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Hi, everyone. It's been awhile! I've been on some new medications for my anxiety - Luvox and gabapentin - and both seem to be working pretty well. However, I started feeling ill about three weeks ago and I'm getting nervous. Upon coming home from vacation, I started feeling like I had mucus running down the back of my throat. I chalked it up to allergies and started taking Mucinex D. It felt like it helped a little, but I began feeling like I had a lump at the bottom of my throat and like food was stopping or slowing once it hit that lump. I was scared enough to consult a doctor at my GP's office, who saw post-nasal drip and figured it was probably allergies. She prescribed a nasal spray. The next day, I began having pain through my breastbone and around to my shoulders, which caused panic about esophageal cancer. I called my doctor's office again, speaking to another doctor who comforted me and prescribed a second nasal spray. I also started Prilosec, wondering if I was actually having reflux. Both doctors agreed that the Prilosec couldn't hurt. Over the following week, the drip stopped, but the lump and pain remained. I felt like I had to belch a lot, little tiny burps from my upper throat, and would sometimes regurgitate fluid. My throat burned at times and felt raw. I panicked again. When my GP's office couldn't get me in for another visit, I went to urgent care. My complaint about breastbone pain earned me an EKG to check for heart attack. My rhythm was fine, but my heart rate was sky high (from anxiety, of course). The urgent care doctor was concerned about my thyroid due to the location of the lump in my throat and my high heart rate. She shipped me off to the ER, where a quick swallow test and a check of my throat deemed my condition not thyroid-related and not emergent. Both attending physician and medical student reassured me that I didn't have cancer - no way, too young, none of the symptoms - but suggested I see a gastroenterologist to get to the bottom of things (literally, via endoscopy). The attending and I discussed medication, since it didn't seem like the Prilosec was working. We concluded that upping my dose from 20 mg to 40 mg would be worth a shot until I could see the gastro. The extra Prilosec seems to help. The lump in my throat is gone more often than it's there and the chest/shoulder pain and burping have mostly cleared up. I still get "junk" in my throat, though, and now I'm feeling achiness (gas?) across the top of my abdomen and down my left side. I've been getting a stitch of sorts in my lower left ribs very similar to one that I had regularly last year. My throat is also sore. I'm still kind of worried about esophageal cancer, as well as stomach and pancreatic cancer. My gastro appointment is tomorrow and I'm feeling scared. Has anyone else dealt with gastro issues like these? It all just came on so FAST, but the ER doc said it's not uncommon.
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- reflux
- acid reflux
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