromyalgia with narcotics here\" and cut my 120 Lortab per month to 100. However, when I came back for my second appt. she readily went back to 120 when I complained. I am also seeing a specialist there who deals with this naturally and we are trying diet and supplements (which could take months, but I am definately gonna stick with it). I don't know what changed her mind. When I went back to her this last time, she said I could stay on them for now while we worked with the other Dr. I mean, they aren't treating the fibro, they are treating the pain...... "}, "34": {"a": "23210", "t": "Amen.....and it is really horrible to be treated like a drug addict when all you are trying to do is find relief. The nurses in the ER where I work complain bitterly about drug seekers. That has to be frustrating to deal with that, but surely one can tell a difference if they take the time to care. ??? It really is a sad situation all around. Drug addicts are sick in their own way. "}, "35": {"a": "23210", "t": "This site IS great!! Lots of great people here!! "}, "36": {"a": "23210", "t": "Hi, Louise!! No one in pain should have to justify the use of pain medicines. End of story. People just DO NOT understand. Chronic pain is so unhealthy if left untreated. Much worse than the meds themselves, in my opinion. "}, "37": {"a": "23210", "t": "I agree with blue 100%!!! Think about chronic pain.... There's more to it than hurting. There's the nausea, increase in blood pressure, increase in stress, which intensifies the pain. And over and over. Not to mention the mental and emotional toll. Do what ya gotta do, people. Quality of life!! "}, "38": {"a": "23210", "t": "You go, dude!! LOL "}, "39": {"a": "23210", "t": "Yep! All extremely valid points!!! (both, guys!) Thank the Lord I have a NP I can trust. xoxo Diane "}, "40": {"a": "23210", "t": "No offense taken on my part at all. xooxox to you!! "}, "41": {"a": "23210", "t": "Yes, this is a great thread!! Look how long it has lasted!! Narcotics are so controversial. Actually, if you really think about it, seems like they would not be a very good choice for fibro if it is a disorder of the nervous system. I mean, they can cause hyperalgesia. Funny, but they actually work very well for me right now. Shows ya how different we all are. One thing I love about this board is that we all can feel free to share our experiences and opinions but do not judge each other. Our differences bring so much to this board! Glad that we all get along so well!!! "}, "42": {"a": "23210", "t": "Sandra, I am glad that you are listening to your body. Wish I had today. We ran all day long. Now I am paying for it and I have to work tomorrow. Ugh! Foxy, I don't know of any medicaiton period without side effects!! There are some I can tolerate and some I cannot tolerate. For example, I was put on a low dose of Elavil for this pain at night, but cannot tolerate it at all. I was also put on phenergan for nausea, but I cannot take it either. It works for the nausea, but knocks me out and then gives me a terrible hangover the next day. I just cannot function. My lortab don't take the pain 100% away...they just make it more tolerable. And if I am flaring, nothing really helps. I do not think I would be able to work at all if I did not have my pain meds. When I woke up this am, my whole body hurt so bad I wanted to cry. AND, now I have a new symptom. It started with my last flare. I am now having the burning sensation I have read about on this forum. Is that nerve related?? It really stinks! Take care guys, xoxoxox Diane "}, "43": {"a": "23210", "t": "I know exactly how you feel. It stinks to be dependent on something so highly regulated. Makes me feel almost like a \"slave\". I mean, the pain is so horrible and I have to depend upon a person (Dr.) as to whether or not I can function. That is one reason I wish I could get off the Lortab. It is so stressful to have to deal with all of the crap. My pain NP is really great so far. But, I know that if this program (diet, etc) with the fibro specialist at the clinic does not work for me, she is gonna try to have me take neurontin or lyrica. Now, those scare me much more than the opiates. Thing is, I tolerate the opiates rather well and I have problems tolerating many meds. Don't know what to do but take things one day at a time. Yes, isn't that odd about the burning sensation. I hurt all of the time 24/7 but the burning has started happening during a flare. ??? Fibro is a very odd condition! "}, "44": {"a": "23210", "t": "Deb, prayers and hugs for you...and lot of 'em. WDing from that type of medicaiton is not easy. Take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing!! Diane "}, "45": {"a": "23210", "t": "F150, what is the difference in the new formulation of you medication?? Hope things start to get better! Diane "}, "46": {"a": "23210", "t": "Hey!! I am really behind on the boards!! Missed quite a bit, I must say! How did you appts go????? Oh, and have a great weekend and be safe!!!! Diane "}, "47": {"a": "23210", "t": "F150, many prayers comin' your way. This is so tough, isn't it?? I am still on 4 lortab 7.5 per day and I am barely holding it together. Last month, I ran out because I was having such severe pain. Had to take tramadol instead, which only works about half as well. It was really hard. I always wonder what to do. Good grief, this is SUCH a hassle to be on these meds, isn't it!!! "}, "48": {"a": "23210", "t": "Hi F150!! Great to see you here!! I really hope the methadone helps you. My friends husband takes oxycontin for severe back issure (he also has a pump thingy that delivers pain medicine directly to his back). Anyway, she says that the new formula is not helping him as much. Do people have to increase their dose because of the new formulation? That does not sound good. Anyway, what kind of evidence do they need to support why you are in such pain?? That kinda makes it hard on us fibro sufferers, doesn't it?? I truely hope you are feeling better soon! Take care, Diane "}, "49": {"a": "23210", "t": "Hey, F150! Surely your doc will adjust your meds. I mean, you are just starting out on methadone, right?? Needs a tweak or two. Let us know! "}, "50": {"a": "23210", "t": "I like your soapbox. They are killing me with supplements, i think. And I am not getting better! "}, "51": {"a": "5087", "t": "It's good to hear from another male. It helps me feel as if I'm not the only guy that's affected by fibromyalgia. If you've just been diagnosed the make sure you have your testosterone level check a 2-4 times a year because chronic pain / medications can reek havoc on your body causing additional symptoms. Also, if your having issues w your doctor you may want to try finding a pain management doctor that deals w fibromyalgia so proper pain control can be achieved. Good luck and one important thing. Try to keep what medications your taking to yourself and try not to mention it to co-workers / employers. Just a simple word of advice ... Less IS more "}}}, "675216": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["inflammation"], "umls": ["cough", "inflammation"], "neural": ["cough"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "16", "t": "I second everything Jane said. She has given you some good advice. If you tilt your bed up, you should raise your headboard 4-6 inches. The cheap way to do this is with a couple bricks. I paid a bit more and got bed risers at the local bed and bath store. "}, "1": {"a": "16", "t": "If you are serious about changing your diet, you might want to do some internet research on anti-inflammatory diets. It isn't really a diet, but it talks about what foods make the inflammation in the body worse and what foods promote healing in the body. "}, "2": {"a": "72237", "t": "thank you both, I will take what was said and use it. Today I decided, new years resolution, and UTTER FEAR of this happening again, as its a very frightening experience. It can happen once a month, or 3 times a week, been going on for maybe 5/6 months now. I got diagnosed with gastritis 3 years ago. Spicefood was a complete no-no and I HAD to stop drinking alcohol. This has just worsened, My Dr told me with having this gastritis thyis can and does happen to anyone, any age. So from now on, I will eat more fruit and veg, more chicken also. Change my whole diet. I am a few stone (Not obese) overweight, so this will help also. I suffer from Chronic Pain Syndrome and take Diazapam, Dhydracodine and Diclafanec (Spelling) all for pain. I also take Movicol to help me go to the toilet, due to the codine I take, and I am as regular as anyone. There are no problems there. I also take 1 Lansoprasole, I take in the morning, I will now start taking this nearing bedtime. I will keep you updated on how the \"new diet\" is coming on, and hopefully keep this nasty thing at bay. Between this and the Chrnic Pain Syndrome its a pain in the backside!! I am starting pain managment classes soon, so hopefully that will take away my dependancy on Drugs. And if I eat better, maybe in a few months from now I will be healthier and better for it. That is the plan Thanks again!!!! "}}}, "86577": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "stomach discomfort", "face red", "increase appetite", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "wheezing", "loss appetite", "voice loss", "stiffness", "chest pain", "headache", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "tiredness", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "increase sweating", "change vision", "congestion ear", "sleepiness", "seizure", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "clumsiness", "bleed", "tight chest", "short breath", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "restlessness", "moving difficult", "stomach pain", "tingling", "pain body", "nervousness", "nightmare", "sweating", "heartbeat pounding", "skin red"], "neat": ["sore throat"], "umls": ["heartburn", "cough", "stomach acid", "sore throat", "infection", "bloating"], "neural": ["infection", "heartburn", "sore throat", "cough"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "130", "t": "Not sure why you took what you took but it would seem an antihistamine would be the better option. Try claritin or zyrtec. "}, "1": {"a": "130", "t": "Were you tested for food allergies? "}, "2": {"a": "6613", "t": "It takes much longer than 4 days for Prilosec (or other PPIs) to take effect. You really need to take it for at least 2 weeks to start seeing any improvement and it takes up to 12 weeks for PPIs to resolve your symptoms. In addition, you may want to think about lifestyle changes: Raise the head of your bed 4\"-6\", avoid common trigger foods like coffee, alcohol, tomato-based sauces, and peppermint, don't eat for 2 hours before going to bed and avoid tight fitting clothing around the abdomen. You really have to give it some time to work because the irritated areas in your esophagus need time to heal (the excess drainage is your body's attempt to coat those irritated areas with mucus to protect them so the mucus won't slow down until those areas start to heal). "}, "3": {"a": "1074", "t": "Yea the prilosec over the counter did nothing for me. You may want to see if you can get the prescription. Mine started working immediately. My symptoms were so bad the internal med doc who diagnosed me told me to take it twice a day, and it worked wonders for me right away, but I did change my diet at the time also. I just had to go back on the prescription, the original doc didn't tell me I needed to stay on it all the time, my ulcer symptoms came back when I had the virus. I read if you want to try cutting certain foods out of your diet to see if they are the culprit, to try one at a time or its too hard to figure out which one it is. It does sound like milk bothers you alot. That makes sense that its something you are eating or drinking. Alot of people grow allergic to certain things after having no problem with them for years, this is probably what happened to you. Maybe the allergy boards can help you too. Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out. "}, "4": {"a": "99", "t": "No, I think it's definitely something food-related because my nasal drip definitely worsens after eating. It is pretty bad in the mornings when I wake up (I try to sleep on my left side with my head elevated). I have to cough up and clear my throat every morning, and then after I eat, it gets bad again. It's got to be acid reflux or a food that doesn't agree with me. Maybe I'll try not eating milk or wheat for a month and see what happens. I just don't know what more else to do. I can go to a doctor, get an X-Ray and make sure that I don't have an infection. I doubt I do, because I took antibiotics a long time ago and they didn't help one bit. The next step would go to a doctor so I can get diagnosed for acid reflux I guess. "}, "5": {"a": "99", "t": "it has now gotten to a point where my throat is so sore from clearing it, i cannot sleep at night. it hurts when i breathe for crying out loud. i know i can take some candy and try to soothe it but this has gotten out of hand. "}, "6": {"a": "99", "t": "i really don't remember. i know i was tested for several different things at a time. not sure if it included food. im pretty sure i have some kind of reflux. this morning at work, i felt like an upwash sensation and a minor burning feeling in my neck. like, i would burp, and then i'd feel burning move up my neck "}, "7": {"a": "99", "t": "i tried Prilosec OTC (its different than the prescribed Priolosec I heard) but it didn't help me. Waited 4 days for full effect. No luck. I could try to not eat milk, oats, or wheat for 1 month and see if it helps. but i really have no idea anymore. i know that milk makes my stomach sick (even if i drink the lactose free milk). "}}}, "334546": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "loss hair", "nausea", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "shaking leg", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "fainting", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "fast pulse", "face red", "numb", "warm", "bad taste", "shaking hand", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "chill", "decrease sexual desire", "irregular pulse", "voice loss", "stiffness", "muscle cramp", "blistering skin", "desire sexual decrease", "chest pain", "mood change", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "prickling", "burning skin", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "confusion", "neck red", "swell foot", "noise ear", "congestion ear", "weak", "ulceration", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pulse pounding", "urine increase", "foot shaking", "swell eyelid", "muscle weak", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "fever", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "belching", "difficult breath", "arm red", "crawling", "swell joint", "pain joint", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "shaking", "labored breath", "ringing ear", "pain leg", "bleed", "lip swell", "diarrhea bleed", "inflammation", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "infection", "indigestion", "discomfort chest", "stool loose", "constipation", "difficult sleep", "shaking arm", "vomit bleed", "moving difficult", "pain arm", "taste change", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "tingling", "jaw pain", "pain body", "sleeplessness", "spinning sensation", "sweating", "heartbeat pounding"], "neat": ["numb", "heartburn"], "umls": ["discomfort", "jaw pain", "irritate", "muscle weak", "heartburn", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "numb", "chest pain", "sweating", "anxiety", "discomfort chest", "infection", "burning chest", "bloating", "weak"], "neural": ["discomfort chest", "muscle weak", "discomfort", "weak"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2640", "t": "Does anyone on this board have \"silent\" acid reflux and if so, has their dentist told them that he thinks it is acid that is eroding the enamel on their teeth? "}, "1": {"a": "2640", "t": "I have 2 things going on with me and I am trying to determine if the acid is coming up from my stomach or my lungs. I have an adjustable bed so I didn't think it would come up into my mouth from my stomach. But, I also have bronchiectasis and pseudomonas in my lungs which makes me accumulate a lot of mucous in my throat at night coming up from my lungs which would come into contact with my teeth. I don't have any heartburn, my voice is affected occasionally and my left ear does feel like something is going on in it a lot of the time. I notice if I take antibiotics for my lung situation, my ear feels better. I didn't realize that it might be the acid affecting it. I do sleep on my left side more than the right. I was on omeprazole for a long time after being diagnosed with silent acid reflux because my stomach would hurt around the naval area every night. Then I decided I would try to get off the omeprazole and bought the adjustable bed and started taking probiotics and eating a cup of yogurt everyday and my stomach doesn't hurt like it use to at night. But the dentist says that acid is getting to my teeth. I have an appointment with the gastro dr. Tuesday to find out if I still have silent acid reflux. It's been several years since I was diagnosed. I sure don't want to take omeprazole if I don't have to. I really eat about anything I want, but I may have to change all that after my dr. visit. Thanks for all your replies. "}, "2": {"a": "2640", "t": "The best I can remember I had to drink some chalky liquid stuff and they watch as it goes down into your stomach. I also had an endoscopy to find out what the acid was doing to make my stomach ache at night and they found it was inflamed. If they put a tube into your throat, make sure they spray your throat real good to numb it to keep it from hurting. "}, "3": {"a": "2640", "t": "I have a small hiatal hernia also and I use to have a terrible hard hurt right in the center of my chest. It would last for 15 or 20 minutes and then it would go away. No doctor has ever told me what it could be. It felt like I was being stabbed with a knife. Recently, I was in the waiting room at a drs. visit and I felt that same hurt in my chest. It was the first time I had felt it in a long time. It is real scary. You do feel as if you are going to die. The only thing I can determine it could be is part of the stomach goes back thru a hole up into the esophagus for a few minutes and then it goes back where it belongs. If you read about hiatal hernias it will explain what it does. Anyway, it looks like the doctor's could understand what is happening when we hurt that much. If the doctor could ever have that feeling I'll bet he would find out what is hurting him. "}, "4": {"a": "2640", "t": "Good luck! I hope they can find out what is causing your problems. I just hate for them to say that I need to take a medicine for life. I didn't use to have a problem with acid reflux. I started drinking a whey protein shake several years ago which has a lot of amino acids in it and I almost believe that is what started my problem. No dr. will tell me that could have caused it. I keep taking it because I think it boosts my immune system and keeps me from getting any more infections in my lungs other than the pseudomonas which is almost impossible to get rid of. "}, "5": {"a": "2640", "t": "Just thought I would let you all know that I am waiting for the nurse to call me about an appointment to have the tube run through my nose down into my stomach to see how much acid is being produced and going up into my esophagus. Boy do I dread this, but I am anxious to find out the results. I asked the doctor why I have silent acid reflux and he said it is caused by the hernia and he said it can be corrected by surgery. I am all for the surgery depending on the outcome of the study on the acid I am producing. It's crazy to take pills for the rest of your life which might be causing side effects. Wish I had pursued all this years ago before the acid got to the enamel on my teeth, especially the front bottom teeth. Hoping I can get this resolved before I will need implants to replace those teeth. "}, "6": {"a": "2640", "t": "I had that same test about 10 years ago. I don't know how I had the nerve to do it. Guess I'm getting braver as I get older...73 in August....wish they had suggested surgery 10 years ago. Wouldn't have the problem I have now with my teeth. I am a fanatic about my teeth and hate to see them break off at the gum line. Even though I've been sleeping on an incline for a couple of years the acid is still getting to my teeth and I think it is the acid that is getting into my lungs and accumulating in my throat at night because of the bronchiectasis and the problem it causes in the lungs. So if I can determine that acid is getting into my lungs and get the surgery to stop it, that would be great. Seems like if it isn't one thing it is another. I'll let you know how the test turns out. "}, "7": {"a": "2640", "t": "Do you have a hiatal hernia and if so, have you thought about surgery to correct the hiatal hernia? Glad you have the reflux under control. "}, "8": {"a": "2640", "t": "That is exactly what I think caused mine and I think I will stop using it. However, I asked my gastro dr. the other day about it and he said he didn't think that is what caused it. He said it was the hiatal hernia that caused it. Looks like to me that a dr. in that field would pretty much understand what causes the problem. Anyway, I am supposed to call the nurse today to set up the appointment for the probe to be run down my esophagus thru my nose to see how much acid I am producing and how much is getting back into my esophagus. I dread that! Maybe if I had just stopped the shake a long time ago I wouldn't be going through all this. Hope you get rid of your problems real soon. "}, "9": {"a": "2640", "t": "I will be having an esophageal manometry to test my esophageal muscle function which entails inserting a probe into the stomach through the nose on the 26th of July. After that is completed which takes about 30 mins. they will insert a wire catheter though the nose into the stomach to monitor the esophageal acid exposure for 24 hrs. and I will go back to the hospital the next morning to have the wire catheter removed. I sure do dread these procedures. Will let you know what they find. "}, "10": {"a": "2640", "t": "Good news! I don't have silent acid reflux. Glad I haven't been taking Prilosec thinking I had it. I would never have the test for checking the muscle action in the esophagus anymore. The overnight test to see how much acid I am producing and see if it comes up into my esophagus at night wasn't quite as uncomfortable. Will have a discussion with my dentist concerning the erosion of the enamel on my teeth. "}}}, "332092": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["heartburn"], "umls": ["stomach acid", "warm", "heartburn"], "neural": ["heartburn", "warm"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "27565", "t": "Yesterday afternoon I had a bout (of trying to think what to call it)>> regurgitation stomach acids back up in my throat. My throat starting burning and by midnight it felt like someone had put a hot poker in my throat! I'm had heartburn for years but Never had anything like that before. Plus for the rest of the night when I would try to lie down, I starting throwing up. I haven't throw up in years> After a few times I just gag and nothing was left to come up. I'm don't have any flu symptoms. It just feels like my gag reflex is inflamed> It just hurts so bad (the throat). What can I do to calm the fire down. Called my Doctor ( ofcorse he's booked today) he is giving me some Prilosec, well the nurse was surprose to call in it. But two hours later and another call to his offce and she said to give her another half hour??? How long will it take for my throat to heal< I'm in sooooo much pain. The nurse said it would work right away, we will see. I'm drinking some warm tea and it' helping a tiny little bit. . Has anyone had this??? HELP!! ...... ~C "}}}, "55618": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "loss hair", "nausea", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "buzzing ear", "urine pain", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "stomach discomfort", "face red", "increase appetite", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "wheezing", "loss appetite", "decrease sexual desire", "desire sexual decrease", "voice loss", "stiffness", "chest pain", "headache", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "increase sweating", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "change vision", "congestion ear", "seizure", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "swell eyelid", "fever", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "nose runny", "belching", "rash skin", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "clumsiness", "bleed", "tight chest", "short breath", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "restlessness", "moving difficult", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "tingling", "nervousness", "nightmare", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["infection", "stomach acid", "headache", "inflammation"], "umls": ["headache", "inflammation", "nausea", "dizziness", "irritate", "cough", "stomach acid", "sore throat", "infection"], "neural": ["infection", "dizziness", "irritate", "nausea", "headache", "cough"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "6613", "t": "Richard- If the phlegm is thick and white you may not have a sinus infection at all. Typically the telltale sign of a sinus infection is green phlegm. The discoloration is what indicates that it's infected. I know you've posted about some of your symptoms other places but I'm wondering what else you're doing to try to manage this - are you taking antihistamines, irrigating your sinuses and treating any symptoms of acid reflux you have? Those may help you more than the antibiotics. As for your asthma question, things don't typically \"turn into\" asthma but your lungs and sinuses are all part of the same system and whatever is irritating your upper respiratory system may have the same effect on your lungs. Both sinusitis and asthma are the result of airways getting inflamed and irritated so they're closely related and tend to go hand in hand. "}, "1": {"a": "6613", "t": "It sounds like you're doing all of the right stuff to try and clear this up - the only other thing you might try is something for acid reflux - it can also be a cause of post-nasal drip and antibiotics can upset the balance of your digestive system and contribute to acid reflux (which often causes asthma-like symptoms by irritating the lining of the esophagus). "}, "2": {"a": "6613", "t": "The acid reflux can cause the congestion and post-nasal drip that you're experiencing, especially in people who have a form of acid reflux called LPR (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux). For people with LPR the acid reaches a little higher to the larynx and gets just high enough to cause an upper respiratory reaction that can cause sinus inflammation, congestion and post-nasal drip. "}, "3": {"a": "6613", "t": "The PND does run down toward your stomach but the reason your chest gets congested is most likely the irritation from the acid reflux. Acid reflux is a common cause of asthma-like symptoms because it irritates the lining of your esophagus and the body's reaction to that irritation is to create more mucus to try and coat/protect the irritated area. The sore feeling may actually be an area that has been irritated by the acid reflux. I'd stick with the Beconase but would focus on getting the acid reflux under control to see if that helps (are you taking any meds for the acid reflux? - usually a couple of weeks on a proton pump inhibitor like Losec will make a big difference in the acid reflux). "}, "4": {"a": "6613", "t": "I'm not sure whether it's available OTC in the U.K. It's called PrilosecOTC here, and I think it's called Losec in the U.K. and it looks like it may be available without a prescription there too (the actual chemical name is Omeprazole). That would be your best bet, but Zantac is another option. It's not as strong as Losec and has to be take a couple of times a day but it should help. If you can get Losec without a prescription (or a generic version), that would be your best bet. "}, "5": {"a": "19085", "t": "I have taken a quick remedy in gaviston which seems to be working on the acid but i realise this is probably a short term remedy. What i wanted to ask GC ive found a company in the US on the internet of course that does a remedy called sinus-pro, treatments for sinus pressure which i have now and rhinitis treatments. Have you heard of them or recommend them? im thinking of buying a course to see if it works. The sinus headaches i just cannot get rid of. Thanks. "}, "6": {"a": "19085", "t": "Very sorry did not realise this. "}}}, "1445": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "nausea", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "shaking leg", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "fainting", "drowsiness", "fast pulse", "face red", "numb", "bad taste", "shaking hand", "cough", "heartburn", "chill", "irregular pulse", "voice loss", "stiffness", "muscle cramp", "chest pain", "mood change", "headache", "prickling", "confusion", "neck red", "swell foot", "noise ear", "congestion ear", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pulse pounding", "foot shaking", "swell eyelid", "muscle weak", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "fever", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "arm red", "crawling", "swell joint", "pain joint", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "shaking", "labored breath", "pain leg", "bleed", "lip swell", "diarrhea bleed", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "discomfort chest", "stool loose", "constipation", "shaking arm", "vomit bleed", "moving difficult", "pain arm", "taste change", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "tingling", "jaw pain", "pain body", "spinning sensation", "sweating", "heartbeat pounding"], "neat": ["nausea"], "umls": ["nausea"], "neural": ["nausea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "132", "t": "Hi after I finished a 4 month script my dr told me to take pprilosec otc twice a day. I stay away from tomato sauce, onions, garlic, spicey foods, juices. Sometimes a little milk helps when its burning. Also I get nausea, lots of it. I chew ginger gum from the drug store and drink ginger tea. I eat a very bland diet. cathy "}, "1": {"a": "132", "t": "Yeah I think cooked onion is fine "}}}, "626694": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["irritate"], "umls": ["hoarseness", "inflammation", "irritate", "sore throat", "infection"], "neural": ["hoarseness", "irritate", "inflammation", "sore throat"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "6613", "t": "Your symptoms are very consistent with the initial diagnosis of GERD but two weeks of omeprazole is no where near enough to give you relief. Typically with GERD, acid will cause areas in the esophagus and throat to become inflamed and irritated (which causes hoarseness and a sore throat). Your body's reaction is to create more mucus to try and protect those areas, which is why people with GERD complain of chronic throat clearing. In some cases, the irritation is severe enough to cause inflammation in the sinuses, which causes additional post-nasal-drip, and you've got a vicious cycle on your hands. In those cases it generally takes 8-12 weeks of treatment with PPIs like omeprazole, plus lifestyle changes to give those irritated areas a chance to heal and for things to return