Acid Reflux Pain

The pain experienced by the millions of patients that are afflicted with acid reflux disease is primarily felt in the form of heartburn, regurgitation and nausea. However, there are other symptoms that will become apparent if these individuals let the disease progress to the point that surgery is required.

The Mayo Clinic has determined that chest pain that is not directly connected to heart disease is usually brought about by acid reflux or GERD. The primary cause of this discomfort is the reflux of stomach acid that flows back up to the esophagus. When this happen the esophaguses nerves are damaged and this will eventually become a permanent disfigurement if an effective treatment is not implemented.

The pain will begin high in the abdomen and will ultimately reach the neck. In certain individuals, the pain will not be a burning sensation, but rather a sharp force felt in the stomach. This pain can be so bad that the person experiencing it can think they are having a heart attack.

Acid reflux usually occurs after meals due to a poor diet that exacerbates an already critical situation. The people that experience this on a regular basis often do not realize that many of the foods they are consuming are actually causing the pain they are undergoing.

Medicals studies have determined that patients that switched to an acid reflux diet reduced there pain levels almost immediately and as long as they maintained this meal plan there pain rarely reoccurred.

Regurgitation happens when foods previously eaten flow backwards up in the form of a liquid into the mouth. The vast majority of patients with GERD usually only have tiny amounts of liquid reach the esophagus.

But when this does happen the damage to the esophagus is initiated. Occasionally in some patients with GERD, larger quantities of liquid, sometimes containing food, are refluxed and reach the upper esophagus.

The pain caused by nausea is also a common complaint of people that suffer from acid reflux. In particular patients, it may be more recurrent or harsh and could result in regurgitation of the stomach contents.

In patients with unknown causes of nausea and/or vomiting, acid reflux is one of the primary situations to be considered. It is not known why some patients with acid reflux disease develop heartburn and why others experience nausea.