How would you describe the GERD related Lung Irritation/cough?

I want to clarify, I don't cough at night at all.  Its only when I am up and about during the day.   Right now it feels very weird when I inhale ... like inflammation down deep into my chest. 

So you go see an expert, he looks inside you and says 'its terrible' and gives you some meds to make it better. You can't see what he saw, are no expert in the area and decide to ignore his expert advice, why?

The problem with acid reflux is that it can be doing harm without you even knowing, that is why the meds are needed. You can't see what is happenning inside you, just because you don't feel anything doesn't mean there isn't a problem.

I use to always get throat problems. I put it down to my job, always talking to people. As soon as I went on the PPI never a throat problem again.

You normally take a PPI for about 8 weeks and then further tests are needed if you take it long term.

I would return to taking the PPI, you can't tell whether they are working or not because you can't see  inside you. Are you sure the diahorra is caused by the PPI. Even if it is, unless you are running to the loo every 5 mins keep taking them. It could be something you have eaten and not even related to the PPI or just your body getting use to the PPI.

What is the point in seeing an expert who takes the time to give you a proper examination and then ignore their help. Take the PPI you could be amazed at what they do and start reading the good stories about PPI's instead of all the negative ones

Your symptoms are classic GERD. You are lucky, the medic confirmed it. Many of us don't have that luxury. I hope you get your problem sorted.

Hi, I must say I had had the same syptoms as you in regards to the constant cough it used to feel like I needed to cough up from the bottom of my feet, I also suffer with throat clearing to. It's been going on for just under 5 years, like you the medication I was given did nothing to really help.. I was told by the gp that it was a post nasel drip I was also told I have silent reflux I've also been told it's all in my imagination.. To be honest the doctors have given me nothing that really helped with my symptoms I ended up chewing gum which helped better than any tablet I was given I also use a antihistamine nasel spray which I found helped me.. I'm waiting on results for the bravo capsule test this tests the ph levels that may be escaping the stomach but this is just to confirm that I do actually have silent reflux.... I'm sorry I can't give you something to stop it, I've spent years cutting out certain foods from my diet with no relief, I also still don't drink tea or coffee with caffeine in.

hope you feel better soon. 

Hi Bob . Wow we have same thing. For 9 months I have felt the same like a blockage in the throat. Went to two ENT's who stuck a tube down thoat up nose, said there was nothing wrong....meanwhile felt like I had something stuck in my throat and bad reflux..... A few months ago went on Somac twice a day didn't work so last week had an endoscopy which showed inflammation of gut an oesophageal region . Last few days my reflux has stopped and lump in thoat subsiding . Besides that I changed my diet. I now feel after wanted to almost kill myself that I am almost on top of this. Stay positive x DiDi

Hey Bob

I have exactly the same thing. I had a bad cold about 3 months ago. now The last 3 months ive had this very thick phlegm at the back of my throat and the back of my throat looks rough but it doesnt feel like a sore throat. Also my lungs kind of hurt on occasion like the pleghm or post nasal drip is going back there and annoying me. Also my fingers occasionally tingle.  I noticed cause i was paying attention i do have bad heart burn a few times a week and occasionally a sour taste in the back of my mouth.   So after much research and thinking i had lung cancer i came upon the notion of Gerd...... Your symptoms are exactly mine. So heres what i did - i lifted the back of my bed by 4 inches and then slept on a few pillows. I actually feel a little better because of that. The minimmal ammounts of acid dont drip to the back of my throat as much. Gerd can immitate alot of things so its confusing but now i think i found my issue. the dang feckin acid! BTW i agree that doctors know things but its up to the patient to find out what they have and pass it along to the doc. I find docs alot of times dont know nearly as much asn an informed patient and in the end your life is in your hands. dont trust your doctor. What other kinds of symptoms did you have?

btw for me gerd is phlemg falling into your lungs and causing irritation. or sleeping and some acid comes up and then a tiny bit goes to the lungs. thats where the irritation comes from. ive had the same thing and i found out about gerd and it all seems to make sense. acid and pl;ehgm. is bothering the lungs. feel like pneumonia but nothing to cough - throat clearing works better.

Just wanted to update everyone.  I cured myself.  Here is how I did it.

1)  The "menthol" cold sensation in the throat/chest was indeed a result of acid irritating my esophagus.  I determined this by going on 20mg twice a day of the Prilosec. 

2)  The side effects were powerful (horribly dry eyes, cramping muscles, the introduction of "insufficient acid" symptoms like duodenal pain etc) but the relief it brang was undeniable, so I suffered through the side effects for as long as I could at 20/20 per day.

3)  Daily I would sip aloe juice from whole foods (inner gullet only - do not drink the whole leaf version) after meals.  Helps heal.  Totally changed my diet to avoid any tomato sauce, rice, and hard crunchy foods.  The goal here is to let the tissue heal while you suffer through suppressing your normal stomach acid.

