13 posts shown.
So, I picked up some 150mg Ronald Reagan. I’m planning on taking one in the morning and one at night, about thirty minutes before eating, just to see if things actually start looking up. I’ve got to redo my blood work this Friday when I head back to see my doctor to grab a new referral. Wish me luck.
Angela Wright said:Go get another gastroscopy, but this time, go see a different gastroenterologist. I’d bet anything that the results will look completely different this time around.
I've run into plenty of conflicting opinions on this, but some people claim that H. pylori weakens the sphincter, which triggers that reflux where stomach contents shoot back up into the esophagus. Since the esophagus doesn't have the acid-resistant lining that the stomach does, you end up with damage, which leads to that sensation of swallowing lumps. You get all this discomfort right behind your sternum that makes you think it's your heart, and then the panic sets in, making your heart race for real. My husband went through the exact same thing and was eventually diagnosed with GERD. Luckily, he didn't have H. pylori, but during those nighttime episodes, it looked like he was having a full-blown heart attack.
I’m definitely doing it again. Now that I have a perspective I actually trust, I need answers. As far as my official diagnoses go... it’s been the usual runaround of somatic symptom disorder, anxiety, psychosomatic stuff, blah blah blah. A mountain of meds too—sedatives, anxiolytics, antidepressants, you name it. Nothing worked. It just kept getting worse. The lump in my throat happens occasionally now, but it’s mostly this shallow breathing that kills me, plus that nagging discomfort right at the base of my sternum where the stomach sits. Then there's the appetite issue. I’m hungry as hell, literally starving, but I can't eat a thing. My stomach is cramping, but the thought of food is just... no. So yeah, I'm redo-ing the tests and checking for H. pylori to figure out my next move. I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is spiking because of all this, too. Thanks, everyone. If anyone else has advice or thoughts, please drop them here. I'd really appreciate it.
Angela Wright said:Look, man, from what you're describing, you've got classic symptoms of GERD—gastroesophageal reflux disease. Do some digging online, or just check out the dedicated thread we have here on GERD. As for the H. pylori, you really need to go back for another breath test to see if that thing is still hanging around. That bacteria is incredibly stubborn; one round of antibiotics often isn't enough to kick it to the curb. You’ve got to be aggressive and persistent with both the reflux and the infection, because if you let them slide, they can cause esophageal damage that eventually turns into cancer over time.
To manage this right now, stop eating after 6 PM, stay away from chocolate, and skip the mint—that peppermint tea won't help you. Try sleeping with your head elevated, and make sure you're sitting up straight rather than slouching and putting all that pressure on your stomach. Definitely keep some Pepcid or Zantac on hand.
Thanks for the input. To be honest, I went in for an endoscopy just two months after these issues started, and everything came back totally normal. The weirdest part is how easy it is to throw up—I don't even have to force it, you know? Like, I just strain a little and the food comes right back up. And once I've vomited, I actually feel a lot better...
Thomas Gray8 said:I went through something very similar. I noticed that whenever I'm agitated or stressed, I can't take a full breath; it feels like the oxygen isn't actually reaching my bloodstream. It's this suffocating sensation that lasts for a day or two. It doesn't even require a major crisis—just enough restlessness from work or exams to spike my blood pressure and heart rate, all accompanied by that heavy chest feeling, like I'm bloated and every single breath requires manual effort. Even when I inhale, it never feels like enough.
This sounds like a standard physical manifestation of stress and anxiety. When you bottle up anger, it builds up this psychological energy. If you don't find a constructive outlet for it, it releases somatically: high blood pressure, palpitations, tremors, and so on.
You likely have a psychosomatic issue. I’d suggest picking up a high-intensity sport where you can vent that frustration and aggression. If you stick to it regularly, your blood pressure and breathing should stabilize within a month. If that doesn't work, go see a psychiatrist or a therapist, because then we're looking at a deeper underlying issue driving everything else.
A few more questions for you:
-Are you perhaps drinking more coffee or tea than average?
-Do you smoke?
-Could you be overdoing it on green vegetables?
-Have you ever taken a hard hit to the back of your head or sustained any other head injuries?
