Living with Acid Reflux

When it comes to acid reflux, there are a host of different symptoms that can manifest. Heartburn is the predominant symptom though not everyone that has acid reflux necessarily gets heartburn. The symptoms of heartburn include a burning sensation in the chest located behind the breastbone which usually begins behind the breastbone near where the heart is located after the patient eats, lasting up to eight hours or as few as one. Bending over may also cause heartburn, as well as a burning in the throat which may have a taste of something hot, acidic, salty or sour. The patient may also have difficulty swallowing with the feeling of food being stuck in the chest or the throat as well as a chronic cough or hoarseness of the voice.

Often times heartburn symptoms can manifest in ways that may mimic a heart attack and vice versa – soften times a person thinking they are experiencing heartburn may be experiencing a heart attack. Because the two are so similar that medical diagnostic equipment is required to help find exactly if the corresponding chest pain is a result of a heart attack or heartburn. Heartburn may be confused for a heart attack when there is a sharp burning sensation located below the breastbone and the ribs, to which the symptoms may quickly subside with the application of antacids. Likewise the possible signs of a heart attack include dizziness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, pain radiating to the shoulders, neck jaw and arms as well as a shortness of breath. This pain may be treated with nitroglycerin.

Acid Reflux Symptoms

Heartburn: When the gastric acid of the stomach refluxes and escapes through the esophageal sphincter stimulating the nerves in the esophagus which creates the feeling of the area being on fire. Known as heartburn, it feels like a pain that burns in the middle of the chest, starting in the abdomen and may go as far up the esophagus as the throat and neck. Because of the location of the pain heartburn is often confused with heart angina, which may also radiate to the ribs and back up and down the torso.

Ulcers: As the gastric acid escapes from the stomach and comes to the esophagus it does considerable damage to the cells along the esophagus. This forces the esophagus to become inflamed whereupon it produces a healing agent but if that damage is too much an ulcer may form. The ulcer is essentially a break or tear in the esophageal lining that occurs in the inflamed area where the gastric acid has hurt the lining. As the ulcer continues to becomes worse the ulcer can actually wound the esophagus to the point where blood vessels burst, causing the ulcer to bleed.

Nausea: Nausea is a symptom of acid reflux that happens on occasion but when it does can happen cause vomiting. Sometimes there are rare cases when a patient will develop only nausea and no heartburn, though those cases are few and far between.

Regurgitation: Regurgitation is essentially refluxed liquid from the stomach that makes its way passed the esophageal sphincter to the esophagus and throat. For the most part this is occurs in small amounts and will only travel up the esophagus partway though there are instances where the gastric acid will actually come up in larger spurts. When this happens it will contain food and travel to the upper esophagus and throat. When this happens there is usually a taste of acid in the mouth and if the esophageal sphincter is loosened then it may fill with partially digested food. In these cases the acid will actually erode the enamel of the teeth causing them to erode.