Throat Clearing, hoarseness, swallowing difficulties

Posted , 15 users are following.

I was initially diagnosed with LPR for my symptoms, which were constant post nasal drip, hoarse voice, and a click when I swallowed.  I have since figured out it wasn't LPR at all, and that all the protocols for LPR only make things worse. 

I came here to hopefully help others who may have been told they have LPR when really, they have something else.

The symptoms of LPR are exactly the same as the symptoms of nutritional deficiencies of B vitamins, vitamin A, and iron.  

In particular, a riboflavin deficiency will dry out the soft tissues of your throat so that you feel every tiny drip of what is actually normal mucus.  Riboflavin is a B vitamin that is not stored in the body and you must eat it every day.  Dairy products, something many of us with mucus are told to avoid, are very high in riboflavin, and one of the best sources.  Stress, illness and certain chronic conditions can increase the body's requirements for riboflavin, causing deficiency symptoms, like a dry, post nasal drip in the throat.  (In my case, I became deficient due to an undescovered thyroid issue.  When the thyroid is not functioning properly, you do not metabolize riboflavin.)  Mild riboflavin deficiency will also cause dry, itchy or burning feeling of the eyes.  

Other B vitamins which affect the throat are niacin and folate.  Iron deficiency causes tongue and throat swelling and can even cause webbing of the esophagus.   Vitamin A and zinc also affect the mouth, tongue and throat.  Iodine is essential for the salivary glands.  

Certain health issues can affect the metabolism of nutrients.  You can be deficient even though you get plenty of it in your diet.  Your genetics, your diet, and your current health conditions all affect your nutrtitional status.  

Proton pump inhibitors and acid reducers can make things worse by reducing your absorption of nutrients.  

If you want to try some vitamins to see if they will help, start with the water soluble B vitamins.  I recommend taking co-enzymated sublinguals which melt under your tongue, so that you don't have to worry about whether you are digesting and metabolizing them properly.  

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  • Posted

    I hope everything is good. Have you done an endoscopy recently? I am not a doctor but I recommend you do one since you have difficulty swallowing which may be a sign of reflux and may in other cases not be a good sign. Did you do an endoscope after that? In that case it may be OK and you may not need another endoscopy. Do not be scared. It is just a recommendation, I'm not a doctor. Consult your GI please.
    • Posted

      Yes I did one,they said everything looks good and should go away with nexium. I just don't know if nexium is actually working enough or if my stomach still needs time to heal. It been almost 3 years,but is like80% better than was I just get freaked out when it happens. I analysis considering anxiety meds
    • Posted

      Sorry, when was your last endoscopy? Is it just acid or acid and bile? And how long have you been prescribed Nexium for?
    • Posted

      Sorry, when was your last endoscopy? Is it just acid or acid and bile? And how long have you been prescribed Nexium for?

       

  • Posted

    Do you think you may have bile reflux? I have heard that sometimes it may be symptomless. If you have bile reflux, PPIs

    may not work. In that case, you may need other medicines such as Domperidone, Ursodeoxycholic acid or SSRIs depending on

    the reason of your reflux.

     

    • Posted

      You can google and find out the symptoms. I still confuse about it though for some of my symptoms at the beginning like a little bit of bile and pure reflux I have been using Nexium for 6 months and it helps. I nearly was free of symptoms of course along with diet no cafeine or fizzy drink etc.. i have to be careful when it comes to eating the right food which can flare up the symptoms. I dont know how people take Nexium for years and have no side effect. I had diarhear which may be caused by Nexium. But I may be wrong. It could be something else I ate. Some says it does some doesnt so confuse but the most important I feel much better than before.

       

    • Posted

      These are the symptoms which I have only one, Hoaseness. I do have mild reflux behind my throat and esopgagos.

      1. Upper abdominal pain that may be severe

      2. Frequent heartburn — a burning sensation in your chest that sometimes spreads to your throat, along with a sour taste in your mouth

      3. Nausea

      4. Vomiting a greenish-yellow fluid (bile)

      5. Occasionally, a cough or hoarseness

      6. Unintended weight loss

    • Posted

      I'm not sure to tell you, but my brother's doctor diagnosed it through endoscopy, my brother has constant bitterness in his mouth, pain in the middle and end of the esophagus and burning in the throat. He also has other symptoms... Symptoms may be different for everyone. He has both acid and bile reflux. Some doctors diagnose bile reflux through pH test, I think. You may consult your GI since I'm not sure. The burning sensation in the esophagus may be caused by either acid or bile, I'm not sure however.
  • Posted

    Thanks for sharing this information, Amy. I have been dealing with throat drainage (white foamy), throat clearing, plugged ears, dry mouth and some difficulty swallowing for the last several weeks. If I am honest, it all started about a month and a half ago with a 'real' sinus infection. I just completed my second round of antibiotics and am now using Nasonex once a day. The nasal congestion has cleared but all of the other symptoms remain. I am extremely anxious it is something more sinister like throat cancer but I don't have any lumps in my neck, sore throat or pain when swallowing... though I did for about 10 days with the sinus infection.

    I have taken niacin for years because of the cardio benefits. My father died in his early 60s of a massive heart attack that was very unexpected (never smoked, rarely drank, and fit). I took it as more of a precautionary measure after doing a bit of research. Coincidentally, about 2 months ago, I was dealing with some GI issues and exuded to stop all of my supplements (including the niacin). Your post made me think that perhaps some of these issues are connected to stopping the niacin??

    I have an endoscopy scheduled for December 7th to rule out anything serious. In the meantime, I am very anxious but will start back on the niacin tomorrow. If everything checks out with the endoscopy, I plan to visit a naturalist clinic to have an evaluation of my vitamin levels done. Apparently, they complete an analysis using a hair sample? Have you ever heard of this type of testing?

    • Posted

      Awesome to hear these replies.  Is it possible to give me a quick update on your throat issues?  I also have the same symtons.  I have seasonal allergies.  Took a spray to clear up my inflammation inside of the nose.  But throat feels dry.  It feels swollen.  The swelling in the throat has drastically improved but still there.  Can't talk so much and when I do it starts hurting and my mouth gets really dried. Swallowing and drinking food causes no pain.  My jaw hurts a little and ear pops.  No chest pain.  Would be awesome to hear a response on this from your experience.  Thanks!

    • Posted

      Hi, jaw pain should be investigated. Have you told your GP about all your symptoms?
  • Posted

    Amy, thanks so much for posting this...  I recently developed the same symptoms, totally presenting as LPR.  I too am hypothyroid and have struggled with various vitamin/mineral deficiences after being diagnosed 10+ years ago.  So, I took 400 mg of B2 yesterday and my throat has significantly improved... I know the increased dosing will need to continue, but I can't thank you enough for your post.  Saved me a lot of time spent looking down other avenues for a cure...  

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