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LPR that causes mostly hoarseness and swollen vocal cords

Posted , 34 users are following.

CoolBreeze
CoolBreeze

My chief complaint is hoarseness and feeling like my vocal cords are always swollen. I have had my vocal cords looked at several times by ENT docs . They always say cords are red and look swollen and I was DX'd with LPR. I am back on twice daily PPI's (prilosec) but it does not seem to be helping that much. I read a post by JPT here about the role pepsin plays in all of this. I have been adding a little baking soda to my drinking water to alkalize for the last two days and this seems to help the hoarseness more than the PPI's so JPT may be on to something here. Seems like twice daily PPI's medical therapy is not of much help to most of us with LPR. I would like to talk to anyone whose chief complaint is loss of voice and frequent hoarseness from LPR and have you found anything that works or helps your condition. It is very depressing and anxiety provoking when you have to strain to talk. It makes your speech very difficult to understand sometimes and then your throat starts to hurt after short periods of talking. It seems like a vicious cycle. I also have an anxiety disorder but I don't think it is playing a major role here in my voice loss. My cords just feel dry and swollen. Help anyone or if you wish to just talk about things you have tried or thinking about trying. Thank you for reading.

4 likes, 54 replies

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  • bianca31358
    bianca31358

    Posted

    Hi, I've been having EXACTLY the same problem as you. It is driving me crazy!!! I have the exact problem of my voice always feeling strained, and is causing me a great deal of anxiety and depression. My question is- did you ever find a solution to your LPR and hoarsness?

    Any advice or help would be more than apreciated,

    Thanks.

    • nancy85328
      nancy85328 bianca31358

      Posted

      Hi Bianca did u find a cure to your lpr and hoarseness? How long did it take I'm going on 6 mos of good days bad days I take raniditine 2 x a day plus on antihistamines

      I know this is an old post but I'm grasping at straws I need my voice for my work help!

    • freizug91510
      freizug91510 bianca31358

      Posted

      Hey, I'm looking for help with this too.

      Have you found any solutions recently?

      Either way it'd be nice to connect with another peer dealing with this issue.

    • freizug91510
      freizug91510 nancy85328

      Posted

      Same here!

      I need my voice for my work too

      How has your search been going?!

    • john94486
      john94486 freizug91510

      Posted

      You should look into mouth breathing. If you have a stuffed nose and can't breathe through it, you may be breathing with your mouth while you sleep. This dries out your throat mucus and eventually inflames the throat. I suffered from "LPR" for several years and just recently got my full voice back by opening up my nasal passage ways and closing my mouth when I sleep.  Do you suffer from acid reflux when you are awake?

    • angela78766
      angela78766 john94486

      Posted

      Hi John, although i dont consciously sleep iwth my mouth open, it possibly happens during deep sleep,,,then i wake up with a choking sensation...how did you get your full voice back.?
  • gee100
    gee100

    Posted

    Thank you !! Other people appear to be experiencing the same symptoms as I am. It's so frustrating and it gets you down when you can't communicate the way you used to. I used to be a good talker and would talk to anyone but now I refrain from talking. I think people might find me a bit strange as I actually avoid talking now. It's because I feel as though speaking is an effort whereas before this I would just talk, like everyone else, without effort or thinking about it. Talking is like breathing you just do it without thinking about it. When you can't speak normally or you have to strain to speak then you start to really value the power of speech. I just dream of being able to speak normally again. I've had this for 5 years but it's became a lot more frequent over the last 3 years. I thought it could have been smoking, so I've stopped now for nearly two years - it hasn't helped. My doctor didn't even mention diet but after looking into it myself I have modified my diet and that hasn't helped either. I had 2 or 3 endoscopes and the doc even took me in to hospital and put me under anaesthetic to have a look but said everything appeared to be okay. I just don't know what to do.
    • freizug91510
      freizug91510 gee100

      Posted

      Exact same with me.......

      This can be quite depressing.

      Anything new come up?

      How has your journey been going?

    • Margot49
      Margot49 freizug91510

      Posted

      I just came across this thread checking on the same symptoms!  I get progressively worse.  Can barely speak in the mornings.  I am a woman and now have a guttural voice.  Unfortunately, I do smoke but this is beyond a smoking issue.  I also have had chronic dry mouth and throat fir some time.  Seen many doctors and many tests done.  I too am on Zanrac now, no improvement.  Yes, very depressing.
    • john94486
      john94486 Margot49

      Posted

      Hey Margot49! Do you get acid reflux in the day time? 
    • angela78766
      angela78766 Margot49

      Posted

      Hi Margot, I also suffer from a very dry mouth, which happens mostly during the night.  Am I sleeping with my mouth open...? not sure...also I keep a bottle of water near my bed so when i take a quick sip, the pain of the dry mouth is alleviated...however, its pretty scary that pain, its hard to breathe then, I almost choke with it, i would be pleased to hear whether you had any improvements so far, I sing and play a guitar, i guess it would not help to be bent over the guitar as you sing, that could be another problem for me
  • costas1
    costas1 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Hi, I've been struggling with my voice for about a month. I was diagnosed with LPR which irritated my vocal chords. Talking was a struggle and most days I could barly say a phrase or two. I've been on a strict diet, am sleeping on a special pillow and have been seeing a speach therapist. Today I'm actually able to talk a lot more. I can't stress enough how much speach therapy has helped. I was speaking in a way that put more stress on my throat that needed. The breathing techniques and voice placement techniques are an enormous help. I've only been going a few short weeks and already I'm seeing a difference. If I try to speak the way I used to I feel the pain, but speaking how I am beeing taught to is much easier.

    Originally was given acid blocker pills. However I read, that those pills do not treat the problem but the symptom. GERD is cause by low stomach acid. So those pills will not treat the cause only the symptoms. I'm currently seeing a holistic doctor and I'm confident that this is the way to go. They help you address the root of the problem. I'll let you know how it goes. Also I would have been very depressed in all this if not for my faith. I kept my trust in God and my eyes fixed on Jesus and He is blessing me and helpming through it.

    • ricky43838
      ricky43838 costas1

      Posted

      Hi I've been struuggling with my voice as well for about 7 weeks now.It all started when i had the flu and sore thoat i got over the flu but still have no voice i have been to doctor who looked down my thoat he told me i had swollen vocal cords and had fouwould on them it is driveing me crazie i work in high noise inviment and i need to give instruckions to people and gets frastating 
  • rose43979
    rose43979 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Hi CoolBreeze

    As strange as it may sound, you could be suffering from the effects of a food intolerance. Due to my own problems, I discovered that gluten was my biggest problem. I went on a gluten and diary free diet and many of my problems resolved themselves. Gluten causes hundreds of ailments and most people don't know about this or don't want to know. They just want a pill to make it all go away. Sometimes you notice an improvement immediately. Other times it could take a while to see if gluten is the trouble. In my experience, most times it is gluten, but diay and eggs are other known triggers. Just wish a GF diet could make my hiatus hernia disappear. lol. Good luck.

  • linda08814
    linda08814 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Did you swollen vocal cords heal?  I am fighting LPR and taking an acid supplement but am struggling to heal swollen are near vocal cords - it is causing great anxiety.  Any tips?
    • jean36938
      jean36938 linda08814

      Posted

      Are you any nearer getting better? Although early days I am getting to the anxious stage.
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