Hi Vicki
i was diagnosed with gastritis at the beginning of this year after having an endoscopy. I too suffer from acid reflux. I also have the problem when waking in the mornings that i have what i can only described as something heavy sitting in the middle of my breasts (although it is not painful just uncomfortable) which does tend to ease when i get up but then seems to continue throughout out the day until the evening. i tend to sleep ok but wake up at the same time every morning with it. Some days i do not feel it at all. Are you on any medication and have you lost any weight? i have lost a lot since May 2012 before i knew i had gastritis.

Hi Terri. I have not yet lost any weight. I'm thinking i might have gastritis as well, i guess won't know until tests. I'm not on any medications yet. My reg doctor diagnosed me with heartburn and put on nexium but did not tolerate that very well. That feeling in the middle of my chest is just so weird. I agree with you it does not hurt and mainly uncomfortable with a what I would describe as a tugging or pulling feeling but mainly just like you said a heavy feeling in the middle of my chest, and I also wake up at the same time in the morning with that feeling. I don't think I've ever gotten a direct response when telling my doctor and now this gastro doc about that symptom I think they think its acid relfux though. Have you lost the weight intentionally or was it due to something else? Well thank you for your response and hope you feel good today.

Hi Vicki my weight loss was not intentional it was as a result of nausea caused by gastritis/reflux. I agree that the feeling in the middle of the chest is really weird. I hope you get some results from your tests. Keep us posted and hope you feel better today

Thanks so much terri I will keep you posted. I hope your weekend is going well and hope you are feeling well.

Hi terri. well my doctor wants me to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy coming up I really don't know if I can do that i'm so scared of the procedure i know it seems silly but I have a lot of anxiety so seems to be getting the best of me. I know I need to do it though so I will call and schedule but knowing me i will put it off for at least a month.

I know what you are all talking about. I have had a weird straining feeling in there as well. I have had 2 acid reflux flare ups and have gone a long time without them and have learned a lot about managing it. Avoiding eating anything acidic/fatty etc all day eliminates that problem most of the time. The issue in the morning is acid coming up at night while sleeping( I think this the number one reason why the esophagus takes so long to heal)and you feel pretty lousy and if you have a hiatal hernia (common cause of reflux) it also can feel weird in the morning from the way you are lying down. Managing the diet part is the key to eliminating all the symptoms because you elimate the acid in the esophagus problem. You have to stop eating early, like by 6 pm as well.

There is another issue with it though...If I strain while exercising I get a weird tightness feeling that seems to be connected to the esophagus and diaphragm. I think when the esophagus is inflamed from the acid it dysfunctions and causes some of these weird internal symptoms.


I go to an osteopath and he has made it way better and it all goes away when the esophagus heals and I no longer have heartburn. It takes a lot of work to get ot that stage!! The osteopath explains it as the esophagus and diaphragm are all connected in there and they can cause each other to tighten up when one or the other is inflamed or irritated because when the esophagus has a chance to heal it all goes away.

Hang in there! You can make it better but it takes a lot of work to do it without meds.

Hi Vicki i know what you mean about being scared of the procedures. I was scared but its not as bad as you think. Just relax and it is over quickly and you will have your results

Thanks Lesleyqm. I am trying to not eat after 6 pm it's been very difficult. I get the gnawing hunger pains from not eating and then can't sleep due to my hunger pains. I'm looking up Osteopaths to see if I can find one and if my insurance will pay for it.

Thanks Terri for the encouragement I really need it. I just called the doctors office today to schedule the appointment. I'm not looking forward to it but needs to be done.

Hi Vicki,

The osteopath can help with the pulling twisting feeling for sure. I t seems to be a deep tissue issue. This is what they specialize in. You have to watch straining the upper body I find but only in a flare up.. If you have a hernia it is definitely part of the issue and the tightening happens from the esophagus spasming/stomach and diaphragm connection.

If you have benefits and are going to try it, ask someone you know who has been to one. Find out who is considered the best in your area or get a referral from someone you trust. They are not all the same but it is worth a try!.

