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From: meow
Date: 01/31/02
Time: 07:05:52 PM -0600
It sounds a lot like the symptoms I experienced as well. The negative results with the upper GI series should tell us both something!
Have you been to an allergist? If not, I'd find a good one and get the series of tests. I am so lucky to have found this Dr. He listens, explains, answers all my questions.
I went through three series of tests starting with a mild pin prick. Then they moved on to needles, injecting the allergins under my skin. It was not exactly the most pleasant experience to have, but they needed to do it to come up with the allergy shot serum.
I also had loads of stuff on the back of my throat and in my mouth. It would be stringy and would just cake on the back sides of my mouth and on the spot where my tonsils used to be. Sometimes it would be dry, sometimes not.
I also get a very dry, weird sensation - lump in the throat and tightness in the throat - when I go into some stores.
Some questions I had for the Dr. and his answers might be applicable to you too, so I will share them.
Q: Why all of a sudden did I get these allergies? A: People develop allergies at different ages, some as old as 70! I am in my early 30s, and the Dr. said that it is a common time for them to develop or reoccur (as in my case, I had bad allergies until about age 14 (puberty).
Q: Would this have caused my trouble swallowing? A: Yes, it could. But it would be concentrated in the upper portion of the chest.
Q: Would PND cause naseua (sorry poor speller)? A: Yes it could irritate the stomach.
I also asked about the trouble breathing, and he said that it may not cause lung problems (my lungs were always good) but the stuffy nose, irritated larynx and vocal cords would cause a sensation of not being able to catch one's breath even though the lungs were fine and clear.
I live in the NE USA, filled with allergy causing native plants, but I was not as allergic to them as I was the interior allergens. So that may explain why you can experience the same symptoms as I do even though you live in southern California.
Regarding Claritin, from what I have read and what my DR. said, it - along with the other non-drowsy antihistamines - do not have a good track record. So if the claritin does not work, it doesn't mean you are not suffering from allergy symptoms.
My Dr. reccommended the shots since it is so hard to avoid all the interior things that set me off. He said that for patients who have no trouble with mites, dander, etc., who have seasonal allergies, he recommends trying the meds for a while before initiating the shots.
About Seattle... it is more moist than So Cal, so that may explain it. Also, were you staying in a hotel room? Hotel rooms - aside from Bate's Motel - seem pretty clean and well kept. I believe they change the rugs often and the sheets are changed every day - so that may explain it.
It is worth checking out. Something is causing the PND other than (but maybe in addition to) the GERD. If you find that it is an allergy and get them treated with shots, you probably will feel a at the very least a little better.
I just always found it hard to believe that all these symptoms were caused by acid reflux when they were so far up my GI tract - including the tounge - and I never even tasted an acid taste in my mouth!
Good luck. Let me know what happens!