Heartburn Vs Heart Attack

Q.Has anyone ever suffered from, or no of someone who has, esophageal spasms? After exercise, I get nothing short of heart attack like symptoms. Massive chest pain and dizziness. This has gone on for years, went away for the better part of 2 years, and after a stupid 8 mile hike the other day is back with a vengeance! I can barely walk 100 yards right now without feeling very dizzy - 5 days since the attacks began and not the slightest abatement! Been to the ER, GP, and a Cardiologist. Had 3 EKGs in 3 days. All exactly the same - normal with a slightly short PR interval, whatever that means. Nothing to indicate heart problems. More heart tests to come this week, then they focus on the esophagus but I'm somewhat sure, if history repeats itself, they will find the same problem I had 5 years ago. Had lot's of heart tests 5 years ago to rule out the heart - all negative! One "Bernstein" test showed "impressive" esophageal spasms. Very painful test! I was diagnosed with esophageal spasms, and not a lot of help. But, I continue to find it difficult to believe the pain can be this severe and last for so days, if not longer, and induced only by exercise - not by food or stress, that I can tell of anyway. The "feeling" sometimes rises to having a problem of actually breathing! The other day my breathing seemed to stop for a second or two as I was finally dosing off and took quite an effort to start back up. Felt like my heart stopped. Doctor's are, at this point, confused to say the least. Claimed the spasms may have temporarily close my throat? I've searched the web and have found nobody with similar problems that come from exercise and is this severe! I've heard from some sufferers but nothing like what I'm going through! Can anyone give me some more information about heartburn vs heart attack please?

A.It can take six months for a severely eroded and inflamed esophagus to heal up to the point where symptoms disappear, if they ever do totally. The erosion itself can be almost symptomless until you get to the point where your first indication is a severe attack. Give the Prevacid a few days/weeks to work. Are you supplementing the Prevacid with anything else? Lots of water? Mylanta? Change in diet? Raise the head of your bed? If I could recommend something which may have an immediate effect, it would be to follow the following fairly simple regimen: 1) Eat six small meals per day, instead of three big ones, and try to reduce the amount of fat in the meals. Instead of a cheeseburger and fries, have a turkey sandwich with a salad. Fat stays in the stomach longer, promotes bile release, and encourages reflux. 2) Drink lots of water after and between meals. This washes and soothes the affected area. 3) Take 1/2 ounce of Mylanta between meals. This soothes, de-acidifies, and promotes G-E sphincter competency. 4) Raise the head of your bed at least 7 inches with books, blocks or bricks. Don't try to just use a bunch of pillows. This keeps the reflux down through simple gravity. It takes a little getting used to, but helped me in a big way immediately. Don't underestimate the power of this simple action. 5) Don't eat for three hours before going to bed. Drink lots of water during these three hours, and chug an ounce of Mylanta before retiring. This way, you won't have any food in your gut at night to wash up into your esophagus or mouth. 6) Eliminate cola drinks, alcohol, hot beverages, cigarettes, spicy foods and "hard" foods from your diet. These are all either chemically irritating, promote incompetence of the G-E sphincter, or promote the production of stomach acid.

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