For the past 2 nights I have had the most HORRIBLE time sleeping. The first night I had "bowel issues". Last night about the same time the other mess started, and right after I took a pill to help myself with the other issue, I felt like I had the thing stuck in my throat. I got up and drank big gulps of juice to try and see if that helped. No luck. Then I tried to eat something at breakfast and drink some more. It is still there. I doubt it is the pill, but it feels like when I swallow, I have something there that will NOT go away. It does not hurt, but it is annoying. A friend at work said that it could be reflux and to try and take a Nexium or Prilosec or something for it. Any suggestions from my reliable 4042ers? Please let it something over the counter.....:mrgreen: Thanks All!
GC, the feeling that something is still in your throat may be a slight ulceration from where the pill remained before you could wash it down. It might have caused a slight ulceration or inflammation at that spot. If it doesn't resolve within 24 hours, you should seek medical care. As for washing it down with juice, the acidity of the juice could have further inflammed the sensitive spot. Using juice to wash down a tablet is rarely a good thing, as the acidity may cause the outer protective layer of some meds to dissolve before it was designed to do so. Some meds need to be broken down in the stomach, or even further down into the intestines to become active. As for what is causing the gastro upset, there are so many variables that it's a gamble trying to figure it out. Could have been caused by a foodborne illness or a sensitivity to something you ate or drank. So many foodborne illnesses are under reported, or else written off as an upset stomach, etc. If it is reflux, then the problem is with the small sphincter that prevents the passage of food and stomach acids up the esophagus into the throat. Normally, this sphincter muscle (think of a flap that opens downward, but closes to prevent escape upward) closes well, but occasionally allows the digestive contents to move upward. The meds used to trat this sphincter problem are not necessarily the same used for hyperacidity in the stomach. Reglan (R) is used commonly for those retrograde issues with the sphincter issue. Excess acid production is where OTC meds like Tagamet, or Omeprazole OTC (Prilosec) or Rx Nexium are used. There are several meds, both Rx and OTC to treat these, ranging from pepto, tums and the like to Prilosec OTC. These meds are used to neutralize the acidity by adding alkalinity into the stomach as in the case of tums, Axid, Tagamet, etc...or else reduce the output of the acidity producing glands lining the stomach as in Prilosec, Nexium etc. If it resolves using an alka seltzer or baking soda, it was probably excess acidity based on foods you ate, or a developing hyperacidity issue. Again, if it doesn't resolve in a short time, seek medical care, as the constant acid burn in the esophagus can result in esophagitis (inflammation of the eso) and cause further discomfort. Disclaimer..I am not a physician, nor do I portray on on TV...... Hope you get to feeling better.
Without getting too personal, but are you having sporadic or regular problems with your bowels? With the feeling in your throat and with the bowel issue, you may want to go have your thyroid levels checked. Have a trusted doctor (or an endocrinologist) check you out. Are you having problems with brittle hair, feeling fatigued, cold or hot natured, etc? Do you have any sign at all of a goiter? Sometimes you can have thyroid levels that are off and still not have the goiter.
Wow....thanks to both of you! I Hatteras, you are wealth of info.....And Jester, I have had alot of "bowel" problems all my life I guess. It goes from one extreme to the other.....I really need to go and have it checked and more than likely a colonoscopy will be needed. ewwww. I've been trying to avoid it at all cost but maybe this is my wake up call that I better do somethig before it gets worse. And I need to do what I can for myself and my family. I am a chicken about doctors......LOL The throat thing was a first though. But I will try the remedies you suggested Hatteras and let you know what happens. I had my thyroid checked a little over a year ago and it was fiine but I am told it can change at anytime.
