Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Just back from the doctor

**I also posted this on the Living Room, but I thought I may get some more insight here and I could really use it. Sorry for the repeat if you are reading this twice**

Hey guys,

I don't know who to talk to about this, and I could really use some advice. I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and I just don't know what to do.

I went to the doctor today, I have been having such problems with my throat lately that I finally gave in and went back again. It is so uncomfortable and painful that I have trouble swallowing, can't eat for hours and lately it has even made me breathing feel weezy. When it happens, the pain is on one side of my throat mostly and it lasts for over 15 hours (like now, from something I ate yesterday and I still can't eat).

Right, so, I went and once again I was told it was reflux. I have been taking Zantac (after asking my doctor for something else, and being given that instead) because all the other reflux meds give me such bad D that I was in the bathroom more than 10 times a day.
Right, so, today I go in and she tells me I need to get on some kind of reflux meds because if it is feeling this bad I am doing some serious damage to my throat and all that jazz.
So I started to panic. She wrote me a prescription for losec (sp) for 2 weeks worth, said to try and stop it if makes me D a lot worse. Thing is, I can't afford to have it get worse.. I take public transport to and from work, and I take like 80 phone calls a day. I can't have liquid D 12 times a day. AND if I miss one more day of work, I have a very good chance of getting fired as I have already had a warning.

To make matters worse, she said that I really need to have the scope down the throat thing. Now, I didn't USED to be so scared of this procedure but since I had my colonoscopy, I am terrified. They "sedated" me for my colonoscopy, but I was totally awake and aware of every little thing and I CANNOT go through that with something going down my throat! I am so scared about this, that I have already had to run to the loo twice today since finding out.

To make matters WORSE, I went to fill my 2 week prescription and it cost me $51.50!!!!! I put a big chunk of my benefits into prescriptions and they said that this particular medication wasn't covered. The generic OR the name brand. And it was the generic that cost me that much! This is the second prescription I have tried to fill since my benefits kicked in that hasn't had ANY coverage AND I have only tried to fill those two!! What is the point of paying for these benefits and then not getting any coverage on my prescriptions?
And that is $1200 a year for ONE medication, that may or may not give me such bad D that I can't function!

What should I do??? Do I take the medication, even though similar ones have made me sick? Do I NOT take the medication, and suffer with this pain that is getting worse and worse all the time and aparently is costing me long term damage?

I sat in the car when I came home, and just cried and cried. My stomach is finally starting to settle down (not great, not even so good.. but better) and I could screw it right up with this medication. But this discomfort in my thraot is making it impossible to eat, hard to swallow and harder and harder to breathe. Even more, it is harder to talk which is really difficult at work as all I do is talk!

I will have to wait a few months to see the specialist (who will do the scope) and in the meantime, I don't know what to do.

I am so tired of this, one thing gets a little better and the other falls apart. I am feeling really sorry for myself at the moment, but also so confused.

Please help, any advice is appreciated!

Steph

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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.

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