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

Anyway I eventually managed to get rid of the cough but the LPR was slowly getting worse and also giving me headaches from all the swallowing I was doing to shift the overproduction of mucus. About a month ago the PND was so bad that I visited my GP again to see what he could give me. I had read a lot about the condition from online forums and was a little anxious about being prescribed a PPI as I'd read about how they didn't agree with many people. As predicted my doctor prescribed Omeprazole and Dymista nasal spray and he sent a stool sample to be checked for H-Pylori infection. 

The nasal spray worked wonders for the PND but gave me a dry cough which became increasingly troublesome at night and the PPI seemed to be easing the LPR ( although that feeling of something stuck in my throat was ever present). However after 3 days of using them I woke the early hours of the following morning with severe nausea and headaches. Upon advisement from the surgery I stopped both.  My stool sample test came back negative so I have made an appointment to speak to my doctor on Monday. In the meantime I decided to take some holistic measures to see if I could help my condition. For the past 7 days I have been taking high potency probiotics and wild oregano oil and have noticed that my PND has been kept at bay and my LPR symptoms have lessened.  I'd read about Saka Ph8.22 water and the health benefits but it was only after I'd read some testimonials from people suffering from LPR and the benefits they experienced did I decide to try it alongside the probiotics and oregano oil. I have had a bottle of Saka each day for the past two days and I can honestly say that I am feeling better for it.  The globus sensation has eased greatly and I am feeling confident that my cough is also waning. 

I am helping matters by eating smaller meals and minimising the consumption of spicy and fried food. I have also decreased the amount of dairy and sugary foods I normally consume as I am convinced that candida has a huge role to play in all of this ( I have suffered from bouts of Thrush all my life). 

I am feeling optimistic as I have never felt as normal as I do right now as I am typing this.  I will give an update of how I am feeling after another week but if I continue to feel better by Monday I will be sharing my experience with my GP o that he can factor it in when helping others suffering from this condition. As for you, Anxious Alex, if you haven't managed to recover from LPR yet you could give my approach a go. Fingers crossed!

Hi just a quick story here -- I have had what I thought was seasonal asthma coupled with occasional severe "coughing spells" lasting 6-8 weeks for the past several years. They always ended with a course of Prednisone and ZIthromax, but it was hell going through them. I was referred to a lung md who almost immediately said it's probably not asthma.

The first consult with him was about my ongoing meds. He noted I had been taking Lisinopril (a blood pressure lowering agent) for years. He said to switch (he put me on Benecar). The cough cleared up almost immediately. (Take a look -- there’s a lot of info on the web about Lisinopril cough)

5 months later, however, I’m back again with similar symptoms. This time he says it's probably LPR. His reasoning behind this is that my FEV1 (amount of air I can move with my lungs) is at 99.9% normal when I’m having what I’ve been characterizing as an “asthma attack”. The only suggestion he has is to raise the bed, eat smaller dinner and allow 3 hours before bedtime with no food or drink.

Oh yes, and to try to “stop coughing”. My coughing is making my coughing worse. Geeze… thanks.. never thought of that… just stop coughing ! *

4 more weeks of suffering and he suggests I get tested with an upper GI (barium milkshake time!). Results -- yep, I have a hiatal hernia and some reflux, so I am a prime candidate for LPR, but still no recommendation to help stop the cough. We resort to another course of Prednisone and Zithromax. all to very little effect -- I felt a bit better, but still not good.  

Last Friday I managed to cough up a decent sputum sample (prior samples being rejected because there was not enough lung cells in there) and voila --- a new recommendation – I have an infection that commonly occurs in the gut, not the lungs, that does not respond to zithromax or other common lung antibiotics. The new theory is that I aspirated some stomach juices causing the infection.

He then started me on Cipro. It’s been one day and I feel 100% better. I actually slept last night!

This is absolutely maddening and the lack of practical knowledge by the medical community is certainly disappointing. Clearly this is a complex combination of factors, environmental and physiological including drug interactions and a complex physical path to infection.

My advice: try to get your “lung gunk” cultured. Once they do that, they can choose the right treatment.

This is probably a good short term solution for me. I’ll take my Cirpo and get well again and I’ll be good for a while. This made me wonder about long term solutions. Clearly there are surgical solutions, which I would rather avoid, but then I found this.

I cannot vouch for it, but there is a new, non-invasive treatment available (at least here in the US)

It’s basically a band that fits around your neck to help block fluid from passing through your upper esophagus (UES) and into your lungs.

I’d be interested to know if anyone has tried anything like the Reza band and how successful it is.

Good luck to all on this chain. You all have my sympathies and hopes that you can find a solution.

* From some other personal experience, I would highly recommend Delsym 12 hour cough syrup. It really kills the urge to cough much better than fast acting dextromethorphan based treatment.

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link as users can search Google for the product rather than link to a specific website.

I continued with the the high potency probiotics for about a week then switched to a total candida defence supplement ( 1 tablet every mealtime), together wth the wild oregano oil and SAKA alkaline water. I continued taking smaller meals and not eating anything 3 hours before bedtime. I ditched the skinny jeans and have been wearing dresses so as not to cause tightness around my abdomen which feels so much more comfortable. I have also started to eat an apple 20 mins before one of the meals of the day. This in particular has helped dislodge that globus sensation and my throat feels so much freer. I only indulge in a couple of cups of coffee a week and limit the amount of fried or spicy food I have in a week. Chocolate is a treat now and again and limit myself to a couple of pieces. 

I wouldn't say I' m completely cured as I have varying levels of symptoms raising their ugly head from time to time but keeping up with these changes has improved the condition immensely. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my body is starting to heal and have a much more sensible approach to my diet and lifestyle.

Would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had a similar experience.