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Is anyone dealing with LPR/Silent Reflux & Chronic Rhinitis symptoms. Please share your medical experiences, any surgeries you have had & recovery

Posted , 11 users are following.

mandi4
mandi4

I have had 3 year battle with LPR/Reflux symptoms. I have come a long way & have recovered a great deal. However I have to stick to certain diet, use nasal spray etc. I would like to hear from people who have or are still suffering the same symptoms on how they are managing to keep the symptoms in check.

I am also very interested in hearing from people who have had surgery & recovered. I am mainly interested in medical solutions not alternative medicine etc.

2 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Anxious_Alex
    Anxious_Alex

    Posted

    Hi Mandi

    As you know from another thread, I'm in a similar position to you and, after 18 months, have had endoscopy which revealed a 5cm hiatal hernia. So, like you, I am interested in people's medical experiences as I have tried all the diets, lifestyle changes, alternative therapies etc and know now why, for me at least, they haven't worked. I suspect surgery is my only option so I'll keep an eye on this thread, hoping for some useful information. I am seeing my GP later today - he referred me directly for endoscopy so I have not yet seen a gastro-enterologist. I'll let you know what he says. I suspect it will be a referral.

    Best wishes

    Alex

  • ooops64
    ooops64

    Posted

    Hi both

    I would never have thought this would make one feel so lethargic . It is like just getting over flu this

    fatigue . Mine started in May this year (2013) with what I thought was a bit of short term hay fever. Then in

    September on holiday in Paphos I realised it was Rihinitis. It then turned into Asthma too, and the need to keep clearing my throat. Then in October my Sturnam (mid chest ) was very painfull, I thought even heart

    related Looked on internet and was surprised to read Gord/Gerd Reflex disease. My doctor confirmed it too

    I am taking Loratadine for the Rihinitis, Ranitidine for the Gord,inhallers for the Asthma. I have

    Hashimoto Thyroid disease so on Thyroxine also. I have yet to go back to my doctor for the Endoscope

    treatment shall deal with that after Christmas. I hope all us who suffer with this miserable problem get

    some help in 2014.

  • Becks149
    Becks149

    Posted

    Hi mandi4

    I am still suffering with LPR, been 15 months now. Please can you tell me what nasal spray you were using.

    Have tried steroids but got nose bleed etc...

    Becks

  • carmel83758
    carmel83758 mandi4

    Posted

    We are in a similar situation Mandy which is why I respond to your question. Hope you feel better today. Have you tried nasonex? I find it helps me but not to use it every day. Have had surgery to remove polyps and bone and tissue from nose to help me breath but since then symptoms have changed rather than disappeared.
  • laura_78396
    laura_78396 mandi4

    Posted

    Hi Mandi, all, 

    I don't have any answers yet, but a questions for the group. I live in a country where the health system doesn't work that well. Certain tests (like PepTest) don't seem to be available, so a 100% diagnosis is hard. 

    I've had recurring sinus infections for the last couple of years. Recently, I got asthma too. 

    My nose burns and itches from the inside. Sometimes it feels like something is stuck in there. I get a severe sinus infection every 2 months. 

    My first GP only gave me antibiotics every two months, so I switched.

    The second GP prescribed a course of oral Cortisone, cortisone nasal spray & inhaler, which helped. He did a blood allergy test that returned nothing. 

    One ENT did an Endoscopy on the nose and diagnosed "Non-Allergic Rhinitis" 

    The second ENT in my home country said "that's obviously an allergy".

    The GP sent me to a Gastroenterologist to rule out reflux: Hiatus Hernia, 3cm. 

    I don't have any voice or throat problems, so I'm still thinking about an allergy. Especially because I have now three different diagnosis. I don't want to take the PPIs unless I'm 100% certain. I'm really worried about the side effects. 

    What do you guys think? Does this sound like LPR or an allergy? 

