- sever heartburn
- asthma
- difficulty swallowing
- tightness or discomfort around the chest
- chronic cough
- pain or uncomfortable pressure in the chest or upper abdominal area
- acidic taste in the mouth
- burning feeling in the throat
You also may experience some less common symptoms, particularly if the illness goes untreated for years. Some of these more advanced symptoms are:
- wearing down of the enamel of your teeth and increased cavities
- gingivitis
- chronic sore throat
- constant throat clearing
- waking up at night coughing and choking
- copious salivation
- chronic sinus infections
- constant bad breath that doesn't improve with mouthwash, toothpaste, or other remedies
- chronic vomiting
Does this mean that if your upper abdomen feels out of sorts once in a while, then ou must have GERD and you should rush off to the doctor? Not necessarily. Just about everyone suffers from occasional heartburn. Think about that huge Thanksgiving meal that made you feel like you could barely walk, let alone breathe!
Or do you remember that spicy Mexican food you and your coworkers ate for lunch, joking that you'd all have to be rolled back to work? As an old advertisement once put it, you can't believe you ate the whole thing.
Many people who have occasional heartburn from overeating or eating very spicy foods take a few antacids and wait awhile for the food to digest and health to be restored. Problem over - if you don't have GERD. But if you do, the pain will recur and will start to happen more frequently unless you receive treatment.