Acid Reflux or something else?
Posted , 5 users are following.
For the past 6 months or more I have been waking up with a very heavy cough which lasts for a few hours. It happens every morning but more recently it's been happening throughout the day too at random and I cannot put my finger on the trigger.
It's not just a cough; it feels like my throat is saturated in phlegm and when I cough it makes it impossible to talk (and in some cases breathe) until I have coughed it all up. I cannot spit it out as that sort of thing makes me sick, so I swallow it!
The doctor first prescribed me with Lansoprazole but that didn't make a difference. In fact, it made me hungry, but after having a normal breakfast later in the morning, I would start coughing again soon after.
I am also a snorer and not sure whether this is the cause of my snoring? I have been to the sleep clinic and been diagnosed with mild sleep apnoea. Could the stuff in my throat be linked to the snoring?
Does this all sound like acid reflux or could it be something else? Thanks in advance.
0 likes, 27 replies
Dreaming Guest
Posted
Sounds familiar.
A Gastro doctor that I saw last year explained that acid reflux can cause mucus to accumulate in ones throat.
Also, coughing is a classic sign for reflux.
Many with reflux or gastritis have shared they have difficulty breathing. The lungs and stomach are very close and acid can cause inflammation.
Taking PPI ( the acid blocking medication) may give relief, however they have their own set of side effects long term.
Getting to the root of the cause and making lifestyle changes is the best solution.
Hope this helps and wish you much improvement on your journey to optimal health.
tmak_01 Dreaming
Posted
My symptoms are on most days belching and burping from the moment i wake up. If i am eating light foods my day is ok but not normal. If i accidently eat something that is heavy i start getting chest pains which goes into the back, nausea, beclhing and burping every 2 minutes, bloating. I have been on a PPI for more than 2 months it has helped me but seems like its not getting better and i also been taking probiotics.
Any help would be much appreciated.
carmel83758 tmak_01
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Dreaming tmak_01
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Like you I am learning about the digestive system of my body.
Have your doctors looked for a hiatus hernia? Belching is a symptom of that
tmak_01 carmel83758
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carmel83758 tmak_01
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tmak_01 carmel83758
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carmel83758 tmak_01
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donclaudio tmak_01
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carmel83758 Guest
Posted
Do you get any other symptoms?
Things to remember! Pronton pump inhibitors help some people but they can cause bad side effects. For me they helped for a bit and then after a few months the side effects were worse than the problem so stoppped taking them. Although they say you can switch to a different one they all work in the same way - stopping or reducing acid - so if one causes a problem the others usually do too - and it is the decreasing or stopping of the acid that causes the problem.
Natural solutions include hgl liquorice, bicarbonate of soda and gentian root - this worked for me for a while and then I ended up with wheezing and coughing - even though I didnt take it often and took a small dose - but others say it is a god send. You can prop your head up on high pillows, but I do this and it doesnt help. Most will lecture you about how you should change your diet and only eat alkaline foods, drink alkaline water etc. This ends up taking up all of your time and money and not only is it boring to be so restricted but it can be totally impractical if you are living with someone and cooking for them too or eating out. And a lot of naturopaths will say it is rubbish. But others say it has helped them.
I find it makes no differnce whether I eat this or that anyway.
But the things NOT to eat if you listen to these are oranges, onions, garlic, coffee, sugar etc.
A lot of people who think they have too much acid actually have too little so it might be a good idea to check which of these it is. YOu can do this by doing a bicarbonate of soda test. Wake up in the morning, take a third of a teaspoon full of bicarbonate of soda in a small glass of water and see how long it takes for you to burp - if you do. You can google bicarbonate of soda acid test and find lots of sites that detail it.
It does not make sense to say that someone's diet has suddenly become very acidic if they eat the same as they did before, so it may well be that the valve - the spincter - has loosened and is allowing the food or drink to rise up. Like a cat flap that no longer springs back properly.
Gentian root is supposed to do this.
Others take melatonin to help them sleep and to repair that, but whether it helps you depends on so many things!
You could spend a thousand pounds on different things with none of them helping.
The thing which helped me the most without side effects or problems was biotics.
Most who get biotics simply get the ones which have the most strains of bacteria in and are naive enough to think that if it says the tablet contains 2 billion then it is a high content - this is a low content. And it is old hat to say that they must be needing refrigeration, that is not necessary now. The other thing is to stop eating sugar and increase things like bananas chicory leeks oats and honey so that the prebiotics in them help the biotics to grow.
The one which helped me a lot was a professional forumula which I took for a month and helped me, but did not get rid.
