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Been struggling with my voice for 3 months, LPR/MTD

Posted , 5 users are following.

andreas1995
andreas1995

Hi. I'm a 20 year old male, and I have had real problems with my voice the last months. I first went to an ENT who said he didn't see anything wrong, just maybe a slightly irritation to the larynx. Then I went to Stroboscopy, where they said it looked like signs of chronic acid reflux, with injected blood vessels on the vocal folds and posteriorly. Also that the vibration of the mucosal wave of the inflamed cords were reduced.

I have never had any heartburn, or never felt any acid reflux really. Like a year ago I did a lot of throat clearing due to muscus in my throat, and I guess that's a sign of LPR. (silent reflux)

I have been taking Somac PPi's for a few weeks now, and started today on Nexium. I also take antacids after meals, just for safety. 

I have also been to speech therapy now, which has helped my voice a lot, I no longer feel much of the strain in my neck that used to make speaking a real effort through-out a day. 

The difference in my condition now is that my throat really hurts when I use my voice, it feels like my vocal folds are really irritated/inflamed. When I wake up in the morning, my voice feels much better, but after just a little bit of talking, it starts to hurt. I've rested my voice with almost no talking for a few days now after this started, but it hasn't helped much yet. I almost can't use my voice at all before it hurts. 

How long will it take for my voice to heal if I keep the reflux under control? It doesn't hurt while swallowing or anything, just when I use my voice. I have a new appointment for stroboscopy, but not until a month from now. Could it be any nerve-related things involving nerves around the larynx? Or do you think my vocal folds are just irritated or swollen from acid reflux?

I really hope my voice will get better soon, I've spent most of the last 3 months in my room just to rest my voice as much as possible. Anyone else have similar problems?

1 like, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • abc1234
    abc1234 andreas1995

    Posted

    hi andreas, i can tell you acid reflux (ar) is a tricky condition and i don't believe the doctors . i have always been an athlete (weight lifter and long distance runner). i noticed after workouts my throat felt worn out. this went on for several years. i would ask others who also ran and none of them had this issue. about 2 years ago i had a very sore throat and i went to a world renound ent. he looked at my throat and diagnosed me with lpr. i changed my diet and behaviors and quickly my sore throat went away. however, it took months before my throat felt normal in the morning. it took a year before my throat felt normal after a workout. my two cents is that when your throat is damaged by ar it takes a long time to recover from it and it may never be 100% again. on the odd occasion i drink a cold carbonated juice my throat hurts. this reminds me my throat has not fully recovered.  
    • andreas1995
      andreas1995 abc1234

      Posted

      Hi abc1234. Thanks very much for your reply!

      The difference for me is that my voice is pretty good in the morning, and then it gets worse the more I use it. I have started working on the diet and behaviors lately. I remember also my throat felt worn out after working out in the gym, like a year ago before this was a problem.

      Did you feel any symptoms for the acid reflux? Or was it only the sore throat? And was it sore like swallowing hurts, or just with using your voice? 

      I haven't felt anything of the acid reflux, so I don't know of often that occurs really.. I just know that my throat hurts now as I use my voice.

    • abc1234
      abc1234

      Posted

      my last post posted while i was editing it. read this instead;

      hi andreas, i can tell you acid reflux (ar) is a tricky condition and that can be unique to each person and i don't believe the doctors have the knowledge or tools to help us all perfectly . about me: i have always been an athlete (weight lifter and long distance runner). i noticed after workouts my throat felt worn out. this went on for several years. i would ask others who also ran if they felt the same and none of them had this issue. about 2 years ago i had a very sore throat and i went to a world renound ent. he looked at my throat and diagnosed me with lpr. i changed my diet and behaviors and quickly my sore throat went away. however, it took months before my throat felt normal. it took a year before my throat felt normal after a workout. my two cents is that when your throat is damaged by ar it takes a long time to recover from it and it may never be 100% again. on the odd occasion i drink a cold carbonated juice my throat hurts. this reminds me my throat has not fully recovered. my advice is to keep a low acid diet and change the behaviors, which cause ar. then be patient. keep us posted what your stroboscopy states. education helps us all.  

    • abc1234
      abc1234 andreas1995

      Posted

      i rarely had/have heartburn i am mostly a classic case of lpr. my sore throat was classic like when you have a cold. prior to being diagnosed i assume it hurt to swallow or talk, but i don't think it was much different than when you have a cold that caused my sore throat. my current barometer for ar is after i eat if i have to clear my throat when i talk. if i do have this issue, i know i ate something not diet correct. also, if i talk allot i can feel my throat being stressed, but not talking solves this. being in a heavily scented area like a perfume store would also bother my throat. this is all mucous membrane related. i think ar has caused damage to the throat in my opinion. 

      look up the side effects of your meds. see if they could cause your issues. morning time is normally the worst time for those with ar (being horizontal). however, talking as mentioned can cause your vocal cords stress.

    • LayneTX
      LayneTX abc1234

      Posted

      So sorry Andreas, and you are so young. 

      I had never heard of silent acid reflux, but guess it's true.

      i have it due to a drug I have to take, Prednisone.  Caused dry mouth too which I never knew I had!! Dentist told me, so I know brush my teeth atleast 3 times a day!  

      Also, taking probiotics helps, pill form, high amount of active cells.

      I've been reading more and more about gut health. Research that too.

      I drink 2 oz of aloe Vera juice before I eat breakfast, helps some.

      coats stomach.  I heard on radio of a guy who said some throat coating drop helps him, has glycerin and some kind of wax?? 

      Good to hear what ABC said about healing and the time it takes.  I've wondered.  I can't drink wine anymore and I live in wine country, I'm so bummed. I hope someday I can enjoy it again.

      i refuse PPI's because of what they can do later.  

      Wish I had a solution for Ya, yes diet, good gut health, maybe see what foods might cause you reaction, though now even water makes my esophagus flutter or spasm. 

      I try to not clear my throat so much for fear of causing too much soreness, so drink lots of water to wash the mucus down perhaps, though too much water in stomach after eating might not help the good acid do its work, I don't know, trying to figure that out too.  Some have said they don't have enough acid! 

      good luck, keep researching and taking care of that sweet body. 

  • cq38877
    cq38877 andreas1995

    Posted

    Hi just interested to know what happened with the stroboscoby. Was it at all helpful?
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