-Have you ever had a lung disease?
Used to drink tons of coffee, now it's just one cup a day. I smoke; didn't when this started, but I've been a smoker for about a year now. Don't eat green veggies. Yeah, I busted my head up when I was a kid—still got the scar today. A piece of iron fell on my head and left a huge gash. As for my lungs, never had any issues there... 🤦
So, honestly? I feel like absolute garbage. I’ve been through the ringer—hospital visits, endless tests... probably cleared over 50 different things at this point. Heart ultrasounds, thyroid panels, chest X-rays, spirometry, gastroscopies, hormone levels, you name it. Everything comes back "normal." The only outlier was testing positive for H. pylori; I finished a seven-day round of meds two years ago and the doctor told me I was good to go. Back then, my main issue was panic attacks and that tight feeling in my throat, but things have shifted. The panic attacks are rare now, but instead, I'm stuck with this shallow breathing. Like, I just can't get a full lungful of air. My spirometry from two years ago showed FEV1 and FVC values around 97%—so my lungs should be fine, right? Oxygen saturation sits at 99%. Yet, the symptoms are still brutal. For instance, if I get hungry, my throat constricts and feels like there's a lump in it, forcing me to gulp air just to burp it out. My blood pressure used to be a steady 120/80, but now it's up. Sometimes my heart skips beats or starts racing, and sleep? Forget about it. I don't drift off until I'm basically collapsing from exhaustion. I've tried all sorts of antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds, but nothing—zero progress. And lately, I’ve started having these jolts during sleep. I'll be drifting off and suddenly jerk awake, feeling like I can't breathe or like I've stopped breathing entirely. That never used to happen. Now I'm starting to wonder... could this be sleep apnea? Has anyone else dealt with something like this?
Hey everyone, popping back in after a two-year hiatus. I’m hoping there might be someone here who can help me make sense of things—is this just a classic anxiety disorder or am I looking at something else entirely? Here's the deal: I get this constant sensation that everything around me isn't quite real, like I'm living in a dream or something. On top of that, there's the shortness of breath, high blood pressure, that nagging lump in my throat, and this relentless need to burp constantly. My heart races too, though not all the time. If every single medical test comes back perfectly normal, could this really just be anxiety? And one more thing... what if these symptoms don't just pop up occasionally, but stay present from sunrise to sunset, year after year? Thanks.
nimblewolf24 said:I’ve been struggling to catch my breath for almost two weeks now...
I just can't take a deep breath; it feels like there’s this massive weight sitting right on my chest...
I went through this before—back when I was pregnant, I just assumed it was part of the pregnancy... my doctor sent me for all sorts of tests, but they couldn't find a single thing wrong...
It happened again later on too (when I was putting on some extra weight), but I didn't even bother seeing a doctor since it would pass so quickly...
It hadn't happened in a long time, but for the last two weeks, I feel like I'm actually dying... I’ve lost so much weight that I’m definitely not "putting on weight" anymore...
I’m literally fighting for air by forcing myself to yawn just to try and get a full breath, and then the dizziness kicks in, my eyes water, and my nose starts running...
I went to the clinic about 20 days ago, including breathing tests, and everything came back perfectly fine at the time...
Last night I finally saw my doctor, who gave me some Ventolin and basically blamed it all on stress (which I honestly don't have, because everything in my life is actually fine right now)...
After I use the inhaler, I feel better for maybe an hour or two, and then it's back to total misery...
I can't just keep using the spray constantly, but this "breathing" issue isn't killing me, yet I have no idea how to actually make things easier?
Me? I manage to get some relief by straining until I bring up a bit of food from my stomach, or just burping to clear out some air... then it feels a little easier...
