Ear ache when having heartburn?

Question

I'm 20, don't know if that matters...

I get pretty bad heartburn from almost everything (even water or cereal). I've been having these heartburns ever since I can remember. Anyway, I get these terrible ear aches whenever I get heartburn; when the heartburn goes away, so does the ear ache. Is that normal?

No I haven't seen a doctor about. Will it do significant damage if I don't get it checked out (for heartburn or the ear ache)? Or can I continue to take lots of tums?

Answer 1

No no no no. I was your age when I began to have GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is not just uncomfortable, it is dangerous. You need to be checked out by a GI and put on acid blockers. It is caused when the muscle at the beginning of your stomach fails to prevent a backflow of stomach acid. When this happens, your esophagus suffers the consequences by having its lining slowly erode away. It can become precancerous resulting in a condition known as Barretts Esophagus. The next step is CANCER. I thought for a few years that I was OK not taking my acid blockers and then I got BAD sore throat and BAD ear pain. Turns out I had gotten granulomas on my throat. These are areas of damaged cells. The doctor quickly made me aware of the danger and told me I could never be off acid blockers again. Don't let the doc give you anything less than Nexium either because Prilosec and some of the others do not work as well. Please get to the doctor. Your condition sounds chronic to me.