It really does sound like reflux! I’ve had it for a few years now - tried to ignore it until it flared up so badly I couldn’t eat.
The ozemprole doesn’t always work (it did the first time I took it but it took about 3 weeks for any effect). It doesn’t work on me these days. When I get bad flare ups even a mouthful of water makes me feel like someone is stabbing me in the stomach. Throat pain/discomfort is also part of the reflux thing (I had a throat ultrasound to check it out, and stool samples taken to make sure there wasn’t anything nasty in the gut, plus blood samples galore). First doctor diagnosed it as ‘it’s your age’ 🙄
DS has started to get similar symptoms too. Part of it is definately stress (he’s in final year). We sit and compare ‘food no-no’s’!
We have found that combination of FODMAP and GERD diet seems to work as not everyone has the same trigger foods. Flare ups do happen and these can mean eating mashed potato every meal for a few days. When I started to take it seriously I kept a food diary for two weeks (times and any symptoms) and that did help identify triggers.
Good posture helps - lots of moving around and exercise. Walking after meals (not slouching on the sofa). Not having empty stomach (small meals more frequently) or having too full a stomach.
Avoid trigger foods as much as you can - I can’t ever have rosemary, cinnamon, very dark chocolate, mint (yes MINT!!) - whereas some foods build up, so I know I can’t eat tomatoes or sugar every day, or have too much fatty cheese (but lactose free ones work fine for me). Sometimes I’ll eat something I’ve had before - and it feels like I’ve swallowed molten lead.
It’s absolutely miserable - it really is. People say ‘oh it’s just a bit of indigestion’ but it really can feel like a knife in the guts. It like your throat has been cut. Or that you have a golf ball wedged in your throat (and can’t breathe). You are almost too scared to eat - and too scared to have an empty stomach which can be just as painful. My sister has it too and she says she vomits most nights and has had to have the top of her bed elevated. She is on a lot of heavy medication which is her trigger but she can’t stop taking that.
I saw a dietician who gave me good advice (it’s mostly online) but she did write to my GP to request a load of tests to rule nasties out (so that would have helped with any stress). But yes, stress is a factor. DS says a warm bath help.
Get the doctors to do full bloods and stools - get things crossed off the list. Keep going back - if you aren’t satisfied, go back again or ask to see another doctor (my first doctor misdiagnosed this and an autoimmune issue - and recommended I drink herbal tea and spoke to a therapist because of was obviously just a bit of wind and ‘age’).
They won’t refer you these days (apparently) unless they think it’s cancer (so my doctor told me - this seems to be a recent thing). So get as many checks done so you can tick off the obvious things. It’s so worth spending money to speak to someone who specialises in the gut and digestion. Reflux can lead to some nasties if it’s not controlled - and it can be controlled.