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LPR that causes mostly hoarseness and swollen vocal cords

Posted , 34 users are following.

CoolBreeze
CoolBreeze

My chief complaint is hoarseness and feeling like my vocal cords are always swollen. I have had my vocal cords looked at several times by ENT docs . They always say cords are red and look swollen and I was DX'd with LPR. I am back on twice daily PPI's (prilosec) but it does not seem to be helping that much. I read a post by JPT here about the role pepsin plays in all of this. I have been adding a little baking soda to my drinking water to alkalize for the last two days and this seems to help the hoarseness more than the PPI's so JPT may be on to something here. Seems like twice daily PPI's medical therapy is not of much help to most of us with LPR. I would like to talk to anyone whose chief complaint is loss of voice and frequent hoarseness from LPR and have you found anything that works or helps your condition. It is very depressing and anxiety provoking when you have to strain to talk. It makes your speech very difficult to understand sometimes and then your throat starts to hurt after short periods of talking. It seems like a vicious cycle. I also have an anxiety disorder but I don't think it is playing a major role here in my voice loss. My cords just feel dry and swollen. Help anyone or if you wish to just talk about things you have tried or thinking about trying. Thank you for reading.

4 likes, 54 replies

54 Replies

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  • costas1
    costas1 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Hey guys, if you are having problems speaking please check Muscle Tension Dysphonia. Acid reflux can be a trigger for this and there is a way to get better.

    God bless you guys

    • nancy85328
      nancy85328 costas1

      Posted

      Did u ever get better with your hoarseness? I have had it now for 6 mos good days bad days. I'm so depressed I need my voice for my work. What is muscle tension dysphonia?

    • costas1
      costas1 nancy85328

      Posted

      Hi, I did but not without help. Originally I lost my voice completely. I was hardly able to talk for about 1.5 years. I went to a voice therapist, who helped me. Go to a voice therapist, not a speech therapist.
    • nancy85328
      nancy85328 costas1

      Posted

      I guess I'm confused as I have lpr. I get mucousy certain times of the day even on Zantac 2x a day. And I watch my diet very closely. I would think voice therapy would aggravate the already swollen vocal chords due to lpr and or gerd. I wonder why my ent dr wouldn't have told me about this.

    • costas1
      costas1 nancy85328

      Posted

      Most of the ent doctors I went to didn't mention it. Go and see a speech specialist. That is an ent doctor with a specialization in speech.

  • jean36938
    jean36938 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Thanks for this support forum. It is a comfort to know others have similar symptoms. I have recently been diagnosed with LPR and was prescribed 20mg Omaprazole with no recommendations on my voice management . This seems to be getting worse as I am avoiding talking. However I am trying to get a referral to The Speech Therapy Dept.
  • Curtis1973
    Curtis1973 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    hi yeah my throat has been sore and a bit of hoarse voice off and on as well for about two months although i have had reflux for about 8-10 years that never effected my throat,voice or anything else really outside of very infrequent heartburn which i am having now. no real long term improvement yet. the ppi and h2 blockers arent doing squat to stop the reflux which is what is causing my issues. in this regard they are absolutely useless medications. now they very well may reduce the acid levels but they are not effective at all for lpr related reflux.
  • DROOPY803
    DROOPY803 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Hello

    I'm new to this forum. Doing research and came across this. I've been taking PPI's for 8 years. Pretty much kept my acid reflux in check. Since June I've had 3 episodes of some tightening of the upper area after eating. Was Mexican food. The 3rd one has had a longer effect on me. This time around, it led me to the hospital 5 days in 3 weeks. I've had 2 ENTs say all is well. Allergy panel negative. Hereditary Angioedema ruled out. Endocrinologist says my thryroid is fine.

    Yet I'm having all the symptoms of LPR

    Mild hoarseness

    Sensation of a lump in the throat

    Need to clear the throat

    Chronic cough

    Difficulty swallowing

    Sore throat

    I have been better for the past 2 - 3 days, until yesterday again the lump in throat and my voice.

    It's getting frustrating, to the point that it's affecting my daily life.

    Had endoscopy done prior to any espisodes. Poppy removed and slight irritation at entrance of stomach consistent with gastritis.

    I'm aware anxiety doesn't help, but I'm getting to a point that I'm desparate.

    I'm at a crossroad of uncertainty. Any additional feedback would be appreciated.

    • jean36938
      jean36938 freizug91510

      Posted

      Hi

      ?Yes I got answers and solutions!! Thanks to this forum over a year ago.

      ?After recurrent sore throats and eventually loss of voice during 2015 I got diagnosed with LPR. Was on Omeprozole for 6 weeks which didn't make much difference. I came off tablets and went to a naturopathic dietician to sort out digestive processes. It was a long process but worth it. Then it took me 9 months to get a referal to a Speech Therapist. In the end I went private to get a report to present to my GP indicating I needed treatment. Had 6 sessions last summer and it worked! Not had any symptoms but I have to watch what I eat.

      All the Best

      Jean 

    • john94486
      john94486 jean36938

      Posted

      Hey Jean! So do you mind telling us what you eat? Also, what did your speech therapist have you do? 
    • jean0915
      jean0915 jean36938

      Posted

      Hi Jean,

      Did you first go to a naturopathic doctor before going to a naturopathic dietitian? Do you have allergies or did you have to change your diet drastically? I have been having symptoms for about a year and a half now, and I'm a singer so this has also affected my singing voice. Thanks!

      warnly,

      Jean :-)

    • jean36938
      jean36938 john94486

      Posted

      Hi John

      ​Initially I went on a low acid diet - no alcohol, no chocolate, no citrus , no tomatoes etc. I went completely cold turkey! Then with naturopathic dietician I had food and probiotics to sort out gut bacteria.

      ​The speech therapy exercises were very simple like pretend chewing and blowing through straws under water - all good fun!

      ​Cheers Jean  

    • jean36938
      jean36938 jean0915

      Posted

      Hi Jean

      There happened to be a naturopathic dietician living in my town.

      ​I was on gluten and lactose free diet for a while but am ok as long as I now restrict intake.  Initially I went on acid free diet so by the time I got to the dietician I was well on the way. I also found local specialist health shops a help. Before all this happened I found I was getting digestive problems with the onion family and batter. Now eating out can be a problem and I choose my dishes by elimination! I also have to eat small portions as overeating can cause problems of bloating. But hey with my weight at 8 stone I am the envy of all my friends!

      All the best

      Jean   

  • freizug91510
    freizug91510 CoolBreeze

    Posted

    Hey CoolBreeze smile Did you ever find some solution for this.

    I've been having to strain to talk for the last 3 years now and have been trying to figure out what the heck is causing it. Recently I'm discovering it may have something to do with acid reflux.

    I'm not inclined to drink baking soda but I will if I have to. Have you found that to be very helpful or did you notice some side effects from it and discontinue its use?

    I'd like to discuss these things with you because it's hard to find others experiencing similar hardships

    • CoolBreeze
      CoolBreeze freizug91510

      Posted

      Hi freizug,

      I am sorry for the late reply back. I discontinued the water / baking soda regimen. I thought it was helping at first but it really was not. I purchased an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier and that seems to help a little. What about you? Have you been able to find anything that helps? 

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