to normal. If the ENT is unsure, and there are minimal signs of infection, there is no reason to even consider sinus surgery at this point. Your best bet would be to keep using the butacort, start irrigating your sinuses daily with a neti pot or SinusRinse bottle, and work with your GP to really try to eliminate the possibility that acid reflux is the underlying cause of your symptoms (12 weeks of at least 40 mg omeprazole daily plus the appropriate lifestyle changes). You might also stick with the allergy treatment - it could be one more thing that is playing a part in all of this. "}}}, "332229": {"truth": ["loss hair", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "bloating", "stomach discomfort", "upset stomach", "drowsiness", "numb", "bad taste", "swell neck gland", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "lower pain side", "desire sexual decrease", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "headache", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "burning skin", "increase sweating", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "sleepiness", "weak", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "excessive stomach gas", "fever", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "nose runny", "belching", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "pain muscle", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "vomit", "discomfort", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "skin sore", "pain back", "taste change", "tingling", "pain body", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "change voice", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["sore throat"], "umls": ["heartburn", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "sore throat", "burning chest", "warm", "sad"], "neural": ["sore throat", "stomach acid", "sad", "heartburn"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "15425", "t": "Hi Vachilly I know how you feel,,,,i am on prevacid 30mg twice a day for 2 months now,,and it does not seem to be working for me either,,,it doesnt matter what i eat(i stay away from the BAD stuff) but i still get the burning around stomach and ribs, sometimes bad in the chest area. . i believe my symptoms were from extreme stress for 5 months due to mothers illness and her passing...i just want to feel better....i had started a thread about a natural pill called PROPOLIs. . it is made from Bees,,,a friend of mine had ulcers and he took prevacid for a year with no relief,,,he has been taking the propolis and royal jelly (also from bees) for 2 months now and has no problem eating anything very mild heartburn on occasion even with spicy foods and no pain. . he says it saved him...i am going to start trying this next week as it is a little expensive...as i write this to yu i have been feeling the burn in the acid pool area as my doc calls it...i hope that the propolis will work as i have read on many forum posts and other sites that the PPI's dont let nutrients absorb well...hoping to get off synthetic and go natural,,,, let me know how you r feeling and if you try the propolis,,i did research on it as well and it seems to have some very good stomach healing properties including gastritis, ulcers, etc. Hope you feel better. "}, "1": {"a": "15425", "t": "Hi Henri Mine started shortly after my mom had a heart attack...they initially gave her a week to live. . then did open heart surgery...she was in icu for 10 very up and down days...moved her out of icu then 2 days later back again. . this kinda went on for 3 months...then she was doing much better and 2 days before she was to be released from hospital turned for the very worst and the day before she was to go home she passed away...and the doctors dont know why....i had had some occasional heartburn before all this started,,,too much iced tea or to much junk food,,,but it always went away...now it is not ging away and dont know how to fix it as i find that the H2's and ppis are not working,,, how long have you been feeling this way for Henri,,,,mine has been almost 6 months. . and about 3-4 of those have been on h2's and ppi's. Have you tried any natural stuff like DGL or Propolis or anything like that... I tried to tell the doc that i figured it was from stress but he dont wanna listen to me...told me i might have stomach cancer like a month into me taking ppi's...was not happy about that,,,, Let me know how you are doing and what you have been doing to help your symptoms as i am open to pretty much about anything at this point. I dont even know if i have GERD,,doc never said he said maybe maybe not...maybe gastritis maybe not,,,just kinda flying in a circle here... i really just want to feel like i did before all this happened....and i really dont know how Keep in touch Henri Spunky "}, "2": {"a": "15424", "t": "Have you tried Gaviscon or equivalent? It can stop some of that acid moving up your esophagus. It works for me. I use the extra strength tablets, makes a huge difference in my voice and lungs. I find I have to use it after every meal regardless of what you eat as some acid is still always created by your stomach. I take omeprazole as a PPI. "}, "3": {"a": "15436", "t": "They say eat several small meals a day, but how do you fit them in. I have to have time to recover from one to the other, and by then, it's time for bed. This is the worst health issue I've ever had. I'm trying to be patient, but it is depressing. Thanks for all the suggestions. Happy Mother's Day! "}, "4": {"a": "15436", "t": "I'm still struggling. I am supposed to see a gastroenterologist next week. It has taken 2 months to get an appt. I tried the apple cider vinegar, but it burned pretty badly. I'm trying to wait for more information from the specialist, before I start trying anymore natural products, but thanks for the info. I feel like this will never end, and I've lost so much weight. The acid in my throat and mouth actually burns worse then the acid in my chest and stomach. "}, "5": {"a": "15436", "t": "Mine started about 3 months ago after taking 3 regimens of antibiotics for sinusitis. I now believe that the doctor misdiagnosed me, and that it was actually reflux that was causing my sore throat and sinus problems. I actually feel fumes from the acid in my sinuses, so I think the reflux just went untreated and worsened. How about yours? "}, "6": {"a": "15436", "t": "The only things that I've found I can eat are plain oatmeal and egg whites. Anything else just comes right back up my throat. I tried a raw honey throat lozenge because my throat is so sore, and I actually had the taste of it come right back up my throat. I can't drink even almond milk. I feel worse since I started the Nexium than I did 5 weeks ago. If it sounds like I'm whining, I am. "}}}, "380835": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "loss hair", "speech slurred", "pale", "nausea", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "buzzing ear", "urine pain", "drowsiness", "bloating", "stomach discomfort", "upset stomach", "fast pulse", "face red", "numb", "warm", "trembling", "vision double", "shaking hand", "anxiety", "pain throat", "sour stomach", "burning chest", "heartburn", "cough", "swallowing difficult", "bowel movement difficult", "pale skin", "wheezing", "loss appetite", "decrease sexual desire", "irregular pulse", "desire sexual decrease", "voice loss", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "mood change", "headache", "stomach acid", "thirst increase", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "increase sweating", "irritability", "burning skin", "skin flushing", "neck red", "stool bleed", "mouth ulcer", "noise ear", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "frequent urinate", "sleepiness", "weak", "discomfort abdominal", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pulse pounding", "urine increase", "foot shaking", "diarrhea", "excessive stomach gas", "swell eyelid", "pain abdominal", "fever", "nose runny", "belching", "lightheadedness", "rash skin", "bloated stomach", "loss vision", "pain muscle", "difficult breath", "stool black", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "tight chest", "gain weight", "shaking", "bleed", "labored breath", "depression", "short breath", "stomach cramp", "inflammation", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "discomfort chest", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "blindness", "stool tarry", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "tingling", "pain body", "nervousness", "urine cloudy", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "sweating", "heartbeat pounding", "skin red"], "neat": ["indigestion"], "umls": ["nausea", "stomach acid", "indigestion", "bleed", "bloating"], "neural": ["stomach acid", "nausea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "130", "t": "Things like onion, garlic, peppers (green, red, yellow) are often difficult for some folks to digest. Indigestion at least with them is common. Onions, powdered or minced form, are in so very many foods. You'd have to do away with most prepared food if this is the case. "}}}, "334429": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "loss hair", "nausea", "pale", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "urine pain", "fainting", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "excitement", "vision double", "increase appetite", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "burning chest", "swallowing difficult", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "pale skin", "decrease sexual desire", "blistering skin", "stiffness", "muscle cramp", "pain cheekbone", "desire sexual decrease", "voice loss", "chest pain", "white mouth spot", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "burning skin", "tiredness", "white spot lip", "confusion", "loss memory", "bleed urine", "nosebleed", "skin flushing", "irritability", "increase sweating", "stool bleed", "speaking difficult", "mouth ulcer", "congestion ear", "convulsion", "sleepiness", "weak", "seizure", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "swell eyelid", "pain abdominal", "pain muscle", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "sweating", "swell joint", "pain joint", "tight chest", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "bleed", "lip swell", "short breath", "depression", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "ulcer lip", "stool tarry", "vomit bleed", "moving difficult", "skin sore", "pain back", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "spinning sensation", "stool black", "heartbeat pounding", "skin red"], "neat": ["heartburn"], "umls": ["nausea", "pain body", "fever", "heartburn", "vomit", "constipation", "stomach acid", "pain muscle", "sore throat", "voice loss", "pain back", "bleed", "pain joint"], "neural": ["pain body", "constipation", "vomit", "voice loss", "sore throat", "nausea", "pain muscle", "pain joint"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "45159", "t": "I agree with Lady, I was shocked to see the huge list of \"rare\" side effects listed in the presribing information of all the PPIs. My RX said don't worry about it these don't cause side effects and my GI dr was unaware of most iof the rare ones in small print!! I admit the Prilosec worked for my reflux and all the pain I had associated with the reflux damage but I am afraid of the side effects down the line. I have been having trouble with my lymph nodes in my neck since taking the prilosec and I have been off of it a week and they still haven't gone down!! Reflux is terrible and I was amazed and all the pain and trouble it had cause me but I would love to have another alternative to taking a pill for the next 30 years. "}, "1": {"a": "45159", "t": "Blondy, just wanted to tell you that I think your opinion has really opened things up so that everyone can make an informed decision. I think it is always best to have all perspectives so that you can see how you situation fits. I think I am going to take a month off of the PPIs and see how I do with diet control and a pepcid when needed. Mjcm, do you know how long it took for your lymph nodes to go down after you stopped the prilosec?? Lady, thanks for starting this discussion. It has really helped me. "}, "2": {"a": "45159", "t": "mjcm, sorry to keep bugging you about this but having my lymph nodes swollen makes me very nervous......... When you say quite a while do you mean weeks or months?? Did your doctor ever say they might have been from the Prilosec or reflux?? Could you actually feel them ?? Thanks again for your help!!! "}, "3": {"a": "45159", "t": "Thanks mjcm! I was the same way. Just went along thinking everything was fine until I got sick of the heartburn. Then the scans and tests started. I know my lymph nodes were not swollen before the prilosec because my doctor checked them out when I originally went to him for the heartburn. I noticed them after the prilosec because I had a bad sore throat which has gone since stopping the med. Anyway I guess I need to get refered to an ENT. Has your ENT checked your nodes out?? Nothing to worry about I guess?? I definitely don't like having mine swollen!!! Thanks again. "}, "4": {"a": "45159", "t": "Patti, did your son ever have any lymph nod swelling related to the prilosec?? "}, "5": {"a": "13441", "t": "I am 19. I've had reflux since I was 16. I was diagnosed when I was 16 after a year of constant vomiting, loosing 50 pounds, tearing a hole in my esophogus, giving myself 14 cavities. I have also thrown my electrolytes off countless times. I was diagnosed by the peds GI after no other doctor knew what the heck was wrong with me. I had the hole in my esophogus then. I went on 60mg of Prevacid. It worked wonders for awhile. Then symptoms returned and I was switched to Prilosec, then back to Prevacid, then they added Carafate. I still was pretty sick and then I was getting fevers everyday and getting dizzy. That was the first time I threw my electrolytes out. I had a gastric empty scan, and was tested for rare diseases, but it was just the electrolyte problem. I got better for awhile using the Carafate and Prevacid, then got sick again. I was switched to Nexium, when my first pH probe was done. pH probe showed major problems still, so I was switched back to Prevacid and Reglan and Phergan were added. I actually went off the Reglan because of side effects. I have yet to find a treatment that really works for me, but the Prevacid seems the most effective without the side effects. Right now I'm looking into the fundo as myu most recent pH probe still showed severe reflux on meds. I have a lot of posts because I post in more than one board- I have blood sugar problems, so I post in the diabetes board (though I'm not diabetic yet- I'm heading that way), I have reflux-related asthma as well, and allergies to dogs, pollen, dust, dust mites, grass, and trees, so I post in the allergy board as well. Hope this isn't too much info mjcm. I agree that it's important to understand other people's situations. I'm glad doing nothing will never be an option for you. Lady 50, I'm sorry if I came across as harsh, but I really hate for people to suffer. As you can tell, I've been through a lot with reflux and know first hand how damaging it can be. I do a lot of reading and truly feel that the side effects are much less dangerous than the disease, but that's just me. You are right that it is your decision whether the drug is used or not, but please talk to your doctor about your concerns with the side effects. "}, "6": {"a": "13441", "t": "No hard feeling here I really hope your husband is okay. It can b e scary. My dad has congestive heart failure, and was waiting for a heart transplant, but recently a new medication made him be able to live without one. I think that's part of the reason I'm not into trying to avoid medications. Has your husband seen a cardiologist? My dad's cardiologist helped him a ton! "}, "7": {"a": "13441", "t": "I have never heard of Wild Oats. "}, "8": {"a": "13441", "t": "I said that PPIs stop acid production- they do. I didn't say they stop it all together. I'm going based on what my GI doctor told me. He said I'm on a high enough dose of Prevacid that I shouldn't have any acid in my stomach. The pH probe showed I did though. "}, "9": {"a": "13441", "t": "I always thought that vitamin b12 was best absorbed as an injection and is a prescription that way. If you're concerned, I would have the doctor test the levels and prescribe the injection for if necessary. If you can find an OTC pill, it can't hurt to take it for peace of mind. "}, "10": {"a": "13441", "t": "TJN, where exactly are you getting your info from? My doctor tells me on 60mg a Prevacid a day I should not have any acid. "}, "11": {"a": "13441", "t": "My doctor does take a lot of time with me- I have had him spend an hour with me before. He sure did sound like he meant it literally. He told me that acid serves no purpose what so ever. I don't know, maybe I misunderstood him. I have read in depth on GERD also, and of websites for healthcare professionals, and I have never read anything about PPIs regenerating when they are shut off. Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of taking PPIs? I know on my last pH probe he said the level my stomach's pH should be at is 7 because I should have NO acid in my stomach. "}, "12": {"a": "13441", "t": "Yes, my doctor did tell me that I have to be very careful about bacteria and food poisoning and such. Maybe he was exagerrating. As far as the pH probe is concerned- I had two probes. One was placed in my esophogus, one in my stomach. On the computer two numbers were displayed- one was my stomach's pH, the other was my esophogus pH. The purpose of the test was to determine how well the PPIs were working, which is why they wanted. The answer was not very well, since both numbers rarely went above 4. My first probe was done on 80mgs of Nexium, my second on 60mg of Prevacid. I;ve also tried Reglan with Prevacid, and didn't tolerate it. I have Carafate and Phenergan as needed, but those aren't really controllers. I have been doing a lot of reading, like I said, and pretty much decided fundoplication is next, but neither one of the 2 GIs I see is a huge fan of that. Since you have been doing a lot of reading too, what do you think I should be looking more into. I'm also realizing I have LPR symptoms- sore throat, horseness, random voice loss. I have asthma as a result of reflux (and my asthma doctor is pushing for a fundo), and have torn a hole in my esophogus and thrown my electrolytes out several times from vomiting. I'm just not sure where to go from here. I'm thinking adding Zantac 300 or Erythromyacin. "}, "13": {"a": "13441", "t": "My doctors aren't big fans of the fundoplication because they say at my age I'll be back on meds within a year, so they want me to wait until I'm older. I am well aware that the tear in my espohogus is long gone, but that is how much vomiting I was doing. I have looked into CVS, but my doctor ruled it out because I improved on reflux meds, and my episodes were everyday, rather than going in cycles. I have been diagnosed with delayed gastric empty time, they I don't remember my specific results. I don't take any meds for that right now because I did horribly on Reglan. My pH probes on meds WERE NOT okay. They were \"highly abnormal\" according to my doctor- enough to make him change my meds. I have not gotten the \"official\" results from my second one, but I know they were better than the first, but still abnormal. When I see my doctor Monday I am scheduling one off meds. I am positive I had a number measuring my stomach's pH. I'm not sure if it was a classic pH study, but I know one is there. I saw the result chart and one line on the graph was \"stomach\" and the other \"esophogus.\" They think my vomiting is from reflux. I have been diagnosed witha hypersensitive gag reflex as well, so when I reflux they think the reflux is irritating my gag reflex causing me to vomit. As far as Endocinch, Gatekeeper, and Hill, my doctors consider them too experimental for the time being, even though I know they are approved and such. His exact words were: \"Let them test it on other people- not my patients.\" That was enough to totally turn my parents off to the idea, though I am still interested. I would have to go to another city to get a consult on that because there are no centers in my city that do it. Endocinch is the most favorable in my mind at the moment. "}, "14": {"a": "13441", "t": "So my appointment is tomorrow. Any ideas on the Zantac or Erythromyacin ideas? ANy other ideas? Should I discuss the fundo alternatives tomorrow? Please let me know anything else to discuss tomorrow? I think I have a lot of ideas already "}}}, "45175": {"truth": ["itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "dizziness", "sneezing", "difficult breath", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "discomfort", "wheezing", "stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "skin sore", "burning skin", "stomach pain", "pain body", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "skin red"], "neat": ["bloating", "nausea", "anxiety", "belching", "heartburn"], "umls": ["nausea", "cough", "stomach acid", "belching", "anxiety"], "neural": ["belching", "cough", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "48", "t": "Hi, I only just read your first message. I have the same as you. No heartburn but constant belching whether I eat or not. Do you have any stomach issues like me which include, dull ache, noisy stomach like a washing machine, and lots of bloating/gas and nausea. Were you prescribed Omeprazole solely for burping or did you have any of these other symptoms. My symptoms started after treatment for H.Pylori and I was prescribed Nexium which didn't seem to do anything. Have you had an Endoscopy or any other tests. Solofelix. "}, "1": {"a": "48", "t": "Ar/Gerd will cause breathing problems!! Mine does. Solofelix. "}, "2": {"a": "29135", "t": "Thought I would update this thread. In general, my (burping/reflex) symptoms have gotten better over the past 5-6 days. I actually stopped taking the Prilosec at that time (Initially, it was because I was in a hurry, and just didn't take it for a couple days; after that, I decided to stay off of it). Was even able to eat Indian Food (which I sorely missed) last Saturday, with almost no problems. What I did notice, however, is that there are certain things that I just cannot have anymore. Yesterday, I had some diet Snapple and had that terrible air/air bubble in the esophagus feeling that causes me to burp for hours, almost to the point where I want to regurgitate. I also, mistakenly, made a little espresso with frothed milk today (because I didn't have it in so long), and I think that something about the frothed milk, with all of that volume and air in it, gave me the symptoms that I had with the Snapple. I really wish I knew what that \"air bubble\" sensation that causes one to burp constantly is called. At the very least though, If I control some key things, I think that I'll be able to keep, and maybe even continue on my improvement. "}, "3": {"a": "29135", "t": "Hey guys, I'm back. Long story short, my symptoms came back and I've been dealing with the burping/acid reflux for about a month now. I guess the only good thing is that I absolutely know that the strange burping is absolutely caused by my acid reflux. What I've found that works best is If I take a Pepcid AC (extra strength) before my meals, instead of when I get my problems (I guess following instructions is a good idea). The H2 blockers seemed to have worked for me better some days than others (although sometimes I need to take more, and am concerned about over-medicating myself), but in general, better than whatever I did before. I'm also considering going on a PPI, but would rather not, due to the rebound concerns. I'm considering right now if I should get additional help from my doctor, and if I should think about getting an Upper GI Endo, which will be expensive and unpleasant, and which I feel the end result will be the same as if I didn't have it...i.e. Them wanting me to take PPI's. "}, "4": {"a": "29135", "t": "Also, as a side note, this condition is so frustrating with family and in social situations. Sometimes I'm trying to talk to someone, and I get that uncomfortable feeling, and burping feeling, and it ends up with me looking very weird and socially akward, which I'm not. And my Family does not want me to take too many medications. They want me to get over this naturally by eating better, exercising, etc. which I agree with, but which sometimes doesn't do anything to help me, as in, there are times when I can eat absolutely anything (water can give me bad reflux), and get my very bad symptoms. Medications are sometimes the only things that work, and they are opposed to it, which is frustrating, considering they know what I have, since I was already diagnosed with severe reflux from my Swallow Study. Anyway, just some venting... "}, "5": {"a": "29135", "t": "Update: First of all, a big knock on wood here. Anyway, have been about 3-4 days with a significant reduction in my horrible burping problem. The only thing that I changed? Stopped taking my daily Prilosec. About a week ago, I saw a gastroenterologist, and he said I was just swallowing air, and that I was burping because of anxiety (actually what I thought he would say). It's pretty frustrating when doctors just want to peg something that they have no clue of on anxiety...I guess it's just an easy out. Thing is, that if he or anyone else had the same bloated feelings and feelings of air trapped in their chest/esophagus, they would also be burping nearly non-stop. He even had the nerve to tell me that the Gas-X and Charcoal Pills I was taking that sometimes made me feel better, were working because they were a placebo to me. So, I was actually lucky to get an Upper GI the very next day, and it wasn't that bad. They said I have a hiatal hernia, and that my constant burping was causing my stomach to lift into my esophagus, and thus corroding it, allowing for reflux, which actually isn't even the problem, and is very tolerable by myself. He, as expected, told me to continue with the Prilosec and to get anti-anxiety meds from my GP. It's funny, because the first time I had this problem, my burping problems stopped when I stopped taking the prilosec. Here we are again, and the only difference in my lifestyle was/is that I stopped with the prilosec. I'm not an MD, but I would venture to guess that perhaps the Prilosec was causing too little acid to be in my stomach, and because of that, foods were not being digested properly, and were rotting/fermenting, causing gas and then the constant burping. Anyway, this is just an update and not a resolution/conclusion. I simply experienced a significant decrease in a major problem, and attributed it to the only change that I had for myself. I'm sure I have a long way to go, but will keep everyone updated, good or bad. "}, "6": {"a": "29135", "t": "Hello, Sorry for the delay. I had to think about your question for a while. I've been off of all PPI's for about a month, I believe. Experienced some rebound extreme acid, and then not too much after that (the times when I did have acid, I could easily control it with a Pepcid AC). My burping stopped for about 3-4 days after I stopped with the Prilosec, and then kind came back to a lesser extent after that (much less severe than before). Even though my Gastro and most others were and are so convinced that the only reason for my burping was because of my nasal problems/occassional mouth breathing and anxiety, they will never give you an explanation as to why I or anyone else who have these symptoms never had them before. Also, a lot of people breath through their mouth and have anxiety, but I would doubt that many of them have belching as a problem. Anyway, I've found that the most important thing you can do is to make sure your diet is good. Eat smaller meals and more frequent meals; Make sure you completely cut out problem foods/drinks. Coffee is done for me. You wouldn't think tea would be bad, but it is and was, in fact, one of the worst things for me, as far as burping. Next is you need to have the right medicine on hand. If you are having bad acid reflux/burning, you need to control it with a Pepcid AC or other drug first. You can try the charcoal caps, but I'm not super crazy about them. Try popping 2-3 Simethicone/Gas-X pills, and see how that helps. I also found out something interesting when I had my Upper GI Endoscopy. They had me laying down, and I was a little gaseous, burping and uncomfortable - A lot because the position was conducive to this. After they sprayed that gross anesthetic spray in my throat, my burping/uncomfortable feeling actually was greatly reduced. Because of this, sometimes when I have a mild burping feeling, I will suck on a cough drop for a few minutes. The cough drop is a mild anesthetic, and when the material gets in your throat/esophagus, It can sometimes reduce your need to burp. Those are just my thoughts for right now. Nowhere near beating this thing, but at least it's a little bit better and I'm better at managing it when I do have it. "}, "7": {"a": "29135", "t": "Glad to see my original thread is providing an outlet to people with the same issue. This was a long time ago, and I don't deal with burping anymore. Unfortunately, I deal with acid reflux pain, which happened after that whole burping fiasco, and I suspect the PPI's screwed me over somehow. Back to the burping, I honestly feel that you just have to try to manage it. Don't bother wasting your time with doctors on this - They will never help you out, and will just attribute the burping to GERD and/or anxiety, and prescribe you that PPI garbage. Their barium swallow's and endoscopies will never find the cause. It's probably just some kind of bacteria in your stomach that needs some time to leave your body. Just stay strong, and wait for it to inevitably go away. "}}}, "145716": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["anxiety"], "umls": ["anxiety", "heartburn"], "neural": ["anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2620", "t": "You should try to deal with your anxiety & stress as well. See a counselor or psychologist. Your symptoms are very much 'reflux due to anxiety and obsession'. Try to relax. See a gastroenterologist. "}, "1": {"a": "7", "t": "There should be some relief after a few days, but the full benefit might take up to a month, especially if you have actual erosions in your stomach lining or esophagus. "}}}, "332318": {"truth": ["loss hair", "nausea", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "warm", "numb", "bad taste", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "desire sexual decrease", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "burning skin", "increase sweating", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "ulceration", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain leg", "bleed", "inflammation", "infection", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "difficult sleep", "skin sore", "taste change", "stomach pain", "tingling", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "sleeplessness", "spinning sensation", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["anxiety", "cough"], "umls": ["eye red", "bleed", "tingling", "hoarseness", "pain throat", "numb", "heartburn", "cough", "chest pain", "burning chest", "sore throat", "anxiety", "nose bleed", "sad"], "neural": ["hoarseness", "pain throat", "eye red", "sore throat", "nose runny", "chest pain"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "9819", "t": "I'm all about the idea that lpr is/can be nerve related but PLEASE don't go telling people to harmlessly take drugs/ask for klonopin and xanax. I was on both of these together for anxiety and i know for a fact (as does my ND) that they helped create my problems. I know many others that can attest to this (benzodiazepines). You must have NO idea what these drugs do to you long term and what they do to your gut (your 2nd brain). I really appreciate your alternative theory of lpr and think its much needed on this board but klonopin and xanax are no walk in the park, i am seriously ill after being on those drugs. best wishes and hope you continue to feel better. "}, "1": {"a": "15398", "t": "I actually just got it today and I'm starting it tomorrow. I'm just saying, some people here have made convincing cases that acid reflux is related to their throat issues. I assure you I'll keep you informed about the effecacy of lyrica. I will allow it 2 weeks before making the announcement of what I've found. I'll be honest. I have the lyrica now sitting, unopened right beside me as we speak. 