Hi guys, I’m back with a quick concern. As a child I always had trouble swallowing pills, so my mom would have me open the capsules and put them in yogurts. I’ve been able to swallow pills for several years, but starting last year after a specifically bad attack (I threw up from the pain, I was like someone was squeezing my chest and radiating it into my back along with horrible heartburn) I’ve been regularly getting terrible acid reflex after swallowing my pills. It’s often burning in my throat and bad chest heartburn, along with the feeling of something being stuck in my throat and radiating pain when burping or a few seconds after swallowing. I was wondering if anyone else has had and issues with this? It’s gotten so bad that I’ve had this attack for two days in a row, and cannot eat or drink anything without pain, however a lot of the time it’s just painful to live through it. I had a swallow test and they confirmed I had acid reflex, but no one in my family has had this problem and it’s getting frustrating. Going to schedule with a GI however I assume that it might be a month or two.
I have at least four medicines I need to take, and I also take some anti-acid over the counter which has helped in the past. I swallowed the anti acid and my tiny pill, but I’m going to have to open my capsule and break the other one in half. I will be letting my doctors know if they’re able to change the form of my medication. I hope everyone’s been doing alright. Thanks for listening.
That’s rough! Some members have had GI issues, it can be caused by vagus nerve irritation, and the swallowing issues could be from the glossopharyngeal nerve which is commonly affected by ES…Some members have had swallow tests done- usually because of pain & difficulty swallowing, one of the ‘hoops’ doctors make people go through before accepting it could be due to ES. But that might be worth having done in your case? One of our members with hyoid bone issues also mentioned this cricopharyngeal spasm, but I don’t know really how you can differentiate between this & ES causing nerve then swallowing issues. Here’s info: Cricopharyngeal Spasm (CPS): A Feeling of “A Lump” in the Throat
If you search for acid reflux it’ll come up with quite a few discussions, not that there are many answers, but at least you’ll see you’re not alone.
This discussion is also helpful as @GrnyAny explains how badly her vagus nerve affected her: Successful Surgery for severe Vagus Nerve Compression - General / Eagle Syndrome Stories - Living with Eagle
I hope that you’re able to find some other options for liquid medication
@ EMB2004 - Many medications are made in liquid form for patients with pill swallowing issues. I hope you can get all of yours that way & it helps reduce/prevent the pain you’re getting when swallowing pills.
Have you seen anyone yet to discuss having ES surgery? I can’t remember.
Yes, I decided to not go through with any surgery yet as I am still young and am keeping an eye on it (scan every few years). I don’t have much time except probably the summers to do major surgery recovery, and I have classes during that time too. I’m unfortunately just stuck suffering from migraines, random sharp pains/everyday pains in my body, and acid reflux right now. I appreciate your help and suggestions.
Since you already have such severe symptoms, they’re likely to get worse over time. It would be worthwhile taking some time off to have surgery & get rid of the horrible symptoms you have. Your body will heal faster at your age, too.
Chronic migraines & syncope can indicate vascular compression which makes your situation more grave than if you just had symptoms from irritated nerves. That said, I respect that it’s your body, & you need to decide the right timing to take care of this problem.
BTW - I love the pic of the dog in your avatar. Is it your dog?
Hi there,
I have to deal with those symptoms too, alas not just when swallowing pills but eating or drinking anything.
What helps me best, (far better than Proton-pump inhibitor pills) is this disgusting herbal reflux tea or when i need help real quick, a glass with sodium bicarbonate. The disgusting tea totally surprised me, It contains ANgelica, Calmus, Marsh Mallow, Gentian, Licorice, Linseed Sage and Basil. I only needed 1 cup a day for less than a week for great improvement.
-I also started humming when i am alone, it calms the vagus nerve. I wish I was a better hummer, but it does the trick.
-And the long exhale helps me come down. You exhale longer than you breath in.
-Also the physiological sigh is an important tool for me to get by.
Good luck and get better
It is called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
and from a herbal apothecary in crete. My son brought it from there as a present. www.botano.gr
Maybe they would be kind enough to give the proportions?
