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

I'm in the same boat. I recently found that there may be a connection to sleep apnea. I am thinking about getting a sleep study done. My brother-in-law had Gerd and began using a cpap machine and his Gerd has all but went away. You can check out the studies online and see the info on the connections. It's interesting. 

I have had similar symptoms.  Did you get better?

Last June I got sick was diagnosed with bronchitis but it left with phlegms.   The chest x-ray was negative.  I went to 5 different doctors and not one could tell me the same diagnosis and why I my phlegms wouldn’t stop.  Basically I feel like making bubbles and have continued phlegms.   I tend to sweat easily and I remember when I got sick I was constantly sweating and changing clothes.  I went to pulmonary doctor and he said it was lymphocytic bronchitis and just prescribed anxiety medication because at the time I was hyperventilating.  I have noticed over the last five years I can’t drink cold drinks because it will give me phlegms and give me throat irritation.  I have looked online and it seems some people have a similar problem for years with no solution.  What should I do or do you have any suggestions to stop this chronic phlegms? The phlegms get worse when I eat spicy foods.  Although I don't have a cough anymore the phlegms are still there.  some days are better than others and diet is related so I gave up spicy foods.  I do notice that when I'm distracted I don't seem to get them as much so I wonder if it is habit forming or due to maybe anxiety.  I did an online test for LPR and I got a RSI value of 10 which indicates medium range.  One of the doctor's had mention GERD but I didn't agree with him at the time but know it is starting to make sense that it might be LPR.

Looking back, I think my issues started in 2009.  I would wake up every morning with some sort of heaviness in my chest. Docs said it was anxiety and prescribed SSRI. That was the only symptom I had then but it certainly caused me to have anxiety. In 2015, I had sore lungs and constant post nasal drip, clearing my throat all the time with mucus in my throat.  I thought the mucus was from my lungs and something was wrong with my lungs. Went for pulmonary exam. It was normal.  I asked my doctor if it could be acid reflux and he said "No, that doesn't cause mucus", he couldn't figure out why I had a pain in my "lungs" and in the upper chest area.  I was also hyper-sensitive to perfume, smoke, fumes etc. He couldn't explain it.  I found another doctor who agreed it was probably acid reflux.  I was prescribed omeprazole I took it for almost two years.  While on it last year, I had an extremely sore throat, I could barely talk.  I went to ENT. He put a scope down my nose to look at throat and said my larynx was quite swollen and said most likely acid reflux.  The PPI pills gave me digestive issues as well. Sore stomach, constipation, and also my food wasn't being digested properly where I could see the food...gross.  I also have palpitations so that made it worse, it can cause that and electrolyte imbalance.  I quit the PPI and followed a low acid diet.  I was better with very few issues for about 6 months.  But have to watch what I eat and especially coffee causes the reflux for me. I went to Mexico a month ago the and drank too much alcohol and ate too many things I shouldn't have.  When I got back I had two episodes of bringing up food/acid while sleeping and two times where I woke up choking like something was blocking my throat! I constantly feel like there's a lump in my throat and I choke on my food easily, I’m also belching a lot.  I told my new doctor who sent me to a sleep clinic for sleep apnea.  I get my results on Monday.  It's true there's a link from GERD to sleep apnea. After my numerous requests that my initial doc send me for scope (he's the one who wouldn't agree that it was GERD or LPR) to no avail,  this new doctor at least has referred me to an internal medicine doctor for a consultation. I've been told that It's very difficult here in Canada to get in with a GI unless there are severe symptoms ie. blood etc (or that's what my first doc said) so I'm looking forward to the consultation. I also wish I had a better doctor who recognized what this was years ago!

This has been a very frustrating 10 years of what seems like one thing after another.  I think it all stems from GERD but initially was probably LPR.  I still have mucus in my throat in the morning and have reflux so take Gaviscon when needed.  Hopefully slowly getting better though. 

This is what I've been taking and eating for the last month and what I was eating when I was getting better.  I've quit coffee again, no alcohol, chocolate, acidic foods, spicy foods, high fat foods, red meat. If you smoke, quit smoking as that might help.  Try not to eat 3 hours before bed.  I eat a lot of veggies and small amounts of white proteins, hummus, chick peas, almonds, melon or bananas for fruit as they are low acid.  The thing that I've started to replace the coffee with is Dandelion Root mix called "Dandy Blend" you can get it in your health stores.  It's "ok" at least a warm and dark and kind of tasty drink in the am.  It is acid free etc..  Sometimes I take Zinc throat lozenges when my throat is sore.  

The supplements that I've been taking are: Probiotics, Vitamin A, D, E, C, B13, Complex B.  I've read they are all good for inflammation.  I've been told that we can heal our stomach's ph balance if we eat really clean and not eat the things that cause the reflux for at least 3 months.  I don't think this addresses why I have the reflux so I'm hoping I will be finally sent for a scope.  I don't think it's possible to be cured unless you address the diet.  PPI's alone won't help.

