Why does there be a fishy taste in the mouth? Causes and elimination of unpleasant symptoms

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

is a disease caused by repeated spontaneous reflux of stomach contents (and in some cases, duodenum) into the esophagus.

Our body is designed in such a way that movement must occur in only one direction: food from the esophagus must enter the stomach.

The reverse movement is prevented by a ring of muscle, the lower esophageal sphincter, which provides a barrier that prevents stomach contents from naturally flowing into the esophagus. The digestive process begins in the stomach. Gastric juice secreted to digest food contains aggressive hydrochloric acid. Once in the esophagus, where it is not intended to be located, the acid causes irritation of the mucous membrane, manifested as a burning sensation along the esophagus, which we call heartburn. Heartburn can occur even in a healthy person, but if reflux occurs quite often, irritation of the esophageal mucosa can cause inflammation.

Thus, isolated cases of heartburn are not a disease, but if irritation of the esophageal mucosa occurs often enough, GERD is diagnosed. In this case, endoscopic examination may not reveal mucosal erosion. This form of the disease is called endoscopically negative reflux disease.

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It accounts for approximately 70% of cases. In 30% of cases, endoscopy reveals mucosal lesions. This form of the disease is called reflux esophagitis
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Causes of GERD

Reflux (reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus) can occur for the following reasons:

• 
  decreased tone of the lower esophageal sphincter.
  Sphincter weakness may result from:

• consumption of caffeinated drinks, chocolate;

taking certain medications;

• smoking;
• alcohol abuse;
• hormonal changes during pregnancy;

• hiatal hernia.

For the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease, not only the reflux itself is important, but also some other factors that contribute to the aggravation of the situation, for example:

• depressed state of the esophageal mucosa, in which it is unable to resist damage;
• impaired ability of the esophagus to cleanse itself. Normally, the esophagus should quickly be cleared of the stomach contents that have entered it - due to gravity and peristalsis, and the acidity of the environment should be eliminated by sodium bicarbonate, which is part of the saliva.

Factors that provoke reflux are:

• stress;
• eating too much food (overeating);
• eating foods that cause increased gas formation and other digestive disorders;
• physical activity after meals.

Diagnosis and which doctor to contact?

It is worth noting! If a person experiences the taste of fish in his mouth and those around him smell it, then this becomes a big psychological problem.

To avoid it and understand the causes of this condition, you should seek help from a doctor.
Initially, you can contact your dentist to rule out problems with the oral cavity.
If everything is fine with this, then plan your next visit to a therapist .

The doctor will conduct a general examination and, if necessary, refer you to specialists.

Diagnostic procedures may include the following research techniques:

• Abdominal ultrasound to identify gastrointestinal diseases and sinus ultrasound to rule out problems in this area;
• taking scrapings from the mouth ;
• donating blood for analysis;
• checking sputum for the presence of fungal infection;
• X-ray of lung tissue, nasal septum;
• in extreme cases, a biopsy is performed;
• immunogram;
• CT and MRI.

After receiving all the test results, the general practitioner will be able to decide which specialist to refer the patient to.

Depending on in which organ the problem of fishy taste in the oral cavity lies, the attending physician is determined who can eliminate the disease.

Keep in mind! This could be an endocrinologist, dentist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, otolaryngologist and other specialized specialists.

Symptoms of GERD

Acid from the stomach can enter the respiratory tract (this usually happens when lying down) and cause a sore throat, hoarseness, dry mouth, and cough. GERD can stimulate the development of bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and aspiration pneumonia.

The constant presence of acidic contents in the esophagus leads to scarring of the mucous membrane of the lower part of the esophagus, as a result of which the lumen of the esophagus narrows (this complication of GERD is called peptic stricture of the esophagus). In this case, pain when swallowing and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) may occur.

But first of all, GERD is characterized by symptoms that usually appear an hour and a half after eating. This:

Heartburn

Heartburn is the main symptom of GERD. The presence of heartburn that regularly occurs after eating is the basis for diagnosing the disease.

