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

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Anxious_Alex
Anxious_Alex

Hi - I'll be as brief as possible. For almost a year I have had symptoms which have worsened, starting with throat clearing and progressing to regular spiting out of white, frothy stuff, post nasal drip, lump in throat or sharp sensation, streaming or blocked nose and hoarseness. These are all unpleasant and irritating but because I talk for a living my work is becoming badly affected so it is now making me depressed and anxious as well. I was referred to ENT, had the camera up the nose and down the throat to rule out anything sinister and was given Omeprazole and Gaviscon Advance. No advice, no explanation. I had to find it all out myself. (and I'm not confident/assertive with docs, either).

The drugs haven't helped, I'd go so far as to say the reflux significantly worsened. I had faith in the Gaviscon Advance having read how it works but that hasn't made any difference either. I have monitored everything I eat and drink and can't find anything that triggers it with the possible exception of bread, and I may be grasping at straws there. Certainly coffee, alcohol, spicy food etc don't trigger it and ginger, acidophillus, apple cider vinegar don't help. It does seem to be cyclical - I'll have a week or so of decreased symptoms then it gradally works up again to two or 3 weeks of hell. No heartburn, and the reflux is almost always upright, no problems sleeping...just the other 17 hours a day! The ENT was brusque on my return visit and said that, aside from speech therapy, there was nothing more he could do for me. This can't go on, though. At it's worst it makes me tearful and desperate at work and speech therapy isn't going to stop me spitting up into a whole toilet roll each day, or reduce the other symptoms. I'm also worried my teeth will rot and I fear for my job. Has anyone experienced this with the same pattern/lack of triggers etc? I would love to hear any positive experiences that don't just repeat the same old same old, ie, raise the bed 6 inches, dos and donts with food etc.

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  • donclaudio
    donclaudio Anxious_Alex

    Posted

    sorry your yet "hurting"....I'm gonna guess that your throat..neck pains/discomforts etc are from "inflammation"...or intermittent inflammaton/s...if ..you have LPR...then it's more likely intermittentcy..the irritation can come and go subject to PH, frequency, duration of contact, and volume of any prior refluxate....The alternate would be a thyroid condition but I'm not leaning this way...but since its the big big player in "homeostasis"...I'd get a T3 and T4 lab test...just paid $160 for one for my wife.no symptom but she was to go for some minor surgery and docs wanted basic CBC...I added the TSH.

    I'm not a PPI guy except for HP irradication..meaing very short term..like 10 days on..then a weening period of another 10 to 20 days...depending on mg..20 or 40...and the "half life's"...the potential rebound can have some nasty insults..

    I'm going to be you....I'd not eat anything spicy including the good ole garlic/onion pico caliente etc..

    for one week...easy digestive foods....drink lots of water during the day no fruit juices.....pre bedtime...option..1 tab bismuth 260mg...glass of water or both....be sure my head and shoulder elevated...and lie on my left side......if major improvement/s...toss a coin for T3 and T4..and if only minor improvements...for sure have the T3 and T4.

    You've had inflammations going on for some time...it depletes your B12...get the sub lingual.liquid......over dose for a few days..then whatever the suggested x 2.....and its 1 drop every 3 to 4 hours...make it 2 drops..etc.one week then normal

    dosage every other day..if no inflmmations...stop...(keep refrigerated once open).

    I have some links if you want to study LPR a tad more in depth...just let me know..

    btw...LPR can and does masquerade as many disorders..about a dozen by memory...."most" LPR patients do not have "heartburn"

    sure would like for you to get some major improvements quickly...so if you should choose the 1 week trial...give me a "heads up" mid term...Claudio

    • kyle32337
      kyle32337 donclaudio

      Posted

      Thanks again donclaudio. I will try the mild foods diet for a week and drink a lot of water. I would like to see those links to study LPR in more depth.

      I will hold off on anyt hyroid testing for now. I do seem  to be getting better and my symptoms do not seemt o mirror anything I've read about thyroid issues

      Thanks, Kyle

    • donclaudio
      donclaudio kyle32337

      Posted

      Hi Kyle,

      please do not forget to do the B-12...this is basic having little to do with a cure etc...and be prudent re head and shoulder elevation night time.