Best wishes to you all! 

Hey there, i have seen it was 5 years since you posted this, apart from “white frosty stuff” i think i can easily relate to the whole story. Nights are fine and waking up i usually feel good, but then it slowly starts, the irritation in the throat, changing in severeness, hard to say when it’s worst. Anyway, wheezing, coughing and so on for six months now, reddish throat no doctor seems to mind, they do ask about reflux but more the GERD type, LPR seems a mystery. I have all the symptoms LPR describes, no heartburn and can’t say food changes things that much! Do contact me if u like, anyone really. This condition makes me crazy!!!!

Hi, I had similar problems a year back. It started with throats ache which just don't seem to go and lot of phlegm, discolouration of front teeth,cough.saw lot of doctors for same, each one giving a new set of medicines and most of them calling it allergy. Though antiallergic medicines did help but it was only temporary.

I would like to mention things that actually relieved me little from the symptoms, I had quit tea, milk, chocolate, fizzy cold drinks, sour fruits, spicy food, too cold and too hot drinks. I had started to do brisk walk of 20-25 mins daily and used thick/ double pillow.. and never really lied down immediately after food, and if I did, symptoms would show immediately. .

It's just sad that doctors always called it allergy and none talked about LPR because according to them, I had no heartburn so chances of reflux were zero. But as I read more and more, I realised that reflux could be silent too. 

I would love to hear from others too,as to what helped them fighting reflux in long run, since medicines can of course give you temporary relief but as I believe, lifestyle and food habits will help you minimise the symptoms atleast.

In the same boat my friend. Spit all day long, dry mouth, PN Drip, lump, It never ends have you found any help yet ? VA Has no clue. Good Luck brother.

FKR

ECM USCG Ret.

Alex,

First of all, all your doctors are dumb#@ses and have no clue how to help you. Forget about those guys on this matter. I nearly shot my self in 2016 because of this, but I got myself better. One word explains all of this: Azodicarbonamide. That is why u have LPR. Email me and I will tell you how I got better. today I am 100% better. No kidding! When I recently learned the chemical Azo caused all of this it blew the lid off things. They put that chemical in commercial bread products and I mean it is in almost all breads listed as Azo or in some cases "dough conditioner." Once in your system it takes months or longer to filter out. it is the same chemical used to make plastics, yoga mats, tires, etc. A lot of countries are starting to ban it, but not the good old U.S.

There is your miracle.

hi,

have you found the information you were looking for? are you feeling better?

I had the same symptoms, how ever I'm feeling a little better. I'm still working on getting better. I know what to do...i just need to continue the process.

This is what I did. I learn this process because I am going to a holistic person who is helping me.

-Do a stomach cleanse

-Protect & heal your throat , esophagus, and stomach lining with marshmallow root tea or powder, DGL deglycyrrhizinated licorice root extract chewables, Slippery elm pill, fenugreek & thyme pills . (nature's sunshine brand)

-Proper nutrition, with BEE POLLEN pills, b complex, magnesium complex

-avoid- mint tooth paste, use baking soda instead. buy a tongue brush & brush after meals to remove the stomach acid from you mouth, tongue, avoid oily food, spicy food, process food, don't use microwave, no sodas, no sugar, no fried food, no onion, no tomatoes,.

-blow your nose often, & possibly use saline to get the stomach acid from your nose, do deep breaths, exercise, drink lots of water, reduce stress, get some sun, drink green /veggie shakes

• LAST STEP I'M TRYING TO DO IS . FIND YOUR AGGRESSOR FOOD. If you can find your aggressor food you will complete your treatment. what I am currently doing is (I bought a glutometor like the diabetic people use) and I will test my self in the morning when I wake up, then after breakfast and check how high my glucose is. until I find the food that shoots my glucose to the roof. that will tell me WHICH FOOD IS MY AGRESSOR FOOD. Once I find my agressor food I can stop eating it and my treatment will be complete.

hi. i read your story, and its so much me at the moment. can you tell me where you Stan now, and what you have done. ???.

please can you answer me, have exatly same issue. what did help you ??

Hi. So sorry to hear how this affects you. I understand your frustration. Without going into detail, your symptoms are the same as my wife's, with the exception that the LPR also causes a cyclic cough. She's suffered this for nearly 3 years and we're only now beginning to understand it and find an effective treatment but there's still a way to go till we're completely on top of it. All lung tests and scans are normal, with no sign of infection. Gastroscopy also provided a normal outcome.

It might be worth your while checking the connection between LPR and SIBO. (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth)

With the cooperation of our GP, we have successfully treated the symptoms with specific antibiotics. Look at Tayside NHS for more information. Until the root cause of the recurrent symptoms is found and the cause of the SIBO, we know we'll need to continue occasional antibiotic therapy.

Hope this helps.