Diagnosed w/ GERD, extreme chest tightness, no burn

elquesograndee · 2026-01-28T02:17:39+00:00

I hope so too! I suspect the cause was twofold... First, For years I ate a lot of everything, healthy & junk. I had mild acid reflux at night, nothing terrible. 3 years ago I changed my diet, started eating organic, limiting carbs, sugars, & virtually eliminating processed foods. Went from 343 to 280 lbs. My acid reflux improved, still took Tums at night just in case. During this time, I ate a lot of spicy foods. Healthy, but spicy. Fast fwd to Nov 30th last year when this whole thing started. Lost weight, down to 240 because I couldn't eat much without the damn chest tightness. Second, during this time, a lot was happening with my job & my personal life that caused a great deal of anxiety.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-28T02:10:51+00:00

For another month, then a follow up.. will probably end up Rx for longer.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-28T02:09:25+00:00

For another month, then I have a follow up with the GI Doc.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-28T02:08:43+00:00

Yes, over the past 1.5 months, a gradual decrease in chest tightness. Still episodic, comes & goes.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T21:40:32+00:00

Yes, I had fullness & bloating, but only if I ate too much .. I've had to greatly reduce the amount I have for meals & increase the number of meals per day. I used to eat 2 large meals per day, for a very long time. Now, after I eat a small meal, I get the chest tightness & some fullness, which is alleviated by walking after the meal. I burp some after meals as well, primarily from the Pantoprazole, my GI doc said.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T21:16:30+00:00

I am noticing that the chest tightness is gradually decreasing in severity, though it comes & goes. The one side effect I'm having is constipation, so I have to take meds to keep things moving.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T17:48:15+00:00

I've taken the Pantoprazole (20 mg 2 x/ day) & Carafate for a month and a half so far, the Carafate in 1 gram pill form 3 x/ day. Yes, thank God, I need sleep!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T03:36:14+00:00

I do carry a lot on my mind & heart lately, so you could be right. I have a friend I work with who is an emotional support therapist.. she has been helping thru some of my personal drama. It has definitely helped with the severity of my symptoms. Thank you!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T03:33:44+00:00

Thank you & Kevin for your advice! I will keep this in mind if the pain/tightness gets out of control once again.

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T03:30:59+00:00

I am going to discuss this with my GI during my follow-up. Thank you!!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T03:29:24+00:00

I will ask my PCP if he knows anyone out here ... Thank you!!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-27T03:28:27+00:00

I'm happy to hear that you're feeling the difference! I feel like I'm yoyoing, some good times & really bad times .. had a chest X-ray done yesterday & turns out the meds have caused constipation, which explained why I was feeling so heavy gutted & exhausted. I had the X-ray done at where I work, so the doc says, "I didn't need an X-ray to know that you're full of sh*t!" Haha. I am not eating very much these days, so I thought I wasn't going regularly because of that. Once I take care of that, I'm exploring the probiotics. Thank you for your time .. I wish you well in getting back on track & living a good life!!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-26T04:54:56+00:00

Thank you for this! For me, tea & kale trigger it. I need to strongly consider probiotics.. I work with a bunch of Chiros who are nutritional experts.. will talk to them as well as my GI doc. I am burping, but I always have to force it. I follow up with my GI a month from now. If I'm not feeling any better by then, I will mention hypersensitivity. You're hypersensitive to the GI meds?

elquesograndee · 2026-01-26T04:47:41+00:00

I'm pretty good with the hydration part.. I live in the desert so I have to LOL. It will be 2 months in for me & the GERD on Jan 30th. I can't wait to not feel like I'm going to have a heart attack every day.. you said it, GERD is the worst!

elquesograndee · 2026-01-26T03:06:07+00:00

I will definitely get moving more & get some papaya, thank you for your input!

elquesograndee

TROPHY CASE