Heartburn

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Scared of what’s next

GORD is getting worse and PPI stopped keeping the symptoms at bay. Doctors doubled my medication and I have another gastroscopy this week. I won’t lie, I’m scared.

My partner’s grandfather passed away from cancer that had probably been a result of his acid reflux/ heartburn. He passed away within 2 months of dx (he was dx after having an endoscopy). My MIL actively documented how he was doing, his symptoms etc, and still talks about it all afterwards.
It’s super selfish, but I’m scared like anything of it happening to me knowing that it’s a real possibility. It’s taken my mind to some dark places, and the closer we get to the gastroscopy the worse it gets.

Of course I’m trying to think positive and remind myself what the doctor said (that he was elderly and that it wasn’t likely anyway), but it’s beginning to be a real battle in the run up to it. I’ll just be glad when it’s over. Again it’s super selfish to think about it like this, but I feel like here’s a safe place to express it.

#AcidReflux #reflux #GORD #GERD #Heartburn #Anxiety #MentalHealth

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Gotta catch ‘em all

The last few weeks have been particularly hard on me.

Mentally, I’m mostly okay. Physically, I’m not. And that’s caused me to question a lot of things, wonder how it got to this point, increasing the severity of incidents where I won’t take painkillers.

I’m being referred to cardiology for a tilt table test.

In April, I was told I had low blood pressure but they didn’t seem too worried. At the end of May after worsening lightheadedness, I was told the same, and I was basically just told just to eat more and take iron supplements. And then last week, I went back again.

I initially made the appointment for something else a month before (I had to wait for a month), but then the lightheadedness got worse, so I told them about it again. I told them I had taken iron supplements, I was eating healthier than ever, I was staying hydrated, I was staying active, I was just really doing all the right things. And again it was low.

They’ve diagnosed me with postural hypotension in the meantime and told me to try compression socks for a week, and then if that didn’t work to call them and they’d refer me. So here we are. I get to have a blood test in September while I wait to be seen.

My sinus issues had a major flare up. I was so miserable with it that I sent a email basically begging them to give me an appointment (I was referred back in February but waiting list is apparently a year) because it was beginning to affect my mental health, and I get to see them in October.

It’s affected my hearing, so I had to chase up my ENT appointment. I hope it is just the sinus issues causing it, and not a third relapse of my ear problem, especially as everything seemed perfect last time I saw them. It would be nice to celebrate the first winter in 11 years without an ear infection.

And then of course, my referral for heartburn/ acid reflux. I see the doctors for a one-month review, which will end in the referral they wanted to do (because I had suffered for at least 5 years w/out diagnostics) but held off on. The medication they put me on has somewhat helped, but I’m still having to take gaviscon most days.

Finally, the chronic pain. It’s been difficult these past two days, and after (stupidly) lifting a sofa up because the cat pushed her toy under it (and then she herself went under it so I had to call my sister because I physically couldn’t lift it for much longer), it’s been worse. I still forget that I’m not really supposed to do things like that, and I always pay the price (pun not intended, but yeah cause volatarol is expensive).

I’m just really very tired. I remind myself it could be worse, which is probably what has helped me stay positive and mentally mostly okay, but sometimes it gets to me. Particularly when it’s yet another tablet added to my daily medication. It makes me tired, and I think “it only gets worse as I get older”. I want to stop them, but I know I can’t. I ended up in hospital the last two times I did.

Or another time it bothers me is when everything is getting worse/ is bad/ is happening all at the same time. This post doesn’t even cover all of it, but at this point I’m too tired to write anymore. Speaking of tired, I’ve only had 5 hours sleep each day for the last 3 days. I wake up early and then typically can’t get back to sleep because of pain and insomnia :))

#ChronicPain #Depression #GastroesophagealRefluxDisease #Heartburn #AcidReflux #BloodPressure #Lowbloodpressure #PosturalHypotension #Hospital #DoctorsAppointments #Doctors #Sinus #HearingLoss #ent #cardiology #Hearing #Medication #MentalHealth #Pain #BackPain #Insomnia #Painsomnia

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Uphill battle

Bit of struggle again.

My hearing is going again. The doctor doesn’t seem bothered because it’s not blocked and doesn’t look infected, and said to come back if it continued. It’s already been a month with it and it’s not gone away. Its incredibly frustrating when it goes. Its disorientating. And surely no visible cause is concerning? Especially given I haven’t made it a year post-op yet.

My heartburn and acid reflux have taken a sudden turn for the worse, around 5 years into suffering with it. I was almost constantly taking gaviscon over the last few days after I came back from my holiday, so I booked an urgent appointment because I couldn’t live like it when it was affecting my sleep too. I’ve got a prescription and they want me to have a OGD. I don’t really see why, because it’s genetics.

