I took 4 Prilosec yesterday (80mg). I feel better. Got to the very impressive, well staffed and well run Urgent Care facility this morning and saw a doctor, got bloodwork, got a gallbladder ultrasound. Everything looked within range/normal (including ultrasound). Picked up some Prevacid. I'm making an appointment with my g.i. doctor tomorrow, That is the same specialist who did my colonoscopy, so he is familiar with the ahole side of Pcad already.

I am convinced this is acid reflux and this is how it manifests itself in my case, but we'll see if the g.i. doctor wants more tests to rule out other conditions, I'll do what he recommends at this point. But at least the acid reflux meds make me feel better. 60% better today than yesterday, when I was so wiped out I slept all day. I will ride my road bike later.

Not that anybody here could give a flying fark of course. If I got hit by a bus the BF Stupid Express would still be on schedule.

everyone loves the pcad. even if he is leaking acid out of his butt.

Weird that the discomfort was radiating to your back.

Note: I have no formal medical training.

Have you recently stayed in a Holiday Inn Express? In some states that is an acceptable substitute.

Try 8 weeks.

It is in most Southern US states.

Really does sound like reflux to me, the stress you are under, the response to the prilosec being positive. Another possible cause would be gastritis. This would also respond well to the H2 blockers.

The symptoms of heart disease, esophageal disease, ulcer, gallbladder all share a common nerve for the perception of pain, that nerve is the vagus. Not uncommon for any or all the the problems listed above to be perceived like another of the group. For instance, I have seen patients that I swore were having an MI turn out to be having a gallbladder attack or esophageal reflux. The degree of overlap is considerable in upper GI problems and having a patient with reflux appear like the symptoms of gallbladder or pancreatic disease is not at all rare. It's what makes medicine so interesting.

I need F2 blockers, which help you with NFS (Nagging Fred Syndrome). That would be more helpful on the 41.

That makes us even, the diagnoses I've received for several conditions from doctors with lots of impressive paper on the walls over the past 10+ years is the vaguest.

This is starting to remind me of that too. 'Oh you're in massive pain? Oh, you're sicker than a dog? Let's run a bunch of tests. Hey, there's nothing wrong with you, your tests look fine. Why don't we go with your first idea.'

Oh well. I'm sure that's much more frustrating for the doctors. If I was an MD those situations would drive me crazier than it drives my patients.

Here is the more important thing I've learned about medicine since 1999: should any doctor refer your collection of symptoms and test results as pointing towards anything with the term 'syndrome' at the end you are effed. In medical terms 'syndrome' actually means:

'we have of effing idea what the eff is wrong with you, nobody ever will, but this is the WTF category we file the mysterious medical clusterfark you are cursed with under'.

Hey, no knock on the meds, they may not know everything, but they're learning more every year. I guess part of that is you start to learn more about what you don't know.

P.S. Life expectancy 100 years ago was about 50. Why? Because the routine crap that doctors cure us of with Rx and treatments daily used to kill people constantly at early ages. Routine infections of a thousand kinds. Hell, in 1860 if you let a toothache go too long it could kill you. At age 35.

So I'll take modern bloated overpriced medicine with all its current issues any day thank you very much. Beats dying for want of a root canal or antibiotics.

Hey, I learned something in one of Pcad's threads.

It's worth noting.

GaaaaaLeeeeeee!

Many meds are good, many more are not. I had an allergic reaction to a medication, spent a month in hives....and many more months not feeling right. Take only what you really need.

Well, you can't always get what you want.