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The Ask A Doctor message board provided a medium for sufferers of Heartburn and Gerd to ask questions about medical and surgical options for heartburn and receive answers directly from experienced Gastroesophageal surgeons.
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From: AJ
Date: 01/19/01
Time: 11:12:03
For the past 3 months I have been having severe stomach cramps on occasion and in the past month I have had a constant dull pain right below my left breast. My general/family physician prescribed Prilosec, assuming I have a gastric ulcer based on the symptoms, but no actual tests were done.
My concern is that I am not convinced that an ulcer is the problem. There is one other symptom I have had for the past year, which only occurs a couple of times a month. I call it a "night attack"; it usually occurs about a 1/2 hour after falling asleep (whether I go to sleep at 9pm or 11pm); and I wake up with difficulty breathing and my heart is racing, and I break out into a mild sweat; it almost feels like a panic attack. It usually only lasts for a few minutes; but even after my heart stops racing, I feel a soreness (ache)in the chest area and I feel very weak.
My question is, what could be the problem and what tests can I have done to determine the exact problem? Also, could these "night attacks" be a symptom of a gastric ulcer?