I am a 44 year old female who has been having difficulty swallowing for severel months. It's not a problem of swallowing food, just normal swallowing which generally starts in the evenings. The difficulty in swallowing usually accompanies becoming nauseous.
In the last several weeks I've vomited three times for no reason. The 1st time, I ate ice cream a few hours before bed and my husband thought I must be lactose sensitive. So, I quit eating ice cream before bed. The 2nd time, I ate popcorn a few hours before bed. So, I've quit eating popcorn before bed.
Last night I woke up after sleeping several hours and vomited up bile. It was awful, I didn't sleep well the rest of the night and ended up calling in sick to work. My throat is raw and my stomach is sore.
I saw my doctor after the first time, he said it was a Acid Reflex problem and gave me some samples to try (Prevaid) but they haven't helped. Since I was a young adult, I have had different types of stomach problems: I've had sharp / bend over stomach pain on and off and never found out why; I've had the heartburn, GERD and acid reflex, but I think this is something different.
Has anyone experienced this or know what I am taking about?
I went to my Doctor's NP, paid my co-pay, waited 25 minutes, saw the N.P. for less than 5 minutes and was told he would refer me to a Gastrologist. The soonest I could get an appointment is a month away so I will have to miss another day of work.
The U.S. health system is very frustrating. Although, I am gratful to have medical insurance, there were many years I was without insurance and many people continue not to have it.
Any help / advise would be greatly appreciated!

I am hoping this finds you already having an answer from a doctor.

To me this sounds like it may possibly be GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). Symptoms of GERD are Pyrosis (burning sensation in the esophagus), dyspepsia (indigestion), regurgitation, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), odynophagia (painful swallowing)m hypersalivation and/or esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus). You do not have to have ALL of these symptoms to be diagnosed with GERD.

While Prevacid may be good, it does not work for everyone and you may need to try something like Pepcid, Axid or Zantac, to name a few.

Yes, you are luck to have insurance. Many of us Americans, including myself, don't. It makes it quite hard when living on the budget of a student, with young children, if someone does get ill.

Good luck to you and please keep me posted on your progress.