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From: Robin David
Remote Name: 68.1.158.223
Date: 05/29/02
Time: 12:43:08 PM
Hi BB!
Your description sounds exactly like what used to really bother me before my fundo. And you're quite right, drinking water knocks it dead, especially cold water I discovered. I think the pain is caused by spasms in your esophagus. The nerves and soft muscles around your esophagus are "short circuiting" and causing abnormal contractions. Drinking water sort of "resets" everything and the pain goes away. For what it's worth, I also had a hiatal hernia in addition to severe GERD. I pretty sure the HH only exacerbated the condition. The shoulder/jaw sensation is probably related to your vagus nerve and the role it plays in digestion.
I'm glad your heart is OK but it may be time for you to get back to a GI if you haven't already. You might see if you can get a prescription for Levsin or Levbid. Both are anti-spasmodic drugs that work well in controlling esophageal spasms. Hope this helps.
Good luck and keep us posted. Cheers, Robin