I am a 30yo male without any health history and who maintains a healthy lifestyle full of exercise.
So a little background. about 3 weeks ago I came back from a stressful business trip and developed some strong GERD like symptoms within a two days of my return. I have had issues with belching for years but developed a strong pressure in my stomach that made me constantly want to belch as well as I lost my appetite. The pressure in my stomach was most uncomfortable and would often make me feel somewhat nauseous as I was constantly burping to relieve it. I also have gradually developed a dry cough that can sometimes be uncontrollable which I only now realize can be related to GERD. Throughout all of this I never had any other issues and going to the gym was a constant source of solace.
I saw a GI last week who had me start Prilosec which in the last 10 days has dramatically reduced my symptoms in my stomach but left me with the cough still. The pressure has gone away and I burp way way less though I still wake up sometimes in the morning with a burning feeling in my stomach that goes away within a hour. The GI also said to monitor my symptoms but I was not displaying anything scary such as weight loss, trouble swallowing, blood, or vomiting so she told me no further testing was necessary. I can also now eat normal size meals again especially at lunch and even have felt some slimmers of hope about my appetite coming back though that remains a work in progress.
I also need to mention that I suffer from anxiety and I have learned not to Google symptoms as this has not helped with anything and is the primary reason I am here now.
As of now I feel a tickle in my belly or sometimes stomach and will occasionally still get some random abdominal pains which I think is related to the cough from constantly clenching. I also occasionally will feel nauseous which I know is a side effect of Prilosec. I just am looking for help to suppress my health anxiety at this point or if there was any advice for me to move forward as I am doing a lot better but still not quite 100%.
Is there anything else I should be doing right now? Should I continue to take Prilosec? Is there any tricks other then time to fully regain my appetite? I want to see if what I experienced resonated with everyone as I know anxiety can play viscous tricks on the mind.
Three weeks is not enough time to alleviate all of your symptoms. The nausea is not necessarily from the Prilosec, but can be caused by an irritation of the stomach lining referred to as gastritis. Continue taking the medication as prescribed by your doctor. There is no magic or tricks to feeling better, unfortunately, it just takes time. In conjunction with the medication you should be following a GERD-friendly diet. You might also want to keep a food diary to see if you can pinpoint any potential trigger foods. Learning to control your anxiety would also be a huge plus in your recovery.
Sharon
Sharon
I have been struggling with GERD and health anxiety for around 8months now. A very viscious cycle indeed. On the days GERD is bad my anxiety is BAD. On the days I have no GERD symptoms my anxiety is not present. Currently trying to find the balance between the two and find the underlying problem. Finally in for an endoscopy in Nov so should hopefully all reveal the problem. Just letting you know your not alone on this as I have felt alone and been wanting answers for months. Stay positive (i know its hard with the health anxiety taking over your life and no one actually really understanding what you say) but I believe there is hope for us, we just have to be patient.
P.S
During my short time battling GERD and Health anxiety I have realised how powerful the brain actually is. Especially health anxiety, the brain manipulates you and you feel every pain/sensation in your body which your mind tells you theres something wrong. However much i try and be positive and not think about it, it seems to get worse. Stay strong mate
P.S
During my short time battling GERD and Health anxiety I have realised how powerful the brain actually is. Especially health anxiety, the brain manipulates you and you feel every pain/sensation in your body which your mind tells you theres something wrong. However much i try and be positive and not think about it, it seems to get worse. Stay strong mate