Can Acid Reflux (GERD) or LPR cause swollen lymph nodes?

hi, I'm a dentist and I'm in a similar situation. I've had acid reflux and tonsillitis with tonsil stones since childhood. I avoided certain foods. I've had very bad sore throat for over 10 years now. somewhere in 2010, I visited the ENT clinic. I was treated several times on Augmentin and lozenges but I got no relief. I was treated on NEXIUM then I got some relief. I noticed my lymph node palpable on both right and left around the jaw line and one on the left neck. I stopped taking the NEXIUM and started using liver salt. I've had very bad eating habits and lived a sedentary life. I rarely exercise and I'd usually eat late. Sometimes I woke up at night because of reflux to my nose and mouth and I'll keep coughing. I always had antacids on the head of the bed and I'd use that. recently, I've had terrible sore throat with ear pain, bitter taste in my mouth and fever. I suspected it was mononucleosis because I had all the symptoms. My girlfriend didn't have but of course I'm a dentist so I knew that it was possible to get it from a patient. The GP thought it was tonsillitis. I was treated with Augmentin and some painkillers but I wasn't getting any better. Tramadol couldn't help with the pain. I abused the painkillers and ended up at the emergency with acute gastritis. H pylori test was positive so I was put on triple therapy for H pylori. A complete blood count showed elevated monocytes and slightly elevated lymphocytes but the the GP said it wasn't a problem. I decided to consult the ENT. I had a complete blood and everything was fine including the ESR but the comment read "

Erythrocytes normocytic normochromic

Leucocytes show atypical mononuclear cells with vacuoles and reactive neutrophils

Thrombocytes appear normal

? INFECTIOUS MONONUCLEOSIS."

The Otolaryngologists agreed that I may have mononucleosis but they think it's LARYNGO-PHARYNGEAL REFLUX (LPR). They think that the earache is a referred pain .I was treated with NEXIUM, MOTILIUM and NUGEL. Iwas advised to change my eating habits and avoid certain foods and alcohol. I was a little better after some weeks of starting treatment, the symptoms only subsided. I was told treatment may last from weeks to several months. Currently I have these recurrent earaches but the pain in the throat has reduced appreciably.

I'm hopeful I'll get better. it's been frustrating. The lymph nodes can still be felt, they haven't changed in size and they have never been painful. I can't even eat well. I even had HIV test done but was negative. I thought it was chronic tonsillitis, lymphoma, HIV, tonsillar cancer, throat cancer or even oesophageal cancer. I had wanted to have endoscopy, a CT scan of my head and neck and a barium meal test done.

Same boat. LPR in my situation since April 2020 and the lymph node pain/minor swelling only on the one side.

Cutting alcohol, caffeine, and poor foods have helped the throat pain. The lymph node issue comes about once a month or so - painful and hits up the jaw area/near ear.

Providers do not seem overly concerned.

update: I had endoscopy done a week ago and it came out fine. no abnormalities observed. my Otolaryngologist suspected a hiatus hernia but there was none. then she said that's the farthest she can go to help me. so now I'm stuck.

Just thought I would share my story.... I had a swollen lymph node under my jaw, painless, didn't go down after a few weeks, biopsed by having it fully removed (ENT was concerned it was Lymphoma). Results came back Reactive Hyperplasia with Progressive Transformation of Germincal Centers (PTGC is a benign condition).I was diagnosed with LPR by ENT as well because I had the worst Post nasal drip and sinus congestion (CT Scans showed bad sinus issues). That was 2 years ago.... I didnt take ENT's advice about LPR as I truly didn't think I had it. But my nasal drip and SInus issues have only gotten worse. So now, as of last week, I have changed my diet (smaller meals at night, lots of veggies and fruits, cut out 95% of alcohol, added High PH water to my daily life, and continued exercsizing. Also, I have always appeared to be in really good shape and maintained a very healthy weight, I always thought I lived a healthy lifestyle. I reach out to this forum because I truly believe there is deep connection with these lymph node and LPR. I can't find any medical literature, but hearing peoples stories makes me believe. I also have another Lymph node that popped up right next to the one that was removed (it has been biopsed, came back benign also, its been there for over a year). My whole goal here is to share my story, and see if anybody who has had lymph node removed was diagnosed with PTGC and possibly have LPR as well.