More about the symptom

Belching

With GERD, belching after eating is typical.

More about the symptom

Sour or bitter taste in the mouth

A sour taste in the mouth means that acid from the stomach has traveled up the esophagus and irritated the taste buds. The taste in the mouth may be bitter if bile enters the esophagus, which normally should not rise above the duodenum.

Chest pain

A burning sensation may be felt behind the sternum (along the esophagus). Often the complaint is formulated as chest pain, so it is important to make sure that the pain is caused by irritation of the esophageal mucosa, and not by heart problems. In the case of GERD, the pain is usually associated with food intake, begins in the epigastric region and only then rises higher. Pain can radiate to the neck, shoulders, interscapular area, and lower jaw.

At the reception, a mature woman complains of the taste of chalk in her mouth. In the morning, there is no discomfort in the mouth. Around 1 p.m. every day, a burning sensation appears on the tip of the tongue, like a tingling sensation with needles. This painful, painful sensation intensifies from lunch to evening, when the sensation of the taste of chalk is added. The jaws clench, the chewing muscles tense, the teeth make movements as if grinding something.

These are the complaints that bothered the patient at the time of treatment. And the story of their appearance is as follows.

In March of last year, the patient was fired from her job, completely unexpectedly and in a humiliating manner. This fact in her life is worth telling in more detail.

For more than ten years she worked in a branch of one large organization known throughout the country. The branch was “dying” when, let’s call her Evgenia Filimonovna, came to work at this branch. Very soon she established herself as an excellent worker - proactive, creative, responsible, disciplined, and decent. Very soon she was promoted to department head. The department she headed brought the entire branch into the category of the best branches in the region. For success in her work she was repeatedly rewarded with prizes, certificates, and thanks. She was awarded the “Best in Profession” distinction. Only two people from the region received such badges. Colleagues from the head Moscow office set Evgenia Filimonovna as an example to everyone else at all-Russian conference calls.

Her immediate supervisor of the branch was a mediocre, or even “below average” person; his intellectual limitations did not allow him to delve into the content of the work process. Twice he failed to pass professional certification, but some of his other abilities allowed him to remain in the leadership chair. Evgenia Filimonovna actually managed the employees for him, motivated them to high performance, solved all production problems that her manager had to solve, and raised all performance indicators to the best in the region. He repeatedly told her “thank you!” and added: “What would I do without you?!”

In March, at about 11 o’clock, “two representatives from the region” arrived. Evgenia Filimonovna intuitively felt that “they had come for my Soul”; she was in an anxious state for two hours. Around lunchtime, at about 1 p.m., her bosses called her in and, in the presence of those who arrived, told her that she had been fired. No justification for dismissal was provided. They forced me to sign an order that included the wording “dismissed by agreement of the parties.” As soon as she put her signature, her work computer was “ruined”, so it became impossible to remove her personal photographs and her author’s work from it. On the same day they paid her off, confiscated the keys to the office and turned their backs on her.

The patient spent three weeks in neurotic depression - “in tears and snot”, did not leave the house, did not communicate with anyone. After a month and a half, when the symptoms of depression decreased, psychosomatic disorders appeared - an extremely unpleasant taste of acid in the mouth. Evgenia Filimonovna turned to the dentist. He diagnosed galvanosis and suggested removing the metal crowns. Some of the crowns were removed in June, but the taste of acid persisted, so in August all the dental crowns were removed.

After the crowns were removed, a chalky taste appeared in the mouth and a burning sensation, tingling on the tip of the tongue. I went back to the dentist, who just shrugged his shoulders. That’s when Evgenia Filimonovna turned to me.

After the first session, the taste of chalk in the mouth disappeared, and after the second session of psychotherapy, the tingling, burning of the tip of the tongue and clenching of the teeth disappeared. She arrived for the third session without complaints. By the way, my mood became normal, the obsessive feelings of the psychotrauma I experienced went away, and the ability to smile, joke, and talk about abstract topics appeared.

Now, let's analyze psychosomatic disorders.

