Hungry And Burping? Anyone Else?

[UnicornIsis]

Okay another stomach/GI post, but the first one from me.

I ended up in the ER the other night NOT for severe heartrate/bp, breathing trouble, bad shakes, or dehydration. Usually those are the reasons I go, only when I have trouble enough to need some kind of medical help, otherwise I just ride it out at home.

Well the other night was different. I ended up there with stomach problems just in case I had eaten something bad and because I couldn't stop burping and had trouble throwing up all the way. GROSS PART COMING (I did the first time okay, but about 3 or4 hours later when I needed to again, it came all the way to the back of my throat and went back about 5 or 6 times, so I was a bit worried about that).

Here is my question. I'm wondering if anyone else gets this.

When I'm hungry I have to eat right away, within about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the time. If I don't eat right away I start burping. And sometimes I don't know that I'm hungry or that I need to eat until I start burping. And it hurts when this happens. If I don't eat within about 5 minutes of when the burping starts, I get really sick and it hurts really bad. And if I eat too much I can get sick and make it hurts more too.

Most of the time I can catch it before it happens because I eat about 5 or 6 small meals a day about every hour to 2 hours or so. But if I don't its bad. Example: We can be in the car driving somewhere, say Wal-mart which is abut 20 minutes away (the Super Wal-Mart anyway) and I start burping. We have to stop at the closest fast-food place or even a gas station if its really bad and get me food to eat RIGHT AWAY or I get worse and get really sick.

Its as if my stomach doesn't trigger my hunger reflex until its just about to start digesting the stomach acid, or until it has already started.

The doc in the ER seemed to think this was all acid-reflux or GERD. Does this happen to anyone else? I never had this problem at all before I got sick and its only happened with in the last 2 years, which I guess is most of my sick time since I got sick about September of 2002 we think and got really about about Spring of 2003 and especially early winter of 2003.

Does this sound familiar to anyone or anyone know what this is? I'm going to make an appointment with my regular doc for sometime next week as the ER doc suggested.

Also, the doc gave me prevacid. They said I'm supposed to take it as soon as I get up and on an empty stomach and not eat or drink for an hour afterwards. HOW DO I DO THAT?!?!?!?! I mean right now, I have to eat as soon as I wake up because I'm hungry right away and I can't not eat because I get the burping and get sick. And I usually take my pills right away too, if I don't I feel aweful until I'm able to take them. Anybody that takes this have any advice? I'm wondering if taking it at night right before I go to sleep will work better since I don't eat or drink after I go to sleep. Anybody who takes this have any ideas or suggestions?

P.S. I just realized something I should probably add. I've noticed every night (the last 2) since I had to go to the ER I burp for a while aftr laying down for bed. And it hurts when I burp. That's weird for me because usually when I burp, it doesn't hurt any.

Thanks,

UnicornIsis

[mom4cem]

Sounds like GERD. I burp also, but it is regardles of whether I am hungry, or have just eaten. When I am tachy it is even worse. Water even makes me burp. I currently take Pepcid AC and Nexium.. Guess it helps somewhat. When my stomach is growling, the acid is already churning and then I eat and I still burp and feel full right away,,generally lousy.

May be that you need to change how often you eat again. Like add pretzel snacks or saltines throughout the day to quell the acid and to give the stomach something to work on.

You can also try Mylanta or gaviscon to coat your esophagus. Bloated stomach can cause it to travel up the back of your throat as well as a weak LES(esophageal sphincter). Try to watch what you eat also. Though fast food when it bothers you, you need it, it may flare up the acid even more. Seeming innocent food can trigger it to happen also.

I have not heard of not eating or drinking for an hour after though.(I took prevacid also and had no food time restrictions) I take mine at night before going to bed and the Pepcid ac in the a.m.

Hope you are feeling better.

[futurehope]

Prevacid did nothing for me. Nexium works somewhat and prilosec is the best.

I take them about 1/2 hour to 1 hour before dinner. If I need another pill (usually I take another kind of pill like a prescription Pepcid(40 mg), I take it in the AM and I have never waited an hour to eat. That would be impossible for me as well.

[MotleyLori]

Oh, so I am not the only one with these issues??? I was afraid to even ask for fear of being thought silly or a hypochondriac etc.

About 20 years ago I developed Raynaud's phenomenon in my hands and feets. Shortly thereafter, I started having severe chest pain whenever I swallowed cold liquids. Flash forward to last year. I was burping all the time, very unusual for me, and I was having more trouble swallowing, felt as if "sticking in throat" Upper GI showed dysmotility with "waffeling" of contrast. It did not show GERD or hiatal hernia. I was referred to a GI doc at UM (whom I cannot see again until OCT, another story there). She felt that is was probably made worse by my pain meds and ordered an esophageal manometry study. Hint here - never have one of those if you can avoid it. It showed Nutcracker esophagus, abnormally strong esophageal contractions. I was unable to keep the 24 hr acid probe in to see if I indeed had GERD. They decided to treat me as if I did have it and I have failed every proton pump inhibitor so far, they do not work. Just started a trial of protonix, it makes me nauseated. I have the hungry, gnawing feeling, the burping is better after weaning pain meds. My GI tract is very overly sensitive to any stimuli. I think it is part of our dysautonomia wiring that causes all of these things. The vagus nerve travels to the heart and stomach.

It is possible that when you only partially vomitted that your esophagus "burned" from the acid and will need to heal. If you don't see some improvement on the Prilosec please see your doc because even though those drugs are all "proton pump inhibitors" they work differently for different people. My husband does wonderful on Prevacid, which did nothing for me. But then, he really does have GERD. Maybe that is the difference?

Feeling your pain,

Lori

[nadine]

My first thought in reading your post was GERD as well. I agree that dift. meds work for dift. people. I have been on Nexium, Prilosec,Zantac in the past, now Protonix. Was doing well until recently. Having a real bad week for some reason. I take my Protonix at night. Have you had Gastro consult or just ER doc?

Lori- that does not sound like a fun test at all. Never heard of that. Did you have endoscopy as well?

I also feel that there has to be vagus nerve involvement, I often feel bloated and like everything is just pooling to stomach several times during the day, very dift. than what my normal GERD experience was until past year.

[MotleyLori]

Nadine

I understand the "full" feeling also. I really think that our symptoms evolve with age and also I am not sure how much medications, environmental exposures, stress etc change us differently than the majority of people. We are just "special". Am sure that is not what my doctors are thinking, but oh well . . .

No, I did not have an EGD, they should have done that but I guess since the working diagnosis was dysmotility and they expected to find achalasia ( prob not spelled right) they did not do it. Now if the protonix I am trying does not work, will be getting the EGD done after all.

Lori