Hello!

I've come a bit late to this. =) My story is that I've had intermittent burning pain under left rib for years that I largely ignored. =p After 4 weeks of bed rest, lying down, it has become constant and I can't fit much food in, burp constantly, 'spew burp' every meal or bending over, and can have restricted breathing. Yikes! The area also feels hot, under that left rib. So off I googled, and found some possibilities, notably hiatus hernia... then my left throat and neck gland swelled SO painfully. Ive been drinking aloe inner leaf juice and elderberry, (anti-inflammatory and immune support) and they went down after a couple of days, but are still slightly up, though not quite so painful. Like a lot of us here, I'm trying to alleviate fears of cancer as google doesn't list it as a symptom and keeps telling me that swollen lymphs with no obvious infection could be an issue. (I have no fever, so I'm hoping that's a good thing). It's comforting to hear from one contributor that their doctor said inflammation can cause them to swell too. Whatever else, I know the area is inflamed. So, I'm another person who has reflux issues with lymph swelling and am thankful for this thread to somewhat calm the dread that google searches can inspire!

I thought I'd comment too, as I would also like to suggest Pamfox.org to people who are getting no relief. I just found her. Her course teaches us to train the muscles to reposition the stomach correctly again. I liked the concept of the soda no-burp training, (Thanks Jonathon) but for me, one sip makes me belch 10 times, so I couldn't even. =D (Ive thought this burping hilarious in the past =D. I didn't realise things might not have been so funny in truth, darn it). Anyway, being a person who cannot take a lot of laboratory medicine, and seeing that it goes to the cause of the hernia - the entrapment of it - it makes sense to me. I thought I'd share it for others, like me, who don't respond to medication.

I was also wondering, has anyone else who commented here found out more about the lymph swelling association in the time that's passed?

Hi guys,

I think I'm quite late for this thread but because I have been googling for over a year now for this lymph under my left throat. I also got panic and always thought of the worst scenario which is cancer.

I have been diagnosed with gastritis due to HP and GERD since 2011 but always got treated. Every second year it came back and I got gastroscopy. Nothing dangerous was found except for HP and ulcer. In August 2019 I felt the heartburn, belching and abdominal pain again so I got endoscopy and colonoscopy to be extra careful. Again it was HP+ (one + only) when for many patients it could be HP +++, etc. GERD came along and again was eradicated with antibiotics, NEXIUM (esomeprazole), some digestive enzyme and other meds that I dont know. I then redid the endoscopy after the treatment to make sure. things were okay.

In the beginning of 2021 I started to see some little lymph node under my left throat. It is moveable, painless and I can realize on some days it got a bit bigger when I feel a throat pain. It is smallest after waking up in the morning. I then felt the belching, heartburn again with chest pain, abdominal pain. I knew that stomach issue came back. I went to the ENT to check my throat and that lymph because it really gave me deep axiety. the ENT put the camera down from my nose to my throat and he said nothing to worry about. It looked like acid reflux.

And in January 2022, I suddenly developed 5 days straight left ear tinnitus (dull roaring sound) - Only on my left ear with the left throat irritation (lump feeling when swallowing saliva) and the lymph obviously still exists there. I went back to the ENT and he checked my ears with all other special technique. He said my ear's fine. I requested to have the camera down to check my throat one more time as I still feel the lumpy sensation and the lymph that I hate ...

This time I begged him to give me the prescription for my stomach issue. He is such a kind doctor who really wanted me to get better. Now I am on day 5 with Librax, Iberogast and Nexium 20mg. The heartburn and belching (sometimes) as well as abdominal pain was gone. However the left throat lymph is still there. I wonder what it is and why .... Or it would take months for my throat to heal then it will disappear?

this lymph really makes my life quality low due to my anxiety.