      I cannot do the link because the moderator/s will either censor or take weeks to release...but google this heading below.......its lengthy so be prepared....also there is an excellent article by Dr. J Kaufman but its in PDF format...I'll try and find the "source" ....Claudio

      Review article: reflux and its consequences – the laryngeal,

      pulmonary and oesophageal manifestations

      Conference held in conjunction with the 9th International Symposium

      on Human Pepsin (ISHP) Kingston-upon-Hull, UK, 21–23 April 2010

    • donclaudio
      donclaudio

      Posted

      Kyle, one of the participating ENT's wrote this abstract:

      Belafsky PC1, Rees CJ.

      Author information

      Abstract

      Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is the disease process by which gastric contents affect the extraesophageal structures of the head and neck. The symptoms of LPR include intermittent dysphonia, excessive throat clearing, globus pharyngeus, cough, and dysphagia. These symptoms can be assessed with the Reflux Symptom Index. Signs of LPR, as determined with laryngoscopy, can be described with the Reflux Findings Score, which includes assessment of site-specific laryngeal edema and other inflammatory changes. This article discusses the current understanding of LPR pathophysiology, taking into account pepsin stability and reactivation.

      "dysphonia" a voice impairment or speech disorder.. Difficulty in speaking

      ".Dysphagia" means swallowing difficulties,

    • kyle32337
      kyle32337 donclaudio

      Posted

      Thank you sir. I've got those symptoms minus the cough. I'll try and track those articles down this weekend.
    • donclaudio
      donclaudio kyle32337

      Posted

      excellent Kyle,

      my young brother named his first grandson Kyle....he's now a chef...

      Treatment is a "big deal"...and is a task that is almost "personal"...you must take control yourself...my best advice is to do your best to diagnose the "initial cause"...if not...guess at the most "likely"...and go from there.

      my best to you and those near...claudio

    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 kyle32337

      Posted

      For acid refluxl you should be cutting down on yourliquid comsumption, not increasing it. And should be making sure you have lots of fibre. Changing your diet for one week is unlikely to have any affect, and in my experience it is all unneccessary anyway,

      as taking bicarbonate of soda or lemon juice regularly will do the trick without you needing to change your diet and give up your favourite foods.

    • susan79492
      susan79492 carmel83758

      Posted

      I've never read or heard about decreasing liquid consumption for LPR.  That sounds unhealthy.  I agree that changing your diet for one week won't have any affect.  Lemon juice, however is totally contraindicated as it is very acidic and would activate the pepsin in the throat causing the LPR symptoms, especially mucus.

      I had severe symptoms and bicarbonate was not enough.  I had to change my diet  to a low acid diet, stop eating 3 hrs before bed and drink alkaline water.  If I get reflux, I do take some bicarb but not every day.

      I wish it were as easy as just taking bicarb or lemon juice but in my case it was not and all the research shows we need diet changes and some lifestyle changes.  

      Maybe you are an exception, but for most people I would say your prescription would not work.

      Susan

    • sarah13796
      sarah13796 susan79492

      Posted

      I totally agree with you Susan I have LPR, and am doing the same as you, plus regular 

      Green juice drinks

    • sarah13796
      sarah13796 susan79492

      Posted

      I bought a nutri bullet juicer, I put in spinach and other alkaline greens, cucumber, then 

      Sometimes watermelon, advocado, thumb 

      Size piece of ginger and seeds water and 

      Blend. I have ordered supergreens so I can

      Add them as well !! Great alkaline drink.

      Check out energise for life on Facebook 

    • carmel83758
      carmel83758 sarah13796

      Posted

      If you are going to juice then you should go foir a cold press machine. cost more but far better, leaves all of the fibre and nutrition in it. The hot ones such as the nutripress remove the fibre and nutrition. But leave all of the unhealthy sugar.
    • donclaudio
      donclaudio carmel83758

      Posted

      Hi Carmel,

      Like sarah, I too use the bullet.....its not for juicing like a cold press or

      wheat grass juicer......it merely puree's what you put in....

      .you get out 100% what you put in...add more liquid fruits like watermellon...it becomes more liquid...add green machine or naked green juice...you just add a wider variety of juices and it becomes

      much more "juicer"...I use both machines.

      The combo she uses seems to be me quite nutritious...I could not get my cold press juicer to do Avacado...sniffle....but I do use the bullet with whey isolate and avacado as one drink...only in the am...and very similar to Sarah's at other times...when treating IBS...I suggest a tablespoon or teaspoon of Aloe Vera....as a test for tolerability and efficacy.

      Both machine's concepts are good depending on what you want as an end result.

      my best...Claudio

  • susan79492
    susan79492 Anxious_Alex

    Posted

    To the best of my knowledgethe mucus is an inflammation response to the pepsin on the throat tissue. 

    Susan

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