I went to bed with a bothering in my chest; I brushed it off because I was tired. When I woke up the following day, I was in much pain. It wasn’t my typical RA pain, but what else could it have been? 

I stayed on my couch all day taking medication, believing it was my RA because, in my mind, what else? I was 98% sure it wasn’t my heart. By the evening, I was feeling a little better, but I stayed on the couch through the night because I was comfortable there. 

When I woke up the following day, there was a knot in my chest. I reached for the glass of water on my bedside table to take some pain medicine, and when I swallowed some water from the glass, my chest went BOOM! And I was like, WTH!

I honestly felt that it was Costochrodritis/RA because, again, what else? I took another sip of water, and the same thing happened; the right side of my chest went BOOM! And I was like, WTH again. That’s how intense the pain was. I didn’t understand why drinking water caused my chest to hurt. 

So I googled “Why does my chest hurt when I drink water,” and there were various conditions. GERD(gastroesophageal reflux disease), Esophageal spasms, and drinking too much water or drinking it too fast could cause my chest to hurt. So I called my primary care physician, and she told me to get some Tums, and then she said if the pain didn’t get any better, to go to the ER.

I immediately took the Tums once they were delivered. Soon after, I started burping, which relieved some of my chest discomfort. Still, it was unsettling because, at 65, water had never been an issue.

After a couple of days, I took some Alka seltzer. I felt better; the pressure in my chest was easing, but I still needed to burp more. So, I decided to call my gastroenterologist, and when he called back, he wanted me to be specific with my symptoms. He reviewed my medications over the phone. After reviewing my meds, he called in a prescription.

As of today, I am feeling well. It no longer hurts to drink water. The pressure in the upper right side of my back is also gone. I am incredibly grateful. Until the next post, be blessed.