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GERD / Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) causing mucus in sinuses

Posted , 4 users are following.

BC7
BC7

Hi there,

I am a 23 year old male and have been dealing with mucus in my sinuses for a few years now and can't figure out how to get rid of it. The mucus is thick, green, and chunky (sorry for the gross detail) and I have to spit it out of my mouth a few times a day. If I look in the back of my throat it comes down from the sinuses into my mouth. I wake up with a sore throat and occasionally the back of my throat is coated in sticky green mucus that I have to remove with a q-tip. I get stomach aches that sometimes put me in so much pain that I can't move.

I have seen coutless specialists (ENT's, Infectious disease specialist, Gastroenterologist, allergist) and nobody seems to be able to pinpoint the root cause.

The ENT that I went to scoped me many times and eventually suspected that the mucus was generating from my adenoids. I had an adenoidectomy and nothing changed. I have tried basically every nasal spray, allergy medicine, and antibiotic you can think of and nothing can get rid of the problem. I was on Bactrim for a whole month and it didn't knock it out.

I finally had an upper endoscopy (EGD) and the Gastro told me that I have GERD and that the mucus was occurring because of this. I have since been on a low fat diet, removed caffeine and alcohol from my diet completely, no acidic foods, no spicy foods, elevated the back of my bed, and not eating within 4 hours of laying down for bed. I have only been doing this for a week now and I haven't seen any improvement just yet (not that I expect to yet). My stomach aches aren't as bad or as prevalent but I still experience quite a bit of uncomfortable gas from time to time. The mucus has not changed since starting this diet and lifestyle change.

I guess I am just looking to see if anyone has experienced anything similar and if anything helped them. The past year of my life has been countless doctor's visits and I am starting to lose hope, but I am willing to do anything to fix this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

1 like, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Gillian1956
    Gillian1956 BC7

    Posted

    as your doctor given you anything to take for the GERD

    • BC7
      BC7 Gillian1956

      Posted

      Yes. I forgot to mention Omeprazole 20mg every morning 15 mins before eating.

  • nancyphn
    nancyphn BC7

    Posted

    I have had the same symptoms along with earache and short of breath. Was put on omprezole for 2 months then slowly taken off. No alcohol, and all you are doing. I did add Honey 3x a day a teaspoon. that helps with mucus! vitamin C and B12 everyday. Stress is really bad and makes it worse. I have a sliding hiatal hernia and narrowing of the distal end of the esophagus from reflux. it is a long slow process and it will get better. eat small meals 4x a day! NEVER wait till u r starving. chew slowly. Carry a snack with u. I get pressure and gas that I cant burp! stretching helps relieve some gas. No carbonated drinks no wine no soda no beer. best of luck! it gets better.

    • BC7
      BC7 nancyphn

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your reply. It is nice to know I am not alone.

      Do you ever change your diet occasionally (i.e. occasionally eat spicy or acidic foods, drink some vodka every now and then, etc)? Right now I am sticking strictly to this diet but I imagine I will get sick of it eventually.

      Thanks,

      -BC

    • BC7
      BC7 nancyphn

      Posted

      I'm wondering if your mucus is like I described mine (green, thick, chunky) also?

  • nick64380
    nick64380 BC7

    Posted

    Sorry to hear about your struggles! I experienced almost the exact same thing about 18 months ago. Two things helped me immensely. One is stress, as someone else mentioned here. Those were great suggestions -- to lower stress, eat slowly (and chew well), and really respect your gut. The second is diet. Definitely cut junk and focus on real foods. I went on a low carb diet akin to keto, so I ditched all sugars and most starches. I also did other stuff like adding some supplements (D and B), taking Gaviscon ADvanced at night to keep things down in my stomach, and raising the head of my bed for the same reason. I improved pretty quickly, and while I'm not 100% after 18 months, I was probably at 70% after just a few weeks and have improved loads sicne then. I don't think there's any one solution, but after a TON of reading I'm definitely convinced that acid medication is NOT the solution. I haven't met or read about one person who said their issues went away totally due to meds. It was always diet or discoverin gsome underlying medical problem...and it was always a slow healing process. Best of luck to you!

  • nancyphn
    nancyphn BC7

    Posted

    I have cheated with spaghetti but I have sauce on the side! I use very little sauce! I have had a glass of wine too. When u r gonna cheat I take a pepcid abt. 30 min b4 eating. That goes well so I cheat some more and Bam I relapse. If I am under stress I get a flair up! Then it's back to diet. It gets easier as time goes by! You will learn the signs and what you can and cant eat!

  • NancyUSA
    NancyUSA BC7

    Posted

    Also

    • I take a simple yoga class with a highly competent instructor. The instructor taught us a breathing technique to help clear out the upper lung mucus, bacteria and toxins, and to relax us.

    We inhale to the count of 4.

    Then we squeeze our stomach in a little.

    Holding our breath in after inhaling, briefly.

    Then exhale, slowly counting from 6 down to 1.

    He explained that the little squeeze of stomach reaches way up into the top of our lungs, to get rid of the mucus, bacteria and toxins.

    •He has us do this 10 times. We breathe through our nostrils. But I often sneak in exhaling w/pursed lips. It really relaxes the body.

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