Leah B.
Humble Servant of All
When I started asking for prayer about three weeks ago, it was to not only return to baseline lung function, but also for actual improvement. Then I went through prednisone therapy and suffered horrific side-effects. Later, I couldn't understand why I was better but not better at the same time. A couple nights ago, I ended up going to the ER with squeezing pain in my chest and severe shortness of breath. The ER doc -- and really I figured it out as well -- said she thought my symptoms were from gastroesophageal reflux disease, not from my COPD. I was told to for two weeks take 20 mg of famotidine in the evening as an adjunct to my omeprazole I take every morning. Anyway, the upshot? Well, it was a beautiful Christmas Eve with my family. I took the famotidine before I left my house. I was careful about what I ate. Right now I don't have crushing chest pain, but I feel awful. I do have chest pressure. I'm also TERRIFIED. You see, all the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fit. I thought I had the GERD under control with omeprazole all this time, but really I did not: All those fitful, sleepless nights with like this panicked feeling in my chest. I'm trying to lay flat, but I can't breathe. The jaw movements: I have TMJ, and I have a movement disorder of my jaw that has gotten way, way better since I started using a jaw orthotic. You know what? There may have been a neurological component to the jaw movement, but why did the jaw movements get so much more intense at night when I laid down to try to sleep? I think I now know why -- It was the stomach acid, just churning away in my belly and then up my esophagus. My brain did not know what was happening on a conscious level, but my body did. My body knew it was sick, and the jaw movement was its panic signal. Also -- all these cold, queer, breathy trills and gusts going up my throat. I thought they were from my COPD. [I thought all of this was from my COPD. Now I don't think any of it was.] Also the varying degrees of chest pressure. Rib pain. "Breast" pain. You know what? I went to a gynecologist for that about two months ago. She told me to take primrose oil. Guess what? Ten-to-one that was not breast pain at all. It was coming from my chest wall, acid related. Oh -- I also went through a period where I couldn't tolerate wearing a bra. It felt like the thing was squeezing me to death. Now I know what it really was -- squeezing pain around the ribs that was there already, made worse by the bra band. Again, acid related. Oh -- Let me tell you about the post-nasal drip, the stuffy nose, the nose that won't stop running, the uncontrollable dry cough I get sometimes when I talk or when a particle of food hits my throat while I'm eating -- acid, acid, acid. I didn't see it. I didn't connect it. Ditto for the low-grade and sometimes more severe sore throats. Ditto for these episodes of extreme shortness of breath and labored breathing. Again, I didn't connect the dots because I thought it was my COPD and possibly anxiety. More important, neither did my doctors, at least up until this recent ER visit. That's because the ER doc took the time to really listen to me. But anyway like I already said, I am terrified. Why? Because a couple years ago, I had endoscopy, and the surgical finding was Barrett's esophagus. They performed a biopsy that was negative for cancer, but Barrett's esophagus is in fact a condition that can lead to cancer. I wasn't worried because I thought my reflux was under control. Now I know it never truly was. That means for the past two years, my esophagus has been being pelted non-stop with more stomach acid. What if I now really do have cancer? What if it's erosive esophagitis or a narrowed esophagus? GERD like I have is hell on earth. The joy of eating has become a nightmare, always like trying to navigate my way through a loaded minefield when I look at food. Like I said, my Christmas Eve was beautiful in a lot of ways, but it was tainted by increased chest pressure as the evening went on, and now I feel just awful. I do have a plan. I'm putting myself on the BRAT diet for at least two weeks after Christmas. That's a bland diet. I bought low acid, decaf coffee. I love coffee. I already cut down quite a bit. It looks to me like I will need to stop except for a couple of the low acid decafs per day maybe. I ordered a natural product called KHELP on Amazon. It works by forming a barrier between where your stomach meets your esophagus. I'm going to take that before bed. I read all the literature on taking it with other antacids, etc. Then we'll see. I'm so depressed. I'm so tired of one health problem after another. I'm tired of fighting and fighting. I can't even remember the last time I had a truly good day. In Jesus's name, please pray I can get a handle on this problem and end up being able to eat at least a semi-normal diet. Pray in Jesus's name I don't have esophageal cancer or a corroded esophagus. Pray in Jesus's name I am able to convey to these doctors. They didn't figure this out because they are overly specialized, and they did not ask me the right questions. Finally, again please in Jesus's name pray for a cure for GERD, or at least an easier surgery with a higher success rate. I just don't want to suffer any more.
