What did aerophagia feel like for you?
Searching through the board, I noticed that aerophagia is mentioned quite frequently here and there. But what did it feel like for you? Can the symptoms become severe?
The reason I ask is, starting about a month after pressure therapy, I wake up with a severe panicky feeling and chest/epigastric pressure. It was pretty bad, at one point I was in extreme distress, and I ended up going to the ER. So far, cardiac and GI showed nothing, leaving aerophagia as the only other possible thing I can think of. It was embarrassing and expensive, I felt likea hypochondriac, but I am not one to normally complain by default.
So I am curious what anyone else's experience has been like with aerophagia.
RE: What did aerophagia feel like for you?
Hello Cape67,
I experienced severe aerophagia during my titration study. My airway neck was narrowed most of the time due to chin tucking. I woke up an hour before the test was to end and felt like my ribcage had been beaten with a pipe. I also felt as if I had been blown up like a balloon.
I got the appointment on short notice because I was called to replace a cancellation and had to go to work that day. I came home, slept an hour and went to work. I had so much rib pain and other discomfort I drove the 30 minutes to work debating whether I should go to ER or urgent care. I put it off and I felt reasonably comfortable by mid afternoon after taking Gas-Ex and moving around.
DO NOT feel bad for going to ER. You are not a hypochondriac. You went due to a very real and painful condition. I'm glad it turned out to be nothing worse.
Yes, when aerophagia is severe it can feel absolutely awful. Is it possible that you drop your chin toward your chest when you sleep? This can cause the pressurized air to move into your esophagus and progress through your GI tract. Many people feel relief from using a sort cervical collar (SVC) which creates proper neck/airway alignment so the air can go where it needs to.
I hope this gets better for you quickly.
RE: What did aerophagia feel like for you?
Cape67, I feel for you! Aerophagia can be horrible. I've had two instances where I woke up in the middle of the night with aerophagia, got out of bed, and literally passed out from pain. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, too. But the specific pain from aerophagia can overwhelm the body pretty quickly if you get it bad enough. So, definitely don't feel bad about an emergency room trip!
My experience is that aerophagia is very position-driven. If I sleep on my left side or my back, I'm fine. As soon as I roll to my right side, I start swallowing air. My husband says he can tell right away when it starts - I begin gulping and burping air and although I don't wake up, it's loud enough to wake him up. He's nice enough to poke me on the shoulder until I roll over, and that simple act saves me a lot of pain!
I don't show any sign of positional apnea or chin-tucking, so it seems to be a different anatomical issue. Maybe I have a slightly deviated septum or something that routes the air differently when I'm on my right side? Maybe I roll slightly forward or backward compared to my left side? Who knows. But for certain, I need to stay away from sleeping on that side to prevent aerophagia.
I hope you can find a solution to your challenge quickly!
RE: What did aerophagia feel like for you?
@LuminousOne - thanks for the words of encouragement. Yeah it was pretty rough. I bought a soft collar on Amazon but it turned out to be way too small and too thick. I used a chin strap and it worked well with nasal pillows, based off my AHI numbers anyway, but it felt constricting, like I was waking up to someone hugging my head lol. Strange feeling. I still have it, maybe I will dig it out and just live with it, idk.
@ArcherNeedsSleep - thanks, yes it's interesting, the difference between laying on your left side vs right. Perhaps it is more than a coincidence that they have you lay on your left side for an EGD (endoscopy,) which makes it easier to visualize the upper GI tract using "gravity assist" (secretions and air move down the tract better) and for anatomical easing of the procedure. Deviated septum is always a possibility as well I would imagine.
