Does anyone else have trouble with their esophagus?

[Tiggyfudge]

I've recently been diagnosed with IBS, constant pain in bottom left side of tummy, now have pain all over stomach and lower breastbone is very tender. I'm also suffering with my esophagus, when I swallow it feels as though the whole thing shifts to the right, I also have very bad breath all of the time and the taste is very metallic.. does anyone else get this? Thank u

[Alpaca20]

Hi sorry to hear you’re feeling like this. I’ve had similar for the last 16 months I feel like food is sticking in my throat . Chest pain back pain metallic taste etc I’ve had endoscopy , barium swallow xray (only had this recently) , thyroid scan (I also have overactive thyroid but they don’t think it’s related ) and going for a neck mri next week. This is all under ENT however they have said if mri comes back clear there is nothing more ENT can do for me. So maybe it’s more gastro I don’t know ? It’s been so hard to get docs to listen to me and wait for results as everything back logged due to covid , they keep saying it’s anxiety I just don’t think it is... first they said acid reflux put me on ppi’s and gaviscon , nothing helped , I’ve been to dietician and tried changing my diet. Ibs has been really bad too ... never had any checks on my bowel but gp said it’s probably ibs!! I have so many different symptoms it’s so hard to know if they’re all related . And also hard to get appointments at the moment ...but

I think it’s good to get to your gp so they can get some tests done and rule things out . Maybe keep a food and symptom diary so you can rule out anything you’re eating . Good luck and hope you feel better soon x

[Tiggyfudge in reply to Alpaca20]

Hi, sorry to hear u have been suffering too.. Its such a nightmare trying to get to the bottom of the problem. I lost my hair 2years ago due to Alopecia, luckily it's all grown back now, before this I was already experiencing problems with my throat, I got sent to ENT and had a camera put up my nose and down back of throat, I also had an ultrasound scan on neck, they said it looks as though one of my muscles on the left side of neck is a little swollen, but they signed me off and didnt take it further, I've also had MRI scan on head as they thought I may have MS, my sister is diagnosed with MS.. that was also ruled out.. I've had a ct scan on pelvic area to rule out bowel cancer. Was hoping to get the camera up the bottom, as I think I may have stomach ulcer, my mum suffers with these too.. I hate feeling so lifeless every morning , I'm a single mum of two boys and find it hard to get the energy I need to look after them. The gp just puts it all down to stress and anxiety. Its strange cos I dont even feel like I'm stressed or anxious, only stressed about the symptoms I'm getting.. I've also had tinnitus for about 3years now, a loud ringing in my left ear, drives me crazy at night. I hate feeling like I'm moaning all of the time. I've never been one to moan or go to my doctors, been really healthy up until 3years ago, I'm now 40 and everything seems to b going down hill fast lol.. Good luck with everything. Hope you get some answers and start feeling better soon.Xx

[xjrs]

You'd need to discuss these other symptoms with your doctor to obtain a proper diagnosis. You could be suffering from acid reflux, which often goes hand in hand with IBS.

Have you been getting any help with your IBS? Here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group in case any of these tips are of interest to you:

IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.

There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as excess gas, pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:

gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/....

This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app and Kings College fodmap apps, they will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. The year before last all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.

If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:

iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...

It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.

You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.

You can find some info on self management here:

theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...

If all of the usual IBS remedies fail and you are experiencing diarrhea, it is worth getting tested for BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption), which can cause constant diarrhea - there is a separate test and treatment for that. Good luck.

[Tiggyfudge in reply to xjrs]

Thank u for all of this useful information. I have only just been diagnosed with IBS.. I'm currently waiting for my Gp to prescribe me Amitriptyline. Hopefully these will help. Many thanks for your reply.

[Sandy58]

Tiggyfudge sounds like u also have acid reflux, I hav constant problems with my throat and a horrible taste, see ya GP he can give u something for that 🙂

[Tiggyfudge in reply to Sandy58]

Thank u so much. This has put my mind at rest a little. Will ask my gp for something for acid reflux..Xx