LPR/Silent Reflux - desperately in need of a miracle. Has anyone recovered from this?

Left a message today for my GP to call me about concerns my symptoms have returned, He called and advised me to double the dose...either one tablet at night and one in the morning, or two in the morning or two at night. The GP surgery does not offer a pepsin test nor would the hospital. He said if symptoms come back in the next month after doubling the dosage, he would prefer to refer me for an endoscopy which I hoped I could have avoided. After having the camera down my nose, not sure that will reveal any more but sounds envitable in the long term.

My husband and I are looking into following a ph diet. It seems the information provided on this is quite positive. I am also ordering some ph drops to add to water. I was surprised to see my tap water is quite acidic. I tested it with ph strips.

Greetings All from Kenosha, Wisconsin USA!

I don't mean for this to sound insensitive but thank God I found others who are suffering from the same symptoms(ish) as I do. It appears we're all throwing a dart of desperation searching for a cure (or at least some relief) while our 'medical professionals' take our money with little or no valid return. Yet what choice do we have but to educate and experiment. That's the scary part...experimenting on ourselves. Let's face it, few people here have the medical training to assess us and assure the combination of vitamins, minerals, OTC meds, and prescription meds will play nice with eqch other.

I've been consuming antacids for as long as I can remember (and I'm 55!) and been to GP's, ENT's, gastroenterologists and dropped truckloads of my money and insurance money with no lasting results. The closest I came was 6 years ago when a gastro doc put me on Aciphex. It actually stopped the nightime acid choking sessions that hit while I was sleeping (that's some scary stuff if you've been through it) and was actually healing the years of esophagial damage....UNTIL my healthcare provider refused to pay any more. I'd have paid myselfbut the monthly cost was $800.00 and I had children and a home to provide for.

I was doing fairly well for years as long as I policed what I consumed. I didn't have to give anything up but there is a science to knowing what you can combine. As I said, things were great until I had spinal fusion surgery on March 6th. I was intubated for general anesthesia of course and woke up with a sore throat and swollen lip...normal for what I went through. Over the last three weeks I've developed either LPR or GERD, or a hybridnofboth to be more accurate. I've read everything I can find on both and the symptoms are combined whereas there is a definite distinguishing characteristic to each.

Currently I can't eat or drink anything without it going down like trying to swallow a brick. Then it makes a U-turn and starts all over again..except more painful the second time around. I also have a swollen gland on the right side of my throat that is painful when pressed on and painful when food passes it.

I've given up on the ENT I saw about three times over the last 8 years because she gave up on me. She threw sprays and antibiotics at my constant sinusitis/dizziness/ear infections/heavy phlegm in my bronchial passages (and more). She was more interested in correcting my uninformed use of the word vertigo for dizziness than doing some head scratching and looking deeper than her ego allowed to find an answer. Quality of life during the GERD/LPR/possible related sinusitis?...none.

A previous poster mentioned the vagas nerve and that struck a, erm, nerve with me because I developed atrialfibrillation in 2007 and I've learned the vagas nerve is associated with afib, and many other functions within our bodies and yet, not ONE study or treatment plan for a myriad of our earthbound ills has been undertaken or developed to confirm or rule out associations.

I don't have any home remedies or whizzbang new meds for anyone to try...heck, acid reflux I knew how to deal with. What I'm going through now is next level in Hell stuff and worst of all?...I have zero confidence in the medical community but I have no alternative but to seek them out so I can get access to their scopes and such.

I wish everyone here better health and apologize for the black tone of my post. Lack of sleep for a month tends to do that, but I promise to lighten it up if/when I post again. Whether I post again or not, I will definately be reading all your posts.

