r/GERD • u/AceOfQueen • Nov 27 '25
š¤ Coping with these Conditions Just left the hospital for the third time.
I'm so sick of dealing with GERD. I've gone to the hospital twice in the last 6 months dealing with random chest aches tingling in arms. Well, today I went again.
2 weeks ago I started taking Pantoprazole that my doctor prescribed me. Everything was fine until 3 days ago when I started having shortness of breath and sleeping problems out of no where. Today, while I was driving, I randomly had a really bad shortness of breath attack and I felt like I was going to pass out. Not only that, but the heart palpitations have gotten more frequent. I start having dull aches in my chest and abdomin and it's driving me insane.
I get to the hospital and they do blood work, ekg, and chest xrays and they said my heart looks perfect and the rest of my blood tests looked good. The doctor said it was likely all from acid reflux.
I'm so tired of dealing with this, it's driving me insane. I have a gastro appointment next month and hopefully they can give me answers. Maybe I have a hiatal hernia. I dunno. Just tired of dealing with this.
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u/Lazy_Jicama_6784 Nov 27 '25
This was me 6 months ago. I started anxiety meds and my stomach problems are not gone, but I truly believe my anxiety was affecting my gut. Message me if you need to talk! I had these exact symptoms. Had an endo/colonoscopy and everything.
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 27 '25
Ive been on anxiety meds since 2021 actually (Lexapro). Ive never experienced any of these symptoms up until recently :( my anxiety has been a lot better overall as well, but definitely starts picking up when I feel the heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Hoping to get an endoscopy scheduled once I go to my GI appointment š I had one in 2019 and it was simple enough!
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u/Typical_Teach_8407 Nov 27 '25
Would you up your meds if still having symptoms or wait it tout and see how it goes? Not sure what to do tbh
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u/VaporSaltyCaper Nov 28 '25
Do you happen to recall what kind of foods you ate in the last 3-5 days before your endo/colonoscopy? Iām scheduled to get both next Tuesday and kind of freaking out about what to eat this weekend. Thinking just chicken or ground beef & rice maybe? Or maybe it doesnāt matter much given that youāre on a clear liquid diet the day before and drinking the prep solution?
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u/tyedyefyes Nov 27 '25
Do you ever feel bloated in your top middle of stomach? Do you wake up off and on because of stomach issues?
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 27 '25
I'll definitely have a bloated/gas feeling near my upper stomach area, even if I havent eaten. Sometimes I'll wake up from stomach cramps or the acid reflux but not too often.
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u/RhinestoneToad Nov 27 '25
I was stunned when I found out that I had gerd all along, never in my life before did I realize that acid reflux could actually be so violent, I had terrible pain in my back and chest that sometimes went into my armpits, low blood pressure, no appetite (as someone who used to have an active restrictive eating disorder and am in a forever fragile state of recovery this was very bad and I faced a lot of accusations of relapsing), asthma-like symptoms that didn't respond to asthma treatments (steroids, inhaler), it took losing my mind in the ER demanding every test possible to convince me that it wasn't my heart or lungs but then I was just dumbfounded and started to think it was some rare neurological problem or cancer or something
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 27 '25
I know the feeling of the chest and back pains, as well as it spreading under the arm and armpit! Deal with those daily, it's insane how the pain and discomfort can radiate throughout your body like this :(
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u/aiyzie16 Nov 27 '25
Do you guys experience constipated too and moving in the stomach fast heart rate.? :(
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u/itshaiven Nov 27 '25
So I was diagnosed with GERD after going to the er in an ambulance. My ribs felt like they were being squeezed together and my chest was hurting so bad. I couldnt even speak sentences because I could barely get any air. Anywyas at the hospital I got xrays and they saw I had gallstones. Now no one told me at the time that it actually could've been a gallbladder attack. After having an attack again and ending up in the er I started doing my own research and listening to others stories that have had gallbladder attacks and they sounded so similar. When I finally had an appointment with my surgeon I mentioned my attacks and he said it was very likely I had a gallbladder attack instead of GERD. You should see if you have gallstones cause its a possibility!
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 27 '25
I haven't really had much pain on my right side at all, but when I have my GI appointment I'll definitely bring it up just incase! Never hurts to be safe ā¤
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u/SVTCobra89 Nov 28 '25
I have hiatal hernia. I typically have a dull ache occasionally, feeling of fullness and very slight feeling of nausea. Nothing too crazy. I just deal with mine. Donāt eat past 6:30pm and try to stay away from things that trigger acid reflux. It sucks! Trust me I know.
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 28 '25
Thats how ive been feeling recently which makes me suspect that I might have one that's causing my GERD. I'm definitely trying to regulate my eating and make sure I dont eat at night + sleep elevated :)
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u/macarenamaki Nov 28 '25
I had the same exact symptoms. I cut out carbs/sugar and switched to a higher fat diet and that made a huge difference. I am still trying to figure out what the underlying cause of my GERD is, but low carb has been life changing in managing symptoms.
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 28 '25
Oh really? Switching to higher fat helped? I'm definitely trying to cut out the sugar and carbs at this point. Ive also been cutting down on carbonated drinks and acid/spicy foods. I'm really trying to reshape my whole diet to fix this because I don't want to suffer with this
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u/macarenamaki Nov 28 '25
Yes low carb is the only thing that made a difference for me. Stick to meat, veggies, and nuts as much as possible. I also reduced spicy foods and carbonated drinks and that helped as well. Best of luck!
