Is it possible to have damage from stomach acid but never feel pain?

[Prapra]

Okay, I am going to have to ask many questions because trying to fit them all in one post is going to be way too wordy.

I have a question that has been bothering me a lot lately:

Is it possible to have damage from stomach acid but never feel pain, have no symptoms and have no feedback from your body to let you know something is wrong?

I apparently have damage, but these are my symptoms.

No = Never had symptom B4

Yes = Have symptom

PRILOSEC = Only RECENTLY got symptom since starting Prilosec (Been off it for a couple days)

Heartburn: No

Bad Breath: No

Sore Throat: No

Lump in Throat: No (PRILOSEC)

Hoarseness: No

Bloating: No (PRILOSEC)

Stomach Pains: No (PRILOSEC, feels like what I imagine a mini labor contraction would feel like)

Gas: No (PRILOSEC)

Bitter Taste: No

Cough: No

Asthma: No

Nausea: No

Trouble Swallowing Food: Yes

- Feels like SOME foods (It's always the same food) get "stuck" somewhere between my throat and my stomach.

- It hurts.

- I salivate a LOOOT. (Maybe enough to fill 3/4 of a cup)

- Drinking water makes it WORSE as it just rises the food contents closer to my throat.

- Going into a dark, quiet room and focusing hard on relaxing, calming thoughts usually makes the food go down (Stress, loud noise, bright lights seem to make it worse, sometimes creates hiccups)

- Sometimes this doesn't work though, and I have to forcibly vomit the food back up because it simply will not go down

- Can stay in the "stuck" position for 10-15 minutes

- Feels like a muscle is way too tight and won't let the food pass, and I can almost FEEL it when it relaxes. Breath of relief.

- Gets better as I eat the food, not worse. (It's almost like the muscle is getting used to relaxing or something.)

- Taking Prilosec has not helped (Been taking it for 2 months)

Does this sound like a GERD type of swallowing issue? Because I was just browsing around the forums, looking at this topic and I noticed a few things:

- Every post seems to be talking about problems with the throat, not the area between the throat and the stomach

- Many people are saying that water helps them, while water makes it worse for me

- Many people are saying that they have that lump alongside this swallowing issue. I have had the swallowing issue for a while, but have only recently (since starting Prilosec) felt a lump.

- Many people are saying they have to "push" food. The food has easily already gotten past my throat no issues, my issue is that it just hangs somewhere between my throat and my stomach. I couldn't push it even if I wanted to, because that area doesn't have any voluntary movement.

- Many people are saying they have trouble swallowing saliva. I have never had that issue.

Mucus: Yes/No (Sometimes get it, thickness varies, not really been a real problem for me, so 50/50 on this one.)

[selmaS]

  Hi Prapra and welcome to the GERD forum.

Sounds like you have LPR also known as Silent reflux ...you may not have the typical symptoms but you have had symptoms but were not aware they were reflux symptoms.

What are the symptoms of LPR?
There are many symptoms of LPR, all of which relate to sensations in the throat. Fifty percent of people with LPR do not have symptoms of heartburn or an upset stomach. When there are symptoms, they include:

Mild hoarseness
Sensation of a lump in the throat
Need to clear the throat
Sensation of mucous sticking in the throat and/or post-nasal drip
Chronic cough
Difficulty swallowing
Sore throat
Red, swollen, or irritated voice box

Since you have mucus and Prilosec does not help, ask your Dr if trying a H2b may help....Prilosec is a PPI proton pump inhibitor while a H2b is a histamine blocker....if you over produce histamines it can cause post nasal drip, and that can cause reflux.....one cause of the mucus....see if changing meds helps.
Also modify diet and lifestyle as the meds do not work alone.