The burning in the chest will go away. It is a reflux at night issue, it continues the heartburn all day sometimes as well and what you eat all day long can cause you still to reflux at night, if you have fatty food etc. But the not eating after 6 really helps a lot. The meds will stop this issue as well.

It is hard and you feel lousy right now but it will get a lot better!

Too Lesleyqm Thanks so much I would not of thought of an osteopath for acid reflux. Just want to get better that's for sure. I am doing my research on the list of osteopaths I have here in town. Thanks for the information it is appreciated.

Good for you Vicki re: eating early at night! it will help soon! Try eliminating one bad food item from your diet every week and see how it goes. Diet change is the key to healing this whole area.

Good Luck with the osteopath research! My osteopath does what seems like weird things. Like massaging the esophagus and diaphragm area on a deeper level. If you have a hiatal hernia it helps a lot but it may help for just gastritis as well. Gastritis probably causes all that area to tighten up from the inflammation as well. I would ask any osteopath you are thinking of if he or she has helped anyone with gastritis and the resulting inflamed stomach & esophagus issue etc.

All the best! I hope you are having a bit f relief from symptoms!

lesley

I drink ginger in boiled water(let it cool) a lot as it helps with inflammation in the stomach and esophagus etc. Sometimes I get a little bit of burning at the top of my stomach when I have a flare up and I think the ginger water helps first thing in the morning but don't drink anything really hot or cold.

Hey Lesley Words don't really express how grateful I feel for your great advice.. I have been through so much and know that you've been there too. I hope to one day be able to give good advice like you!. I hope you are well and thank you so much for everything, Vicki.

Hi all. Vicki like you I also lost weight, just before I started getting Gastric Reflux symptoms.
I have had chest pain for almost a year. I was prescribed Lansoprazole at the beginning of this year. My doctor thought it might have been gallstones causing it, but the blood test and ultrasound results were normal. I had an Endoscopy in August. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The procedure lasts about 10 mins. Just relax and concentrate on your breathing and it will be fine.
I went back to the docs last week and was told it looks like I have gastric reflux. I also get the weird feeling in central chest area in the mornings. I've got to go back to the docs in 6 months and have been given a repeat prescription for more Lansoprazole tablets. I have an appointment with a gastro doctor in December, which is just a follow up for my Endoscopy, the results for that came back normal too.

Hi Vicki! Thanks for your comments. You for sure, will be able to give good advice too after going through the learning curves on this issue. This is such a hard issue to deal with and it does get way better with a lot of work . You just have to be determined. It feels like you are never going to get better because the reflux seems to keep coming back for a couple of months but if you can stick to all the rules on avoiding acid it gets way better. You learn with each flare up how to make it better as well. Then when it is much better you don't have to take PPI"s, just the over the counter stuff here and there. If you just have gastritis and once you get yourself out of the flare up and stay disciplined it may never come back again.

I am sure your doctor is just being careful re the colonoscopy etc, which is a simple procedure. You want a thorough doctor.

So keep working at it! How are you feeling? Any better at all? Are you taking PPI's yet? Lesley

Hi Lesley, I'm feeling okay today. I had a very small meal last night at exactly 6:15. I had about three bites of baked chicken around 3-4 yams and about a tablespoon of stuffing, I would say the portions were on the scale of a lean cuisine meal maybe even smaller. I have not taken any PPI's yet I do have dexilant but have not taken one yet. I'm writing every thing i eat down and the times and how I feel after eating them. I think I've mentioned before that my main area of concern is the pain in the morning when I wake up you know that pressure or knot feeling on my sternum I do get burning in my stomach that moves into my chest area still oh and the bloating was bad yesterday but have the list of foods i ate so will have that to guide me. My next step of course is to have the Endoscopy and then I will have more knowledge about what's going on in my gut I have not yet purchased the wedge pillow but will buy one this week did not want to go over budget this week.

Thanks so much for your support, Vicki.