Stuck in my throat: a tale of woe involving Prilosec, Mylanta and Zytrec

Boys be warned: This story involves girl talk.

SOOOO, I went to my lady doctor last Monday to have my IUD removed. After asking me if I wanted to keep said IUD for my wall (I politely declined--she was kidding), she prescribed an antibiotic for me as a precaution. I didn't even fill the prescription for another day because I thought it was unnecessary. Finally, guilt told me it was better to be safe than show up back at the office with some unwanted something or other that could have been prevented if I'd just played it safe.

Fine, I filled the prescription last Tuesday and took one blue pill that night (the bottle said twice a day for five days). Wednesday morning, it felt like the pill had dissolved in my throat, and I had some heartburn off and on. My friend said heartburn is common with antibiotics. The next day, I choked on most everything I ate and had more heartburn. I remember the choking being just another form of heartburn from being pregnant with Grace.

I was out of town on Thursday, so the next time I took the stuff was on Friday. More heartburn. On Saturday morning, before I even took a pill, I drank a glass of water and felt stabbing pain shoot down my arms, back and chest. Same with breakfast. I quit taking the antibiotic and looked it up online.

Doxycycline, (click here for more info.) it turns out, commonly causes heartburn. The more serious side effects are "difficulty swallowing or throat pain." In less than 1 percent of people, it causes esophagus damage and ulcers of the esophagus.

My neighbor/doctor told me to get on a strict regimen of Prilosec, Zyrtec and Mylanta. He told me to call him if I didn't start feeling better within a few days, and he'd probably have to put me on Prednisone, a steroid that makes your face swell. NICE!

SO, I'm now slowly starting to feel the effects reverse. Sunday was terrible, Monday about the same. I could feel each bite go down my throat just fine and then shoot spasms of pain everywhere once it hit about my chest area. Mashed potatoes and banana smoothies, ironically, were the worst. Tuesday was a little better, today the pain is occasionally, and hopefully tomorrow I'll be back to choking heartburn.

Oh, and Dr. Danes said chances of me getting anything from my IUD removal (the reason why I took the antibiotic in the first place) were very slim. There you have it . As a result of being precautious, I caused myself a week's worth (hope that's all) of stupid, unnecessary, over-the-top pain.