can anyone give me advice here?

[Amfortas]

For one year now I've been having a problem that I'm not sure how to deal with..... I feel bloating in my upper abdominal area that squeezes on my lungs and makes it hard to breath ,I feel pressure through my esophagus to my neck,belching gives me some relief, at the beginning I used to panic at this stage but not anymore since I know it's not my heart (I hope).

anyway ... I went to a specialist and they told me I had gastritis and just prescribed an antiacid, that was 8 month ago. But I still feel the pressure , and I don't feel like going to the doctor again and have him telling me it's all in my head.

so, what do you advice me to do?

[RPM]

1. well, i'm a lawyer...

so, i would say you should see a doctor.

then perhaps you should see a lawyer.

good luck with whatever it is.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. By all means get a second opinion

anything to do with your gastro-intestinal system could be very serious. You could also have a food allergy-you should probably ask the doctor for a consult with a nutritionist also.

you shouldn't solicit medical advice on a political message board-these kind of threads get locked on DU.

[allalone]

3. you need a better doctor.

don't let them pat your head and say don't worry.

[Liberty Belle]

4. Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. Make an apointment right away.

Meanwhile you can read up on various conditions at some good medical websites.

Harvard's Intellihealth (www.intellihealth.com) or www.mayoclinic.com are good places to start.

What type of specialist did you see? Definitely make sure it's not cardiac (heart), and check with a gastrointerologist if your GP can't come up with a diagnosis.

Are you a woman? If so, ask your obgyn, too. Endometriosis can sometimes cause bloating and pressure, though not normally as high up as the lungs.

[Fridays Child]

5. Is it constant or intermittent? Uncomfortable enough to wake you up?

Worse at night or when lying down? More pressure on the right or the left? Have you had an upper GI series with contrast medium done?

[Amfortas]

6. no it doesn't wake me up..It is dull to bothersome... and happens

almost everyday....I had a test where they inserted a tube down my throat to my stomach.

[Fridays Child]

10. Insist on further tests.

[libodem]

7. make sure they check your gallbladder

ulcers usually feel better after you eat gallbladder feels worse after eating

[Redneck Socialist]

8. I advise that you don't get your medical advice off the Internet.

Not too helpful I know.

Get a second opinion.

[Amfortas]

9. I know ...I know....

just wanted to know if any other person here shares my symptoms.

[Fridays Child]

12. Read this...

This is from http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroesophageal_reflux_disease_gerd/page3.htm. It's about GERD, or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (the bolding is mine):

When acid refluxes back into the esophagus in patients with GERD, nerve fibers in the esophagus are stimulated. This nerve stimulation results most commonly in heartburn, the pain that is characteristic of GERD. Heartburn usually is described as a burning pain in the middle of the chest. It may start high in the abdomen or may extend up into the neck. In some patients, however, the pain may be sharp or pressure-like, rather than burning. Such pain can mimic heart pain (angina). In other patients, the pain may extend to the back. Since acid reflux is more common after meals, heartburn is more common after meals. Heartburn is also more common when individuals lie down because without the effects of gravity, reflux occurs more easily, and acid is returned to the stomach more slowly.

My symptoms of GERD were similar to the symptoms you describe. I now take a Prilosec OTC, everyday. It seems to take care of things just fine. Ask your doc about GERD.

[Amfortas]

13. thanks Fridays Child, that was helpful....

I was prescribed prevacid for a while, it's an expensive medicine .. and I didn't feel it helped much.

[Fridays Child]

14. Prilosec works better for me than Prevacid or Aciphex.

It really is the gold standard. And Astra Zeneca only brought out Nexium, a slightly tweaked version of Prilosec, because their patent was about to expire on Prilosec.

If the doc thinks you should try it, Costco has the best price.

[Fridays Child]

11. Agree but as a guideline for seeking further diagnostics...

...it can be helpful.

[PhuLoi]

15. Just a few questions:

Your age?
Are you on anti-depressants? If so which?
Do you eat foods containing wheat daily?
Have you experienced reflux?
What percentage of your diet, would you estimate, contain processed sugars?
What percentage of your diet, would you estimate, are carbohydrates?

[applegrove]

16. Do you have a psychopath in your life? They will cause anxiety

like you have never known (and gastritis .. if you have it is a sign of sever anxiety) when they are in the midst of setting you up from many angles in your life.

But that lung problem and not being able to breath is like no gastritis I have every felt.

There are esophagial problems in my family. I have only experience that a few times in the last two years. And it is indigestion and again has nothing to do with lungs.

I have also had terror induced panic attacks (my life was being destroyed by the freak above) and that was just hard adrenaline exploding in my body until I had shook, screamed, cried it all out (used to hit my thighs as hard as I could to get the attack over with).

Sounds like nothing I've ever had.

[lachattefolle]

17. I used to do alot of belching, and regular antacids didn't help at

all. Do you feel nauseous regardless of what or whether you ate? If you've had a esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and were told you had gastritis, you might benefit from Prevacid or one of the other prescription drugs. I use Aciphex and it helps alot. Also, don't mess around with this problem. I was misdiagnosed for years, told I had asthma and given an inhaler because of all the coughing I did and the fact that I couldn't breathe very well. The coughing and breathlessness was actually due to reflux, not asthma. I ate bottles of Tums, etc. Finally, after throwing up blood, I was diagnosed with GERD and the EGD showed I had Barrett's Esophagus. This means the cells in the lower part of my esophagus, where it meets the stomach, at the cardic juncture, have undergone changes to make them more resistant to the acid. I now have a much higher chance of developing esophagal cancer than the average person and have to undergo an EGD once a year to monitor my condition. DON'T let that happen to you, please! If you don't feel confident in your doctor, get another opinion.

[Celebration]

18. NOT in lieu of

Keep searching for competent physicians. To this non trained person, honestly it sounds reflux related. Here are some things to try-- eat several small meals per day instead of one or two big ones, don't eat too near retiring for the night, chew your food until it is mush in the mouth before swallowing, and eat slowly, very slowly. I like Naturade "Stomach Formula" with aloe in it that I get at the health food store. When I actually have symptoms I need a lot more than the bottle says. It seems to soothe the esophagus, kind of like putting aloe on a burn. It is possible that taking digestive enzymes could help. You could look for a good alternative type MD or other health care practitioner.

[Dear Maggie]

19. Of course we need more info

By any chance have you had 'flu-like' symptoms with a serious fatigue following? If so, do you remember what you were doing 15 minutes before that?

I am asking about an acute exposure to 2-butoxyethanol which from what I've learned about it can cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFIDS and the main problem is an autoimmune immune system which first attacks the red blood cells. That's the fatigue.

I haven't heard of any doctor diagnosing that it was this chemical; that's why the doctors say they don't know what the fatigue is.

But it causes many, many more things which do seem to get a lot of attention. Even with an accurate diagnosis on the add on symptoms, I don't think there is much probability that the doctor would suspect this chemical.

From what I've heard, doctors don't study chemical exposures.

Gastrointestinal and many autoimmune problems, many birth defects. From what I can tell ... pretty much the primary harm to the Vietnam Vets, to the gulf war syndrome vets, and to those dying off of 'flu-like' symptoms: spleen enlarges, liver shuts down and then other organs shut down.