In preschool childhood (and in school, too), little Zhenya was raised by her grandmother because her mother “arranged her personal life,” and simply, she abandoned her daughter to her mother and chased after men. Evgenia Filimonovna was etched in her memory by one episode from her childhood connected with her mother.

“I was 4-4.5 years old. Mom arrived home. I missed her very much and was very happy about her arrival. It was the first of May. Mom was in a very beautiful dress, she was going to go to a demonstration. They inflated me with balloons, and I was looking forward to going with my mother to the demonstration - she in a beautiful dress, and me with balloons. Mom didn’t take me and went alone. I ran after her and cried, shouting to her to take me with her. My grandmother caught up with me and forcibly returned me home... Throughout my childhood, I felt useless and abandoned. I was drawn to my mother, but she always pushed me away.

I have known the taste of chalk since childhood. Previously, walls were whitened not with lime, but with chalk. I often licked the walls, picked off pieces of chalk and ate, for which I was often punished. I guess I didn’t have enough calcium, that’s why I was drawn to chalk. I also ate raw potatoes, their taste is somewhat similar to chalk. As for the taste of acid, I don’t know where it comes from. Only all my life I haven’t eaten sour apples, I don’t eat cherry plums or raspberries at all. I can’t stand sour things.”

If Evgenia Filimonovna cannot tolerate the feeling of acid in her mouth, it means that there was an episode in her life, probably in early preschool age, in which she experienced severe suffering and the taste of sour at the same time. Perhaps she was crying, experiencing severe mental suffering, and at that moment she ate something sour. According to the mechanism of a conditioned reflex, the connection between suffering and sour taste was closed. Her mind couldn't remember anything like that. But this does not mean that such an event did not happen in her life. Just like that, out of the blue, a dislike for sour taste will not develop for life.

After the neurotic depression ended, her suffering did not disappear, but moved to the psychosomatic level. Therefore, sensations of acid in the mouth appeared, according to the mechanism of a conditioned reflex formed in distant childhood. This time she was deprived of her job with her self-esteem humiliated. Probably, in childhood, there was an episode when she was also deprived of something dear to her and at the same time her self was humiliated. According to the mechanism of a conditioned reflex, she had a feeling of acid in her mouth.

Dental crowns have absolutely nothing to do with this feeling. She wore them before and everything was fine. If Evgenia Filimonovna had contacted me immediately after her dismissal, there would have been no neurotic depression, no psychosomatic disorders, and all the dental crowns would have been preserved.

When the dentist confidently told the patient that the taste of acid would no longer bother her, another unconscious conditioned reflex turned on, but the triggering moment was identical to the first one. The taste of chalk is like a reminder of one’s uselessness and abandonment. Then her mother abandoned her, and now she was kicked out of work “like a mangy dog,” despite all her previous merits.

Clenched teeth and a burning sensation on the tip of the tongue are an unconscious strong desire to express everything to your boss and at the same time a strong prohibition on yourself from realizing this desire.

The time of onset of the symptom - lunch, coincides with the time of severe psychotrauma experienced, again, according to the mechanism of a conditioned reflex. I.M. was right. Sechenov, who proved that “all acts of conscious and unconscious human life are reflexes in their origin.”

From March to December the woman suffered. Two sessions of psychotherapy and torment “like a cow licked it with its tongue.” Psychosomatics is the Soul’s cry for help. The soul screams with body language, turning to someone who can help eliminate mental suffering. And who can eliminate them? only a psychotherapist. So such patients with psychosomatic disorders go from one doctor to another, in a vicious circle, until someone shows the way to a psychotherapist. There are years of suffering. They treat, operate, irradiate...

I asked Evgenia Filimonovna about how her mother arranged her personal life. Has she found herself a husband? In response I heard: “I found a husband, but it’s impossible to say that her personal life was a success...”

