This nagging silent reflux is driving me crazy. Any suggestions?
Posted , 3 users are following.
The first symptoms began six months ago after I smoked a lot of hookah and caught a cold. It started with lump-in-throat feeling, belching, nausea, and constant coughing. The symptoms were so bad that I almost threw up during a 5-hour bus ride. Went straight to my GP and he told me it was acid reflux (even though I rarely felt heartburn). I went home and took PPI (Omeprazole), some medication for allergic cough (Montelukast) and antacids (Ranitidine). After I month I still didn't feel well so I went to my gastroenterologist who has been a practitioner for 40 years and had an upper endoscopy. Results were that everything was fine except too much acid in my stomach. He told me it's just silent reflux and that I shouldn't worry about it too much, saying it would go away within a couple of months.
Now that half a year has passed, I'm still suffering from my silent reflux. The globus feeling and nausea have mostly gone, and the cough does get better. However, several problems are still interfering with my daily activities:
- nasal congestion
- postnasal drip and a lot of white, thick mucus, especially in the morning
- chronic cough and persistent throat-clearing
- belching
- occasional bloated feeling and stomach discomfort
- occasional pain under my armpit (not swollen, just occasional pain that goes away quickly, but I do have swollen but movable lymph nodes under my chin).
I have stopped taking medication because it no longer helps with my symptoms and because I read about the side effects it might cause. I'm just wondering what I should do. Should I wait until it eventually gets better? Does a healthy diet without alcohol, coffee and spicy food really help? Lifestyle changes? It's not a huge issue but it sucks to be chronically ill.
0 likes, 3 replies
kate65092 kevin38201
Posted
Hi Kevin
all I wud say is if you can manage without ppi stay off them. while you symptoms sound annoying it's not as bad as having debilitating burning every day which is what I have 5 months now and on high dose of ppi but not working so far. some sufferers sat changing to a total plant based diet is the answer . hope you feel well again soon.
kate65092 kevin38201
Posted
Hi Kevin
all I wud say is if you can manage without ppi stay off them. while you symptoms sound annoying it's not as bad as having debilitating burning every day which is what I have 5 months now and on high dose of ppi but not working so far. some sufferers sat changing to a total plant based diet is the answer . hope you feel well again soon.
irene83894 kevin38201
Posted
Hi Kevin.
Your symptoms are similar to mine. Especially about the chronic cough post nasal drip issues. And I've had them more than half a year now. Probably longer as a result of a bad cold but symptoms began so slowly and unapparent and I believe my diet aggravated the situation to the point where I noticed I had an issue.
It has been difficult to see what works. Sometimes gaviscon advance has helped, especially early on. I tend to take it now only if I have a big meal.
I find that eating smaller meals or snacks more often, as opposed to to fewer larger meals has helped.
I also notice that if I exercise frequently (3-4x/wk for 1 to 2 hrs/day) and vigorously (on a near empty stomach) that I feel better and cough less often and less intensely. This is a fairly recent development and I feel like I might actually heal if I keep all this up. All this coupled with eating better for me and such. Everyone is different as citrus fruits in small or moderate amounts don't seem to bother me. But spicy foods and high fat foods are definite aggravators for me. Stress is supposed to be a big aggravator too according to the websites I've read. So I plan to add yoga and more prayer time to my routine too. It's a process. Keep researching and trying to see what works for you. Everyone is different.
I don't know if it's not something to be concerned about though. My understanding is that the acid creates fumes that rise into the esophagus and into the lungs. And that it's those fumes that are irritating the lung tissues. I assume that over years that irritation might cause other issues? I could be wrong, but that was what I read.
Good luck.