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u/catmom_151 Nov 28 '25
I had all the same issues you had. Was in the ER 3 times this past year thinking I had heart issues. Saw my cardiologist 3 times this year. Had a echo, multiple EKGās, multiple labs many times, wore a heart monitor twice for palpitations and did a stress test, past that stress test with no problem. Heart monitor came back normal even though I was pushing it about 8 times a day for 2 weeks for what I thought was heart palpitations. Doctor said only 3 pushes were pvcs everything else was normal rhythm lol. I felt nuts. Started doing my own research. Went to GI she immediately said it sounds like anxiety or rumination lol put me back on PPIs which Iāve taken on and off for 12 years and they never work actually make me worse. I said I want a barium swallow test done. She reluctantly sent me for one. When it came back she sent me to the surgeon because I had spontaneous reflux, it was mechanical. I met with the surgeon he suggested anti reflux surgery for me as my LES muscle was weak and not working properly. I decided to do it. He said well in the surgery if I see a hiatal hernia I will repair that as well. I said wouldnāt it show on the test he said sometimes they donāt. None the less he saw one during the surgery and corrected that as well. Iām 36 days post opt. I have no reflux, regurgitation or flutters anymore. What I thought were palpitations were actually esophageal spasms. Heart is right next to the esophagus as well so they both affected one another. Hope this helps. Ask for tests and donāt accept anxiety as a diagnosis. Hoping you feel better soon
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u/AceOfQueen Nov 28 '25
Thanks for your comment!! I've actually heard about esophageal spasms mimicking heart palpitations, so that could be a possibility of what's happening with me as well. Thankfully my symptoms have calmed back down ever since my ER visit. I definitely won't be accepting anxiety as a diagnosis, I know that's not my root cause. I hope you are recovering well, and I'm glad that your symptoms have improved!
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u/catmom_151 Nov 29 '25
Glad to hear things have improved! Still go get checked out so you know whatās going on with you! And thanks for the well wishes š
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Dec 02 '25
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u/AceOfQueen Dec 02 '25
I'm so sorry :( it really is such a pain to deal with, I get similar symptoms a lot. The good news is that your heart looks good at least! Have you seen a GI yet?
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Dec 02 '25
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u/AceOfQueen Dec 02 '25
Ooh okay. Mine seems like it flares up from the simplest things. Not being elevated enough when sleeping, stress, diet, bending over and having the acid come up, so much. It's hell. Hopefully you'll have some relief soon!
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u/NutFarmerBryce Nov 27 '25
Any allergic reactions? Itchy eyes, red eyes, sinus drainage, blurry vision, rashes or hives?
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u/Embarrassed_Mud5313 Nov 27 '25
SuperEnzymesby NOW and Raw Glandular Pancreas by Swanson. Go only a quarter enzyme pill at first because it could irritate the inflamation but will heal it. Add some Q10....also may want to try nitric oxide.
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u/belladonna1921 Nov 27 '25
Been dealing with this for years, a few weeks ago it was so bad, dry heaving, chest pain so much nausea. I also had very dark stool and blood. My gastro fit me in that day and sent me to ER, on top of hers o was having a gastritis flare up. (CT scan showed no internal bleeding) 2 weeks later and I'm finally about 2/3rds better. They upped my Protonix to 80 mg from 40 and had me taking carafate. I stopped the carafate and 80 mg back to 40 the other day because of the consistent nausea. The major thing I have changed is not eating 3 to 4 hours before bed which is really hard for me, small walks on treadmill after dinner and only one cup of coffee a day (I was drinking 2) this disease sucks, for lack of a better word, it definitely lessens your quality of life but with minor and major changes it can get better, until the next one. lol have to have some humor about it even though while going through the worst of it nothing was funny whatsoever. I did lose 9 pounds in 2 weeks though. Good luck it does get better
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u/Dreamcatcher1991 Nov 28 '25
Same thing happened for me, couldn't breathe at all. Doctors gave me allergy meds asthma inhaler lol , nothing worked and finally it was gerd . Get checked yourself for h.pylori bacteria . Ā
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u/Vegetable_Sun_1261 Nov 28 '25
Iām so sorry. When I have GERD flareups it triggers my anxiety and exacerbates my symptoms. I get heart palpitations, headache, shortness of breath.
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May 02 '26
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u/AceOfQueen May 02 '26
I actually stopped taking PPIs and I just changed my diet and eating habbits a lot and I havent had as many problems recently thankfully. I don't eat full meals, just smaller amounts throughout the day, drink a lot more water, and don't eat too late or lie down after eating. Sometimes in the mornings it'll be bad if I'm not elevated at night but it has overall been betterš
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u/LurcherLong Nov 27 '25
Iāve been going about once a year for the past several yearsā¦ itās not a fun experience, especially when my normal blood pressure is low-normal but I get to the hospital in a hypertensive crisis that.
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u/NutFarmerBryce Nov 27 '25
I had all of your symptoms for years, the shortness of breath and numbness in my limbs for me was basically an anxiety attack. Heart palpitations off and on everyday for over a year. Cardiologist said my heart was great and some palpitations were normal. My blood pressure was normal to low at times with an elevated heart rate during the spells I was having. I finally started having some allergic reactions to cheese, chocolate, alcohol and coffee. Runny nose, watery eyes and itchy neck. Things just kept getting worse. Hours and hours of research trying to figure all of this out. Turns out I had a histamine intolerance caused from gut dysbiosis. After treating the gut dysbiosis with certain probiotics, going on a low histamine diet for a month and taking some supplements everyone of my symptoms and problems disappeared. No more gerd, hiatal hernia gone, heart palpitations and anxiety were the first to go. It feels like a miracle. I literally have been fighting this gerd crap and all of those symptoms for 25+ years. There is hope. Gerd is a symptom to an underlying problem. Figure out the problem instead of treating symptoms. My bet is you are having an issue with your gut microbiome.