56 capsels (75 mg). The 100 or 150 mg capsels have been ordered to the clinic on the grounds where I am staying. Apparently, for 2 patients out of 10 in David Sycamore's study, higher doses were needed after a week or two to start seeing results. The German doctor also wants to suprisingly quickly get me to high doses so he can personally see if it has results. He first offered me neurontin, but I turned it down for lyrica. Neurontin is next though, and elavil then, and whatever else. Today I ate a donair again. Then later ate something that just looked like a pile of deep fried cheese and fries. I then drank two beers. I have noticed a slight improvement in my LPR symptoms. I'm not being sarcastic, but anyway, these diseases or symptoms or whatever we all have are mysterious indeed, and I guess doctors need to deal with them on a case by case basis, and that partly explains why people like us don't get effective treatment yet. But Xhale, I will be doing this lyrica thing, starting tomorrow for at least 1 month. If it works for me, will you eat your hat? "}, "2": {"a": "15398", "t": "Here is the lead up to mine. For 10 years or more I ate chicken wings, beer, whatever I wanted, smoked on and off, and despite all that had no GERD or anything. It was like a diet to create heartburn and I didn't have it. This September I got really worn down with stress, and then went exhausted to Germany on Sept 28. Nothing was wrong, but I wasn't eating when I got here for the first few days, and just burning the candle at both ends. I just got nailed by this cold (Europe is crowded and there are a lot of weird germs in the fall) by about October 1st or so. I just couldn't believe how much snot was coming out of my nose, and I was coughing, even coughing up blood, I was pretty dizzy. It was just the mother of all colds. Suddenly, after about a week, 1 day, it was just like my larynx exploded with globus and painful unsatisfying swallowing. At the same time, I had a burning, tingling numb tongue, almost like an allergy, suddenly for about 30 minutes. That went away, but the other symptoms stayed and were joined by throat clearing which I think may have actually started in earnest with my first ppi. The throat clearing is minor though. I could live with that. The problem is, it almost feels like nerves are going off at the left side of my throat ever since, and basically they create an imaginary object there. I still had a cold when I went to the first ENT and he saw a red pharynx and put me on ppis. They did nothing or maybe made it worse. I tried every combination for 5 weeks or so and just got off of them. Since just going back and eating what I want and just living a normal lifestyle, it seems like all the symptoms basically keep decreasing in severity. Today was a good enough day that I almost felt weird about getting the pregabalin. But anyway, it still feels weird and oversensitive in my throat, despite the fact that the last ENT, a week ago, said \"there is absolutely not one sign of damage in the larynx or throat.\" So basically he said he didn't know how to help me and sent me to the neurologist. It seems weird that a guy who eats like that and has no reflux, even on an endoscopy, would have reflux, when the only symptoms are in his throat and appeared immediately and simultaneiously, with a tingling tongue, in the throes of a really bad cold virus, with a very low immune system. "}, "3": {"a": "15398", "t": "lyrica doesn't kick in for a lot of people for a week or so, even if it works. Also sometimes the dosage needs to be raised to suddenly have an impact. That's why I want to wait that amount of time to comment on it. But if it works more or less right away, I'll let you know. "}, "4": {"a": "15398", "t": "I agree with you there. On multiple levels it could work. It's approved for anxiety treatment here in the European Union and even kind of picks up the moods of many people who take it. Anyone with an invisible grapefruit in their throat could use a little bit of anxiety reduction. I think it has a few other positive effects like that, that could be good for people with any version of LPR. Just like people say valium and xanex often help their LPR, but they always worry about the addictive side of those understandably. In Lyrica's case, it's not very addictive at all, which is one of its major advantages. It is also difficult to build up a tolerance to it. People can go on the same dose for 7 years or so without any need to raise the dose, in my own personal viewings, and the drug has only been available that long. Anything that can give people with fibro myalgia their lives back is a pretty good drug. A lot of people go on boards to whine when a drug doesn't work and they don't say anything if it does work, so you'll see a lot of garbage that might make it sound like a bad idea. And who knows yet, maybe I'm one of those who won't tolerate it. But the neurologist had nothing but glorious things to say about it. So, I'm definitely willing to try. "}, "5": {"a": "15398", "t": "check my other post about lpr being falsely diagnosed too, so you can see that it helped \"Sheepdog\" too. Yes it helped me quite a bit, but that could also be just time passing. I got another URI that went away in only 4 days this time, instead of a month, it didn't seem to make the \"LPR\" any worse. So I'm still on the road to recovery. I would recommend you take lyrica or neurontin to try. It is way more likely to help you than ppis. However, if you want to try the big guns, go for amiltryptiline (elavil) or klonopin. It seems like those get bigger results with much less of a dose, but they can also have side-effects. Keep in mind the side-effects are a lot better than the current symptoms you have. And remember. If they work for you, post it. By the way, check out on the internet \"Peak Woo\" and \"David Sycamore MD\" These are the guys who sort of lead the way in understanding that throat symptoms that begin with a URI can be relieved, strange as it sounds, but anti-siezure and anti-depression medicines. I recommend klonopin though. It seems like that is the one Jamie Koufman is using lately, and it gets results. Post your results if you do try this, and best of luck. "}, "6": {"a": "15398", "t": "neptunian. here's an alternative perspective. imagine this is not reflux at all. rather it's a post viral syndrome like bell's, or post herpes pain. Imagine that's all it is. in that case, the xanax might be worth a shot. I think you have to give that doctor who essentially said LPR is nonsense more credit. He will probably one day be proven to be right. Doctors bled patients for hundreds of years. Now we know that is bs. Lprdude just posted (gasp) another version of the story I've read more times than I care to mention. He got a virus, now has........\"reflux\"? It might lead you to new, better possibilities of improvement if you completely do away with the idea that this is reflux. At least imagine for a week that it has nothing to do with reflux for a week, and try alternative treatments. LPR dude, I think that nerve drugs and anti-depressants reduce throat clearing for a lot of people, but it also seems like that is the most persistent symptom that remains, even when the rest of this clears up. Just from what I've read and seen. "}, "7": {"a": "15398", "t": "that's a good point. i suppose you might actually have a stomach origin to your problems. I really hope it gets better for you. Still, you might want to at least try a different kind of drug for a month, and even the xanax might make you feel better in the long run. Xhale says the LPR diet really helped him. That might be worth a shot. "}, "8": {"a": "15398", "t": "Check the postings of Aswander, Red Maple, and abbydabbydew. All of them were being \"treated\" for reflux. At least one of them had a thyroid issue that was finally identified and treated and that was the end of her \"lpr\"... "}, "9": {"a": "15398", "t": "aswander too is worth a gander. just search \"aswander lpr\" then track her whole progress over the years. she too finds a way out after much ppi nonsense and useless doctors. "}, "10": {"a": "15398", "t": "Hey neptunian. I'm feeling for you, but your globus started a month after you started ppis. So what is, bile reflux or pepsin, or what excuse can the proponents of LPR think of to possibly explain why your symptoms worsened after you started reducing acid by the most extreme method possible (ppis). I just really encourage you to try the xanax, and to try klonopin, and and if that doesn't work, try something like lyrica or neurontin (generic).... This concept of \"acid reflux\" might be right or half-right or it might be wrong completely. But if you gave ppis a month or more (and they are expensive), then you should consider, or at least, I strongly encourage you to consider, these LES \"loosening drugs\". Seriously, you'd be better off on advil than ppis. One day this disease is going to be one of those things they laugh about, when they talk about how the \"medieval people\" treated illness. Try other things if ppis aren't working. Because, the ppis aren't working. My \"lpr\" was worse after I started ppis. That was when the throat clearing started. Regardless of whether or not your symptoms started with URI, I think you owe it to yourself to try another method. The ppis only work, when they do, because they have an anti-inflammatory effect (Back to the Diagnosis of Silent GERD, 2010)... Don't participate in the madness anymore. Take the xanax, or whatever, but don't take ppis. Waste of money, waste of time. "}, "11": {"a": "15398", "t": "Hi, If you look at Sheepdog's recent postings, you can see that she says phlegm was a major problem which lyrica got rid of ALMOST completely. That matches my experience. My phlegm comes after meals sometimes, but its nothing like the hell it was in November, when I thought this would never go away. I think it's fair to say that you might never get your pre-Israel status back, but you'll get to the point that you aren't pining for better days. You can get to the point that your problem is at most a very minor nuisance. So it's worth a shot and I encourage you to take it. I've never heard of Dr. Aviv but you might want to bring him the medical journal article \"Sensory neuropathy and pharmocologic management\" and the article from 2008 october ENT Today \"Pregabalin shows promise as a treatment for laryngeal sensory neuropathy.\" "}, "12": {"a": "15398", "t": "Hi, Yes I'm still alive and kicking. These days, the LPR has faded so that I sometimes think \"was it all a dream?\" The most important things, in my opinion, are the following: If it began suddenly, you may safely hork phlegm on the idea that this has anything at all to do with reflux. One day that boneheaded idea will be as exinct as Aristotle's idea of the 4 elements, or Galen's idea of the 4 humours. (black bile anyone?) Changing your diet will only make your life worse, and will not help your throat one iota. Take lyrica/xanax/klonopin. anything that works on nerves, and you will feel better. All that matters is feeling better in the end. "}}}, "626936": {"truth": ["loss hair", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "desire sexual decrease", "constipation", "urine increase", "voice loss", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "chest pain", "dizziness", "headache", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "buzzing ear", "cough", "drowsiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "congestion ear", "sweating", "heartburn"], "neat": ["swallowing difficult", "irritate"], "umls": ["discomfort", "irritate", "swallowing difficult"], "neural": ["discomfort"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "6613", "t": "It's hard to say whether it will (difficulty swallowing like you describe is commonly a symptom of acid reflux which is more of a Gastroenterologist than an ENT but you'be been there). The only \"test\" he's likely to do is an endoscopic exam that will allow him to look in your throat with a flexible tube (along with looking in your ears, nose and mouth). "}, "1": {"a": "6613", "t": "many people with acid reflux don't have any stomach issues. One form of reflux called LPR is known as silent reflux because it has few of the traditional symptoms of reflux and causes a \"lump in the throat\" feeling due to irritation of the throat. "}, "2": {"a": "6613", "t": "Neither of those procedures is helpful in diagnosing acid reflux. They can help the doctor see any growths or abnormalities but reflux typically shows up as small areas of irritation that aren't visible on an esophagram. "}, "3": {"a": "6613", "t": "Have you thought about taking PrilosecOTC for a couple of weeks to see if you symptoms improve? If your symptoms are reflux related you should see some improvement in that period of time. "}, "4": {"a": "6613", "t": "Yes, PrilosecOTC is available over the counter (and in a generic version - the active ingredient is Omeprazole) - you can get them at any drug, discount or grocery store. The pills are actually small so I wouldn't think you'd have trouble swallowing them. "}, "5": {"a": "6613", "t": "The meds for acid reflux work much better if you take them consistently (prilosecOTC once a day, Zantac 2x daily) about 30 minutes before you eat anything. PrilosecOTC is much more effective than Zantac but both are designed to reduce the production of acid (but they work differently). "}}}, "45346": {"truth": ["eye red", "loss hair", "pale", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "skin loosening", "sneezing", "face swell", "urine pain", "menstrual pain", "buzzing ear", "bloating", "drowsiness", "warm", "numb", "bad taste", "eye irritate", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "swallowing difficult", "heartburn", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "pale skin", "irritate", "decrease sexual desire", "blistering skin", "lower pain side", "desire sexual decrease", "voice loss", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "skin peeling", "headache", "hoarseness", "pain breast", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "increase sweating", "eye itch", "irritate skin", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "sleepiness", "weak", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "swell eyelid", "fever", "excessive stomach gas", "yellow skin", "diarrhea", "pain lower back", "nose runny", "rash skin", "pain muscle", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "sore throat", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "bleed", "bruising", "vomit", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "skin sore", "pain back", "taste change", "stomach pain", "tingling", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "change voice", "loss weight", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["depression"], "umls": ["depression", "pain body", "heartburn", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "infection", "pain back", "bleed"], "neural": ["heartburn", "bleed"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi Susan Your experience sounds similar to mine and definitely sounds like rebound! Like you I had no pre-exisiting reflux condition and believe my horrendous reflux is due to coming off PPIs. The doctors just want to increase the medication, but I know that is not the answer. From my experience the body attempts to rebalance and in doing so swings between high gastrin and high acid secretion, which in turn leads to lower gastrin and lower acid output which then triggers more gastrin and more acid and so on, which explains the reason for good days and bad days. For me, I don't think it is triggered by certain foods, but I avoid all known triggers and eat bland safe foods: Soft cooked vegetables, basmati rice, bananas, papaya etc. I avoid any 'rough' foods as these may not trigger acid but can scratch the oesophagus and then the acid will kill when it burns the damaged area (which normally heals without being noticed). Like you water also stings. I find drinking wam water is ok. There are various natural remedies and as others have said you need to find what works for you. Anything like vinegar or lemons are alkalising but disastrous if the oesophagus is burnt. The most beneficial thing has been drinking Japanese Kukicha tea. It is soothing and alkalising and does not burn - don't drink it whilst boiling hot obviously. Also coconut water - fresh from a coconut so that citric acid has not been added. Hope you find relief soon. I understand only too well how debilitating this is. "}, "1": {"a": "2591", "t": "I buy fresh coconuts, pierce a hole into one of the eyes at the top, shake out the water and then strain it through a fine mesh strainer and drink straight away. Occasionally they have gone off so if it smells rancid, it will taste rancid and don't drink it! I drink it last thing before bed so its the last thing to touch the oesophagus and stomach wall. It is rich in healing minerals. As for how long the rebound lasts I don't know as I'm still going through it, but I was on 20mg for 8 months and then 40mg for 2 months. It took about 5 months of agonising pain before it started to balance out... now I am on 20mg and reducing slowly, but not without any symptoms. Personally I would avoid ice-cream and anything too cold as I think it shocks the oesophagus (which is already irritated) and that can send it into spasm. But, it does that anyway in response to the acid, I just try everything possible not to make it any worse than it has to be. Good luck. "}, "2": {"a": "2591", "t": "It is highly unlikely that you will have h. Pylori so don't worry about that until you have the results. It sounds like you have rebound hyperacidity as it began only when you stopped taking PPIs. I don't know why doctors don't consider this a possibility, it is too much of a coincidence, and also once you have had rebound you know it is not like normal acid reflux, and you know you have never had anything like it before you ever took the PPI. Trust your instincts. Hang in there. Please try the Kukicha tea - it has made the biggest difference for me. Not a cure, but a help. "}, "3": {"a": "2591", "t": "Its discouraging isn't it to read so many posts from people who have failed to get off PPI,s but remember people who have got off it successfully often are the ones who don't post. If you only took it for a couple of weeks, I think you will get back to normal, but you need to go through the pain - that is the process of the body rebalancing. There is no short cut. It can take up to 6 months for the rebound to go if you have been taking it for 2 months, therefore if you have taken it for 2 weeks theoretically it should only last a short while. Hang in there. You will get back to normal. My GP also did not like me calling it rebound. I don't know why they are in such denial about this drug, giving it out like smarties and doing so many people so much harm. I reckon in a few years it will be a major health warning. And then they will have to take people seriously. I believe you only understand the severity of it once you have experienced it. "}, "4": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi Susan, glad you are doing better and finding things that help. You could also try carrots. I eat a few sticks of cut up carrot after meals or between means or if I feel the acid starting and that helps, much like celery, but I find carrots slightly better. Might not be for you, but just want to give as much helpful info to others reading these posts.....as I got most of my ideas from the forums. I am having a better week, I find I reach a plateau after about a month, (but thats only reducing by 1/2 mg) and then it starts again when I reduce the medication. Doctors say they can't account for this pattern!! "}, "5": {"a": "2591", "t": "Thats amaing news Susan - well done and long may your health continue to improve. Thanks for posting it gives me hope. "}, "6": {"a": "2710", "t": "i dont know but coconut water has made it go away for bit myself, smaller meals, nothing heavy or greasy, and eat dinner very early / eat dinner at 5 for example then a light NON greasy, oily, fatty snack a hour or two before bed. for example for me maybe some light cereal with low fat milk, maybe a very small bowl of it. this has helped a lot. ( i drank the coconut water like maybe a can or two a day. "}, "7": {"a": "2710", "t": "well what i do is get it in a can they have it at all walmarts and its about 78 cents for a large can just get 1 to drink each day if possible cant hurt i dont think ? not sure/ but it really helped me a lot / i know a person gets so frustrated over acid reflux, its like since my mom past on june 6th 2007, my health is slowly over the years gone. i hate that i am only 37. i act like a 70 year old woman. but you lose your energy etc after having this for a bit. i have had it for a few years i think ? now. i had silent acid reflux for quite a while so not sure. "}, "8": {"a": "2710", "t": "i have no energy at all, lay around lifeless most of the day etc, my room mate takes care of me mostly, hes 4 years older than me. so tired of living like this, will get some vitamins and start to take them i guess. i also desperately need to lose about 40 pounds at least. i just pray to God to help me each day to just get thru each day. i hate living like this. its depression a lot of it for me, but also a lot of acid reflux also. sorry to gripe some days i need to though. "}, "9": {"a": "2710", "t": "susan get ensure plus you dont have to drink as much and you at least can get your calories in that way, i had to live off of it last year for a bit after a throat dilation made my throat hurt dreadfully. . drink at least enough to get in 800 -1200 calories a day - you have to get that if you are skinny and not doing well - "}}}, "45207": {"truth": ["loss hair", "itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "dizziness", "sneezing", "difficult breath", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "discomfort", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "desire sexual decrease", "constipation", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "skin sore", "burning skin", "decrease urine", "increase sweating", "stomach pain", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["heartburn"], "umls": ["stomach acid", "anxiety", "pain back", "heartburn"], "neural": ["anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi, sounds like you are experiencing acid rebound (acid rebound hypersecretion). This is a reaction to stopping acid suppresants whereby you have more acid and worse acid reflux than you had before you ever took medication. There are loads of threads on here about acid rebound. The key is that you are worse than you were before you took the meds. While taking the medication the level of gastrin goes up to above normal levels. Then when you try to stop taking the meds, or even cut down, the high gastrin stimulates hyper amounts of acid - more than you ever had before. Then if you attempt to take the same dose of the meds as you had been on, it is no longer enough. It is a vicious circle of needing more and more the less and less you take. You can either try and sit out the painful period using something like gaviscon and your natural remedies, and you will rebalance back to how you were before you took the meds, but it can take a while. Or you can try to taper down even slower and in smaller increments than you are doing. Each step down you will experience a worsening and each step you need to sit through this worse period in order to get better. "}, "1": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi, yes, it is true that H2 blockers can also cause rebound. It is supposed to be not as bad as PPIs, but anything that can block acid can also cause a rebound effect when you try to stop taking it. You need to allow yourself to correct at each step. Wait until your initial pain subsides, before you try to cut down, and then cut down just a little bit - cut your pills or get liquid so that you can reduce the amount you take. Support with natural remedies and gaviscon as you do it. Have faith and hang in there. You will get better. "}, "2": {"a": "2591", "t": "I know, it goes hay wire, it goes ballistic, you feel as though you will never feel normal again, but you have to hang in there. I was going out of mind when I first tried to come off PPIS. I was trying to reduce, then frantically increasing out of desperation. Then I realised, the body can only rebalance if I stop altering the dose. How could I rebalance if nothing was constant. So I stuck to a dose that was less than the full dose, but higher than i had initially tried reduced by. And it took about 3 months before I felt ready to reduce again.... and I'm still doing it... very slowly, but at least it is working. My own feeling is that altering the dose cannot help the body try to gain some kind of balance. Decide how much you want to take and try to stick to it - take it at the same time every day and then you should find you will rebalance, and then you can step down again... slowly, a step at a time. It can take weeks, or months though, so you need patience. And it is genuinely painstaking. Try to find some way to relax and not panic. Nothing can stop the pain except more of the thing causing the pain. The way I look at it is that every painful day is one day nearer to feeling well again. You will get there. But I know how hard it is - the hardest challenge I have ever had to face! "}, "3": {"a": "2591", "t": "By the way if it is genuinly too much acid - as is the case if it is rebound, then don't do ACV or ginger. You need cooling, soothing things only! "}, "4": {"a": "2591", "t": "Malee, I totally agree, this is the hardest thing I have ever been through. I was on the same as you. I went from 2x20mg omeprazole to 1x20mg in one hit, and nearly died. I went through the panic stage, not being able to think straight, and wanting to die, and ended up increasing it up again, luckily only adding 5mg. That phase took about 3 months before I could contemplate reducing again. Since then, I have been slowly, but steadily reducing and I am at last, beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel and am suffering a lot less, though I still have a way to go! I am now on 8.5mg + 4.5mg Everyone finds their own way. For me even 1mg jumps is too much. And I didn't want to get into the alternate days thing. What I do is remove granule by granule. Its a tiny amount, but for me its the difference between possible vs. impossible. Good luck to all those going through this ordeal. Stay strong. You will get there. "}, "5": {"a": "2591", "t": "Malee, I am very interested in your experience of getting off PPIs. You were on the same as I was 2 x 20mg omeprazole and sounds like you have found a way of successfully reducing. I am interested to know after you remove 2mg, how long you stay at that level before you remove the next 2mg? Also, have you found that the 2mg reductions get easier as you are on less and less medication or do your symptoms always appear the same when you reduce? As a fellow 'reducer' I would be really keen to know your experience. "}, "6": {"a": "15407", "t": "Dear Kacyc; Thanks so much for your reply. I'm really miserable today. I've taken five 75 mg Zantacs and I'm still having constant heartburn. I've been on 300 mg/day for the last several days, but my situation just isn't stabilizing. It's hard to believe that a week ago I had weened down to 1/2 75 mg pill/day. Thanks again for your advice and support! "}, "7": {"a": "15407", "t": "Dear Kacyc; Thanks so much for your support. This has been so bewildering. It's great to have your help! HateGERD "}, "8": {"a": "15407", "t": "Good point! "}, "9": {"a": "15407", "t": "I would really like to thank everyone on this thread for all of your helpful advice and especially your support. Just connecting with over out there struggling in a similar way means so much. This condition can feel so isolating and being in pain and not understanding why can make you feel so helpless. I'm having a much better day. No reflux! And I feel like I wouldn't have made it through yesterday without the support of people here. Bless you all! Especially Kacyc! You're an angel. I truly hope I can pay it forward to others on this site. HateGERD "}}}, "334524": {"truth": ["loss hair", "itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "pain abdominal", "pain muscle", "ache body", "nose runny", "dizziness", "rash skin", "belching", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "buzzing ear", "drowsiness", "stomach discomfort", "upset stomach", "pain joint", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "bleed", "increase appetite", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "bowel movement difficult", "vomit", "discomfort", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "stool loose", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "constipation", "desire sexual decrease", "pain cheekbone", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "vomit bleed", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "burning skin", "increase sweating", "skin sore", "stomach pain", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "spinning sensation", "congestion ear", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["cough", "heartburn"], "umls": ["inflammation", "discomfort", "mouth dry", "heartburn", "irritate", "ulceration", "sore throat", "bleed", "sad", "stomach acid", "gain weight", "swell throat", "chill", "headache", "tingling", "fever", "chest pain", "infection", "cough", "nightmare"], "neural": ["ulceration", "mouth dry", "gain weight", "infection", "sore throat", "irritate", "stomach acid", "inflammation", "heartburn"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "121013", "t": "What an amazing post this is. I've suffered for 1-1/2 years, been to the doctor numerous times, including an endo (waste of time, It's not thyroid related) had it blamed on menopause etc. etc. what I should have done was read these boards 1-1/2 years ago. You people are amazing...... . I have every symptom of lpr and not one doctor picked up on it. Until this week when I saw a new ent, I wouldn't go back to a previous one because I couldn't get an answer last July. My question is, why would she only prescribe nexium 40 1x a day? I do feel better after only 4 days, but could I be feeling better than I do? Do you think I should give it some time, or should I call and question her? The lump in my throat is definately better, somewhat faint now. The swollen neck feeling is better, and the bitter taste at the back of my throat is better. But I do still have the want to keep clearing my throat. But as you advised I try not to. