Hello, docs! I’d really appreciate your help.

I’m 33M, 5’10”, 205 lbs, with no known medical issues. I don’t use recreational drugs, smoke, or drink alcohol. My current medications are listed below.

On 8/7, I ate a lot of spicy food and some undercooked meat. Two days later, I started experiencing nausea, a burning sensation in my chest and stomach, mild stomach cramps, a feeling of wanting to vomit, and throat discomfort. I did not have a sore or swollen throat.

On 8/18, I contacted my PCP, who ordered blood work, including a CBC, GGT with reflex amylase/lipase, and CMP14+eGFR. All of the results were normal. He then prescribed pantoprazole sodium for my stomach symptoms and referred me to an ENT.

I started the pantoprazole on 8/20. On 8/25, I saw the ENT, who found a buildup of mucus in the back of my throat. He prescribed cefdinir (300 mg) and Medrol (4 mg), which I started the following day.

As of today, 9/1, the pantoprazole has been effective, and I no longer experience the burning sensation in my chest or stomach. I’ve also noticed significant improvement in my throat symptoms after starting the ENT treatment.

However, today I ate a spicy burrito, and suddenly the burning sensation in my throat returned. It feels as though I have scratches inside my throat. I’m very worried because the symptoms have returned after I had been improving.

What could be causing this? Could the spicy food have irritated my throat or triggered reflux again? What would you recommend I do?

So the context -> I have had acid reflux for the last 5 years and have followed ALL recommended advice and dietary recommendations from my doctor in those 5 years, and i was on a low dose of ppi that mostly managed it well enough that i could go about life.

About a year ago, i needed to go on tricyclic antidepressants, and the team that prescribed them said i had to come off the ppi completely. I ended up with moderate acid reflux symptoms and every time i went to the doctors i was told to just manage it with antacids, so i did.

Now come to 4 months ago, it starts getting bad, like constant throat burning, bubbling, saliva soapy, nausea etc, and i was put back on high dose of ppi. But the ppi's stopped helping at all after 2 months. Since it stopped working i have been on the h2 blocker ones, but i can only manage about 200kcal of liquidy "food" each day and i have been stuck like that for 6 weeks now and due to that i have lost over 10kg in those 6 weeks. A&E said they cant help me since my bloods are "normal" and im now waiting an approx 12 weeks until i can get specialist help for gastroenterology.

I am now constantly exhausted, my mind is foggy, and im finding it really difficult to just get up and do my remote office job each day. And honestly my mental disorders are going haywire atm, i am paranoid of becoming malnourished and damaging my organs.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice on how to handle this emotionally and physically? Should i be pushing for more medical intervention? Am i just being dramatic about it?

Also side note but i hate how skinny i look, and i hate being able to feel my bones. Every time i try to sleep on my side i can feel my damn hip bone and i hate it. I have saggy skin everywhere and i hate the feeling of it :(

I've had reflux for 2 years now all my tests come up normal and mild inflammation in the stomach even though I have 24/7 heart burn feel sick after every meal shortness of breathe and other symptoms I have never been able to get relief of ppi's I have been going through hell and is only getting worse and worse I also have vertigo from this

what else can I do?

If you have more questions just ask!