silent reflux: Having these symthoms now for months, & being misdiagnosed more then 3 times,.

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It started whe. I woke up one morning and literally felt like I had a bug in my throat. The feeling was so intense, all I could do is try to excessively clear my throat from ehat ever this could be. After a few hours of discomfort. It felt like what ever was in my throat had gotten smaller, except now my throat hurts horribly. I then go to my clinic to get relief and to find out what is happeing and they swab for strep. The strep test came back negitive. He then gives me a script for an antibiotic. After just an hour, and after filling my script I get home and my ythroat is so inflamed that I couldnt swallow the large pills the doctor prescribed to me. It was getting worst. Then I am so lethargic and in so much pain, not even able to swallow a drink of water, I go to the ER. The doctor comes in, looks down my throat and says "your tonsils look like hamberger meat, you have bad strep throat". I then wanted to tell her that I got a negitive strep test just this morning, but I couldnt talk. She gave me a shot of penicillin, and wrote me a script for some steroids & pain. The next day I started feeling better. But this was the beginning of a long and whinding road for me. Almost 6months later, I am so sick from having a constant cough, constant phlegm in the back of my throat, spitting is extremely excessive, the feeling of something caught in my throat happens more then not. I am so fatigued & worn out, even after sleeping all nite. The feeling of thick slimy mucous in my throat makes it gard to swallow and for food to get stuck in my throat. I also have sinus drainage that is excessive, when I blow my nose my ears will feel blocked,& nothing comes from my nose mist of the time, I get headaches, just mild lingering headaches. My mouth is always dry. I feel HORRIBLE!!! some days are a little bit less uncomfortable. I started having chest pains & shortness of breath 2 days ago, and went to the ER, in which the Doctor there said I am experiencing Silent Reflux. I go home with the meds she wrote me, and a referral to s ENT. I reasearched Silent Reflux, and I for the first time in 6+ months feel like there has been a break thru to my medical problem. I have every single sign & symptom listed. But what the bad part is, that Silent Reflux us a precursor to esophagus cancer and if not caught & treated in a certain amount of time can be the deadliest form if cancer in this nation. If you are experiencing anything like this, go right away to a ENT...

1 like, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Karen first things first don't panic!!!!

    I started with the same thing in January . Swabbed for strep ( clear) had an endoscopy ( everything ok) and finally had a camera up my nose and onto my throat . Doctor found small amount of inflammation but nothing to be concerned about it . Best thing I ever did was get a Peptest done . Look for them on the Internet . They are a lab within Hull university who carry out a saliva test to see what levels of pepsin are present in your throat .its the pepsin that irritates your throat . I took the 3 sample test . You basically spit and cough up first thing in the morning , after lunch and after tea. You post them back and get your result usually within 3 days . My results showed that I was refluxing of a night . My levels were relatively low but enough to irritate my larynx. So what I have done is bought a wedge pillow and started drinking Icelandic water ( a lot cheaper than evemor) . The thinking behind all this is to keep the pepsin away from my throat if a night and then wash it down with a high ph water . If you haven't done already get Jamie Kauffmans book . It explains everything . I am going to get another peptest done in 6 months to see what my levels are, as the professor in the lab said it can take 6 months for the irritation to go . I have been doing this for 3 weeks now and , although I do not feel like anything has changed yet, I feel like I am on the right road . I was a nervous wreck when I started feeling the globus like sensation but after reading up and getting tests done I feel like I am back in control . Feel free to ask me anything

    • Posted

      Hi that's a very interesting reply. Please can you tell me where you buy your Icelandic water from and also how much your pep test costs

      Many thanks

      Clare

    • Posted

      I get it off amazon . It's ph is naturally 8.4 . The peptest cost £70 . Google it their website tells you everything you need to know and if you need the speak to them the people on the lab are great . I phoned a week after getting my wedge pillow , panicking that I still had the feeling . The proffessor burst out laughing and told me to chill out and see where I was in 4 months minimum ...
    • Posted

      Thanks fir this info. Do you still suffer from Globus Sensation? Are you following Kauffman's diet?ehst steps have uou taken yo ease the sympyoms gor globus?
    • Posted

      Hi

      Yes still suffering from globus but it has only been 3 weeks so I'm not expecting any significant change for at least 3 months . I roughly follow the Kaufman high ph diet . I bought myself a ph meter so I try and test everything and keep it above 7 ( which is hard) I also have a swig of gaviscon advance before bed . Just to coat my throat and esophagus incase anything comes up . I have had a few naughty days over the weekend so my stomach has been a bit up the wall.. But I'm back on it this week so fingers crossed it will start easing a bit soon ... ENT stuck a camera up my nose and in my throat last week and the small

      Amount of inflammation that was there is right on my larynx . I'm guessing the fact your voice box and throat are constantly in use will

      Make the healing process a lot longer than external inflammation

    • Posted

      Have you tried gargling with a weak solution of bicarb and water? It neutralizes the pepsin and gives almost instant relief. I also make it a part of my bedtime routine.
    • Posted

      No I haven't but I will certainly try that . I like the sound of that thanks x x
  • Posted

    Just realised you were not even asking a question 😂😂😂😂😂😂
  • Posted

    Karen, have you had any dental work done in the last 6 months or so?

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