3)  I tried tapering several times and it was a complete fail.  Instant return of symptoms.  So I began learning about how to properly taper. 

a)  I did 20/20 per day for about one solid month.  No tapering.

b)  I then started trying 20 once per day.  And seemed to be okay.  You will experience some rebound of symptoms, but if they are mild, give it a solid week to settle down and it should

c)  After about 2 weeks I bought a gram scale.  One that goes down to 0.001.  Its a GemPro model.  This enabled me to open the capsules and measure out in detail.  I started measuring 15mg once per day and stayed on that a couple weeks.  Still no return of symptoms except always during the first 5-6 days. 

d)  At that point I began a very very slow taper.  I measured 13mg once per day and stayed on that two full weeks.  At this point i was about 2 months in to the whole process but I had already managed to drop from 40mg a day to 13mg a day.

e)  After two weeks of 13mg I dropped to 10mg.  had some noticeable rebound of symptoms, but again - gave it a solid week before worrying.  And it calmed down after a solid 7-8 days.  To be safe, I stayed at 10mg for a full two and a half weeks.  Just to let things calm down and stabilize.

f)  Now three months in, i dropped to 7mg for a week, then 6mg for a week, then 5mg for a week. 

How did I do this?  The gram scale.  I measured the 20mg capsules at 0.168 on my scale, so I knew 20mg = 168.  10mg = 84.  5mg = 42.  So at this point I began measuring exactly 0.42 on my scale (5mg) and continued that for a week.

g)  I then slowed down significantly.  The closer I get to zero the slower I am going to go.  I did 4mg for a full week and a half.  Had some rebound and that passed.  I am now at 3mg and am halfway through that week.  Up to this point I have no problem with recurring symptoms though I periodically feel them creeping up on me.  THis is always a sign to continue current dose a little longer. 

I hope to be off the med entirely within a month.  I believe that the tapering issue is why people stay on these meds "forever".  Doctors are a useless joke of zero information in most regards, and in this regard as well.  They advise nothing about this, and wouldn't have the first clue about buying a gram scale and tapering at a proper rate.  So a lot of people suffer on these meds forever.  Hope this helps someone.

Oh some other tips I forgot to include:

1)  Take a magnesium/potassium/calcium supplement while you are on Prilosec to offset the mineral deficiency its going to introduce.  When you deplete your body of the acid it needs to digest things, you introduce malnutrition.  If you have problems with the supplement, just get a potassium/magnesium one.

2)  Do not drink a lot of the aloe juice - make sure it is the "inner gullet" and only do this temporarily while you're tapering and healing.  This stuff is not safe for long term use, and has been associated with intestinal cancers when taken for long periods in high amounts.  Its perfectly fine I assume for short term tissue healing. 

3)  Prilosec doesn't just stop stomach acid.  It also stops production of protective mucous that lines your intestinal system, eyes, and arteries/veins.  This introduces a lack of elasticity and "softness" they need.  As a result its associated with cardiovascular events, increases risks of heart attack by 30%, and can cause other strange problems.  Taking magnesium and other mineral supplements offsets the inability to digest these things.  Drinking the aloe juice and other demulcent foods (apples, borage, licorice root) will help keep a slick lining throughout the gut and your throat and help healing.  Remember that Prilosec is systemic.  It goes into your bloodstream and affects the whole body.  It doesnt just sit in your stomach and stop acid. 

4)  Never just listen to your doctor and go home without doing your own research.  The comments by "wknight" in this thread are exactly why so many people suffer despite options being available out there.  Do your *own* research.  Learn your *own* solutions.  And cross-reference any information you find to verify its legitimacy.  You will quickly know more than any "specialist" in any field using this method.  Im living proof of that.  Take your doctors input and cross reference that too, because I can't count the times *theyve* been wrong!

5)  Absolutely NO coffee, NO chocolate, etc. 

Remember the logic here:  You're only stopping acid temporarily while you work to heal the tissue with all these other methods (including limiting meal size, avoiding tomato sauces, finding foods that dont make your symptoms worse and ONLY eating those, etc).  This should be temporary but it is SUPER difficult to manage properly, and also taper properly. 

Lastly, none of this will work if you have a structural abnormality like a hernia down there.  Endoscopy will find that.  In such cases I would get myself to the lowest possible dose of Prilosec (over several months if necessary) and manage it from there. 

I do health education for a living.  I educate consumers on their medical conditions and teach them how to empower themselves to take charge of their own health.  And I have to say this was probably the most complex health problem I've ever encountered.  Figuring it out, and managing it down to a 'cure' for myself was extremely difficult.  Hopefully this will help people.