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Happy weekend. Patti "}, "1": {"a": "23005", "t": "Hi Never I was on double dose PPI (pantaprozole) for 3 months which is the recommended period in the UK to measure its effectiveness. With regard to the PND I believe that what the article was saying was that where there are no other serious sinus or nasal cavity infections or problems present then any excess mucous from the nasal cavity must be caused by LPR. My ENT found no sinusitus, polyps or other problems other than either nostril can be blocked at any given point of the day. I do not experience sinus headaches which I understand you would know when you have one. When one nostril gets blocked regularly throughout the day you may not notice this as the other is functioning ok. I do not recall having any blocked nostrils prior to on set of the globus and mucous symptoms. From a rather more personal perspective I also hardly ever have to clear my nose of snot which in the past I would have done regularly in common with everyone else. Not sure about this connection but to me it seems related to blocked nostril effect and the mucous. I have tried the Grossan Irrigator but it was sometimes painful to use which Dr Grossan suggests is an indication that there is no significant sinus problem. So if you do not suffer from recurrent blocked nostrils and have to clean your nose regurlarly then perhaps the reflux is not reaching your nasal passage. Alternatively the mucous could be the normal thin nasal discharge that everyone has which on its journey down your throat gets intercepted by the pooling acid and bile from the reflux,goes no further and thickens accordingly. From my understanding the stomach reflux itself is thin and is not accompanied by any mucous. I have an Upper GI (endoscopy) on 4/28/05 which I am hoping will shed some light. I suspect that it will pick up some or all of the following: hiatus hernia, loose Lower Espohgael Sphincter and loose Upper Espohgael Sphincter. I will post its findings. As for answers - research studies into the effectiveness of Fundo surgery are just beginning but early indications show that for 90% of sufferers it cures or significantly reduces the reflux and it ssymptoms with no need for continued expensive meds. Never, do you have any other symptoms apart from the globus and throat clearing ? Do you experience as I do an acidic taste in your mouth, mouth burning,tongue coating and BB. Hope helps..........brevity is not my strong point...sorry. "}, "2": {"a": "23005", "t": "Hi Never, As regards the PND and the pooling with the reflux that I must admit is my take on it. However, it does make sense. I am a little unclear on it still. All I know is that when I look look to the farthest back of my throat I will see the mucous sticking to the throat tissue. It appears as if it is sliding down very very slowly but that could be my imagination. I don't think I experience any sensation of it coming from the nasal cavity. I do not think that it is our normal saliva mixing with the reflux unless the reflux itself acts as some kind of thickening agent. Normal saliva will be thin and relatively clear and when spat out would run down the plug hole without any need to turn the fawcett on. Mine would stay there for ever if I did not wash it away. On particularly bad days I could clear my throat almost constantly. However, your doc may be right about the swollen tissue being the cause of the globus because on better days I could have relatively little throat clearing but the globus would still be present. In the 8 months I have had these symptoms there was only 3 separate 3 day periods where I in my opinion I had no symptoms at all. No globus, no mucous, little white coating on tongue and no BB. On the first occasion I got relief whilst I was taking Zantac for a few days. Totally inexplicable since the PPI didn't do it. The second time was around Xmas. I ate, drank and was merry with no effects and finally a couple of weeks ago after my tonsillectomy after using Flagyl syrup meds for a few days. I suppose my symptoms are as follows : Globus : Almost always present. Strongly just now. Not present when waking but appears soon after. Excess Mucous : worse at other times but never too far away. Burning/tingling sensation in mouth : present when BB at worst. I think this might the acid. Feeling of food getting stuck : Certainly any pill I take will not go down first time and recently it feels like very small particles of food are getting caught somewhere because I see and smell them in the mucous. White tongue coating/ BB : For me this is by far the worst symptom and one which has had the greatest effect on me. The mucous and globus I could stand as a mild irration though I know the damage from the reflux might be doing far worse. But it is the BB that makes me determined to get to the bottom of what is wrong. I never had it until these other symptoms appeared. Stinging sensation in nasal cavity : Occasional. less so now but again could be the effects of the acid reaching that area. The tonsil stones and their distinctive odor have gone since the operation but their source still exists .....the mucous and the acid. I have not taken any form of acid suppresant for 6 months and have just lived with it. I will be interested to see the outcome of the Upper GI as I kind of suspect and hope in a way some form of hiatus hernia or loose sphincter as the cause of the reflux. This would explain the ineffectiveness of the PPI. Any others out there experiencing this ? "}, "3": {"a": "23005", "t": "Hi Sartor, Sorry to hear you are a fellow sufferer. You are right the NHS is shocking. My GP wasn't interested and it is only through my own time and money that I have got anywhere at all. Be persistant and prepared to part with cash for private consultations. Your symptoms are kind of similar as regards the BB. However, you do not mention having a globus sensation, excess mucous and throat clearing although if you have PND then perhaps the last two are present. The acidic bitter taste in your mouth and back of throat is consistent with LPR but my understanding is that a serious globus sensation should also be present to indicate LPR. In relation to GERD the ENT initially asks the patient about instances of heartburn but in relation to LPR he would look at your throat for visual evidence of redness and/or tissue damage to the pharynx and larynx. If he did not see this it could be that there is no reflux this far up. On the other hand it might not as yet have managed to inflict significant visible damage and this could explain the lack of globus which is an indication of tissue inflammation. The acid could however have significantly upset the balance in your oral flora creating an acidic and anaerobic enviroment. It is called silent reflux for good reason in that the symptoms may start presenting after some damage is done. I do not have any chronic nasal condition ....least not what I have been told ...and certainly no infected discharge. I do have blocked nostrils and a stinging sensation as if the nasal tissue is being irritated by something. I think this is the acid reflux which I think has also caused damage to cillia movement hence the PND. I too suffered from tonsil stones and my ENT thought they were formed as a direct result of the reflux. PND and tonsil stones go hand in hand but whether your disharge is down to sinusitus or reflux I am not sure. He was keen for me to resolve this issue first but I was determined to have a tonsillectomy as the stones were a nightmare and made by BB beyond belief. Your papillae will hold on to the stones and the crypt discharge and you may see a white coating on the heads. The odor from the stones is very fetid both mouth and nose and different from traditional BB and perhaps this is what your family are commenting on. The tonsillectomy (private ...6 months waiting list on NHS) has got rid of the stones and their odor but I still have the mucous, the globus, burning mouth and a more traditional BB. Perhaps the removal of the cryptic tonsils will be the answer for you as many people get BB relief when this is the cause. For me the stones where a by product of another process but still well worth being shot of. Hope this helps. "}, "4": {"a": "23005", "t": "Hi Matt, Welcome to the thread. I too had my tonsils removed a few weeks ago so sympathies there. However, I had the symptoms you talk about prior to the tonsillectomy and still continue afterwards. I have probable LPR. My ENT was convinced that my tonsil stones (or blobs) were caused by the reflux but I believe only in so far as it created a food source for them in the form of the excess mucous. I am still glad they're gone and touch wood the distinctinve tonsil odor has gone and hopefully the stones.....but I still have BB. Your symptoms are conceivably LPR but I would have thought your ENT would have seen some visual evidence of tissue damage or inflammation aside from the trauma of your surgery. That being said the excess mucous, constant throat clearing and acidic taste are clear indicators of LPR. Do you have a globus sensation of something being semi-permanently stuck in your throat as this is regarded as the most prevalent symptom ? . As regards you still having stones I know it is not unheard of for them still to form in smaller sizes in pockets in the throat which are usually caused by reflux damage. However, I wonder if what you are actually seeing is very small pieces of regurgitated or undigested food. I am experiencing this since the tonsillectomy and are seemingly related to the reflux. If they do not have that distinctive tonsil odor it is unlikely that this is what they are. As for your BB. Is it still as bad as when you had the tonsils or has it lessened ? Do you get a white tongue coating regularly ? If you are interested there is a really helpful, supportive and informative thread on BB and personality. You maybe interested to give your direct BB experiences there. Hope this helps Message for Sartor How are things going "}, "5": {"a": "23005", "t": "Hi Sartor, There was a 6 month wait on my local NHS. The operation was done in the private part of the Staffordshire General (miles from me in Kent) but this was the cheapest I could find. It cost a total of \u00a3 1300. Post operative care is zero what with the distance involved ....any bleeding you go to your GP. The first week post op was probably the worst odor I experienced but this was clearly an anaerobic infection which cleared up with Flagyl syrup. When they cut through the tissue depending on how deep the crypts are the contents are released and unfortunately you can be coughing them up for the first week along with any stitches. My surgeon said that one of them (the right one) was chronically infected and a factory for stones. I suppose if that is your only breath problem as I said then it should work. But if like me you suspect the stones are a by -product of some other process then the improvement may vary. I feel it was worth it as I no longer have stones or their taste or odor (which is by the far the worst BB...... smells like ******). I know the taste is not there because it used to provide distinctive saliva on chewing gum. I don't get that now. Also I would smell the stone odor myself sitting down or in the car. People's reactions were also a sign. A good way of testing the breath impact is to blow hard and then sniff....tonsil odor is strong and fecal. I don't get that now. I am now getting a more traditional BB similar to morning breath but at various points of the day dependant upon excess mucous levels, globus, tongue coating (all LPR related ?) and stress. So far touch wood no stones of any size from any other crypt. I know that diverticulums or pouches in the pharynx and larynx can be caused by LPR. I have been post op experiencing regurgitated or undigested small food bolus which I think is reflux related. I am 40 this year and my symptoms started almost a year ago eg globus, mucous, bitter taste and BB. Around this time I was planning on moving to Scotland which in hindsight was very stressful. I already had a peptic ulcer, overweight, fairly bad diet and oridinary dental regime. So it's not a surprise really. That's why I know it is LPR and not Gerd because I have no heartburn or ulcer pain. If my stomach was producing too much acid my ulcer would be telling me. I take no medication. PPI's didn't work and I do not need the Cimetidine for the ulcer as it gives me no problem. I have an endoscopy on Thursday so I will fill you in with the results of that. On the BB thread I raised the possible reason as being our inability to produce sufficient quantities of the right kind of saliva. The thread seems to be taking the view that our mouths are alkanline and need to be more acidic but I dont think that adds up. I am going to test my saliva PH over a period of time (a week) and compare it with my partners who has no BB problem. I think it will show that my mouth and saliva is overly acidic and therefore without oxygen and that hers is within the range of neutrality. Will be interesting to find out. Perhaps you could take part. "}, "6": {"a": "23005", "t": "Note to Bserchuk I am in the UK but I did come across some research on LPR on the net from the New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center. Their specialist is Jerry Huo MD on 212-746-2270. Hope the number makes sense. "}, "7": {"a": "23005", "t": "Sartor, I am not sure how people can put a percentage figure on how much improvement a tonsillectomy has on their breath. 10 to 15% seems very low to me and suggests that either their tonsil and stones were not as bad as they thought or their other established breath problem was worse. Both my ENT and surgeon were not convinced that their removal would significantly change my other symptoms though not necessarily BB. As you are probably aware their interest in this topic is negligible so no real surprise there. I think the grounds for removal on the NHS is one of necessity. If your tonsils are producing stones and excretion on an almost daily basis then they are chronically infected and should be removed irrespective of the BB issue. Some NHS trusts have shorter waiting times for adult tonsillectomies than for children so give them a ring. If your consultant thinks they warrant it you may get seen within a few months. I considered the laser treatment in London but from research total removal was the most effective way to be rid. My tongue coating varies from day to day and time of day. For 3 days post op I had no significant coating, no mucous, no globus,no bb...don't know why but I think the key was no mucous or reflux. If I am stressed or talking a lot (both oxygen reducing activities) it worsens considerably. I know it is bad as I sense a stinging sensation in my mouth which I thought must be acid but now who knows.You will know when you are having a good day.....you just sense it. Your tongue will have glisten on it although towards the rear there will a light white coating. I think even those without BB have this. Irrespective of the tonsils if the mucous (PND or otherwise) is still being produced you still have some form of breath issue. It settles in the throat and back of the tongue and feeds the bacteria which are now out of balance. I drink plenty of water especially out and about or at work and chew sugar free gum for saliva (why do I bother ?) . My oral regime has improved 10 fold (. . damage already done ? ) My diet would be classed as typically British (fairly unhealthy). For 5 months I went without alcohol, dairy and cut down on sugars, spicy food etc. Still had all the symptoms and stones or BB did not improve. If you feel you have LPR induced symptoms then I think the etiology of the problem can be simplified thus : 1. reflux (silent for period of time but in some oral flora being gradually changed) 2. first symptoms : globus. . blocked nose...pnd/excess mucous...constant throat clearing...acid bitter taste ...white tongue coating and bb (only in those whose flora imbalanced) 3. cryptic tonsils and stones (can occur without LPR but not without PND) 4. symptoms established : try antacids,H2 blockers,PPI's,lifestyle/diet 5. symptoms still exist : corrective fundoplication surgery for loose sphincter or hiatus hernia 6. symptoms gone : hopefully Hope helps Yeah could be flying a kite with the old PH theory. The general opinion on the bb thread is that BB bacteria produce more odour in an alkaline enviroment. It still does not add up. If I have experienced acid reflux right into my oral cavity in terms of bitter taste and that the symptoms I have experienced can all be associated with LPR. My ENT feels I have LPR ...then how can I have an alkaline PH ? All we have been told is that anaerobic bacteria on tongue, gums, throat are responsible for the malodour. They can only live in an environment with no oxygen. Alkaline environments are oxygen enriched. I think non BB sufferers produce enough of this saliva to naturally cleanse and neutralize the bacteria. The one and only time they get BB outside certain foods is after a night's sleep where the saliva glands effectively shut down giving their bacteria a chance to take hold. However, upon waking their saliva glands start doing their good work again. If working on the acidid PH theory then that means that non sufferers either have a highly acidic mouth which is then brought to below neutral by alkaline saliva or the saliva itself is in some form acidic....which defies logic. After all to have a ph around 6 to 6.5 say would still cause some degree of enamel and gum damage. I think I will do the test myself and see what happens. Sorry for bending your ear on this one. Need to start taking those brevity pills again. Ginger "}, "8": {"a": "23005", "t": "Note to Garrett, Sartor and Never (how are you ?) Underwent Upper GI or endoscopy. Not to be recommended...... by far the most uncomfortable experience I have ever had. A tonsillectomy is a day out compared to this. Anyway as I suspected they found no tissue damage to the oesophaegus ( I told them that they wouldn't....what is the medical profession's obsession with Heartburn ?) but they did see evidence that reflux had taken place. They found I had a sliding hiatus hernia (something else I suspected.....my primary health doctor/ GP deserves the sack) but that this was not uncommon and nothing to worry about (yeah right). They did a stomach /duodenal biopsy and found that I have H.pylori bacteria (something else I suspected) and this may be the cause of the reflux symptoms. When pressed about the globus sensation and the excess mucous /PND the consultant seemed unsure and suggested that it me down to my tonsils. What ! I had these symptoms long before they were removed. It looks like the pylori has caused antral gastritis which I understand (though not from him) is a relatively serious condition. My own view is that the H.Pylori stacks up since I did suffer from a peptic ulcer for a number of years but the endoscopy supports my own feelings on that this healed some time ago as there was no evidence of current ulcerations. This seems contradictory since if pylori causes the ulceration in the first place how can it heal in the presence of the bacterium. I can only assume that my stomach acid levels themselves have reduced significantly to allow this healing and this would explain how the reflux is not causing heartburn on its way up. There is a view that pylori and BB are linked and some important research from Turkey showed that nearly all pylori diagnosed participants also had recognised BB problems. Upon treatment for the pylori the BB went away. V. Interesting. Any decision re fundoplication will be taken after the 24 hr Ph monitoring in June. In the meantime I think I will make arrangements for a barium X ray which shows any problems with the upper and lower sphincters better than the endoscopy. I feel that the sliding hiatus hernia is the problem and is interfering with the proper functioning of the lower sphincter allowing acid to reflux. Advice such as try not to bend down is nonsense. If something is not working then it needs to fixed. I do want to go on PPI's again as the side effects are not good. A greater understanding of and interest in LPR is needed in the UK. This diagnosis by numbers is damaging. If the Heliclear makes a difference I will post again to let you know. Note to Sartor My saliva PH findings showed me always in the acidic range. Urine PH is unhealthy acidic. My partner saliva mostly neutral or slightly alkaline except upon waking when slightly acidic. "}, "9": {"a": "23005", "t": "Note to Sartor My thoughts about reflux, acidic mouth, and BB are derived from various sources which you can find on the net. (Cannot give exact external sites here) Exponents of alkalinity state that saliva PH should be the same as blood at 7.4. Dental research shows that plaque is formed and enamel damage takes place in an acidic oral environment. Also why are all these breath products alkalising or oygenising. Surely if slightly acidic was best they would be promoting that. The bacteria are anaerobic and an acidic enviroment is anaerobic. It really comes down to how you interpret what is how there.This makes sense to me and my particular situation. There is contradictory bacterial research in respect of the tongue dorsum. Some say growth is diminished at slightly acidic PH others say streptococcus bacteria favour an anaerobic acidic environment. See Medinet for wealth of oral bacterial research much of which is from Japan. Also see below: \"People with lung diseases have bad breath, according to scientists at the University of Virginia. Researchers say people with conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis have highly acidic breath. They said doctors should be able to distinguish between healthy patients and those with lung diseases quite easily. This is because healthy people have breath which is slightly alkaline. They asked 100 healthy patients to breathe into a disposable breathalyser providing four samples a day for seven consecutive days and found that their pH levels remained relatively stable and slightly alkaline. (BBC Health website) PS How are u doing ? How are the tonsil stones ? Best Wishes "}, "10": {"a": "23005", "t": "A note to Sartor If you are still having problems with the tonsils I would get rid. The extent to which they improve your breath will not be known till afterwards. They are definitely a factor and you will notice a difference. As long you have PND and bacteria you will get stones and excretions. However, you must bear in mind as I have found out if you still have PND and anaerobic tongue and throat bacteria (all reflux induced) you will still get BB. In respect of oral malodor research you will find great detail about the bacteria that contributes to BB but nothing as to why they exist in some people more than others or what causes it. They simply do not know why other than to say they are largely anaerobic. In the absence of this one review study concluded that it could well be as the result of exposure to low level reflux over a long period of time. (can't remember the study but I think it was the University of Helsinki). It just seems to make sense to my situation. The whole study area of oral bacteriology is vast but you could look at Hailmeter, Microbiology or Medinet sites. There are articles on how PH influences bacterial changes but nothing on the effects of reflux. Perhaps ENT or Gastro journals would have it. My view is based on my own personal experience and references elsewhere. Dr Grossan (inventor of Hydropulse Irrigator) states that sinus problems and PND can be caused by stomach acid reaching the throat and nasal passage. The Sinus Centre (US website) states most PND caused by LPR. Healthy mouth is neutral to slightly alkaline PH. I am mostly acidic. I never experienced the BB until I noticed the burning mouth, PND and globus. Any improvement in my BB seems linked to improvements in my LPR so for me there is a direct correlation. I am aware that any correction of the LPR (which for me will probably be surgery) will not in itself eradicate the BB bacteria overnight but I believe it will at least give me a proper chance to get my oral balance right again. If I do not address the reflux I will never get rid of the BB. Best wishes "}}}, "144819": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["headache"], "umls": ["headache"], "neural": ["headache"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "The answer is Omeprazole could be causing it, or it could be something else! Omeprazole causes me bad headaches, like a sort of band squeezing around the head. I never used to get headaches. The headaches are worse when I alter my dose (up or down) ie a chemical change and are not too bad when I stay level. You should be used to the chemical after 4 weeks, but drugs affect people in different ways. Headaches are common with ppis. "}}}, "144787": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["sad", "tremor", "constipation", "nightmare", "wheezing"], "umls": ["difficult breath", "headache", "diarrhea", "stomach pain", "wheezing", "nightmare", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "constipation", "stomach cramp", "chest pain", "tremor", "anxiety", "bloating", "sad", "weak"], "neural": ["bloating", "constipation", "stomach pain"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2591", "t": "Hi, Yes, the symptoms you describe could be due to the medication. Taking a high dose of a ppi prevents proper absorbtion of the minerals needed to keep the nervous system healthy. The tremors you describe are probably due to a lack of magnesium. As you have reduced the drug and you are absorbing more of this mineral again, so you are finding the symtom lessening. Listen to your body it knows best. "}, "1": {"a": "2591", "t": "Taking proton pump inhibitors can certainly cause digestive and bowel problems. I have experienced constipation, bloating, stomach pains, feeling full like the stomach is not emptying properly, amoungst other things. These symptoms are lessening as I wean off Omeprazole. I had no symptoms before taking it. Lesson learnt, unfortunately the very hard way! "}, "2": {"a": "2591", "t": "sorry I can't help you with that, as I have not had the wheezing problem, though i believe it can be related to acidity affecting the lungs. That said, the drugs can also cause breathing difficulties. You need to work out whether you are better with or without the drugs. "}, "3": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi FM, How long were you on Nexium? I have been taking it for 8 weeks now and even still, it is bad enough trying to get out of it. "}, "4": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi Kacyc, Thanks again. I was thinking about my own symptoms when you said that you started to get symptoms you never had. It is true, I started to bloat terribly and also started diarrhea after being put on the drugs. Before I started the drugs my breathing difficulties (wheezing like) were SO bad, severe. I'd have attacks lasting 2-3 hours at a stretch and the heart raced during these. Ends up with a major sweat, soaked. Thought it was the heart. But it actually was the severity of my gastritis. This is what needed resolving. I still didn't have diarrhea at this time. The drugs got rid of the breathing issue which was great. Also started other symptoms...some of which maybe just the drugs doing its thing. Do you know what might work when these wheezing like attacks start? Wonder what causes these...is it the acid do you know. . ? "}, "5": {"a": "2224", "t": "Hi FM, I'm sorry to hear this Nexium tragedy :-( That is so not done isn't it...! Yes you are right, I think it is the effectiveness of this drug that makes it attractive perhaps even to doctors. But then, they should ideally take the patients off of this after a short trial is my thinking so that the patient doesn't have to face long term consequences. I didn't even know about this Nexium nightmare when I was prescribed. Then only in time did I find out (thanks to every person who posted info on the dark side of this pill). I couldn't wait long enough to get out of it since and the moment my symptoms went down I started to cut it. Rebound comes much faster since I haven't taken it in the longer term. I'm still riding that initial rebound and keep muttering \"still 40 mg left\" and it drives me nuts to think about how I'm going to cope up with two more rebounds like this. I was on 80 mg! At least is it 40 mg at the moment and this is like the only comfort I have when I keep taking this over and over again morning and night. So sad in a way isn't it...Are you alright now with your acid issues and off of Nexium? I also want to get out of this drug asap and I will try and pray it won't put me back to what I was with a broken down acidic stomach. "}}}, "15006": {"truth": ["heartbeat fast", "eye red", "speech slurred", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "behavior change", "ache body", "movement uncontrolled twisting", "shivering", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "longer period menstrual", "shaking leg", "fainting", "urine pain", "drowsiness", "menstrual period heavier", "upset stomach", "bloating", "uncontrolled movement chewing", "fast pulse", "vision double", "numb", "trembling", "warm", "increase appetite", "twitch", "shaking hand", "dry skin", "anxiety", "face red", "salivation", "sour stomach", "sad", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "decrease awareness", "interest loss", "bowel movement difficult", "pale skin", "change speech rhythm", "movement bowel difficult", "loss appetite", "decrease sexual desire", "irregular pulse", "lower pain side", "stiffness", "depersonalization", "pain cheekbone", "voice loss", "mood change", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "pain breast", "prickling", "burning skin", "increase sweating", "irritability", "confusion", "loss memory", "eye itch", "change speech pattern", "skin flushing", "neck red", "sluggish", "muscle ache", "stool bleed", "coordination poor", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "sudden facial movement", "hallucination", "irritate", "agitation", "sleepiness", "weak", "discomfort abdominal", "urine increase", "foot shaking", "urine red", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "rash skin", "swell tongue", "arm red", "move inability eye", "crawling", "sore throat", "sudden movement body", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "tight chest", "gain weight", "secretion milk", "pain intercourse sexual", "pain joint", "labored breath", "heartbeat weak", "depression", "diarrhea bleed", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "overreact", "stool loose", "tension muscle", "constipation", "mouth dry", "shaking arm", "inability move eye", "vomit bleed", "responsiveness decrease", "skin sore", "change menstrual", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "tingling", "nervousness", "urine cloudy", "stool black", "heartbeat pounding", "dullness", "pale", "problem coordination", "dizziness", "yawning", "face swell", "difficult concentrating", "pleasure loss", "enlargement breast", "buzzing ear", "problem control muscle", "stomach discomfort", "react fast", "itch genital", "menstrual pain", "bad taste", "twisting uncontrolled movement", "toothache", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "heartburn", "wheezing", "itch vagina", "hand cold", "blistering skin", "changing mood", "chest pain", "heartbeat slow", "white mouth spot", "odor bad", "headache", "nose stuffy", "thirst increase", "decrease urine", "cold sweat", "tiredness", "white spot lip", "euphoria", "bleed urine", "nosebleed", "foot cold", "overactive reflex", "urine frequent", "movement body increase", "irritate skin", "speaking difficult", "change vision", "mouth ulcer", "convulsion", "gas