burning sensation

[cshollingsworth]

hi all...

here i am on vacation, getting ready to go to hilton head next week and i'm having trouble with my stomach. and hey...i'm not even flying!

to make a long story short, i have this burning sensation in my stomach that has been bugging me on and off for awhile. sometimes i feel like i'm hungry and needing to eat even though i've just ate, it's really odd. i have to sleep kind of propped up because it hurts when i lie down. sometimes the burning sensation seems to hurt all the way around to my back.

then of course, i have the trouble with the dashing to the bathroom...that started out yesterday. then after i ate dinner a few hours later, my stomach started burning like crazy. i only had a tuna fish sandwhich and some chips. nothing spicy at all.

so this morning, i wake up to the same burning. it's after lunch and i'm still burning despite taking a pepcid AC 10mg.

any ideas? my husband says i have an ulcer because my symptoms sound similar to his (all except the dashing to the bathroom suddenly).

thanks for any help!

[EyesSkyward]

Could be a lot of things. Ulcer. Acid Reflux. Gastroenteritis.

Heck, even though this probably isn't it (given your trips to the bathroom), heart attacks can often mimic indigestion and cause pain in the stomach and back.

Point being, we're not really the people to ask. If it keeps up, or gets worse, you should probably see a professional doctor-type person. But you probably already knew that. :)

- Jeff

[Lynda]

Courtney,

Go see your Doc, I agree with Jeff on this.

[cshollingsworth]

hi again jeff and lynda...

i'm pretty sure i'm not having a heart attack. i went to my cardiologist for my annual check up in june. i have mitral valve prolapse and i'm supposed to go once a year. this time, the doctor told me that he saw no evidence on the ultra sound of mitral valve at all. i thought that was interesting because i was told i had it when i was 18 (32 now). anyway, i took it as good news and i also ran 8 minutes on the tread mill and they told me that they didn't see anything unusual and to keep on exercising as normal.

i had asked my cardio. doctor about the burning and all and he told me that he felt like it wasn't heart related since the tests were all good. he said he felt as if it were something called GERD and that i might possibly have a small ulcer.

but, i kind of brushed him off thinking i have a stomach made of steel except when i see an airplane. :*) i hadn't really been taking my medication as i should have that he prescribed, thinking it would all get better on its on or it was just a temporary thing.

apparently, this wasn't a temporary thing because when it came back, it came back with a vengence. after i took the pepcid this morning, the burning gradually wore off. then i took some pepto bismol and that kind of cooled things down. i'm going to chew up some tums later and see how that goes.

the only thing that kind of worries me right now is the fact that i have a tiny bit of soreness on my left side. if you were facing me, that would be to your right. it's near my ribs. i'm just concerned about that. i guess i will have to make an appointment with my regular doctor and get him to mash on me and see if he feels anything strange. he might want to run some tests.

the good news, he's going with us to hilton head, (he and don are directors on the phone board) so if i fall out on the trip, he'll be there. :lol:

if you guys have had experience with GERD, do some of my symptoms sound the same? i've read stuff online and a lot of it sounds familiar to what i've been feeling minus the soreness.

later guys!

[Agne]

I don't know what gerd is, but your symptoms sound similar to my father's and he had gastritis. He had burning sensation in his stomach, particularly strong at night and early morning, seemed to relieve after lunch or after drinking a cup of milk, but then reappeared after a couple of hours or even less. Didn't dash to the bathroom though..
My friend had the same symptoms but stronger, very painful and it was a kind of hernia - it has a name but I have no idea how to translate in English - :rolleyes:

[Rebecca]

Agne might be thinking of a hiatal hernia (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/45/1815_50331) ...

:sunshine:

[Agne]

Agne might be thinking of a hiatal hernia (http://www.webmd.com/content/article/45/1815_50331) ...

:sunshine:

Right !! She had hiatal hernia. The doctor gave her a diet to follow and some meds. Both her mother and father have suffered from hiatal hernia in the past. Now she's completely fine and can eat and drink what she likes.

[kari]

I don't know what gerd is, but your symptoms sound similar to my father's and he had gastritis. He had burning sensation in his stomach, particularly strong at night and early morning, seemed to relieve after lunch or after drinking a cup of milk, but then reappeared after a couple of hours or even less. Didn't dash to the bathroom though..
My friend had the same symptoms but stronger, very painful and it was a kind of hernia - it has a name but I have no idea how to translate in English - :rolleyes:

My dad has that or something like it, they thought it might have been gallstones.

[tabbygirl]

if you guys have had experience with GERD, do some of my symptoms sound the same? i've read stuff online and a lot of it sounds familiar to what i've been feeling minus the soreness.
Yup. Very similar. Do some googling (GERD remedies) and you'll find some ideas on what to eat and what not to eat (you'll be surprised; spiciness is not the only problem). Definitely avoid coffee and booze, and don't eat anything less than 2 hours before you go to bed.

Try putting some blocks under the head of your bed to raise it up a few inches (propping yourself up with pillows is NOT effective because it folds you in the middle).

And try Prilosec OTC. When I had my worst GERD symptoms, raising the head of the bed and eating Prilosec made me feel better fast.

That tender spot you mention is something I can't explain but I've experienced it, too.

I would also call your doctor soon just to be sure you're on the right track. The ideas I've mentioned won't hurt you but they might not be quite what you need.

Good luck! GERD is a real drag.

[cshollingsworth]

thx guys for your replies...

agne...did your dad have to get medication for the gastritis? did it last long? i looked it up on the internet and it sounds similar to my symptoms too.

tabbygirl...my mother had to put one brick under each leg of her bed at the headboard. her doctor told her to do that when he diagnosed her with GERD several years ago. she had the same thing, only she truly had acid reflux where the acidic stuff would come back up. i really don't have that part of it...i just have the burning and feeling kind of bloated after i eat. i feel stuffed to the gills and then i get this sensation like i just need to burp! :D

today i'm somewhat better, but i did start taking my protonix that my doctor wrote me a prescription for 1 yr. ago and i intermittently have taken it. i'm one of those people that thinks she doesn't have to have meds for anything. plus, i have never been able to swollow a pill like a normal person. i have to choke them down or crush them up which is usually not a pleasent experience. :(

sooooo, that's today's report. hoping the pill kicks in and does some good. if not, my back-up plan is the pepto.

[beeinatree]

three weeks of prilosec really helped me when i had similar symptoms a few years back. i went to a dr who gave me a script back then, but you can get it in drugstores now. it helps with gerd too. try to switch to a bland diet, if possible. like pasta and oatmeal. i hope you feel better. :)

[beeinatree]

just an additional thing: i always get acid probs. pepcid ac is good. i always have it on hand. but nothing beats pepto bismal. and i mean nothing! ;) so usually if the pepcid doesnt work, i take the pepto bismal. of course, not as directed, but oh well! it really beats the acid. :)

if that doesnt work, you might want to try a piece of bread. an old friend taught me that. a piece of bread will soak up the acid if you dont have pepto handy. it really works. its not that great tho. id say its good in an emergency.

i have so many stomach probs because i go out to eat a lot. its always an acid problem. i shouldnt eat out. but its fun to eat out.