I also make my own yoghurt. Tried to make my own water kefir but did not get on with it and did not want to keep drinking sugar water either.
It is alcholic and I am teetotalso that was another issue.
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Dreaming carmel83758
Posted
I agree with.
The solution may be different for everyone.
If one has taken the acid inhibitors, and come of, they may be experiencing low stomach acid in the beginning and will need to build the acid back up in their stomach.
As you mentioned Carmel, pre and probiotics are helpful and mandatory if one has taken antibiotic.
Digestive enzymes help too.
Basically time is involved to restore the natural flora of digestion.
Ony healing journey, as you do Carmel, I take probiotic on an empty stomach and include prebiotic in my diet. I have better days now, but still on the journey.
carmel83758 Dreaming
Posted
YOu also need to think about what happens to you when you are very old. You may be living ina residential care home where you are not able to insist on alkaline food diets and eating at certain times etc. So it is better to sort out the problem now so that you do not have it at all later and that does not matter.
donclaudio Guest
Posted
kaufman is a world leading ENT..she coined "silent
reflux. is referenced in many national institutes of
health studies. claudio
carmel83758 donclaudio
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None of it allows for the fact it can be a biotic imbalance or it can be too little acid rather than too much.
donclaudio carmel83758
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Getting to an underlying cause of any disorder is the
sure fire way to get either near or an actual "cure".
Dr. Kaufman stated "not a cure"...digestive issues lie in the field of gastroentrology...while acid avoidance diets and lifestyle may help ..i.e. preventing "irreverable" ENT damage, it "may" allow for the body to regain homestasis, and or other treatments that get to the underlying cause/s.
My take is: contain or stop the progression, and then work towards symbiosis....and it may well take more than just one or two medical fields of study...Claudio
carmel83758 donclaudio
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I was purchasing a flat next to my house and another neighbour became very jealous of all of this and started to cause arguments and problems. They complained about where the dustbin was placed outside the flat, if the window was open etc. The solicitor
was quick to say that they had the answer. They would write back and forth to this argumentative neighbour for ages to discuss it with them and suggest meets where they would arbitate. This would have cost a fortune and all that would have been achieved was wasting lots of time on arguments with someone it was better to ignore. It made more sense to let them put the dustbin anywhere they liked rather than spend thousands on discussing it. You get doctors, naturopaths and herbalists who are the same. They will say I know the answer,you should do this and that even if most people who do that find it fails or if it is not cost effective or has bad side effects.
Dreaming carmel83758
Posted
You are right about different views.
We all have to be mindful about our bodies and what is working and not.
Just because something is suggested doesn't mean it's the solution.
It is good to apply a new approach long enough to give it a chance unless the side effects are harsh.
Not enough acid, too much. which one.
What I have read and researched, I personally think it's not enough.
Fear is what keep most people from adding a low dose HCL, even me.
Oh, the side effects of taking PPI's.
What does one do?
Begin slowly.
About the argument with your neighbor, you were wise with your choice. Most people want to right, instead of being at peace.
donclaudio carmel83758
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carmel83758 Dreaming
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Think my problem has improved. Used to wake up at about 3 am coughing and coughing for at least an hour even if I got up.
Was worn out with it and it was scary. Now I can sleep through the night and when I wake up have some wheezing and a little coughing instead. Far better. And all without changing my diet.
Would have thought that trying hcl is worth it if you have them.
I just get fed up with buyng these things and then they dont work and it was more money wasted. Even when I tried garlic
it made me wheeze and cough and I had to stop taking it.
As for the thing with the neighbour! Writing back and forth through solicitors would have just lined their pocket and doubled the price of the property I was buying. The meetings would not have solved anything, he would have got more argumentative and wanted to do it on purpose to waste more of my money.
It is the same thing as saying to me that the price of the flat has doubled is this ok? PLUS 100 hours on pointless meetings.
Time I could have spent working and earning money.
Speaking of which I contacted a solicitor yesterday about maybe hiring him to do something. Today I wrote an email to him saying that I had resolved the issue in a better way and did not need his help at all with it. Five hours later I get a reply asking me to confirm my name and address to go on the documents! You see a lot of people have tunnel vision and no common sense, it does not mean that because they have qualifications they are inteligent or put your interests first.
Dreaming carmel83758
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I have found my digestive tract if not able to tolerate garlic yet either.
I too have experienced waking up at 3am coughing but am at the stage of not doing that either, but I do sleep short spells.
Coughing goes along with the turf.
It is good to know you have the tenaciously and patience to travel the path, which is slow, to recovery.
Just like life, regaining and balancing the body is a process.
We are victorious!!
carmel83758 Dreaming
Posted