passing", "frequent urinate", "unsteady walk", "seizure", "itch", "pain eye", "paranoia", "irregular heartbeat", "pain bladder", "pulse pounding", "fever", "diarrhea", "muscle weak", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "belching", "lightheadedness", "nose runny", "discouragement", "swell eyelid", "muscle tight", "throbbing", "difficult breath", "hyperventilation", "swell joint", "body increase movement", "shaking", "clumsiness", "bleed", "forgetful", "pain leg", "chewing movement uncontrolled", "short breath", "stomach cramp", "dysphoria", "indigestion", "loss balance", "discomfort chest", "double seeing", "ulcer lip", "restlessness", "stool tarry", "moving difficult", "pain arm", "pain back", "taste change", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "change voice", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["anxiety", "numb", "infection", "tingling"], "umls": ["pain body", "inflammation", "pain eye", "numb", "pain muscle", "voice loss", "anxiety", "bleed", "paranoia", "weak", "pain joint", "lethargy", "loss memory", "stomach acid", "attack heart", "hand cold", "pain back", "chill", "depression", "headache", "bleed urine", "tingling", "stomach pain", "fever", "infection", "hallucination", "shaking", "nervousness", "loss vision", "cough", "vomit", "fatigue"], "neural": ["fever", "numb", "hand cold", "vision blurred", "foot cold", "confusion", "dizziness", "chill", "weak", "unsteady walk", "vomit", "infection", "nervousness", "fatigue", "pain muscle", "pain joint", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "3149", "t": "I will be getting my 4th B12 injection next week. I am on the once a month treatment. This is the 1st month that I have actually had all good days. From what I understand, it does take some time to get into your system and before improvements can be felt. Good luck and don't give up. "}, "1": {"a": "3149", "t": "Your levels must have been really low since you are getting injections once a week. How long did you the B12 deficiency symptoms? I am 42 and had the symptoms off and on for about a year. My doctor was shocked because I have Pernicious Anemia and it usually doen't show up until closer to 60 years of age. My sister is 38 and was just diagnosed last month with the same thing. I only get one injection per month. The 1st one was a double shot of B-12 and the last two was just the single dose. I did have my blood drawn this morning to check my levels and will go back next week to see what dosage I will need. I hope you get to feeling better soon and you would think with that many injections, you would. "}, "2": {"a": "3149", "t": "When I went to the doctor, I honestly thought I had a very bad case of Mono. I had all the symptoms and I have already had it twice within the last 10 years. I was very tired, had a headache, achy body, and my head felt like it was in a constant fog. I had the overall blah feeling. I was actually diagnosed with a UTI and a sinus infection to start with, but after meds, I was no better. That's when the testing began. I was very surprised at being B-12 deficient. It runs in my family. The doctor did say it is hereditary. "}, "3": {"a": "3149", "t": "I found out my numbers yestersday. When diagnosed, my level was 284. After receiving 3 B12 injections, I am now at 325. The doctor ordered continued injections for 3 more months and bloodwork. If my levels continue to increase, she said that I may can do a B12 nasal spray once per week. I have lost 5 pounds in a month, which has her concerned. Personally, I like that part. Drs, My Epstein Barr test was negative. "}, "4": {"a": "5953", "t": "hi and thanks for your replys,i live in wales,i purchased b12 ,cyanocobalamin,50mg from the chemist,about six weeks ago,i asked for a good b12 ,they had to send away for it,( advice from flowergirl) it says take two to three a day or more,? i started taking them and did feel some benefit but stopped becouse dr said she will send me to see a neaurologist,so i thought i will see him first befor supplementing,then i had a change of mind as i could be waiting a long time for the appointment,so i started taking them again, do you think i should stop? will the tabs interfear with the tests?i(f he dose any) i was diagnosed with MVP 15 years ago ,that is another story, sorry if i diddnt answer some of your questions becouse as soon as they are off the screan i forget what you said ,thank you shirley "}, "5": {"a": "5953", "t": "rainbow, sorry i put mg ,and itis 50mcg i think i will stop taking them again until i see the neuro,why do you think b12 has dropped i eat a good diet,i do like my glass of wine on my days off from work , i read alchahol can lower b12 my liver tests are fine ,any way will let you know what happens when i see the neurologist,thank you shirley "}, "6": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi all Ohhh B12 deficiency what a trip! I started not being well 5 years ago & it has taken that long to be diagnosed as the drs (all 9 of them ) kept telling me my levels were normal...I was getting symptoms at 372.....It had to get to 130 and serious symptoms before my new dr had his suspicions and tested me...... . The uMMA (more sensitive than the serum MMA) & homocystiene tests are very important as they will pick up a deficiency if your levels are normal the levels really need to be upgraded normal is different for all and anything under 550 can present symptoms you should also get tested for Red Cell Folate.... I have come te experience that the type of B12 is crucial indeed...Here in Aus we normally treat defiencies this way Hydroxocobalamin injection everyday for 7days then breaking down to just 1 every 3 months that will work on correcting blood problems like PA but you will not get to much other healing.....Hydroxo needs to be converted as does Cyanocobalamin (one I would aviod all together) to Methylcobalamin and Adynosedylcobalamin (i havent spelt that write) I was having Hydroxo injections with not much help my new Dr treats it differently and rather aggresively I now have Methylcobalamin injections of 10,000mcg 3 x a week for 3 months then we will go down to 2 ect I also take sublinguals 5000mcg everyday and multi vitamin and folic acid...Folic acid is a crucial cofactor for B12........I was really ill with numbness and pins and needles memory loss, extreme anxiety ,elctrical like pains in my body, vision problems, foggy head,fatigue,positive for rombergs (fell over all the time when I closed my eyes) couldnt walk well in the dark, couldnt talk properly (by now my husband was getting really really concerned)........I was told that most of my symptoms because of there duartion would stay with me,,,,,,,but that is wrong I have no more numbness or back pains ect.....My stomcah issue were the first to heal I can think clearly have great energy ect I have had 17 injections and big doses as you can see but I am healing & I know i have the Methyl & my doc to thank for it....Methyl is the active form of B12 so it does not need to be converted and is taken up more into the cells.... Some peolpe I know also needed ADB12 which greatly improved their energy levels...... My doc said I was low in folate so I neede supplements but it is crucial when having B12 injections as they work together and large doses of B12 can pull down the folate this works a treat for me I take one with my injections.... I feel that docs pay to much attention to lab levels if you have been having injections and the levels go up which they will most of it is just circulating and not used anyway and the say oh lets just give them to you every month this is not going to heal damage done it is just not enough the healing takes a while and you need to saturate the system with it...If one is still having the symptoms you must address it more than 1 per month even if the docs say no you can treat yourself with the sublinguals using methylcobalamin...... . I am living proof that healing can take place and I know of plenty more some who ended up in wheelchairs because of the deficiency Happy to help with any questions Good luck all "}, "7": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Yes You need the following; uMMA (more sensitive than the serum MMA) Homocystiene B12 serum Red Cell Folate..... As mentioned in my previous post the first 2 will be elevated if there is a deficeincy even if the B12 serum is normal by lab standards Make sure you ask for copies of all your lab tests if they say noraml dont just take there word for it plus it helps if you want to compare something later... If you want to have your adrenals checked you will need a cortisol blood test if it is elevated they will do further testing mine was due to severe stress though..... Hope this helps and be insistant on the tests you want. Cheers "}, "8": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Ashley scout has given you some great advice there with re your tests. . I would love to know your levels...... I presented with symptoms at 372 5 years ago I got down to 130 before I was treated my symptoms were like scouts plus a few more to boot..... I agree with scout that injections would be better for you Methylcobalamin being the prefered type of B12..... Sublinguals are also good for some people i know of a good brand if you are interested........The thing with the tablets is that they do not work on some people thats why those other tests that scout mentions are very important if you have intrinsic factor antibodies for example the tablets wont really do much the subs & injections are better......... You could talk to your doc about these and scout & myself know a bit about B12 deficiency and are happy to help you with any questions & suggestions take care now Cheers Rainbows End "}, "9": {"a": "8127", "t": "Oh I also forgot to mention yes folate with B12 excellent it is a cofactor if you docs suggested this that is great........... It helps uptake the B12 better into the system this worked well for me I take one with my injection.....They need to work together to much of one can throw the other off so my docs told me I too had low folate and vitD...... My Mcv was edging its way up over that time too...... ciao "}, "10": {"a": "8127", "t": "Dear Shirley Your B12 is certainly low.....It is not surprising you have those symptoms....I had all those problems plus many more......... Has your doctor done a uMMA & Homocysteine test these will be elevated in a B12 defeincy even if your levels are in the normal (which by the way is 550-1200 in Japan it is way to low herre)....When you say could it be nerves do you mean stress,anxiety ect? ...... B12 will cause havoc on your nervous system...... . I have a defeincy or should i say did almost all my symptoms have gone thanks to some good treatment from my doc...... So if I can help in any way please let me know...... scout is also knowledgable in this area perhaps she will chime in tooo. Keep in touch Cheers Rainbow End "}, "11": {"a": "8127", "t": "A B12 deficiency can cause loss of taste if you are lacking in zinc this can cause it too........ I still have not much taste value hoping it will get better...... . The other symptoms I had over shadowed this but now they are better you start focusing on the others like this one at least my apetite has improved Hope this helps But as i said I would talk to your doc about those injections especially if you have numbness,,, Out of interest what dose of supplements has your doc suggested you take? "}, "12": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Shirley. . I agree with scout I also have normal blood levels although my MCV levels were edging up with every test.... This is were a lot of docs drop the B12 thing because they think if your FBC is normal there is no problem if the bloods are out that can dictate Pernaciuos Anemia also know as Megablastic anemia........ However this thinking is very out dated as you can have a severe deficiency without blood symptoms like elarged red cells, scout and myself prove that one. . Its hard when you have to convince someone otherwise isnt it........Is it possible for you to try another doctor...Where abouts in the Uk are you there is a Dr Chandy over there how I believe is fabulous here treats CFS & MS with B12........... . If you can try to get those other tests mentioned before taking supplements as the supplements can skew the test results.... But with all those symptoms you need treatment for sure ...neurological damage usually occurs before blood changes at least that is what I have heard...There is a small window to repair damage I was told once you have gait problems its around 6 months or it is irrepairable...... . But I know of people who have had excellent results after a year of gait problems...... When I was really bad I couldnt stand with my eyes closed I would just fall right over that and my digestive issues were the last to occur before I got treatment... Please keep us posted........... Best wishes to you Cheers Rainbows End "}, "13": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi moommin I cant really say you shouldnt or you should that decision needs to be your chioce........... It depends how you are feeling really if the tablets are really helping you to feel better and then when you stop you feel worse then that is pretty good indication you need them If your doc does those tests then the supplements will skew your results which means he may go off that track all together and confuse the issue...But it has to be your decision..... Are you actually taking Cyanocobalamin now....You say you are taking 3 a day at 50mg is that right or is it 50mcg (if that is the case that is just to little amount for a deficiency)...... Methycobalamin is a far better option as it works better on neurological damage and stays in the body longer acts faster as it does not have to converted like Cyano does Methyl is the active B12.... Injections are the best way to start if you can get them as you need a porescription so then its all back in the hands of the doctor and he is going to need proof of the deficiency.... If you need any more info happy to help you Best wishes Rainbows End "}, "14": {"a": "8127", "t": "Dear Shirley Well I dont think a glass of wine on your day off would cause B12 deficiency I think this only applies to one who drinks a lot everyday consistently. . In fact if one has had a few drinks before having there B12 tested it can actually cause the levels to appear higher I dont know how this works . . 50mcg is a mere drop in the ocean really I know with any form of neurological damage inc mental symptoms you need to have large doses and then keep the system flooded with it if we look at this in terms of lab tests that means having your levels held at around 1300-2000...... . So you can see why those larger amounts are important as is the cofactors of B12..... There can be several reasons for a deficiency & it would be wise to have some tests to find out why.....But here are a few of the causes... Pernacious Anemia Chronic Gastritis Gastric Bypass Malabsorption Syndromes - such as Crohns, IBS, Celiac,. . Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth Parasites Congenitial inborn metabolic errors Veganisim, vegatarianism Nitrious oxide from surgeries even dental pancreatic exocrine insuffiency Some drugs will cause for example PPI\"s & H2 bockers taken for reflux, gerd ect Metformin for diabetes Alchol Some antibiotics (but not certain) Hope this gives some help for you...... . I am sure your neuro can help some more although some research before you go on your part will help as well. . Cheers Rainbows End "}, "15": {"a": "8127", "t": "hi Bluze Good to hear you are feeling better with the injections and great to hear you are taking methylcobalamin subs are you still having injections too? methyl is the best for neuro damage I have this in injections in huge doses and my numbness is gone noe I have a little tingling thats great cause I am healing... You ask a fair enough question and i will do my best to explainn it as i know it The docs usually will take another serum reading after the patient has been offthe B12 for say amonth b12 doesnt stay very long in the system so they usually will give a few injections hoping that it will biuld up & then test agian. . if it is still low they may give injections more regularly or if its higher they may pull back a bit...... . You are right the blood readings are always not reflective of what in the cells that is why the uMMA & Hcy tests are more conclusive........ I personally think you are better off going by how you feel when you are having thereapy for example the injections or subs or pills may reflective a higher serum level but you can still be having neuro signs to help with alot of these symptoms you really need to saturate the system and the levels should be around 2000 and maintained there for healing to take place this has been my experience and the same for many others I know it is also important to have B12s cofactors as well.............. I have 3 injections a week at 10,000mcg and my levels would be through the roof luckily my doc doesnt work like that is going by my lessening of symptoms it has worked really well I had severe symptoms for 5 years......... Oh I have rambled on again I do this when it comes toB12 it is my passion to make an awareness about it I hope i have helped answer your question Good luck with your healing "}, "16": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Yes I would have to say they probably are.... What sort of B12 therapy has your doctor suggested for you........And do you have a lot of tingling numbness ect Cheers "}, "17": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Scout I found ya Lovely to hear things are really improving for you I will check my platlets and let you know I know my ferritin was low... I had shin pain to it would kill every time I walked...and severe back pain in the middle of my back around my spine that was horribel I remember thinking that I had pancreatic cancer at the time...The anxiety you get with the deficiency just compounds everything your thoughts just run in the worst case directions I would freak if my kids hurt themselves or has a headache I would presume the worst thank goodness that has all gone...... I had another injection today I love the feeling I get from them it is really hard to explain it is like a feeling of real wellbeing very calm and centered I havent felt like that for years if at all..... Keep up the great work with your posting and your true compassion for other is just lovely what an inspiration you are...... . Well chat soon have a great day I hope its not to cold Rainbows End "}, "18": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi I am so sorry about your mum.....When you have her tested foe B12 I recommend you ask for the following. . B12 serum Homocysteine MMA (these will be elevated in a deficeincy even if the levels are so called normal) Folate Most doctors just dont think about it if you dont have anemia which is soooo wrong...... . I believe but dont quote me on this if they have not ever checked your mums B12 levels and she has damage because of it is malpractice But docs may have done it & just never said anything as it may have been in the normal range which is grossly wrong anything under 500 can cause neuro damage... But for now it is great you are getting this tested but please make sure to ask for all 4........I hope you get the answer because at least it can be treated..... I wish you luck and all the best for your mum Good Luck "}, "19": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi There emmaspaws Oh I am really sorry to hear about your run in with the doc however it is not surprising...... . I agree you are not in denial (they think they know it all dont they) you are wanting to help your mum I think the fact that if you are right he is wrong and we cant have that can we LOL..... Vever miond the fcat that dementia can be caused by a B12 deficiency in the first place and that is caused by something else you dont just get it for nothing...... Any one of your mums age presenting with those symptoms needs a B12 test it is wrong to deny her that... I agree with the preceding statement fire the doc and hir a new one you may need to do this s few times but i think it is a option worth considering...... She certainly has the symptoms...Are you able to get copies of all the bloods shes ever had to see if they have taken B12.......... As I said they are obliged to take a B12 with neuro symptoms you could put that to him...You could say ok if you are right then ok your right but lets check anyway we have nothing to loose...And if I am right perhaps we can help my mum\"...Or well if your right the B12 tests will be normal and your right but what if your wrong\" Sometimes we need to be bold and persistant this is the only thing that worked for me.....There is plenty info out there about your mums symptoms and b12 take it to him annoy him persist demand if you have to........ If there is a deficiency none of those meds are going to do much at all...What did he say when you said that to him ...about the meds not working Please keep trying I know you will any way I can detect some very strong determination your mum is lucky to have you there and I am sure she appreciates what you are doing you have to try dont you..... If she has a B12 deficeincy the type of b12 is crucial and the amount as well to get the symptoms healed all haltered at the least..... You could try using the subs if you cant get any doc to acknowledge you but i feel it is important to find out why she has it...... . If you can get copies of those bloods even FBC post the results I would love to see them........ The very best of luck go for it I am thinking of you Cheers Rainbows End "}, "20": {"a": "8127", "t": "Hi Ashleymichele23 Most certainly is thecause of your problems It is great you heeded the advice and you obviously felt truth in it and had the tests good for you... I dont know why docs dont pick it up perhaps they like to look for the major things first even though we know deficiency is very major. . I had many tests for it but at first it was always in the normal range even though it was low then it went way down past normal by this stageI was pretty well ill...... I think if I wasnt diagnosed )and it really was very strange how I come to get that last test but thats another story I know persistance helped) I would have no memory either be dead or in a nursing home and i really mean that I was that bad & I am only 43..... Can you get hold of your levels? I also think he is being to blaze about this you need to have other tests to find out why you are deficient there can be some big issues underlying there that need to recognized gluten being one of them. . Also are you taking oral pills or injections and how much and what type of B12 these are all relevant...... Cheers Rainbows End "}, "21": {"a": "8127", "t": "Dear emmaspaws Thanks for recent posting it has helped a bunch I was thinking h-pylori and you confirmed this this will cause a deficiency not to mention all the drugs that are taken for it Prilosec, Nexium, Pepto Bismol, Mylanta!!! oh my goodness.... Destroying even more stomach acid when there was hardly any to start with..... Then all the other meds will just mask the deficiency and wont do any thing as the deficiency is continuing to eat away at the nervous systems brains and cardivascular systems..... Under the circumstances as this started around the H-pylori and then all the meds compounding the deficiency & just a continuing down slide in a short time (she may have had the h-pylori for a very long time) I wil say she is probably B12 deficient for sure...... . Cheers Rainbows End "}}}, "7994": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "yellow eye", "ache body", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "urine pain", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "face red", "numb", "warm", "vision double", "increase appetite", "anxiety", "sour stomach", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "decrease awareness", "bowel movement difficult", "loss appetite", "pale skin", "decrease sexual desire", "lower pain side", "stiffness", "voice loss", "mood change", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "burning skin", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "increase sweating", "loss memory", "neck red", "stool bleed", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "hallucination", "sleepiness", "weak", "ulceration", "urine increase", "urine red", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "rash skin", "arm red", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "tight chest", "labored breath", "depression", "diarrhea bleed", "infection", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "vomit bleed", "responsiveness decrease", "skin sore", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "tingling", "nervousness", "stool black", "heartbeat pounding", "breath shallow", "loss hair", "pale", "dizziness", "face swell", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "heartburn", "wheezing", "blistering skin", "desire sexual decrease", "heartbeat slow", "chest pain", "white mouth spot", "headache", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "bleed urine", "mouth ulcer", "change vision", "convulsion", "seizure", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "belching", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "hyperventilation", "swell joint", "clumsiness", "shaking", "bleed", "pain leg", "lip swell", "short breath", "inflammation", "indigestion", "restlessness", "stool tarry", "moving difficult", "pain arm", "pain back", "pain body", "sleeping difficult", "nightmare", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["nausea", "bleed", "reaction allergic"], "umls": ["headache", "nausea", "discomfort", "backache", "nightmare", "constipation", "reaction allergic", "loss hair", "attack heart", "pain muscle", "warm", "bleed", "dry skin", "pain joint"], "neural": ["constipation", "attack heart", "loss hair", "bleed", "nausea", "pain muscle", "pain joint"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Don't know how we did it, but somehow we ended up hijacking D2beau's post...I did respond to you tonight on that post, but let's see if we can move our conversation over here to this post. Ruth "}, "1": {"a": "1642", "t": "I'm not sure where the \"iliac\" nodes would be, but I suspect near the groin? Okay, here are the tests I had: CT scan of chest, abdomen and pelvis. PET scan - entire body cystoscopy of bladder intravenous pylogram (scans kidneys) pelvic exam including endometrial biopsy I had just had a colonoscopy only a few months before I discovered the lump, so they didn't repeat that, but the would have done one if I hadn't had one so recently. I discovered the lump the last week in February, but waited about two weeks to see if it went away, thinking it was just a swollen gland (I'd had one in the groin many, many years before, and that's all it turned out to be back then - definitely not related to this cancer, as it was over 30 years ago). Then I called my doctor and made an appointment. Got in the first week in March, and then was immediately scheduled to see the surgeon, probably about the third week in March. Saw him, he scheduled surgery for second week in April. Had all the tests done after the surgery, so that took up another several weeks. Didn't start treatment until mid or late May. So, don't worry about a few weeks delay...or even up to a month or 6 weeks. It probably won't make a difference. You definitely will, however, need systemic treatment, as it's in nodes in two different areas. Unfortunately chemotherapy is the only way to guarantee that any stray cancer cells are killed. If you're like me, the waiting is probably the worst part of this whole thing. At least once treatment was started, I knew that I was taking action to beat this, and that felt good, emotionally. But while you're waiting, please do try to be positive. As I said, this is a highly curable type of cancer (squamous cell), and there's no reason at this point to think you won't be cured. Ruth "}, "2": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Since that skin tag is bi-colored, they may want to remove that right away to see if it actually may be the primary site. At any rate, chemo: Well, I had a combination of taxol and carboplatin. The taxol does not cause nausea, but it can cause muscle and joint pain and, since I already have fibromyalgia, it wasn't pleasant. I had four treatments. I was fine the day of treatment and until about 4 PM the next day, and that's when the pain would hit. I learned after the first treatment to start taking vicodin about 3 PM on the day following chemo, and I would have to take it every 3 1/2 hours for the rest of that day and the next. By day 4 I was able to cut back to one every 6 hours, and by day 5, I only needed two vicodin. By Sunday I didn't need it at all, and I'd be fine for the next two+ weeks until the next treatment. I did experience neuropathy from the taxol - my doctors were concerned that it'd be really bad for me because I'm diabetic, and it [I]was/I] really bad, but eased up somewhat after I stopped treatments. I ended up wearing heal cups in my shoes for about 6 months and by the end of that time, the neuropathy was totally gone. The carboplatin causes both hair loss and nausea. Can't do much about the hair loss...I wore bandanas to go with my outfits and nice straw hats - looked more fashionable than I'd ever looked before that, lol. And my doctor treated me with IV Zofran before the chemo treatments and some oral meds for 3 days afterwards. I never lost my appetite at all...in fact, I gained 3 pounds during this time (then went on a cruise and lost 3 pounds that week, totally surprising my doc and making him wonder what the heck was wrong with me, lol!) But of course, the answer was that during chemo, I ate a lot of ice cream, as I had no energy to make meals and no one to do it for me, and then I walked a lot on the cruise. I chose to have a port put in, as I didn't think my veins would thank me for 5 hours of IV treatments. I kept the port in for about two years and then finally had it removed when it looked like I definitely wasn't going to need it any more. The only downside to the port is that it has to be flushed, I think it was every 4 weeks (that's after chemo...of course it gets flushed right before each chemo treatment.) And they did my chemo first, and then the radiation, which I think is fairly common. Radiation only gets the local cancer and, especially in CUP, since they don't know where the primary is and whether it's still spewing out cancer cells, chemo is the first line of defense as it gets the cells all over the body. In the final analysis, this experience wasn't the most fun I've ever had, but it was well worth it and I'd do it again if I needed to without hesitation. But then, I'm an old hand at dealing with medical problems, since I've had nothing since I was 30. Renal stenosis and high blood pressure, heart attack, GERD, diabetes, fibromyalgia, stroke, and cancer twice (the second time was bladder CA.) At this point, to me anyway, it's just another thing to get through...keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you'll get there! Ruth "}, "3": {"a": "1642", "t": "Cindy, I'm not sure what those chemo letters stand for - the ones you had before - but it is absolutely imperative that they treat you with IV anti-emetics BEFORE they give the chemo. If they don't, the nausea will start right away and you can't stop it. But with the IV treatment before hand, you don't get nauseous, and you're then able to take the pills for the next few days. When you're ready to start chemo, INSIST that they give you IV zofran, kitryl or anzamet. Plus