Hello all,

I'm new to the forum, and just finished reading through from beginning to end. As many have stated it's a comforting thing to join fellow sufferers and share your experiences, realizing you're not crazy and finding out ways to possibly overcome this insidious affliction. Good luck to all of you. Since it may be helpful to some, I'll give a brief synopsis of my particular experience:

After 4 or 5 years of a need to clear fluid from my airway mostly after eating that was becoming increasingly worse, I began the frustrating process of seeking medical attention. I saw my doctor, and we both suspected allergies since I had a history with that. He put me on meds like Advair (to help the breathing difficulty) and something for sinuses. No improvement, so I went to an allergist. He tested me and yes, I'm allergic to pollen, but he mentioned "Silent Reflux" based on the connection to eating (I had never heard of this). I started the drug experimentation thing with him: Prilosec and various allergy meds to see what worked. Nothing did. So he referred me to an ENT. After putting a scope through my nose and into the throat, he suspected LPR but wanted to confirm with a 24hr pH probe test. This was done and it revealed "severe" acid reflux. It was literally off the charts. OK, so no more second guessing, I have LPR. I had an endoscopy which came back negative for anything other than just esophageal inflamation. Long story short, various PPI's I've tried have not helped me at all. I'm currently on Nexium, but have begun to wean off because I'm getting heart palpitations and I don't like what I'm hearing about the downside of PPI's. The dieting thing is tough to adhere to and seems so hit-and-miss. I've fallen off the wagon with that a few times. A week ago I really burned my throat and airway badly, and then found this forum. It has renewed my determination to stick to a diet plan and get off PPI's, and given me hope that I can do this especially with the natural healing methods that have been discussed here. I feel like my doctor didn't know anything about LPR until I went to him with the results of my ENT tests. He thinks there is no problem taking omeprazole long-term and even doubling the dose if I feel it's not working. I now do not agree with this. Isn't it nuts that many of us have had to be our own doctor with this?

So I just have one question and it regards digestive enzymes: I've seen this being used here and elsewhere to help LPR sufferers and I want to try it, but they seem to be all over the place with the ingredients. Some have this, some have that, and some have PEPSIN which I would think is dangerous to take if you have LPR. Does anyone know which enzyme blend is the best to look for?

Thanks.

Hi all,

It's good to see this helpful thread is still going strong.

I've had LPR for 18 months now, and the tips listed below greatly help me manage my symptoms:-.

Firstly I tend to follow advice from the Indian system of healthcare called Ayurveda regarding eating, drinking, sleeping etc. For example, 'I always tend to eat while sitting down, not standing or walking etc.

I was advised once by an expert Ayurvedic/Western doctor that this is a very important for all westerners).

Also -always try to eat in a settled environment with your attention on the eating process. Don't eat while watching TV or listening to the radio, or while reading, as these all take the attention away from the act of eating/chewing/digesting and leads to indigestion and excess acid etc.

Also, try to eat quite slowly -chewing the food well. Take a few sips of water during meals but try to avoid more than that as it weakens the stomach acid. Leave 30 to 45 minutes before drinking, ideally warm water (boiled and cooled, or camomile tea etc. Avoid drinking ice-cold drinks and eating cold food (ice-cream etc) as these weaken the digestion (but not so bad when the weather is very hot).

Avoid or reduce talking while eating.

Also, sit for at least 8 to 10 minutes after a meal to allow the digestion to settle (again very important) then have a relaxing walk afterwards, but avoid strenuous exerciser and lifting etc within an hour after meals.

Also avoid eating with or near people that you don't like or get on with, as the resultant stress and tension will tend to lead towards poor digestion and excess acid. Eat in as quiet and settled a place as possible, in good company, or else on your own.

Correct posture at the table, and at the computer desk etc afterwards is very important I've found. Even a slight slouch can tend towards refluxing. Someone on another forum once advised to avoid sitting down after meals for at least an hour and to walk around instead.

Throat soothe

Small Licorice tablets are ideal for sucking a few times during the day. I buy Nippits (not the the menthol ones) and let two or three dissolve in my mouth to coat the throat. Lovely! (But be careful with licorice if you have high blood pressure).

Stress as we know is a big factor in LPR, and I personally find that the Transcendental Meditation technique is invaluable to help keep me relaxed yet energetic. The American Heart Association recently rated TM as the most effective relaxation technique for lowering stress and blood pressure etc (Google: 'Beyond Medications and Diet: Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure - A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association' ).

I also practice the 'pranayama' breathing technique, which I do just before I do my daily meditations twice a day. You can easily learn pranayama off the internet (search youtube for 'Alternate Nostril Breathing' ). It's a great way to relax the vegus nerve and settle you down. But to learn TM and reap its many benefits, you'll need a qualified TM teacher.