Timothy Scott84 said:Greetings @sickman123. In your specific situation, we are looking at either panic attacks or hypochondria. The symptoms you described—shortness of breath, excessive sweating, a sense of impending doom, arrhythmia, or a racing heart—are textbook signs of panic attacks that often stem from past trauma, whether it occurred during childhood or later in life. On the other hand, if your doctors insist your tests are perfectly clear yet you still feel unwell, then you might be imagining it all... which points toward hypochondria, characterized by an intense fear of illness and perceiving ailments that simply don't exist. Look at it this way: nobody here has labeled you as sick, and I certainly don't view you as ill, yet when you signed up for this forum, you chose the username SickMan... implying that your illness has become such a core part of your identity that it defines you. Isn't that a bit strange? It sounds incredible, but it's true: if you suffer from hypochondria, you can even feel pain in a tooth that was pulled ten years ago! Hypochondria can also be closely linked to a craving for attention. There are many people who feel terribly lonely and begin to manifest illnesses just to draw their family closer. In any case, I believe your issue is psychological in nature... something you will have to uncover yourself by reflecting on any unpleasant events that may have triggered this state. It would also be wise to talk with your family to see if anyone else in your lineage has dealt with similar issues. Initially, I would strongly recommend that you immediately stop taking any and all pills if you feel they aren't helping... and instead focus on working on yourself, building your self-confidence, and organizing your lifestyle. Start making progress there first! Go to some baseball games and, regardless of how you feel about profanity, "vent" your frustrations at the umpire or the players as much as you need to... it's a great way to release stress! Surround yourself with optimists and stay far away from pessimists. When you go for a jog, listen to relaxing music on your phone or run with a friend while cracking jokes. Get out into nature... and finally, you might try an old folk remedy sometimes used in rural parts of the country where I grew up, involving pouring molten lead into water. This isn't about the medicinal properties of lead or the water, but rather the sheer shock of the experience... the sudden fright can reset a stressed brain, overriding old fears and clearing the mental slate through pure adrenaline. Good luck!
Tried that lead trick three times... didn't do a damn thing. So it really is all in my head? Even the parts where it feels like the air is too thick to breathe? :O
Brandon Lopez6 said:What was the deal with why you didn't want to take them?
When you go to the ER, do they actually give you an injection or just hand you another prescription?
Look, I usually just get a 10ml injection of diazepam at the ER, which actually calms me down and makes things manageable... but the pills? They don't do anything for me at all. Honestly. 😢
Brandon Lopez6 said:Honestly, sounds like textbook anxiety symptoms to me. They kept handing you stuff to calm you down in the moment, but you probably would've seen better results with actual antidepressants.
Were you actually following the prescription? And are you dealing with a massive amount of stress right now?
Look, I've spent way too much time falling down internet rabbit holes researching anxiety, and honestly? Everything points to that. But here's the thing—I haven't even kept any of these pills in my system for more than seven days. Every other day, I'm practically living in the ER because I feel like I can't catch my breath... so the doctor just swaps one med for another immediately. The last ones they tried to put me on—which I refused to touch—were Paxil 20 mg... I'm just lost at this point. Someone even suggested it might just be acid reflux...
Angela Wright said:link to the Gerba thread:
So, I had a gastroscopy about four months back. Everything looked totally fine according to the doctor—stomach was supposedly healthy and all that. Then, out of nowhere, they find this H. pylori thing. It's weird, right? Anyway, here's the deal: whenever I eat something, I can basically trigger my own vomiting on command. No finger down the throat or anything, just a bit of effort and I'm good to go. Honestly? It actually makes breathing easier afterward... gives me this weird sense of relief. Like, when I'm hungry, I get nauseous, my tonsils feel like they're swelling up, and I start choking like crazy. Is this that Gerba stuff you guys are talking about? Because one time, I actually threw up blood.
Brandon Lopez6 said:So, if you’ve run all the tests and nothing physical is showing up, we’re probably looking at something psychological here. That tight feeling in your throat and the sensation like you can't quite get enough air? Honestly, that's a super common precursor to a panic attack. Have you thought about sitting down with a psychiatrist? As for meds, you really have to give antidepressants at least a month or so to actually kick in before you can tell if they're doing anything—if they don't work after that, then you just pivot and try something else.
Well, I've been to the psychiatrist plenty of times. Seriously, I was there constantly. But the thing is, they were swapping my meds out every seven days like it was nothing... one week it's benzodiazepines, the next it's sedatives, then some anxiolytics... just always something different. And just to be clear, it isn't always a panic attack. Even when I'm not having one, I still struggle to take a deep breath, my throat feels tight, and sometimes I get this heavy pressure in my chest...