anti-nausea pills to take for the next several days. I've know people who've gone to Dana Farber and they waited to treat nausea IF they got nauseous - by then it's too late. My doc is very aggressive about preventing side effects. As for how long the treatment will be...that 5 hours for me included the IV anti-emetic time, plus another IV treatment to combat possible allergic reactions to taxol. It all varies a bit depending on what they're going to treat you with. As for the port, they give you some anesthesia when they put it in...but it's a very light anesthetic, as it only takes a short time to insert it. When they finally took it out, I just had a local. It hurts a bit when they stick the IV into it, but not really all that much...but since I'm diabetic and needles hold no fear for me, it didn't seem like a big deal. And it was much more comfortable than a regular IV, I think...they can never get regular IV's into my veins without a struggle. Getting into the port was a piece of cake compared to some of the IV's I've had. Oh, I don't think yours is any worse than mine...they took out a ton of nodes, from what I understand, and I was sore all the way up to my underarm, so I know they dug around quite a bit. Honestly, Cindy...as bad as all this is, and I'm not making light of it, squamous cell is so highly curable that I actually consider it lucky that that's what you've got. Sure, it's a lot to get through, but focus on the end results, which should definitely be a complete cure. I finished all treatment in October of 2001, and I've had no recurrences! And I've spoken to at least 4 other people who had exactly the same thing and have survived cancer-free for many years. Do try to stay positive and if you find your mind is really making you nuts and you can't eat, consider asking your doctor for some mild tranquilizers to get you through. You need to keep up your strength, especially now, going into this. Also, try fruit smoothies with yogurt...very nutritious and easy to get down, as well as Ensure. Hang in there, cindy! Ruth "}, "4": {"a": "1642", "t": "When they say they put the Zofran in the chemo bag, they may mean that they give it right before the chemo...I think all those medications come in separate bags, so they hang the Zofran first, then the chemo (or the antihystamine and then the chemo, if an antihystamine is necessary). And yes, I did have radiation. Mine was targeted to a very small area, where the main tumor was in the groin...they couldn't get all of that tumor because it had already adhered to the main femoral artery, so they wanted to zap what was left with radiation. It was easy, and caused no problems, not even a radiation burn. Did cause permanent hair loss in that area, but it's a small area and no one sees it, lol. Hopefully the lexapro will work. It takes 2-4 weeks for any antidepressant to really kick in. Don't know if they'd give you a script for lorazepam along with it, but lorazepam is a very mild anti-anxiety med that acts immediately...it's mildly narcotic, so you don't want to take it on a regular basis, but for those awful nights you can't sleep for worrying, or your stomach is just twisted in knots, the lorazepam can really help. I take an antidepressant for sleep issues because of the fibro, but every once in a while I still get wicked insomnia, so I'll take a lorazepam (once!) to get my sleep back on track. Good to have on hand just in case. I really think you shouldn't have much trouble with nausea this time...those anti-emetics are really quite effective. Ruth "}, "5": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Don't worry about asking too many questions...when your mind is all stressed out, it's very hard to organize your thoughts and ask all questions at once. I know because I've been there, done that! You might want to take a tape recorder with you to doctors appointments so you can remember all the info. My doc was fine with it, as are most docs when you explain why you want to record. I got chemo in the doctor's office. He had a clinic attached to his office - a room with about 8 reclining chairs for patients getting chemo. It was so nice to not have to check in with all the hospital bureaucracy each time. My blood counts never dropped so far that they had to put off chemo. The one big problem I had is that being diabetic and having to take major steroids the night before chemo, my blood sugars were incredibly high for two days. That probably also affected how debilitated I was...high energy from the decadron plus high blood sugars for two days followed by a drop in energy when the decadron wore off plus blood sugars still not back to normal...luckily I don't produce ketones, or I would have had to be hospitalized for chemo. As far as the nodes, I'm not quite sure how many were removed, but I know it was more than just one or two. I think you're probably okay taking a lorazepam even every night to sleep...just don't start taking it several times a day every single day...that could be problematic down the road. And taking Zantac is a good idea for now...and if that doesn't work, ask for omeprazole (the generic version of Prilosec). This might seem like the worst time in the world to try this, but have you thought about meditation to relax you? If you don't meditate on a regular basis, the easiest way to get into it is to find a guided meditation CD...a type called Yoga Nidra is excellent...someone is talking to you the entire time, guiding you through relaxation and visualization. It's sometimes called \"yogic sleep\"...you're not really asleep, but in that relaxed state just before you fall asleep. It's truly a wonderful practice...leaves you feeling both relaxed and energized at the same time. And there's usually a time during it when you can concentrate on breathing in white light and having it heal your body...very satisfying! I did yogic breathing and visualization during both my chemo and radiation treatments. And I was probably the most relaxed patient in the clinic, thanks to that! Stay strong, Cindy, and try to stay calm. This is just one of those speed bumps in life - you went over one years ago and survived, and you will survive this one, too! Ruth "}, "6": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, The answer is to stop reading those nasty stories, lol. Where did you read that stuff about second cancers after Hodgins? If it wasn't a reputable site (such as NIH, Mayo Clinic, American Cancer Society, etc.) just ignore it. Plus, you had Hodgkins soooo long ago that I doubt it's even relevant now. Have they told you yet exactly what chemo you're going to be on? It's important to know, so you can prepare to deal with any side effects. It's way better to be prepared in advance than to be surprised...trust me on that! Make sure you're getting enough sleep, as being sleep deprived can make you start feeling worse, both emotionally and physically. Believe it or not, you'll probably start feeling better emotionally once you start treatment...it's much more empowering to feel you're actually doing something about the cancer than sitting around waiting. Ruth "}, "7": {"a": "1642", "t": "For me, chemo was difficult the week of...day one, 5 hours in the chemo chair. But no pain that day or most of the next. Day 2 by 4 PM the aches and pains started, and I'd be down for the count and on Vicodin round the clock for the rest of that day and the next two days. By day 5 I only needed two vicodin (one AM and one before bed), and although I was still tired, I was beginning to feel human. By day 6 I could go out for a short period of time, and by day 7 I was almost back to normal. For the next two weeks, life was completely normal. As I said, Cindy...it wasn't exactly easy, but it was definitely do-able. And remember...I'm also diabetic and have fibromyalgia, both of which made dealing with chemo that much worse. That's why I think if I could do it, anyone can. Also, on my chemo...I don't remember dry mouth, so if I had it at all, it wasn't bad. And I had no mouth sores. Also, other than the fibroymyalgia, which always makes me tired, I didn't notice any difference in my energy or digestive system before I found the lump. Keep in mind that every type of chemo is different, and every person will have somewhat of an individual reaction to the same type of chemo, but usually people will have similar reactions to the same chemo. Once you know what kind of chemo they're going to give you, then you can look up the potential side effects and be prepared. Also, not everyone will get every single possible side effect! But being prepared really helps, as in anti-nausea meds, laxatives and stool softeners if necessary, extra body lotion for dry skin, etc., etc. A friend of my has a t-shirt that I absolutely LOVE...it says on it...... \"Worry is NOT preparation.\" How true! Worry accomplishes nothing; preparation not only accomplishes something, it helps alleviate the worry! So now I guess you just have to wait for the last biopsies and you'll find out what the course of action is going to be. Once you know that, you can prepare. And, again, please try to be optimistic...squamous cell cancer is very curable and even though the treatment may not be fun, it's nice to know there's a brighter world on the other side of the treatment. Ruth "}, "8": {"a": "1642", "t": "Cindy, What exactly did the pathology from the groin nodule say? Did they do any surgery, or did they just do a needle aspiration? They need to narrow it down as much as possible, and pathology of the nodule can tell them if the cancer cells at least have SOME similarities to some kind of cells; then they can use chemo that treats that sort of cell. My cancer was poorly differentiated, meaning they couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it did have similarities to both squamous and small cell cancers. If they've determined that yours is squamous cell, then that's how they need to treat it. No, the shaky and tired is probably not from cancer, but more likely from the lexapro or simply from the CFS and Fibro...stress makes those illnesses worse, so it's not surprising that you're having so much trouble functioning. But it's also a good idea to take the lexapro just before bedtime so if that IS what's causing the exhaustion, you'll be more likely to sleep it off and be more alert during the day. I so wish I could impart my ability to just go with the flow...I'm very lucky that way. Not that I didn't have some emotional impact with the cancer diagnosis, but I seem to be able to just concentrate on each day and not worry too much about the future. Yes, the chemo will be difficult, but attitude can help. If you THINK it's going to be awful, it'll be worse. If you THINK you can get through it, it'll be not quite as bad. And again, don't forget that you were treated for the first cancer 23 years ago...they have so many ways to combat the side effects now that it definitely won't be like the first time, and you really have to keep that in mind and believe it'll be better than last time. Ruth "}, "9": {"a": "1642", "t": "I'm sorry that your doctors aren't more supportive. Where in Rhode Island do you live? Could you possibly be treated in Mass? I can highly recommend my own oncologist, and he's in Norwood, which is only about 20-30 minutes over the RI line on 95. At the very least, at this point, I would say to my doctors - \"enough testing already. We know from the pathology that it's squamous cell, let's just start treating it.\" Really, since this was metastatic, they need to do chemo anyway, and I don't think finding the primary site will make one slight bit of difference in the treatment. As for the Ensure being high in sugar...it's total carbs that count for a diabetic, and if the carb count is under 50, that's okay for a meal. If it's much less than that, you can even add some regular food to the meal, if you can keep it down. Cindy, this is hard to say, but I'm thinking that you may want to see a psychologist for regular therapy, at least as long as you're going through this medical nightmare. It's obviously taking a huge toll on you already, and I'm wondering if you could find a therapist who has experience in dealing with cancer patients? Perhaps you could find one through a local cancer support group...heck, maybe even participating in a local cancer support group is all the help you need But you know that it's going to be important to keep your strength up and get enough sleep while you're going through this, and I think perhaps your fear is, understandably, taking over. I'm more than happy to keep corresponding with you (and we definitely will!) , and I'm pleased that I've been able to help you, but I think you need more than just a faceless person on the internet right now. Please do look into cancer support groups in your area. ((((WARM HUGS)))) Ruth "}, "10": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, So sorry I didn't see your message about Penney until tonight. I feel so bad for you, having to deal with the loss of your pet on top of everything else. I'm also an animal person and sadly I know all too well the grief one feels over the loss of a long-time companion. My heart goes out to you and your family. And, wow...that's a surprise, about the anal skin tag. But isn't it still squamous cell carcinoma? The designation CUP just means they can't tell exactly where it originated...well, now you know where it originated, but it's still squamous I would think...so nothing has really changed. If this is, in fact, still squamous cell, then you're probably going to be treated with taxol and carboplatin. For sure, Taxol is given once every three weeks. so that's what it sounds like your doctors are planning. Get some specifics asap, and then you can get prepared. Honestly, preparation is the key to feeling sane, in my opinion. And hopefully, you'll actually start feeling better mentally when you start treatment...at least, I know that I did. Okay...so next step is to call and ask exactly what chemo you'll be getting. Then call the American Cancer Society and they'll send you fact sheets on those chemos...or you can research them online. Yes, you're probably going to lose your hair...taxol doesn't cause hair loss, but other chemos do and you'll probably get some sort of combo chemo. I actually have such a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with my hair that I didn't mind losing it at all...what a relief not to have to wash and blow dry it every single day. As soon as it started coming out, I went to my hairdresser and had it all shaved off. I got a few nice straw hats and LOTS of bandanas and wore a bandana to match my clothes under the hats...looked more fashionable than ever before, lol. I got lots of comments on how stunning my hats looked from people who had no idea I was going through chemo, which really made me laugh! So, find out what you're going to be treated with, and let me know. Meanwhile, lots of hugs to you, and stay hopeful always. Ruth "}, "11": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Just checking in to see how you're doing, and if you got any more news today. Just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you. Hugs, Ruth "}, "12": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Wow, chemo and radiation at the same time...whew! Don't know too much about cisplatin, but I think it's stronger than carboplatin. My mom did have 5FU (along with methotrexate), and she had no nausea, and that was before they had the IV anti-emetics...but, on the other hand, she didn't have cisplatin. Cisplatin definitely can cause nausea, so insist that they give you anti-nausea medication intravenously BEFORE they infuse the cisplatin, and they should also give you oral anti-nausea meds to take for the next several days (and take them, even if you don't think you need them!) They should also give you compazine suppositories, but if you do the other two things, you probably won't need them. Also, if the iv anti-emetic doesn't work for you the first time out, have them try a different one the next time...but the likelihood is that any one of them will definitely work. Also ask if this chemo tends to make you constipated (many do)...and if so, get some sennekot tablets and some colace(it's available in a generic, too, far cheaper). Use both, as the constipation from chemo can be very, very bad, It's easier to prevent problems if you start using this stuff right away, before you actually get constipated, than to try to deal with it after the fact. You can google these chemotherapies and get a lot of information, but I caution you not get upset - the fact is, they have to list every possible side effect, but not everyone gets any of them. The nausea/constipation are ones I've heard most people complain about when getting chemo, so those are ones you should definitely be prepared for, and luckily, those are the ones you can actually do something about. One thing I did during radiation that made me feel great was to visualize a little \"maintenance manager\" cleanup cell inside my body where the tumor was who was pushing all the dead and dying bad cells with a pushbroom into a stream that was washing them out of my body. It was a \"he\", and he looked kind of like a miniature Mr. Clean in red, lol. Really...sounds pretty fantastical, but it gave me something positive to concentrate on while I was on the table and each radiation treatment made me feel really hopeful. . I guess there IS something to that theory of positive thinking. I'll be going to the Cape on Saturday, but I'll check in with you again before I go, and will probably get online at least once while we're down there I won't have a laptop with me, but can probably use the online connection at the library, so I'll try to check in again either Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Hopefully rather than be apprehensive, you'll start to become excited by the fact that, FINALLY, you'll be taking action to beat this thing - I surely hope so! Stay hopeful, stay strong, and BELIEVE you can beat this, too. Hugs, Ruth "}, "13": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Just got back from the Cape a couple of hours ago and wanted to check in with you and wish you luck with getting the port tomorrow. When is your first chemo scheduled for? Yes, cisplatin IS strong, but I think it's a good chemo for what you have...and I've always believed in hitting it with all guns blazing right from the beginning, so all those nasty mutated cells get zapped and don't have a chance to escape (see my radiation visualization above). I also am a true believer in positive thinking. The way I look at it is this...it may not actually cure anything, but it'll make the process a lot easier than if you feed fear and negativity. Let me know how it goes tomorrow...and when is your first chemo treatment? Ruth "}, "14": {"a": "1642", "t": "Yep...take the anti-nausea meds whether you feel nauseous or not. Sometimes, despite getting the IV anti-nausea medication, you might start feeling queasy the next day. The meds work far better to PREVENT nausea than to stop it once it really gets hold of you. As for pain...well, I had taxol, which definitely causes a lot of pain (muscles and joints), and since I already have fibromyalgia, it was pretty rough for me. The pain usually started about 24 hours after chemo was finished, and I took Vicodin every 3.5 hours for the next 3 days (and mostly stayed in bed), after that, the pain diminished pretty rapidly. I'm pretty certain that 5FU does not cause pain, but I don't know about mito C.. . in fact, I never heard of that one. Even without nausea, going through chemo and radiation (especially at the same time...I did mine consecutively, not concurrently) is going to be, at best, exhausting. But hopefully that's ALL it'll be...and once you're through, you'll start feeling better. I'll try to check the board every night to see how you're doing. Hugs, Ruth "}, "15": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Hope the first day went okay...sounds like an ordeal, being hooked up for that long. But it sounds like they're doing a good job with the Zofran...did they give you any other anti-nausea meds to take when you got home? I was given some sort of pills - don't remember what they were, but I think possibly Zofran in a pill form - plus Compazine suppositories, just in case I couldn't get the pills down. I was told to take a pill once a day for three days. Had no trouble getting them down and never needed the Compazine. From my understanding, the chemo can make you queasy for a couple of days afterwards, which is why they give you more anti-nausea meds to take for the next three days. Nope, I didn't get mouth sores at all - hope you don't get them either this time, but I know everyone's body acts individually, so it's hard to say whether or not your symptoms will be the same as the next person's symptoms. Just try not to psych yourself INTO getting symptoms...this chemo is also different from the last time you had chemo, so your symptoms also will probably not be the same. Sorry I wasn't able to check in for the past couple of days, but hope you're doing better, and will check in again tomorrow or Sunday. Ruth "}, "16": {"a": "1642", "t": "Oh, Cindy...that's just awful. And it happened so quickly...after just one treatment. I so hope that they can figure out something to make you more comfortable. As for the queasiness...did they give you any anti-nausea pills to take? They really should...the chemo can make you queasy for several days, and it makes you a lot more comfortable if you don't have to feel that queasiness on top of everything else. Wish I could remember what pills they gave me, but I know they also gave me Compazine suppositories as a back-up, but the pills alone worked well for me. Well, this really stinks but, okay...you've got about 6 weeks to get through. Hopefully this will work and at that point you'll start recovering. Please, please don't give up hope. After all, the last time you had cancer, as bad as the treatment was, it worked for a couple of decades, right? So THAT's what you probably need to focus on...not how awful this is, not how bad anal cancer can be (heck, ALL cancer is bad), but the fact that you survived cancer before and you can do it again. There's a great quotation from Emily Dickinson about hope: ? Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all. ? Don't let it stop! Big hugs to you, Ruth "}, "17": {"a": "1642", "t": "No...what happened with the marinol? Did you have a bad reaction? And why did they give it to you...I thought they pretty much reserved that for cases where the other anti-nausea meds fail, but I could be wrong about that. At my first chemo treatment, they gave me IV benadryl to prevent allergic reaction to the Taxol...well, I had a very severe anomalous reaction...got so jumpy and jittery, I couldn't stay still in the chemo chair. They ended up having to give me IV ativan to counteract it. Wouldn't it be nice if they could test us first to figure out IF we could take a medicine, without our having to take it and suffer side effects? <sigh> In a perfect world, maybe. And are you using the glutamine yet? Hope you get some good sleep tonight. Ruth "}, "18": {"a": "1642", "t": "Argghhh...how stupid is THAT...to not have a doctor on call when giving chemo??? People have been known to have really serious reactions to various chemos. Either that, or it was a really stupid nurse. Gosh, what an awful ordeal. And all your side effects are from stress? Did they just start after you had the chemo (the eczema, mouth sores, headache, etc.?) If so, there's no way a stress reaction would happen that quickly, unless they're talking about a physical stress reaction to the chemicals, in which case they should be taking this more seriously. Sure, you're going to have side effects - they're not always completely preventable - but there should be something they can do to ease the discomfort. Can you talk to your doctor about this? I know if I called my doctor with these problems, he'd call me back right away or fit me in for an appointment immediately (well, if it were my oncologist, they would have already given me whatever was needed to prevent this or ease the discomfort - in ADVANCE, before they sent me home from chemo). I am so very sorry that you're having to go through this. It sounds just awful. But then, the pain from my chemo was absolutely awful, too...I just lay on the couch or in my bed for 3-4 days after each treatment, taking pain pills every 3 hours, and sleeping as much as I could. After the first chemo treatment, I knew what to expect, so after that I just expected that I was going to be in pain and absolutely unfunctional for 3-4 days each time and I just planned for that. It was just something to get through...for some reason I was able to accept it and not dwell on the awfulness of it. Don't ask me why...some sort of gift from God, I think. May whatever power you believe in grant you that same gift. Are you having the chemo once a week? Or is it once every 3 weeks? It'd be nice if you had some time to recuperate between each of these nasty bouts. Keep me posted, Cindy. I'll be thinking of you and praying for you. Ruth "}, "19": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, I had company from out of state for the past week, and I've just now had the chance to check the board. I wanted you to know that I've been thinking of you and praying for you. As for the blood counts...they go low, it happens, they just delay the next chemo for a week or so, and it usually doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. The cancer doesn't have a chance to take over just from those small delays, so just don't worry about it. The biggest thing is to make sure you're not exposed to a lot of illnesses...so frequent hand-washing and even, if your counts are that low, wearing a face mask when out in the public, can protect you from catching any viruses floating around. Have you found anything to relieve the mouth sores and eczema yet? Keep your hopes up and, if you're feeling really down, try watching some comedic movies at home...laughing is actually really good for the immune system! Hugs, Ruth "}, "20": {"a": "1642", "t": "Never mind the weight gain...right now you need it, and I'm glad you're able to get enough nourishment to be gaining weight. You mentioned the half-way mark...is that between chemo treatments, halfway through the radiation treatments, or halfway for all treatment? Not sure you ever told me how often you'd be having the chemo. Glad the mouth sores are subsiding, but imagine they're going to come back big time once you have another chemo treatment. I know it's really hard to think of this when you're just so very, miserably uncomfortable, but if you can think of it as just something you have to get through...marking the days off the calendar...it's probably better than concentrating on how miserable you are. I know...it doesn't work for everyone...but I've often found that, for myself, concentrating on pain or discomfort actually makes me feel worse! I have some other painful physical conditions, but I'm finding that if I concentrate on something else (funny movie, good book, just going to sleep, doing crafts, etc.) I get through several hours without noticing how much pain I'm in. Probably during chemo you won't have the energy to do much else, but funny movies and books are usually do-able even when you're exhausted. Sounds as if you do have some family support, and I'm so glad to hear that. As always, I'm putting you in my prayers every night, and wishing there were more that I could do to help you get through this. Hugs, Ruth "}, "21": {"a": "1642", "t": "Just a thought...are you spending a lot of time in bed, by any chance? Sometimes being in bed can actually cause serious backaches. Hopefully that's all it is. Let me know what you find out on Monday. And, if it's possible for you and not contra-indicated, possibly a chiropractor could help. So all in all, you're going to have had three chemo treatments? That's not too bad (hah - that's easy to say when you're not going through it, right?) and it sounds like the next chemo will be the last one...yay, you can look forward to the end of the darned mouth sores in a few weeks. Cindy, I so wish we could talk on the phone, but I'm glad we can at least write to each other. When I was going through treatment back in 2001, I had absolutely no one to talk with as I couldn't find a support group that was open to people with rare types of cancer, and it was really a bummer. Luckily I finally found a group online, and let me tell you...it was a real life-saver to be able to talk to people who had been through it. So I'm glad we found each other here and I truly hope it's as helpful to you to be talking about this as it was to me when I finally found someone to talk to about my own cancer journey. This is definitely a road no one should have to walk alone. Sleep well, Ruth "}, "22": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Sorry I didn't answer sooner...have had more company in the past 4 weeks than in the previous four years! By now I guess you've finished your second treatment...wow, 5 days in hospital for chemo sounds grueling. I'm guessing you're still in bed today (Sunday, the 30th) but hope you made it through okay and can look forward to being on the road to recovery...probably a slow road, but hopefully one with a good end in sight. Was this your last week of radiation, too? Cindy, I know that right now you're probably feeling really miserable from the effects of the chemo, but I am praying that within a few weeks you'll start feeling better and better. The biggest prayer is being sent every day that you're going to achieve complete recovery and cure and be able to put this awful experience behind you! Ruth "}, "23": {"a": "1642", "t": "Hi Cindy, Just wanted you to know that I've been thinking of you, and hoping that you're okay. I'm guessing that the last round of chemo must have knocked you for a loop, but hope that as the days pass, you'll start feeling a bit better. ((HUGS)) Ruth "}, "24": {"a": "1642", "t": "Okay, it's now October 23rd, and I'm really getting worried about Cindy. If any of her family or friends is reading this, I would so very much appreciate an update on how she's doing. And if she herself is too sick to post, please let her know that I'm thinking of her and praying for her every day. Ruth "}}}, "629046": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "pale", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "burning skin", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "fainting", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "stomach discomfort", "face red", "vision double", "increase appetite", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "burning chest", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "loss appetite", "pale skin", "blistering skin", "stiffness", "muscle cramp", "voice loss", "chest pain", "white mouth spot", "headache", "hoarseness", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "tiredness", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "increase sweating", "white spot lip", "loss memory", "bleed urine", "nosebleed", "skin flushing", "stool bleed", "speaking difficult", "change vision", "mouth ulcer", "congestion ear", "convulsion", "sleepiness", "seizure", "weak", "itch", "irregular heartbeat", "pain eye", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "pain abdominal", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "stool black", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "pain joint", "gain weight", "clumsiness", "bleed", "tight chest", "lip swell", "short breath", "depression", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "ulcer lip", "mouth dry", "restlessness", "stool