    Thanks a lot, 

    L

    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 laura_78396

      Posted

      Had very similar to you Laura. Recurrent sinus problems with headaches and ears. First doctor kept giving me antibiotics and steriods and it would go and then come back. Now I have different symptoms and it is silent acid reflux, so when my ears get blocked and my nose is bad it is caused by the reflux.
    • laura_78396
      laura_78396 carmel83758

      Posted

      Thanks for your quick answer caramel. 

      Did you find any way to ease the problems?  I'm really worried about side efects of PPIs. After all, the stomach is supposed to be acid to break down all the proteins and vitamins so they can be absorbed. 

      Did the usual recommendations (raise bed, don't eat late, cut down on coffee, alcohol etc) help anything? 

       

    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 laura_78396

      Posted

      Hi Laura. It is Carmel. LOL. For months I took various ppis, because I wsa getting awful headaches i
    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 laura_78396

      Posted

      could not cope with and the rst was bad too. Some of the ppis gave me side effects like headaches or stomach aches. But I took vitamin mineral pills every day to try to put right the rest at least a bit. I did raise my pillows, I found it hard about not eating late as I usualy do, I dont drink much coffee and never alcohol. In my case it dosnt mater what I eat but if I drink orange juice it sometimeds goes woosh right up into my ear and then stays there for ages.

      What is sort of working for me now is this. I got cimetidine and for three months took it every day. Fine for first two months and then the side effects - for me - were awful. Like a vice pushing into my head all around, and my ears felt awful too. I also felt all worn out and no energy and about 200 years of age, every physical thing was a huge task.

      The doctor told me the operation for it isnt very foolproof. It can get repaired and then become unrepaired again a few years later and according to him you have more chance of cancer if you have the op. So this is what I do right now. I take the cimetidine but very often just half the dose.

      Then when the side effects build up to the vice feelings and bad ears I stop for a bit and start to feel ok again. And then when the coughing gets bad again I return to half a dose again etc. La\st time I was off cimetidine for 10 days before the cough started getting bad again and I started takihg them again. It is njo good asking the doctor what to do because he can only work out this with common sense samed as you.

    • laura_78396
      laura_78396 carmel83758

      Posted

      Oh, what you're experiencing doesn't sound too nice.

      For the moment I use steroid nasal spray and steroid inhalers. I know I probably shouldn't, so maybe I'll give PPIs a try. 

      I read a lot of posts by people who did the Nissen Fundoplication, some said it went great and some had the most horrific problems afterwards. Worse than they had before. So this one really sounds like the last option. 

      I read in another post about a new therapy called "Stretta". If you google it, you'll find some things. It's really interesting. I might try and get more information about it. 

      The other thing that I found is a study from a doctor Koufman who says drinking water with a ph of 8.8 should help. But this type of water apparently is only available in the US. I can't help but wonder how this water would perform as a sinus rinse.... (probably a very stupid idea...but who knows). 

      At lest I still have some options to try out. I'll keep posting how the self experiments go. 

    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 laura_78396

      Posted

      Hi Laura. A lot of places ay drinking water with bicarbonate of soda in it helps, but it doesnthelp me much. I think it depends on if you have an acid imbalance or if the cat flap in the stomach, the schplinter, is loose, if it is loose then the problem is that stuff comes up, not what stuff but stuff.Will look up stretta,thanks. If you decide go to down the route of alkaline water then it is best to also eat alkaline foods, and you can make your own alkaline water or get a filter to save money. I think it can be an expensive way of doing things. Will keep you posted too.
  • iva88276
    iva88276 mandi4

    Posted

    Hi mandi4,

    I had severe problems with this, I think its more of a condition and a lifestyle one must practice once the acid gets in the upper side.

    However, I found something that helped me so much.

    Homemade ginger tea. Just cut on the thin slices 5 cm of ginger and boil it in water. When water starts boiling, cook it for 5 more minutes and then leave it for 10 minutes. After that, just drink it - hot (put in the something that will keep it hot) . You can eat the remaining slices, not all of them but a few.

    Try with this, it helped me so much, (along with the reflux diet).

    Hope it will help to you all.

    Best to you all.

     

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