# The Scariest Night of My Life



## jayone (Dec 20, 2011)

Hi,First of all I have no diagnoses of Acid Reflux or G.E.R.D. But, I've never been to the doctors over it. I do have issues with drinking milk at times (major gas and stomach cramps). I do also have burning stomach pains after hot food or if I don't sleep till late. Strangely enough tonight I had a spicy curry and a cup of hot chocolate with milk. I did feel the burning stomach tonight but I can't recall feeling reflux. More like a burning ball in my stomach, with the feeling of trapped gas (burp) but gas coming out of the rear end.What happened today has just scared the living daylights out of me. It's happened before in the past but the attacks are few and far between.So, I feel asleep late tonight, around 3am maybe. Within the hour I shot up and was sitting up at the end up at the end of my bed saying "Oh no, please help, please help". The feelings in my body were out of this world. I couldn't breath. I wasn't chocking like I had something in my windpipe, but it certainly felt like I couldn't breath, like I wasn't in control of it or fluttered breathing. I was very disorientated. Panic was flooding my whole body. My tshirt was also wet from sweating around my upper body.My girlfriend was in the next room sleeping in the 3 year olds room as he was ill. Whilst still feeling these feelings I walked in an sat on the bed and said "Please sleep in the other room with me that sleep thing happened". I was checking my pulse. At this point I was still in a horrible sleep like daze, coupled with anxiety, fear and just beginning to gain control over my breathing.I would never wish what happened tonight to happen to anyone!It's now around 20 minutes since it's happened and I cannot sleep. I am scared to sleep. The worst part is the longer I am awake the more I am forgetting what those feelings felt like, so it's going to be impossible to explain this to a doctor. You know when you wake from a dream and you slowly start to forget the dream, well it's like that, I'm forgetting what the experience felt like.I don't know if this is AR/GERD related. But I feel it might be relevant.So helpless right now looking for possible answers.


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## gasgurl (May 28, 2012)

I have problems with GERD and I have been diagnosed and IBS symptoms that I havent been diagnosed with yet but one contributes to another. It sounds like your symptoms are IBS more than GERD. You can go to the IBS forums and find out.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I don't know if night terrors (that is what it sounds like) is linked to GERD, they are more common in kids but can happen in adults and it kinda sounds like that.When my GERD wakes me up it is just pain not all the other symptoms of panic and fear. IBS generally doen't wake people at night nearly as much as GERD which commonly does, but it can but usually it is a "I gotta go to the bathroom urgently" think than what you described.Here is some info on night terrors, don't know if that is what this was, but that is what is sounds like more than a regular nightmare or waking up from GERD/IBS.http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/adultterrors.htmlhttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/night-terrors/DS01016/DSECTION=symptomsCould also be a panic attack, but I think those usually start when you are awake where a night terror would start in that part of sleep (first third) and if 3 am was later than usual sleep time that kind of fatigue sounds like it could start it (based on what that Mayo Clinic site says about lifestyle/prevention).


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