Hey, I’m not even sure if this is the right spot for my mess on the forum, but honestly, I’m just hoping someone out there might have an actual answer for me.. So, here’s the deal: I’m 17, decent build, don't smoke, stay away from drugs, rarely touch alcohol. I’m not exactly an athlete or anything, but I do physical labor for work. Back in April, this whole nightmare started, and I’ve been struggling with it ever since. One night, everything just tightened up in my throat—like, super tight, like I was trying to breathe through a straw, and my throat felt bone dry. I went to the ER, they did an EKG, and everything looked totally fine. O2 saturation was 99%, blood pressure was 120/80... They gave me a 10ml injection of diazepam, which calmed the panic attack down, but that tightening sensation in my throat? It wouldn't budge. Things actually got worse after that, so they sent me over to the local hospital for more testing. I ended up in the cardiology ward—basically the internal medicine wing for heart issues. I spent two nights in the hospital, and man, it was a hellish experience—fever, shaking, chills, the constant fear that I was actually dying... After that, I stayed in the observation unit for eight days. I was mobile, conscious, had a good appetite, etc. The only thing bothering me was that throat tightness. They did a thyroid ultrasound, all clear. Did several EKGs, which occasionally showed ventricular extrasystoles (doctors say it’s nothing to worry about).. Lung X-ray came back clean too, no noise, pulmonary results were perfectly normal. Then they did a color Doppler echo. Results: mild tricuspid regurgitation (which apparently 90% of people have, so whatever).. Heart is supposedly perfectly healthy. They also ran a spirometry test, FEV1/FVC was 98%.. Diagnosis: "Somatoform disorders." So, they sent me to a neuropsychiatrist clinic. I took some Bosnyal tablets, but didn't feel a single bit of relief. Eventually, they discharged me because, according to them, I’m "healthy." But since then, I’ve been dealing with heavy dyspnea, so I ended up hospitalized again at the psych ward because of that throat constriction... I’ve cycled through everything from standard sedatives to various meds like Ambien, Lexapro, Xanax... At the psych ward, they diagnosed me with body dysmorphic disorder, sexual dysfunction, hypochondria... Everyone keeps telling me nothing is wrong with me, but I can't just accept that. I go home, try to play soccer, and suddenly my throat tightens up so bad I feel like I'm going to throw up; I can't catch my breath... I go to my doctor, get prescribed Xanax 0.50mg plus Parosel 20mg.. Took it for 20 days, zero change. Then my neuropsychiatrist put me on a bunch of other stuff—Ranital for the nausea, Rivotril, Risperidone, etc.. I also had a gastroscopy, which was normal. Tested positive for H. pylori, but the doctor told me I didn't need the triple therapy. Thyroid hormone tests? All great. So, I went home and stopped taking all the meds that weren't doing anything... For a while, I thought I could just deal with it. But one morning, the second I open my eyes, I can't take a deep enough breath. It scares the life out of me. And now, it's getting worse. Every ten days or so, it hits harder; I can't seem to fill my lungs because it feels like my stomach is pressing against my ribs, squeezing my diaphragm so I can't get air in. Otherwise, I'm okay—I've got energy, a good appetite, no swelling in my legs or ankles, no pain, just this weird discomfort in the middle of my chest. No liver palpitation, sometimes I feel those extra beats when I'm lying down, I'm not losing my mind, I don't feel fatigued... It's just that when I run, my tonsils tighten up and I get hit with this wave of nausea like I'm gonna barf. It happens when I'm hungry too. Even after the triple therapy, nothing moved the needle. Now I'm just wondering what to do and how long this is supposed to last.. I can't take it anymore, but I can't die either... I know this is a massive novel, but I am desperately looking for help. Doctors keep filling my head with "you're fine," while I'm stuck searching the internet for anyone with similar issues just to figure out what's happening to me. Sometimes I genuinely feel like I'm dying, and it's terrifying. Plus, I've got this acid reflux burning in my stomach area too. Thanks in advance! 🙂 🤷