tarry", "moving difficult", "vomit bleed", "pain back", "strength loss", "stomach pain", "tingling", "pain body", "nervousness", "nightmare", "sweating", "heartbeat pounding", "skin red"], "neat": ["anxiety", "dizziness", "shaking", "depression"], "umls": ["discomfort", "anxiety", "bleed", "sad", "stomach acid", "gain weight", "shivering", "depression", "headache", "chill", "nausea", "upset stomach", "infection", "shaking", "moving difficult", "dizziness", "trembling", "tiredness", "fatigue"], "neural": ["dizziness", "headache", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "30438", "t": "what do you mean -\"it's because of the pills you take for you stomach\"? Do you think that they are the cause of you dizziness? Just wondering because sometimes I think they do cause this "}, "1": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tesss, You CAN do it! One of the greatest lessons that came out of dealing with this condition for me was that \"everything in it's own time\". So, don't give up when you are frustrated and scared (and you will be both for a while). It's a natural reaction to feeling so 'unnatural' with your symptoms. And it's okay to ask someone else to drive - as long as you keep giving driving yourself a good try in some small amount at least every other day. As for feeling sick with the thought of driving again - been there. I still get that blechy feeling sometimes - I know that most of it is due to anxiety issues as it relates to my symptoms, but that doesn't make it any easier. But I also know that sometimes my head is too \"off\" to drive - it's that simple. And when I truly know that I can't push past a moment or day because my symptoms are simply too much, I will make the decision not to drive and not guilt myself over it. You're not a freak of any kind if you need someone to help you out, whether it's driving or something else. I rely on family and friends and even co-workers when I need it, and I just have to be careful not to get into a cycle where it's easier to rely than do it myself. But everyone needs a break now and then, and there's no shame in asking for help or not being able to do something, whether it's out of a physical limitation or just plain old fear. The important thing is that you work on getting past your limitations in a small way, every day. Whether it's walking down the hallways stairs with the lights off, or trying for a walk around the block (used to be a toughie for me), or simply trying to lie still in bed when your head is swaying. Just remember that you are an able healthy person, even with some limitations, and once you gain some trust in yourself (again) that you CAN move your muscles despite your symptoms, that will be half the anxiety battle for you. During my worst challenging times (and I still have them) I lived by this quote, \" \". Persevere, accept encouragement and help, and remember that you are okay despite your symptoms. Yes, I want to hear EVERY DETAIL about your test drive, even if you only make down the driveway and back. xo "}, "2": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tesss, How did the test drive go for you???? "}, "3": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tess! EXCELLENT driving! Don't think of is as \"only two miles\" - for some people, two miles is a lifetime! Instead, think of it as \"yeah, only two miles TODAY, more to come\"! I agree that sometimes it's the anxiety that overshadows the symptoms! For me, this is especially true while driving. Plus the worry-thoughts of \"what happens if my symptoms escalate (while I'm driving)\". I get a kick out of well intended encouragers who say things like, \"it's only 15 miles to work, no big deal\". Okay, you try driving with a plastic bad over your head and a bag of bricks pushing you to one side or the other, throw in a few head rushes if you turn to fast and oh, make sure you spin around three times really fast before you jump in the car to make a turn on a busy street. OF COURSE it's a big deal. But I know those encouragements are made out of caring and the wish to see me persevere rather than anything else. I like the idea of your plan to try to drive a little every other day, even if your symptoms are really bothersome. I have found that pushing myself a little on the days when I think I truly can't, empowers me to know that I really CAN, and it makes the tolerable symptom-days easier to do more. I'm sure you'll do fine on the short trip to your MD about your GERD. It's great practice at not only driving, but doing an event by yourself despite your symptoms (that can be uncom,fortable and anxiety provoking I know). So, GOOD FOR YOU!!!! Thank you for asking after me. It will be ten years on April 9th. I have been dealing with some depression (more than usual), which I atttribute to mostly my symptoms, as well as some other stress going on for me right now. I have been giving in to being teary more, which is something I usually don't do, but lately it's providing me the relief I need to expell so much emotion. For me, that's a sign that my endurance and tolerance is low, and my stress level is high. I always try to look at my blessings rather than my struggles, but lately my depression and sadness has been a bit overwhelming and although I am still thankful for so many things, I have been mourning and missing the \"old\" (pre symptoms) me. You would think after this long I would be more even emotionally about my symptoms, but there is always some reminder of something I can no longer do or having to deal with the anxieties that come with feeling so awkward and out of sorts. I do feel sometimes that life as I would like it to be is passing me by, and since I only have one life and there is only one me, I should be celebrating or try to be celebrating more - but. So sometimes my emotions rise and fall, and after I peak, I come back down and bounce back. I am slowing bouncing back, again. I know I am not the only one to feel like this, but sometimes I FEEL as if I am. Especially since I've had my symptoms for so long. Thanks again for the well wishes! Can't wait to hear about MORE driving from you. xo "}, "4": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tess, You think you're moaning?! Lately, I feel like I am quite the downer on these boards and the BIGGEST moaner. I fear other posters are going \"oh no, ANOTHER depressed thread from Wowwwweeee\". <smiling as I type that>. I cannot count the times I have had to cancel or decline even the simplest of social events because of my symptoms - so I know how you feel about having to stay home. For me, that did get easier as I coped and adjusted better. You're right, it is about time, and your time will come where you are able to do what you what even if you still continue to have some limitations on some level for some reason! For me, I'm too stubborn NOT to keep trying to do that things I want to, within reason of course: I would really love to go to an amusement park and ride the Tilt-A-Whirl. It used to be one of my all-time favorite rides - come to think of it, ANY ride that spun me around when I would get that little thrill of adrenaline in my stomach used to be so much fun for me! Now I'm strictly a cotton candy girl instead of a ride girl when I go. I also feel that my life is all about my symptoms. It's a consideration in everything I do or want to do or cannot do. So! But so many people deal with so much more challenging and depressing issues - I am so lucky in so many ways. So as long as no-one shuts me down on here for being TOO depressing or TOO much of a moaner, I will probably continue to jump between some highs and lows on occasion. Okay, onto something fun (can't end EVERY post on a sad note): I live near a historical park, so every day on my way to and from work I drive through the park. It's a partcularly pretty time of the year, because the snows lays on the trees covering all the branches and you can see deep into the parks' forest. And there is a herd of deer that live there (I live on an old apple orchard, so we get a lot of deer also) - anyway, during the winter months, if you take your time driving through, you can actually see the deer lying in holes they have dug in the snow - sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. It's really something to see if you're a nature lover. So my goal (ever since I noticed them) is to get some good pictures of them all lying together. So every day for the past week, I have been taking the digital camera to and from work, and if I see them, I will pull over to the side of the road and try to capture them on film. Someone is going to see me and think I am a stalker because I am pulling over to the same spot either at 7 AM or at 5 PM every day. So far, the pictures I've taken are nothing to publish (ha ha), but it sure has been fun trying to take them. Drive well. Hugs. xo "}, "5": {"a": "10032", "t": "Spikey, I found that dealing with the anxiety was half the battle of dealing with my other symptoms. It had a pretty tight hold on me and impacted everything I did. What started out as a seemingly reaction to my head symptoms, rippled out into all areas of my life. I am anxious now ONLY because of my symptoms. Either due to my symptoms, or anticipating them increasing or changing. I used to not do much just because of the \"what if\" anxiety thoughts, but that no longer has a hold on me. I will usually do what I want to (within reason of course) even if I am anxious about it. My motto is it can't hurt to try, even if I am afraid. I am dealing with so much stress right now, that that does impact my anxiety level. I realize this about me and know my triggers for symptoms, so I am careful to keep a watchful eye on this - and when I am under more then usual stress, then I know my defenses and tolerance will be lower, which results in me not coping as best as I know I am able to. And of course, not coping as well doesn't just affect my symptoms - this intolerance trickles into all areas of my life so I feel as if I am continuing to spiral on a low streak. But I always bounce back. I completely agree with your statement of, \" \". At first it was hard to tell which is which! I had that trouble initially, and things became easier when I realized this, also. xo "}, "6": {"a": "10032", "t": "Nice driving Tesss!!! So, the MD said he can't help you with your GERD? Am I assuming that correctly? I do not take any medication for anxiety, although at one point I was so limited by my fears that it was highly suggested. My counselor at the time explained to me that medication to treat anxiety can be a good thing in short doses to help people get over the \"hump\", but treating anxiety needs to come from within a person, and eventually they need to learn how to deal and cope rather than depend on something pharmacological to get them through. So, I opted to 'do the work' right from the start in working to get over my anxiety without a medication. I think working on my anxiety issues will be a lifelong process for me, as I have always been an anxious person. However, I am far removed from the anxiety-ridden person I was so long ago when my symptoms first started. And Tesss, it was WORK. I had many start and stops, and spent many frustrated days (and nights) learning to trust myself and my body and to realize that I had all the tools inside of me to get past the anxious moments. Also, I was having full blown panic attacks, so I was very scared of the symptoms I was experiencing due to the intense adrenaline release in my body every time I had a panic attack. I had to wean myself off from thinking those frantic \"what if\" thoughts, and stop monitoring my body for tell-tale panic symptoms. I decided to look upon my anxiety issues as a personal challenge for me to overcome, and stopped looking at my progress as failure because it was in baby steps. There are a few things that helped me get back in the car: Yes, I have said this many times - for people dealing with an impacting illness or condition, they incur a deeper knowledge of themselves than most other people who don't need to call upon such inner strength to get them through. In some ways, I feel that experiencing something so life changing, for me, has made me a better person. I've overcome limiting anxiety, learned that I am healthy, realize I am very loved and accepted, know that I am capable of pushing myself even when I think I have no more to give, have become more compassionate to other people, and have been humbled like no other lesson has taught me. I know that I am luckier than others, who are confined to wheelchair or bed, who need assistance to breathe or eat. I have learned to appreciate the little things that people often take for granted (although I always was a lover of the little things), and generally have become a nicer person overall. I can still smile. And my experiences are helping someone else overcome a rough moment because I can say \"I have been there and back, and you will too\". xo "}, "7": {"a": "10032", "t": ", Ack - I used to really work myself up when my \"safe\" people weren't around, and that included if I went to work and my safe people weren't home waiting in case I would have to call. That was a difficult part of my anxiety to deal with - being around and coping MYSELF. But I realized that I was depending on these people to MAKE me feel better or GET me through the anxious moments, and that meant that I wasn't doing the work myself. And I realized that depending on others wasn't really resolving anything for me because I was still having panick attacks and anxiety in between running to someone else for support So, I simply started telling my supports to \"go on out\" without me (so I could practice being alone again), and I stopped calling so much when I felt panicked at work (so I could practice calming myself down instead of having someone talk me through). It was hard, because I so depended on the confidence and assurance of others, rather than on my own confidence and assurance. So I can understand how you must be feeling that your boyfriend isn't available to sit with you in the car - but use that as a good practice opportunity, even if you only go around the block a few times or opt for a shorter practice drive somewhere else. The thing that I knew I had to overcome was the feeling that I could drive (or whatever) on my own without a safety crutch (person), even if being alone and driving alone was emotionally and physically now uncomfortable for me. It's so much easier to do things if you're uncomfortable (physically or emotionally) when you know there's someone RIGHT THERE to help you or support you if you need it, I know. So, I just had to do it. Cold turkey, in baby steps. Baby cold turkey steps. So that meant saying things like, \"no, I'll go to the store by myself\", and \"sure, I'll be fine to stay home and shower (or whatever) while you go to the movies\". My safety people got so used to having to be there for me, that it probably was as hard on them to start leaving me alone as it was for me to tell them to go. So, continue to practice and empower yourself by allowing yourself some freedom or distance from your safe people. Small steps! But practice it. Glad you're going for some more tests - I am blessed to have a supportive doctor who will refer me to specialists whenever I ask. He sometimes doesn't know what to do about my head symptoms, but has told me that he will send me to a balance center outside NY State if I want. I'm sure he would even send me to the UK to see LL if I asked. My period is due in a few days, and my symptoms are always worse the week before, so today I dealing with increased symptoms that are causing me to feel unsettled. I'm still doing the things that I want to today, but it's uncomfortable. Ha, where else can you announce to the world that you're getting your monthly? It's strange how something so personal becomes a part of the conversation when talking about head symptoms. Now, get out there and have a drive! I'm going to go look for deer. , My symptoms are pretty much with me when I drive, and the worst for me is having to stop or wait at traffic lights. That causes me to notice my symptoms more, and then the drive can be more anxiety-provoking once I start to feel unsettled. But I can got for a whole weekend and not drive, and then start on Monday for work, and be fine with that. I have found however, that emotionally/psychologically, it's better for me to drive, even when I don't have to, to remind myself that I am able to (if that makes sense). As I mentioned in an earlier posting here, I have to make sure that I don't get \"lazy\" or start to reply too much on others or postpone driving because of my symptoms. Lately, being a passenger is bothersome, so I tend to \"have enough\" if I am out with someone and they are driving - after about 40 minutes. Although I love being chauffered around, lately I prefer to be the driver. Wishing everyone a nice day. It's cold, but sunny out! xo "}, "8": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hi Tesss, So, did you end the weekend with a longer drive? Good for you for venturing out without your b/f, AND for taking a bus to go shopping! Hope you bought something great! Saturday night a few of the girls got together and cooked dinner. One of my friends offered to come and pick me up and drive me home afterwards, but I took my own car. Saturday morning I was up early to look for more deer and then do some grocery shopping for the upcoming work week. Even though we still have snow on the ground, the flowers are starting to come up. Poor things, we usually get one more good snow before the end of March, so the flowers are usually frozen in time for a while. Sadly, NO deer in the park, but in the field behind where I work, there were three of them, so I got (finally) some good shots! Hope things are well for you this morning. I am dealing with being pretty symptomatic this morning. Blech. xo "}, "9": {"a": "10032", "t": "Good Morning Tesss and all, I know what you mean about thinking you can jump right back. I think that EVERY TIME my symptoms simmer to a more tolerable level, and then I go jumping around until I realize, \"uh oh, better not do THAT\". My symptoms were really noticeable at work all day yesterday, but by the time I got home, they started to ease up. I believe that my symptoms escalate sometimes at work (or whatever) based upon the amount of stress or anxiety I perceive or feel about that situation at times. Work is VERY stressful for me lately. I'm going to work today, AFTER my 8 AM job interview. Although I know that a new job would be a stressor for me JUST because of my symptoms and what I have to deal with, I have made a decision to look for other employment after 8 years. The current company that I work for has been through a few years of lay-offs (with the most recent being in January 2005), and we haven't had raises or bonuses in a few years. I still stayed because it was a good fit for me since it was close to home, quick access to many places that I could take care of errands on a lunch hour, and I am very familiar with the job and the responsibilities. Plus people at work know about my head symptoms, so I have a lot of support. But lately the dynamics of the company have changed, and I feel that everyone is just trying to keep a paycheck and trying to keep their own heads above the water (so to speak). My new supervisor (my old one got another job) is not a very good boss for his position, and it shows in how he treats others, and looks are certain aspects of the job and the team. He's not a bad guy, but just not really cut out for this position, which impacts me (I am his assistant). So there have neen considerations why it would be good to stay, and good reasons to look for something else. I am taking Option B. I usually enjoy starting a new job, and find good challenge in the newness and jitters of starting another position - but now my symptoms are a consideration. I have made one job change since my symptoms, and the first year here was rough for me symptom-wise. But I am positive it will work out anyway. So yes, continue to \"move your muscles\" by doing the things that make you hesitant. Driving is a very good place to practice since you know you are impacted in this area. Will check back after I get to work later. xo "}, "10": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss, Don't worry AT ALL on the days that you don't want to push the driving thing. As you start to either compensate, adjust, or become less fearful of your symptoms, you definitely will start doing more things, and that includes driving and going out more on the weekends. For people with MAV, since symptoms can fluctuate, their symptoms can also - meaning that a person dealing with MAV may have great days, and other days as well. True, things like stress can trigger MAV symptoms more, but since MAV is a , it happens whether you have stress (for example) or not, so even if a person is not stressed out, they still can have spasming of the arteries, leading to increased symptoms. And don't forget (really, how could you), that even if you're not feeling particularly outwardly stressed, you are dealing with work, driving issues, having to deal with your symptoms, knowing you're limited in doing things, and all the effort put forth to fit in a normal day despite how you're feeling. THAT'S stress too. And remember that you are dealing with your symptoms AND some anxiety, so things may take a little longer for you to feel comfortable doing, like getting back in the car just to zip around. I'm glad you have the attitude of being in the right direction; it seems that way to me too, when I read your posts. You are very upbeat and positive, and that's sometimes very hard to maintain in the face of such a personal struggle, but so helpful if you can. Good for you! This morning went very well - out of all the positions I've looked into, it's only the third one that I feel that would be a golden opportunity for me. So, we'll see. It's tough out there right now for everyone, so I try not to put all my eggs in one basket, but this one would be VERY NICE. Ha ha, the hall was LONGER than the one at work I walk down now. SAME tiled floor. I just can't get away from it. lol But yes, I am going to go for this if given the chance. I WANT IT. Hugs to you and to all! xo "}, "11": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss! Yes, by all means, don't feel you need to drive or do everything EVERY day. Sometimes working up to something is a process when you've got a woozy head. But it sounds like you're really doing wonderfully, and that's something to be very proud of! It's funny that you mention options for treating MAV because I've been on the phone for a good part of the day talking to some of the MDs that I've seen or want to see about treating my symptoms. Yes, for some people MAV can be maintained with the \"usual\" migraine treatments - diet and medication. Tesss, I am so scared to try anything in terms of medications or therapy. I treid taking a medication a few years ago, which worked GREAT, but the side-effect for me was a problem swallowing, and that was VERY upsetting for me. It took me months to finally opt to take the medication, had major anxiety attacks while on it because of my fears about medications, and then even though it worked like a charm, needed to go off it. Haven't tried anything since. But my symptoms are so overwhelming lately that I feel that I need to do something, and it looks like medication is the way to go for me. Now it's a matter of deciding to try the same one but on a lower dose, or something completely different. I cannot believe how stressed I am over this-whole-thing. Add to that the stress of employment searching and not liking my current job...well, YOU KNOW!! As for trigger foods, I know that if I ingest anything with a lot of additional refined sugar (like chocolate cake or iced tea mix), my symptoms increase. The same for anything with MSG or Aspertame. Otherwise, I don't notice much of an impact consciously on what I eat. I've heard that some people with MAV are impacted by drinking tea, but I love hot tea and this doesn't seem to affect me (thankfully so). So glad you are feeling so good about your accomplishments. I will be making a decision on medication probably within the next week. Thinking of you, and wishing everyone well. xo "}, "12": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tesss? How are you? xo "}, "13": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tesss, Thank you for your encouragement, as always. As I posted in my other thread, I will be trialing a medication, just not sure which one (yet). Between the symptoms and the stress, I feel that I have reached an incredibly low point - lower emotionally than I care to admit actually. But I am taking care of it by making the decision to try something, despite my fear. I'm so happy to hear that you had a great day off. Shopping is always a plus! I also get shaky if my symptoms escalate. It's not the same kind of shaking that I would have if I was nervous or shivering - I attribute it to my body's reaction to feeling so unbalanced. It's definitely a scary feeling. I also feel edgy in the car, and find it difficult to sometimes look at things outside of the car window, moving or still. I'm glad you were able to get past it and drive home. I hope you both some great, fun things! This weekend so far has been a drag for me, but I ended up going out to a huge grocery store for a little while. It was unplanned, and I have been feeling so crappy with my symptoms and depression that I just said \"the heck with it\" and went along. I walked very slowly because I was nervous that I would be symptomatic, but it was okay. My symptoms vary and some are quite bizarre, but the most bothersome ones I have now are: Oh gee, to name a few. Wishing you a nice rest of the weekend. xo "}, "14": {"a": "10032", "t": "Tesss, I'm still giggling over that joke. You nut. I loved it, thanks. I'm truly sorry to hear you're struggling also, especially about getting lifts to and from work. That's just another stressor - I hate imposing on people, even people are happy to help me out. But it sounds like you're doing what you need to do right now to get to work. I get fed up MANY times, so I know how you feel. It's difficult some times to remain upbeat and positive on the really frustrating times, I know. How lucky for that one sole who was able to get back on track after an inner ear infection. Yes, we DO wish it would be that easy for the rest of us. I'm also not feeling my perky best - the headaches lately have been DAILY and ONGOING - not fun and just makes my wooziness so much more noticeable. But I ended up having a nice end to my weekend (if not a rough start). I was able to get out and get some fabulous pictures of some deer this weekend. We came upon a bunch of them unexpectedly while driving through the park (about 8 or 10 of them). It was fun trying to sneak up on them to get pictures. Sunday was the best day. My symptoms had eased up a little, so I was able to enjoy my day a little more. But today back at work, a killer headache and that feeling of leaning the the right is driving me crazy. I have to walk up to the front office shortly and I am not looking forward to that. I am all dressed up today, and wearing my WORK BOOTS so I can balance. What a picture that makes! I have another interview tomorrow morning and then another one on Wednesday evening. Not looking forward to starting a new job which such a horrible head, but as I mentioned, a change of jobs may alleviate some stress, which may alleviate some symptoms. What a cycle! You've GOT to moan sometimes! You are just as deserving as a good cry as the next person, no matter how your symptoms compare. I have been moaning TOO much lately, and sometimes that only makes me feel worse. Okay, my turn for a joke: A man was driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back seat. The police stop him and say that he can't drive around with the penguins in the car and should take them to the zoo. The man agrees and drives off. The next day the same man is driving down the road with twenty penguins in the back and again. He is stopped by the same police officer who says, \"Hey! I though I told you to take those to the zoo.\" The man replies \"I did. Today I'm taking them to the movies.