I expected this answer. If Evgenia Filimonovna’s mother did not run after men, but raised her daughter with kindness and love, then the Lord would definitely give her the one she had been looking for all her life. A real man, with whom a woman feels happy, will accept and raise the child of his beloved woman as his own. Such a man must be earned. If you don’t deserve it, then no matter how you look for it, you won’t find it. And if you deserve it, then completely unexpectedly for you, miraculously, he will appear in your life. Just remember the plot of the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears.”

Good luck and health to you, and happy new year 2015!

PS When the article was posted on the site and the patient read it, she remembered the reason for the sour feeling in her mouth. The unconscious made her aware. When she was 7 years old, on New Year's Eve, all her classmates were preparing for a masquerade ball. The girls said that at the ball they would be a snowflake, a fairy, and a fox. And little Zhenya really wanted to be a princess or a queen, or even a snowflake. Then the new dad came (mom got married this year) with a briefcase and took out a pig costume for Zhenya. “I cried bitterly and said that I would not wear this suit.” But the mother insisted, and instead of the princess, Zhenya appeared in front of her classmates in a pig costume. She felt humiliated and insulted, she saw the mocking ridicule of her peers, pointing fingers at her, and the whispering of the girls. She doesn’t remember how the matinee went. I remember two moments: the terrible feeling of being crushed, humiliated in the Soul and the sour taste in the mouth from the apples and tangerines received as a gift. She ate fruit and tasted sour in this disgusting pig costume. Feelings of humiliation and insult to her self-respect combined with the taste of sour in her mouth, the conditioned reflex to sour closed. That is why, despite the past decades, she did not eat anything sour, so as not to unconsciously revive those extremely difficult memories.

When Evgenia Filimonovna experienced a humiliating, insulting dismissal, her unconscious revived those childhood memories for her through the mechanism of a conditioned reflex. As a result of such dismissal, she, the best in her profession, felt again in a pig costume, at which everyone laughs and mocks. “You are not a queen, and not even a princess, but an ordinary pig!” - that was what was in her Soul on an unconscious level when she lay on the sofa facing the wall, day after day, after her dismissal. Having turned on the feeling of sourness in the mouth, the unconscious forced Evgenia Filimonovna to seek help, first from a dentist, then from a psychotherapist. The goal has been achieved, she has found someone who can alleviate her suffering.

Here is another illustration of how our Unconscious works. It never forgets anything. This Consciousness does not remember, but the Unconscious remembers everything down to the smallest detail throughout life.

GERD Treatment Methods

Treatment of GERD is carried out by a gastroenterologist. Treatment is aimed at relieving inflammation of the esophageal mucosa, reducing the frequency of reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, reducing the damaging properties of refluxate (the substance that enters the esophagus from the stomach), and increasing the protective properties of the esophageal mucosa.

Of great importance is:

Drug treatment

Treatment with medications is prescribed by a doctor and must take into account the individual characteristics of the patient.

Lifestyle change

Normalization of lifestyle is of great importance. It is necessary to quit smoking, limit, or better yet eliminate, alcohol consumption. You should not eat fatty, spicy, sour foods, as well as coffee, tea, chocolate, legumes, cabbage, peas, and brown bread. It is better to take food more often (4-6 times a day), but in small portions. You should not eat before bed (the last meal should be 2-2.5 hours before bedtime). You should sleep with your upper body elevated to reduce the likelihood of reflux during sleep.

Make an appointment Do not self-medicate. Contact our specialists who will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment.

The danger of hepatosis during pregnancy

The affected liver is not able to cleanse the body of harmful substances, which leads to intoxication of the mother and a deterioration in her well-being. Surprisingly, from the very first day after birth, the disease begins to quickly recede and soon leaves no trace behind. After 1-2 weeks, blood counts return to normal. Even if hepatosis recurs in several pregnancies in a row, it does not make any visible changes in the woman’s liver. However, this does not mean that this disease is harmless. It disrupts the metabolism between mother and fetus, thereby adversely affecting the child. It has been proven that hepatosis increases the likelihood of perinatal mortality by 5%, and in 35% of pregnancies occurring against the background of this disease, hypoxia, prematurity and delay in fetal development were observed.