Dry throat

I keep a small spray bottle by my bed at night which I fill with high PH mineral water. The spray is invaluable during the night as I sometimes get a dry throat due to pepsin, especially if my mouth is open.

A couple of quick sprays and I can nod off to sleep again (much easier than having to have a drink from a cup). I'm in the UK and got the plastic spray bottle from a Superdrug store; .and I bought the high PH (8.14) water cheap from Tesco..but Amazon also sell it. I personally dont tend to drink the high PH water apart from spraying it, or having the occasional few sips -well away from mealtimes though, as it can apparently weaken digestion if taken too close before of after meals.

Talk talk

I find it helpful to give my voice a break from talking too much. Constant talking or ainging etc can bring on a sore throat for me - which the high PH spray helps by clearing the mucus. I tend to spray and inhale the vapour slightly, then spit out the resultant small amounts of pepsin that is loosened off by the spray).

Settle down

Finally, I find it helps to wind down in the evening, so around 9pm I might have a bath or shower, then read something light before getting to bed (Ayurveda suggests 10-00am bedtime or earlier, as this helps keep the body's rhythms (doshas) in sync, and thereby helps you awaken bright and early next day.

Ayurveda recommends to avoid sleeping after 6-00am or so in the morning, as after this time mucus tends to increase in the body. So the longer we sleep in the morning the more heavy and phlegmy we will tend to feel. This makes sense really as when I have a very long lie-in untill say 10-30am, I feel dull with more tendency towards mucus than if I'm up early and on the go from around 6-30am.

All the tips above help me manage my LPR -with only slight to moderate post nasal drip at night (no sore throat etc) But if I stray into drinking coffee, and eating sweets and cream cakes etc then I tend to get worse symptoms leading to slight sore throat and occasional ear pain.

Anyway, I hope these tips help ease your path.

Keep going...and enjoy the best you can.

RoB-(747)

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Rob747- what's the brand name of the water you can get from Tesco and Amazon?

Evamor

I can't get Evamor shipped to the UK and it isn't listed on Tesco's website!

Thanks JPT - I've ordered some off Alkaline booster drops off Amazon, but was just being impatient (and hoping I could pop down Tesco's and get some water today!).

A friend of mine tried to find Evamor at the local store and could not find it. She did find something else. Look through the bottles on the shelf, especially in the "health food" section for water with listed pH values. My friend found something that was a pH of 9.5. I use Iceland spring water. It has a lovely crisp feel pH 8.88. When I was traveling I found alkaline water brands that I've never heard of.

Thanks Susan. Maybe that's where I went wrong. Was looking in 'water' section rather than 'health food'. I'll have another look!

> Rob747- what's the brand name of the water you can get from Tesco and Amazon? <

the brand is called saka. it seems very good and pure, and cheap too. i originally bought two very large containers last year from asda for around £3-00 total!! on special offer, but asda don't seem to sell it at the moment.

cheers,

rob the="" brand="" is="" called="" saka.="" it="" seems="" very="" good="" and="" pure,="" and="" cheap="" too.="" i="" originally="" bought="" two="" very="" large="" containers="" last="" year="" from="" asda="" for="" around="" £3-00="" total!!="" on="" special="" offer,="" but="" asda="" don't="" seem="" to="" sell="" it="" at="" the="" moment.="" cheers,="">

the brand is called saka. it seems very good and pure, and cheap too. i originally bought two very large containers last year from asda for around £3-00 total!! on special offer, but asda don't seem to sell it at the moment.

cheers,

rob>

Regarding Alkaline booster drops. I'd personally go for high PH natural mineral water instead of these drops as they contain calcium. Several people on Amazon have said they experienced quite negative side effects from taking these drops..and recent health study states that taking calcium supplements can increase the risk of plaque build up and heart disease.

There seem to be plenty of high alkaline natural water if you look for it. Essential, Evamor, Iceland are a few I know. I took a trip to Florida and bought a pH 8.2 water I'd never heard of.

Thanks both - really interesting information. I recognise the Saks water, but am sure I got it when abroad. Now I know what I'm looking for, I'm sure it will be much easier to find! :-)