I also caught covid again. I went out to a concert and that’s all it took. I however kept testing negative from the Tuesday I first was symptomatic, until the Saturday when I finally tested positive. The one time I went out somewhere that had a lot of people. (Disclaimer: I am fully vaccinated, have the booster and I had covid before (another disclaimer: back when the vaccines weren’t around and my entire family were basically key workers)).

Also had a bunch of other minor illnesses and general conditions/ chronic pain I have getting worse. I think it’s gonna be sick girl summer.

#ChronicPain #BackPain #HearingLoss #GastroesophagealRefluxDisease #Heartburn #AcidReflux #COVID19 #Postop #ill #hardtimes

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Chronic adventures

Well, I guess my b12 is super low. Why? I have no good reason. Wait, AND Glossitis!? Just another day in my wacky world of chronic adventures!! Waiting for the last test to come back, so this waiting is done. For now. Yah chronic sh*t! #forreal #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Erythromelalgia #RareDisease #Colectomy #neuromodulators #Arthritis #IBS #constipation #Migraine #Disability #MentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety #PeripheralNeuropathy #Undiagnosed #raynauds #Hypertension #GERD #Heartburn #glossitis #Inflammation

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Stomach issues..

My whole gut is sensitive right now. Lower right and left. My upper stomach feels like a pit. It hurts to pee, i know theres no infection. They've found no blockages, no ulcers, nothing. Just slow transit and ibs. Taking more omeprazole doesn't help much.

It's just some type of flare, but im drained.

Oh and I might have oral thrush.

Still trying to keep a good face when it hurts

But thinking about donating my body to science, seriously

#IBS #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #CheckInWithMe #CheerMeOn #constipatio n #cramps #indigestion #GERD #Heartburn #Stomach #Fatigue #Undiagnosed #RareDisease #MentalHealth #PeripheralNeuropathy #Migraine #FODMAP #diet #Pain

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Groundhog Day but it’s an entire year that loops

I see memes as a way of coping with pain, and other people here seem to like them, so I figured that I’d keep adding them :)

I’ve not been well. As I posted before (I think), I’ve been having palpitations and shaking which I blamed on anxiety.

Of course I engaged in more self-care and increased my medication as a result, and it’s been a month since I did so. Unfortunately things aren’t getting better. They’re getting worse, but I just ignored it up until a few days ago.

On Tuesday, I had an episode which reminded me of my own mortality. I had had palpitations most the day, something I took no real notice of as it was normal to me. Then at 2am, my chest started hurting. I took Gaviscon because it started off as a burning pain, but the Gaviscon didn’t work and it changed to a kind of “tightening” pain.

Earlier on in that day, I had noticed my ankles were quite swollen (I’d noticed it for a few weeks but it was very minor so again I ignored it before). So putting the pain and the swelling together scared me. I tried distractions and even another dose of gaviscon. After a few hours, I decided to lay down and it relieved it and I managed to get some sleep.

I contacted the doctors the next day and had a call yesterday morning which was them basically reading off a piece of paper. I have another call this afternoon and I hope it’ll be more helpful.

It was so scary though. Normally chest pain doesn’t get to me, but for some reason that night I was scared. Everything had been kind of fuzzy/ fading too, so that was what really got me.

A reason why I had left doing anything about the palpitations before is because I just feared that the doctors wouldn’t be able to find out what was up/ not even bother to find out. I still do worry, as the episodes aren’t very predictable (the only thing I’ve noticed is that they’re typically at night/ in the evening, which is when the doctors is closed).

Another reason why I had left it is because I have had palpitations for over a year now, and I never actually associated the swelling with it before (I had swelling in my ankle before, but I worked long hours in a physical job so I blamed it on that). I guess it’s kind of complacency.

I hope everyone else here is okay. I keep meaning to check in, but I’ve been so busy that it took the episode the other day for me to remind myself to slow down.

#ChestPain #Pain #ChronicPain #Swelling #Doctors #heartpalpitations #palpitations #Anxiety #Tremor #Heartburn #Memes

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Just another day in this life

Atm my #BackPain #ChronicPain is horrible and so is my #Heartburn .

Not sure why the heartburn decided to hit 8 hours after I last ate, or what caused the back pain to start up again but lying down is making it worse.

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Tips for GERD? #GastroesophagealRefluxDisease #Heartburn

I’ve been struggling with GERD symptoms more recently, probably from high anxiety. It’s starting to irritate my throat and also my chest. I go to see my doctor in a month or so, but does anyone have any tips in the meantime that helps when they’re having a particularly bad day? The heartburn/gas pains are killing me.

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