GERD / Gastritis / Gallbladder??? Everything that starts with G is the worst!!!
Hi everyone!
First, I (33F) know none of you are doctors, and I'm not looking for a diagnosis. I'm just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and whether your symptoms matched mine. If they didn't, I'd also love to hear why!
Back in late May, I started having a burning/pressure sensation in my chest that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I'd take a Tums and Gas-X, and sometimes that helped, sometimes it didn't. I started paying attention to my diet to see if I could identify a trigger, but it was hard because the episodes only happened every few days. I’d have a flare when I ate well and then wouldn’t have a flare after eating a cheeseburger and chili fries. There was one flare where I threw up because the pressure was so intense. I haven’t had lasagna since.
Then, in early to mid-June, it got much worse. The pain was so excruciating, I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack. I vomited so violently that I burst capillaries in my face, and I'm sure my anxiety made it so much worse. I went to the ER and they diagnosed me with severe acid reflux/GERD and prescribed pantoprazole. I followed up with my PCP, who agreed with the diagnosis and prescribed a week's worth of sucralfate. Unfortunately, my pharmacy was out of stock, so I only started taking it about four days ago.
Since switching to a very bland diet, my symptoms have definitely improved overall. Instead of having severe episodes every few days, I'm now having mild symptoms every day. The day I went to the ER, my pain was a 10/10, which I compared to when I gave birth. Now it's more like a 2/10, but it's become a nightly occurrence instead of an occasional one.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? Is it common for symptoms to become more frequent but much less severe once treatment and diet changes start helping? I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences or any reassurance you can offer. It's been a holiday weekend in the US, so I haven't been able to get back in touch with my PCP since Thursday, but I plan to reach out tomorrow. In the meantime, I'd just really appreciate some support.