Whether to have surgery or not is a tricky decision, there are risks, & that has to be considered against your quality of life…Worth also bearing in mind though that styloids can keep growing & ligaments keep calcifying, so as @Isaiah_40_31 says your symptoms could worsen. Plus the younger you are, generally you heal, and if nerves are being irritated by the styloids, I’m guessing that this could continue to damage the myelin sheath and worsen symptoms…Sometimes the waiting times can be quite long with the most experienced surgeons, so maybe it might be worth considering going on a waiting list & see how you feel later when you get an appointment? But if you feel your symptoms are manageable then fair enough
Yes! She’s our youngest dog. My parents have four in total, and we also have 4 cats (2 are mine, but the third is also technically mine as well).
I will let my mom know. She is a pharmacist and more experienced in this matter than I am, so I’d like to see her thoughts. She has also been wondering if I need to get the surgery.
Is there a way to confirm that ES is causing all my symptoms? I would like to be sure first before agreeing to a surgery. I know medicine isn’t magic, so I understand if not.
please please follow Isaiahs advice and find a specialist, while you are still able to handle your symptoms. It can get so much worse and just in case you should have a doctor at hand who knows about eagle syndrome and knows what to do in an emergency.
When I was 18 it was an acute situation, and I went through hell. I was not diagnosed with Eagle Syndrome .They broke a wisdom tooth out of my jaw without anesthesia, (didnt work Because of the inflamation, as antibiotics didnt have any effect). Vomiting all over the place from pain as painkillers didnt work for weeks until the realised my gums were full of pus. I could only eat liquids as I couldnt open my mouth. Finally they realised, that i was not faking. Pus running from your ear is hard to deny. So finally they had to implant a metall pipe for all the pus to drain. Couldnt eat drink, had opiods, I cant remember for how long…
So please, see a specialised doctor sooner than later. You dont want an acute inflammation, situation with your eagles…
oh and by the way, I write this 40 years later,and those styloids still affect my whole life. there were several peak events over the decades, doctors were useless, denied that eagles could be bilateral, denied CTs, send me in psychosomatic diagnostics, periods i was afraid I’d asphyxiate, voice loss, whole face twitching in all directions. I compose operas with my pulsatile low tinnitus and my high peeping one…
I will go see a specialist then! Thank you for sharing your story. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that for so long. My mom and I are going to find one to see possibly over spring break or the summer. I’m currently at school full time with 19 hours so it’s hard to work any day in for appointments.
@Gerty , I’m sorry that you’ve been treated like that & fobbed off for so long! Where are you on your journey now, are you able to get surgery in Germany?
Unfortunately there’s no sure fire way to know…if you can feel your styloids, then you could try gently pushing them & seeing what that does , if your symptoms flare then then it does show the styloids are causing pain. Some doctors do lidocaine/ steroid injections into the area as a diagnostic test , if it helps ease symptoms then it’s presumed to be ES, but this doesn’t make a difference for everyone on here so we don’t think it’s helpful as a diagnostic tool…
YES!!! I was diagnosed with chemical gastropathy. I had an amazing GI Dr. at Hartford Hospital who was head of motility and he did multiple tests on me. One of which is an esophageal motility study. It found that my lower esophageal sphincter was not working properly. It was closed tightly. The results stated I had a hypertensive esophagus with an outflow vascular obstruction. My surgery is very soon with Hepworth and I pray so much surgery helps. Hepworth also notes that my vagus nerve is severely compressed leading to a whole bunch of issues.
I’m an animal lover too but married a man who is allergic to most everything but dogs. We still had pet rats, a rabbit, 2 dogs & 5 goldfish when our kids were young. Three of the goldfish lived for 15-16 years. The biggest one weighed 2 lbs when she died. We even had baby goldfish and had to separate them out so they wouldn’t get eaten by their parents. SHEESH! Doesn’t bode well for perpetuation of the species!
Regarding looking for a specialist, the closest doctor to you who deals with vascular ES is Dr. Hepworth in Denver. Dr. Cognetti in Philadelphia is probably next. We currently have not doctors on our list for your state so you’ll likely need to travel to see someone who has a lot of ES experience.
Thank you immensely!!! It means a lot that people who do not even know me will be thinking and praying for me!! Its been a long, hard road and it is finally here. I, obviously am concerned about what will be found and needing more surgeries. Its already been mentioned to me that this will not be a “one and done”. If Hep is even half right, I will be happy. My surgery is scheduled for 2/10.