\" HA HA. xo "}, "15": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss! Okay, the joke about the dwarfs was a little b-a-d. But I'm sitting here grinning as I think about it. Tell your bf that he needs to work on his comedy routine a little more. Ha ha. I'm glad you're feeling happier and your symptoms were not so noticeable. I'm feeling better today, but my symptoms are lurking. Last night I got my back slathered up with Ben Gay and then sat back on a heating pad - I moved the heating pad to the top of my head for a while, and then went to bed after a few tv shows. I woke up feeling better than I have in weeks, which was nice. So my job interview was pretty good because I wasn't dealing with a woozy head (thanks for asking). I hate saying anything that might jinx me (lol), but I believe I have the job. I have one other interview tomorrow evening, and I am waiting on a call back from another job position that I am \"in the running\" for - so we'll see. But this one (today) may be the one for me. I actually felt so comfortable in the interview that I told him about my woozy head symptoms and the limitations that sometimes come with that, so that he knows I have a consideration in the work place. He was absolutely accepting of that, and told me they would work around that. I am still feeling a little unbelieving about that. Actually, good anxiety is STILL anxiety, and I have been dealing with feeling slightly anxious all day as a result of such a good interview (if that makes sense). Holy crow Tesss. But as the afternoon here at work goes on, I've had to take aspirin and some antihistamine because I'm rocking and swinging (pendulumn) a lot right now. And the headache is back ladies and gentlemen! My brother takes digestive enyzmes with each meal. He explained to me that these enzymes are the same ones found in the body, so there should be no side-effects. You may want to ask your pharmacist? Not sure if it depends on the brand you're taking. I have read a few other posts on here relating to stomach upset, etc. and the possible correlation to head symptoms. For me, I think that I have acid stomach on occasion because of all the stress I deal with - more stress adds to stomach problems. I also notice that if I have to (gee, how to I say this gracefully) have a bowel movement, that if I wait too long or have an upset stomach, I will start to feel fainty or lightheaded. I never used to feel that way before. It almost feels like the start of low blood sugar (a little nausea, sweaty palms, a generalized feeling of not feeling too well). But then I use the potty and the symptoms go away. Not sure if it's related to my head symptoms or not. My symptoms are usually with me on some level. but some things that set it off or add to them DURING A ROUTINE DAY, would be anxiety or stress (like planning a lunch outing with co-workers), having a headache that I don't treat with aspirin, walking down the hallways at work, being on the computer too long (certain screens throw me off), wearing my headset a lot at work, driving, not eating when I'm hungry. I also look for things that are \"causing\" my symptoms more, or when they go away, trying to figure out why they tapered down. It's frustrating to just not know! But you know that! If we knew, we could prevent it! Wishing you a GREAT DAY Tesss! Hugs! xo "}, "16": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss, Just zooming to to wish you a good day and to say that I hope things are okay today. I've been enjoying our chats so much! I think I am going to take the job that I interviewed for earlier this week. It seems like a very good fit for me, with a lot of growth potential. I am finalizing out some details, so we'll see. I have another jon interview after work tonight, but I am already leaning to the OTHER one (above). Hope your day is going well for you. Hugs! xo "}, "17": {"a": "10032", "t": "Happy Easter Tesss, Lucky you to have a four day Holiday weekend! I took yesterday and this afternoon off, so I'm having an early start to my Easter also. Safe travels, and post soon. xo "}, "18": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss, Glad to hear your Easter weekend was a nice one. Our family had a good one also. I colored Easter eggs - haven't done that in a while! Glad you're still driving. You'll be driving cross country soon! LOL Yes, my current office is all packed up. It's so BARE now! But I am excited to move forward and start something brand new. My last day here is April 5th, and I start my new job on April 11th. Woo-hoo!!!! And yes, I am going to focus on my new job right now and back-burner my symptoms. But I know that I have some options to pursue. It's just a matter of deciding what medication I should trial at this point. I am hoping that as I remove myself from this work place, my stress level will decrease, and so will my symptoms. Of course, starting a new job will bring new stress, but I am hoping it will be tolerable. I am not a good passenger in the car lately. I used to prefer being driven, but now my symptoms have changed, so I feel better driving. I can understand how the drive would have been uncomfortable for you. Good for you for sticking with it though. Over the past few months I've gotten in the car as a passenger for an event and think, just get me out of here! A few times we've had to pull over so I can drive! I also am not the best lately as a passenger in the back seat (where I usually would sit), so I have been in the front. I'm planning a vacation to North Carolina in early May. Trains are an automatic out for me (the swaying would bother me). So we are thinking of driving or flying. Driving as I mentioned has been uncomfortable lately, and that would mean at least two days in the car. Flying.....not sure yet. When I flew to Las Vegas last May, that was very uncomfortable. Hm. When you say \"lifts\", I am assuming you mean elevators. For the most part, I do not tolerate them well AT ALL, and the sensation causes me great physical discomfort and increases my symptoms. I avoid them the majority of the time. Depending on the elevator, I can tolerate some quick travels as long as the length of the ride is short and depending on what type of elevator it is. I have found the the newer ones are less noticeable in terms of the sensation of going up and back down, and the smoother the ride, the easier it is. The \"up-n-down\" motion inside my head after the elevator stops is VERY bothersome, and after I get off, I need to sit down or walk in bare feet down the hall to get my feet and body back accustomed to walking on the floor. So as a general rule, I take stairs. This also applies to escalators and tread mills. Same type of thing. I think it has to do with \"imprinting\", meaning that it's normal for most people to still feel like they are walking on a tread mill for a short while after they get off of it, but for me, this sensation stays with me on a very impacting level. I had to stop drinking alcohol since I've had these symptoms. Alcohol just increases the feeling of imbalance and the \"fish bowl\" effect for me. I miss it some times, because I love a good Long Island Iced Tea or a glass of Plum Wine - but not enough to go back to having a drink. Over the years, I thikn I've had maybe a total of one full glass of alcohol. But I refrain. It doesn't bother me - even if I go out with friends and everyone is drinking except for me. But boy, a nice cold glass of Asti would hit the spot! Big Hug! xo "}, "19": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss, Remember, you will have very frustrating days, especially with the driving, since you are sensitive to that from an anxiety standpoint. You WILL have better days, but it takes time, pratice and patience. As your symptoms subside and/or you become more acclimated to how you feel with your symptoms, you will be able to do more. My guess here is that you are definitely experiencing symptoms while driving - even the little ones - like feeling slightly off when in the car - so that adds to your anxiety, and the combination is causing you to feel all the funky symptoms you did (weird and shaky). I get that bizarre shaky feeling also, and I don't think it's related to the kind of shaking a person feels after a scary incident. It feels like I am unable to control it, and it's more of an internal shake than a stomach trembling shake (like when you're nervous). I think that THAT kind of shaking has something more to do with the body's reaction to feeling physically off-balance. It's something that I can't calm down myself - it simply has to run it's course. It's more like a stiff shaky feeling - like I am walking but doing it very awkwardly and stiffly and my legs are moving, but more like Frankenstein, if that makes sense. One thing that may help you during an anxious moment in the car is trying to take some of the focus off the moment. For me, I keep a bottle of something to drink with me - usually water, Gatorade (high in sodium) or iced tea (sugar). The act of opening the bottle and taking a few swallows helps me shift focus, allows myself to take a moment to do something that I am in control of, and lets me regroup. Salt sometimes is beneficial for people who deal with low blood pressure issues, and sugar is sometimes beneficial for people who deal with low blood sugar issues. A little sugar also acts as a temporary calming aide - so keep a lollipop handy or a bite of chocolate. Or chew gum. Doing something like that is a \"quiet\" way to keep busy, and allows you to focus on something other than your head symptoms. And you don't need to stop what you're doing to take a swallow or lick a lollipop. Plus, sometimes with my head symptoms I don't feel \"grounded\", so holding onto a water bottle (for example) is another way to help me keep my balance in public when I need a little extra something to make me feel \"solid\". Glad you're doing well otherwise. Please keep us informed about your other testing. You're right, a few us of have important things coming up all on the same day! Kismit! xo "}, "20": {"a": "10032", "t": "Hey Tesss, Glad you are feeling supported by me - you are just as supportive and encouraging! Good for you for just making the decision to let time and compensation do it's thing. It's definitely will be one less thing for you to stress about. You seem very motivated and grounded, so just try to maintain that attitude, especially during the rougher moments when it's not so easy to remain upbeat. You'll do just fine, I can tell. I don't think sugar prevents the vertigo from happening, but I have read that a little sugar boost can help alleviate internal anxiety temporarily. So, it may help you calm down from an anxiety-standpoint. Just don't go eating TOO much sugary stuff or you will gain weight. LOL Thanks for asking after me. I have been nearly symptom-free for three days, with the exception of this afternoon, when I have started to feel a little symptomatic again. I am VERY thankful for those three incredible days. I have been out shopping after work and enjoyed a few walks with my dog. It's been heaven and I have been very happy. I will expect jitters probably the weekend before I start my new job. Mixed with a little insomnia from stress - so it should be interesting. I do better with structure - so it probably would be to my advantage to leave this job and immediately start my new one, but I know that if I can just relax a little more, I will enjoy the days off in between. We will see! It sounds like you're in good spirits despite feeling a little \"off\" today - good for you! BIG HUG! xo "}, "21": {"a": "10032", "t": "You're right - new thread!!!! I've started one JUST FOR YOU!!! xo "}}}, "526883": {"truth": ["stool loose", "voice loss", "constipation", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "ache body", "chest pain", "nose runny", "dizziness", "difficult breath", "sneezing", "drowsiness", "pain body", "congestion ear", "cough", "heartburn"], "neat": ["anxiety"], "umls": ["pain arm", "stomach pain", "cough", "chest pain", "burning chest", "pain leg", "anxiety", "bleed", "bloating", "pain joint"], "neural": ["stomach pain", "burning chest", "chest pain", "pain joint", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2009", "t": "Hi Locka. I was wondering the same thing, can this be fatal? Mine cleared up awhile back, but is now back- I suppose all the wine, and tomatos over the past months made it bad again. Now I have INTENSE burning in my stomach and of coures the shooting chest pains, and issues swallowing when I sleep. The other night I thought my esoph. was going to burst or I would simply not be able to breath. This had definately caused anxiety for me too. I also was wondering-what foods do we avoid aside from onions, tomatoes and alcohol? Wine with dinner is hard for me to kick! "}, "1": {"a": "3953", "t": "Fortunately, there's good news. If you look, there are a lot of sites with gluten-free recipes on them for many of your old faves. Of course, some take a little trial and error to get it right or decide whether or not you like that particular take on it. There are also quite a few mail order gluten-free companies and bakeries. More and more regular grocery stores are also starting to carry gluten-free products as well. One thing to keep in mind is that gluten-free products tend to be higher in calories and considerably higher in cost than the regular product. I've decided to use them as a special treat, rather than as the basis for my diet. My diet will continue to consist mostly of rice, lots and lots of veggies, chicken and fish, the occasional piece of red meat or pork, fruit, nuts and seeds, raw milk products, and the occasional egg. I'm not a health nut by any means. I'm simply eating the way my body seems to feel best. "}, "2": {"a": "3953", "t": "I've looked into the blood tests. They'll be very helpful for someone who's still eating gluten. Since I stopped eating gluten a month ago, I'd get a negative result. There's NO WAY I'm going back on gluten. And genetic testing will only show if you have the genes, but isn't an indicator if you'll develop Celiac or not. Many people who have the Celiac genes never develop Celiac. And some people who don't have the genes do develop Celiac. They also haven't found all the genes that indicate Celiac yet. There's still a lot of research to still be done. I've also had the small bowel biopsy done. It came back negative, but he only took two samples when they're supposed to take 4-6 samples. The problem with the biopsy is that only 30% of people who have tested positive on the blood tests will also have positive biopsy results. From what I've been reading, if taking gluten out of your diet makes you feel better, then that's the only indicator you really need. Something else to consider - having an official dx of Celiac can make it more difficult to get health and life insurance further down the road. For that reason alone, many people (after either dropping gluten from their diets or having a positive reaction on elimination diet/challenges) consider themselves to be self-dx'd Celiacs, rather than pushing for an official dx. "}}}, "538677": {"truth": ["eye red", "ulceration", "weak", "itch", "pain eye", "nausea", "fever", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "pain muscle", "loss vision", "nose runny", "belching", "dizziness", "lightheadedness", "rash skin", "ache body", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "difficult breath", "face swell", "stomach discomfort", "sore throat", "upset stomach", "drowsiness", "ringing ear", "tight chest", "warm", "numb", "pain leg", "bleed", "lip swell", "short breath", "pain throat", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "infection", "inflammation", "vomit", "wheezing", "irritate", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "constipation", "chest pain", "difficult sleep", "headache", "stomach acid", "hoarseness", "nose stuffy", "blindness", "skin sore", "burning skin", "tiredness", "nosebleed", "tingling", "sleeping difficult", "stomach pain", "pain body", "sleeplessness", "swell foot", "congestion ear"], "neat": ["nausea", "weak"], "umls": ["nausea", "vomit", "stomach acid", "loss hair", "stomach cramp", "weak"], "neural": ["stomach cramp", "loss hair", "weak", "nausea"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "25226", "t": "Ask your doctor about Flonase for the drainage. I had that problem and it made me nauseas, too. Not to mention how gross it is! There is a generic for Flonase now and my insurance co-pay is only $5. Flonase co-pay was $20 I think. "}, "1": {"a": "15712", "t": "Yeah it makes me feel horrible and I dont want to do anything. Makes me feel so weak too. "}, "2": {"a": "15712", "t": "Nyxie, my ENT felt I have symptoms of GERD but I didnt think that would cause nauesa? He gave me zegerid, is that suppose to help? "}, "3": {"a": "15712", "t": "Yeah thats why im on zegerid cause of insurance. I dont really take it though. I think my nausea either has to do with my hypothyroidism since I had to start all over with meds at a low dose of 30mg's of armour or its cause I have constant congestion in my nose/sinuses and throat that I keep swallowing. "}, "4": {"a": "15712", "t": "Im on nasonex is that the same? Ive been on it for about 3 weeks, it helps the blurred drunking feeling that i used to have. "}}}, "626274": {"truth": ["eye red", "heartbeat fast", "nausea", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "vision blurred", "face swell", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "drowsiness", "excitement", "upset stomach", "stomach discomfort", "face red", "increase appetite", "pain throat", "swell neck gland", "cough", "sour stomach", "heartburn", "swallowing difficult", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "irritate", "loss appetite", "voice loss", "stiffness", "chest pain", "hoarseness", "headache", "stomach acid", "nose stuffy", "tiredness", "tremor", "irritability", "confusion", "increase sweating", "nosebleed", "change vision", "congestion ear", "weak", "seizure", "itch", "pain eye", "irregular heartbeat", "swell eyelid", "diarrhea", "fever", "pain muscle", "loss vision", "nose runny", "lightheadedness", "rash skin", "belching", "pain abdominal", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "sore throat", "unsteadiness", "ringing ear", "tight chest", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "pain joint", "bleed", "clumsiness", "lip swell", "short breath", "bruising", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "blindness", "restlessness", "moving difficult", "skin sore", "stomach pain", "pain body", "tingling", "nervousness", "nightmare", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["irritate"], "umls": ["inflammation", "wheezing", "irritate", "heartburn", "infection", "tight chest"], "neural": ["infection", "irritate", "wheezing", "tight chest"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "6613", "t": "It sounds like you have chronic sinusitis which is simply inflamed sinuses caused by allergies, irritants in the air, or something else. There are a couple of things you should think about. The first is whether you have acid reflux (heartburn, post nasal drip, lump in throat feeling). Acid reflux can cause asthma-like symptoms and can make sinusitis symptoms worse. Typically it can be treated with over-the-counter medications (the best one available without a prescription is Omeprazole which I believe is called Losec in the U.K.). If you have acid reflux you need to get it under control or the symptoms won't improve The same is true of allergies, you have to get the underlying cause of your sinus/asthma symptoms under control and the best way to manage allergies is with daily antihistamines. For the sinus symptoms there are some additional things you can do. The first is regular sinus irrigation with a neti pot or SinusRinse bottle - it will help get any thickened mucus out of your sinus cavities and will soothe some of the irritation. Many people with chronic sinus problems irrigate 2-3 times a day (morning, noon, night) and find it helps tremendously. You might also try a steroid nasal spray - something like Flonase or Rhinocort. You'll need a prescription but they also help with the nasal inflammation. The best way to manage this stuff is to get on a daily regimen of medications to control the underlying causes and irrigation to help keep your sinuses healthy. "}, "1": {"a": "6613", "t": "I'm a bit confused about your latest post. Are you saying that you've tried irrigation when you were having symptoms (discolored drainage) and nothing came out when you irrigated but the discolored drainage was still showing up on your pillow in the morning? I also noticed that you mention that you may not have used the antihistamines and irrigation long enough, which makes me wonder if you're misunderstanding the context of all of this. Asthma and sinusitis are both inflammatory problems but there are two \"levels\" of symptoms that most of us \"sufferers\" deal with, chronic and acute. Acute sinusitis and asthma attacks are flare ups caused by infections, allergens, that cause inflammation to get out of control. Typically the acute flare ups require antibiotics, oral steroids or higher doses of other meds for a couple of weeks to get them under control. It's impossible to avoid the acute flare ups and we're just trying to avoid them as much as possible (and know to call the doctor right away when they happen). The chronic symptoms have to be \"managed\" with medications like antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays and asthma inhalers, and with other treatments like saline irrigation. The goal of all of these every day things is to minimize the inflammation in the lungs and sinuses to keep them functioning correctly (and help ward off acute infections). Antihistamines start to work very quickly but they only work for 24 hours (at the most) and must be taken every day (at least during allergy season) if they're going to help. All it takes is one allergy attack and your sinuses get inflamed and infected. Saline irrigation should be done every day to keep mucus from clogging your sinuses (maybe several times a day if you're having symptoms). You may also want to try a nasal steroid spray like Rhinocort (but again, it needs to be take every day to be effective). Most asthma medications also need to be taken every day to manage the inflammation. The whole goal of daily maintenance is to minimize inflammation and help avoid the infections, but it only helps if you use the preventative and maintenance treatments every day. "}, "2": {"a": "6613", "t": "The nose and lungs are pretty closely linked so the stuff that's going on with your nose could definitely be affecting your chest (or vice-versa). And, it's very common for people who have issues with one to have problems with the other because most sinus and respiratory issues are inflammation-related and the whole respiratory tract can get inflamed if one part is irritated. That's why the maintenance regimen is so important - once the inflammation starts it's much harder to control your symptoms. If you're having asthma symptoms but aren't convinced you have asthma, the other likely culprit (that can also cause sinus inflammation) is acid reflux. It commonly causes asthma-like symptoms (wheezing, chest tightness, etc) by irritating the lining of the esophagus, and that irritation can even spread to the sinuses. I guess that's one more thing to try to get under control to see if it helps with your overall symptoms. "}}}, "526190": {"truth": ["nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "urine pain", "stomach discomfort", "drowsiness", "upset stomach", "bloating", "numb", "bad taste", "increase appetite", "swell neck gland", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "blistering skin", "voice loss", "lower pain side", "pain cheekbone", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "hoarseness", "nose stuffy", "burning skin", "tiredness", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "sleepiness", "weak", "itch", "pain eye", "diarrhea", "excessive stomach gas", "fever", "pain abdominal", "pain muscle", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "pain lower back", "yellow skin", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "pain joint", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "bleed", "vomit", "discomfort", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "vomit bleed", "skin sore", "pain back", "taste change", "stomach pain", "pain body", "tingling", "change voice", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "skin red"], "neat": ["heartburn"], "umls": ["pain arm", "diarrhea", "stomach pain", "heartburn", "chest pain", "sore throat", "bloating"], "neural": ["bloating", "diarrhea", "heartburn"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2381", "t": "You could try Pepcid first and see if it works for you. It helped me for many years. Prilosec relieves my heartburn but the side effects really bother me: stomach pain, gas pains, bloating, diarrhea, etc. Not everyone has the side effects, but I'm very sensitive to medications. Last night, I took Mylanta maximum strength liquid before bed and it helped a bit. Hope you find some relief. "}}}, "45143": {"truth": ["loss hair", "nausea", "yellow eye", "swell hand", "ache body", "dizziness", "sneezing", "face swell", "urine pain", "buzzing ear", "stomach discomfort", "bloating", "upset stomach", "drowsiness", "warm", "numb", "bad taste", "increase appetite", "swell neck gland", "sour stomach", "cough", "heartburn", "chill", "bowel movement difficult", "wheezing", "decrease sexual desire", "blistering skin", "lower pain side", "voice loss", "pain cheekbone", "desire sexual decrease", "intestine gas excessive", "chest pain", "headache", "stomach acid", "hoarseness", "nose stuffy", "decrease urine", "burning skin", "tiredness", "increase sweating", "swell foot", "congestion ear", "gas passing", "sleepiness", "ulceration", "weak", "itch", "pain eye", "urine increase", "diarrhea", "fever", "excessive stomach gas", "pain abdominal", "pain lower back", "belching", "nose runny", "rash skin", "lightheadedness", "yellow skin", "pain muscle", "difficult breath", "swell joint", "pain joint", "ringing ear", "difficult urine", "gain weight", "bleed", "pain leg", "inflammation", "infection", "vomit", "discomfort", "indigestion", "stool loose", "constipation", "mouth dry", "difficult sleep", "vomit bleed", "skin sore", "pain back", "taste change", "stomach pain", "tingling", "sleeping difficult", "pain body", "change voice", "sleeplessness", "spinning sensation", "loss weight", "sweating", "skin red"], "neat": ["nausea", "heartburn"], "umls": ["nausea", "heartburn", "nightmare", "sore throat", "anxiety"], "neural": ["heartburn", "sore throat", "anxiety"], "doc_content": {"0": {"a": "2620", "t": "We are in the same boat. I stopped taking Nexium a few months ago and have experienced rebound of reflux. Nexium did not work for me the second time around, after being on it again for 4-5 weeks. I am now having esophagitis and reflux most of the time. I am on Somac now. I do not understand why we build up tolerance to PPI's. Maybe, the liver has been induced to produce the enzymes to break it down after a while so it does not have a chance to do what it should do. I am now regretting stopping Nexium because I was doing so well that I thought I might not need to rely on the medication any more. I was wrong !!!! Well, I can not undo this now. I have to try various PPIs to find out which one works for me. I understand how you feel, believe me I am feeling the same at the moment. As for the possibility of developing some malignancy, I do not think so. It is just the way PPI's work. I do not think the drug companies tested this either, as they never mentioned this, didn't they?? It baffled me as well but there are a lots of things we do not know. Take care and hope for the best. "}, "1": {"a": "52587", "t": "Rosebloom-- Glad to hear you're feeling at least a little bit better! I was trying to think of some other things I'd heard from my docs about the ppi's and what came to mind was one time my gi doc told me that the only thing he's found has worked well with his patients was the mega doses after the body sort of \"gets used to the ppi.\" (so to speak). This wasn't really an option for me because even though some of the ppi's lost their acid suppressing capability long ago, the higher the dosage I take, the more dizzy and lightheaded I get. He pretty much looked at me like I was a lost cause LOL! Anyway, if you wouldn't mind posting how things go for you that would be awesome "}, "2": {"a": "9827", "t": "What is HCL Pepsin? I will look for it and report back. I am at the point of trying anything within reason. "}, "3": {"a": "9827", "t": "Will look into it. Thank you for taking the time to write. R. "}, "4": {"a": "9827", "t": "I still take Melatonin for sleep and know it is supposed to be protective to the stmach. My symptom are under better control now. I am taking 20 mg Omeprazole in the mornng and 150 mg Zantac at night.My goal is to cut down on the Omeprazole again as soon as I can. I have cut down on carbs, and try to eat light meals. Walking a bt after dinner helps too. I see the gastro doctor in two weeks and see what she says. I have not given up on the idea of not taking PPI's long term. Rosebloom "}, "5": {"a": "9827", "t": "Thank you. This is why I think following up with the specialist is important. It is possible as you say that my LES further deteriorated during the three years that have passed since I last took the PPI's. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Rosebloom "}, "6": {"a": "9827", "t": "I wanted to give everyone an update. I went to the gastroenterologist a week ago. She insisted on placing me on a double dose of Aciphex since it worked so well last time. I took it for a few days and felt miserable. It still did not work at all in spite of being double the usual dose (40 mg twice a day). I went back to the Omeprazole twice a day which worked a bit but began to lose its effectiveness again after a few days. Therefore, I am still having days of experiencing hours of heartburn and/or nausea. I am now beginning to think the medication is not working and the symptoms that come and go are just the natural course of acid reflux, i.e., whether one takes medication or not, one has better days and worse days. I am still on all my remedies and eating a pretty light, low carb diet. I am now scheduled to undergo the upper endoscopy on May 8th and will see what shows up. I am still very nervous thinking that not taking PPI's for close to three years caused damaged to my esophagus. I am still trying to find out some type of scientific explanation as to why a PPI would stop working after it worked so well for me once. Hope everyone is doing well. Rosebloom "}, "7": {"a": "9827", "t": "Thank you for referrying me to the link. I read through the whole thing, and probably did not understand a portion of it. But it was nevertheless informative. My heartburn is a bit better due to the fact that I have gone back on a fairly strict carbohydrate free diet. I am taking the Aciphex as prescribed until I have the endoscopy next week, but that does not seem to be working. If I have any trigger foods or too many carbs, I immediately feel the burn even on 40 mg of Aciphex. The idea of hypersensitivity is an interesting one. I did not experience that the first time I took Aciphex five years ago (worked like a charm at one fourth the dose I am taking now), but it will be interesting to see what my esophagus looks like after two years off PPI's (I just started back on them recently). If I now have heartburn but no visible reflux, I guess I will be a NERD instead of a GERD person. The only disappointing part of the article is that I did not see a section on treatment. Anyway, thank you again. Rose "}, "8": {"a": "9827", "t": "Thank you for your reply. I am now taking Prevacid OTC and that seems to be working. I hope I can end up taking it every other day or so. I am going to be patient and give this one a try for several weeks. Rose "}, "9": {"a": "9827", "t": "Hi Sally: I started out with Aciphex about five years ago. I originally took 20 mg once a day, but eventually could get by taking half of that (10 mg) every day. I had total acid suppression on 10 mg (I cut the pill in half because the Aciphex was so expensive and I had to pay it out of pocket. But the 10 mg worked like a charm. I could eat and drink anything I desired whenever I desired. Then, I went off Aciphex about two years ago and stayed off for about two years (I have written extensively about this on another thread but the long and short of it is that I developed osteopenia or the precursor to osteoporosis while on the Aciphex). I made changes in my diet, took Zantac, and was never symptom free for two years, but I managed. Then, about six weeks ago I began to experience heartburn and a sore throat that lasted pretty much all day no matter what I did. After about two weeks of not being able to get it back under control, I called my family care doctor and obtained a new prescription of Aciphex. I took the 20 mg dutifully for a week and nothing. I made an appt. with the gastroenterologist (I have an endoscopy scheduled for tomorrow) and she doubled the Aciphex, which still did nothing for another week. I called them back last week and she switched me to Protonix 40 mg twice a day. I did not tolerate the Protonix too well. Besides giving me an awful burning sensation in my stomach, I felt hot all day as if I were experiencing hot flashes. Right now I am taking over the counter Prevacid once in the morning and a Zantac at night before dinner. My symptoms are better, but I still have periods of heartburn if I eat anything dairy (I used to have a yogurt in the morning with breakfast) or too many carbs. I plan to talk to the gastroenterologist tomorrow before or after the endoscopy (this will be my second one) to discuss meds. So far the Prevacid seems to be working the best of the ones I have tried. Thank you for taking the time to reply. Rose "}, "10": {"a": "9827", "t": "I had my second upper endoscopy yesterday. The GI doctor said it all looked pretty normal on the surface, but she took biopsies (which is the common thing to do) and they have to be looked at by a pathologist to see if there are any abnormal cell changes or mutations. She gave me some pictures this time, and they are interesting to look at. To the naked eye it all looks like a pink tube and blobs of tissue. The procedure went well. I had no side effects so I now have to wait for results. My symptoms are now back under better control so long as I watch my diet very carefully. I still feel some heartburn after meals, but I chew gum and also have Carafate I can take here and there as needed. I am now taking two Prevacids a day plus Zantac as needed. I have tried Aciphex (which worked great the first time around) and Protonix (which gave me a horrible burning sensation the two days I took it). Prilosec OTC and Prevacid work somewhat. I have not tried Nexium yet, but that may be my next option if I continue to plateau on the Prevacid. Thank you for asking. Rose "}}}}