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Why didn't I have heartburn but I have sore throat

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 2/11/2009 2:36 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor said I have GERD and gave me Protonix 40mg, but it never help my sore throat, please advice!

Are there exercises I can do to strengthen the LES? I saw some of the post that people are saying crunches helps, is it true?


Does it take a long time for the throat to heal? I have been having sore throat for a while.

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 2/12/2009 7:05:54 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 2/11/2009 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know about the crunches, I think that may just make u reflux more. I may be wrong. The sore throat does take a while to heal. Do u stay elevated all the time? I sleep on a wedge and that helps as long as I stay on it.

What really helped my sore throat with the reflux is DGL (licorice).
Posted 2/12/2009 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
I was hoping that one can do an exercise like crunches to strengthen the LES muscle so acid reflux can stop, I was reading some articles that chinese acupuncture is able to improve the condition by 40%, but since we are living in US, it might be hard to find a good chinese doctor who can help even tho it really works.

I still not sure whether or not I have GERD or Chronic gastritis, I went to see my doctor and all he did was give me Protonix, he didnt even run any test on me, was lucky that I went in early and ask the nurse give me a blood test and urine test, and she told me I do not have H.P., so it might not be an ucler. By the way, protonix didnt help me at all. I was feeling nausea most of the time and dry, sore throat all the time. I am really upset about my family doctor because he never like to refer anyone to a specialist.
Posted 2/12/2009 2:07 PM (GMT 0)

jmak,

Have you seen a GI physician?  That may be your best move to confirm your dx.  IMHO............ idea

Kitt

Posted 2/13/2009 7:43 AM (GMT 0)
Yea, actually that was my first choice, but my family doctor is the type who dont like to refer his patient to other specialist. I have tried to find one on my own, but they wouldnt take me unless I am refer by an physician. I was pretty worry and upset, so one day I passed by a chinese herbal store, and I went inside and told the guy about my symptoms, he introduce some OTC chinese herb to me, I was pretty amaze and surprise that i relieved my most of my gastritis symptoms soon after I took the first dose, and it only cost my $7.00 for that OTC herb, and another herb for my dry, sore throat only cost 4.50. I guess I gonna keep taking these herbs for about a month and see if that really cure my gastritis.

I dont know if gastritis will cause my sore throat, I am not sure if it cause my sore throat, or some other infection, my doctor gave me antibiotic already but doest help one bit, please let me know!

I used to heavy smoke, drink beer, wine, spicy food and i think i usually eat till i really fast and eat till i am full, looks like these habits do contribute to GERD, but I dont really have bad heartburn, I occasionally have minor pain in my chest, kinda close to my heart, so I have told my doctor about it but he was not able to find any problem, so I think it might be heartburn that I have been experiencing. I do feel food juices come up to my throat(under my adam's apple) right after I eat, is it an indication of overeating? I do not know whether or not those are acid or not, because I cant taste any burning or bitter taste.

I already stop smoking 3 months ago and recently stop drinking, and try to eat a smaller meal, hope it help!

the Chinese OTC herb I am taking now is called wei-tai 999, I would welcome any advices, suggestion, thank you!
Posted 2/13/2009 3:08 PM (GMT 0)

On HealingWell we strive to seek a balance between alternative and traditional approaches. I feel strongly, both approaches have value for anyone seeking healing.

If you have found these herbs to be helpful by all means I support you in using them as long as you know they are safe.

I would approach your physician again about a referral to a GI if you find things start to become worse..............you do have patient's rights to ask for what you need.

Take care.
Kitt


 

Posted 2/14/2009 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
Those symptoms you mentioned like pain in the chest is a sign of reflux.    You don't always have to feel the burning sensation on your esophagus.  I don't feel it.  I read somewhere that if you don't feel the burning that the acid (which is stronger than Hydrochloric acid) has worn away or damaged the nerves on the esophagus. 

I think you should see a GI doctor and continue with the lifestyle changes.   I've never heard of wei-tai.  I use DGL (licorice).   I was on Nexium for 5 months then switched to Prilosec and was on it for 1.5 yrs.   I'm off these meds now and I use the DGL and an occasional Zantac (when I indulge myself).  I don't drink anything with alcohol, I avoid pop and anything with tomatoes or tomato sauce.  Kind of sucks because now I can't really have spaghetti!

Goodluck to you!

Posted 2/14/2009 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
I am pretty sure I have gastritis, and from the article I read today, people who have gastritis usually have GERD, but GERD patients dont usually have gastritis. I have been reading lots of articles online, english and chinese. At first I only read the english article because I live in the US and I usually go see my family phyisican when I get sick, but lately unless I really dont want to go if it is something common like a cold or a flu, because the only thing my doctor will give me is something I get buy over the counter. And after I watch the movie sicko, i guess I am a little upset about the way I was being treated, because so far seems like I do not have an option to go to see a GI doctor if I dont have a referral from my family doctor, its not like I am not willing to pay, I do have health insurance that I am paying an arm and a leg for each month. I even went to the emergency room because I am feeling so sick and nausea, but the only thing they give me is some pill to get rid of the nausea, they dont even run any test on me to see whats wrong with me. I dont even know if my doctor really wants to cure my illness or just keep wanting me to go back so he can make more money, he dont explain enough about my illness to me to make me understand how I can help myself to heal myself, I have to say that from reading articles and coming to forum like this help me more than my doctor.

Wei-Tai 999 is a chinese herb medicine that works for me, so I just want to share my experience hopefully it can help someone who might have the same issue as me, I am not trying to advertise this medicine cuz I dont work for that company. I just want people to know besides Nexium, Protonix...etc, there are other options that we can look for to help heal ourselves. But I still think going to see a GI doctor is very important for me but I will keep trying that herb medicine for 2 months first. I have read articles that people who have GERD might also have issues with their liver or kidney, it does make sense to me because everything inside our body are connected and if one of them dont function properly, it will affect the other. And GERD is pretty much a combination of decrease function from the kidney, liver and stomach due to our bad habits like smoking, drinking, overeating, stress, not enough rest...etc. It is not something simple like just take this drug to limit the amount of acid in your stomach so it can heal itself, from what I understand so far, people keep having GERD came back after a short while, I guess what I am trying to say is that maybe people with GERD should consider taking some other natural herb supplement to restore the functions of the other parts of their intestines, not just blindly believe that taking one pill can cure GERD. I hope I never offended anybody, I just want to tell others about how I deal with my illness and my point of view, thank you!
Posted 2/14/2009 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
jmak, welcome; I'm sorry to hear that you're having so many problems. You've gotten very good advice from Precious and Kitt, but I'd like to add one more. You may want to seriously think about getting a new family practice Dr. The one you have does not sound like he/she is treating you the way you should be treated.

If you have problems finding one, and if you live near a large university, you should be able to check with their medical system. Otherwise, I would check with co-workers and others to see if they know of someone that does a better job than the one that you currently have.

A good friend of our family is from Japan, and she tried to adopt a more western way of eating; the western diet was a problem for her GI system. Japanese medicine worked well for her, but what worked best is a return to her more traditional diet. Your lifestyle changes will go a long way to improve your quality of life as well as the herbal meds that you have found, but I don't disagree that a work up by a GI Dr. may be valuable too.
good luck,
Janice
Posted 2/16/2009 11:21 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone who are trying to help, I value your advice and suggestions! I was doing more research today and found more interesting articles, here is the link

http://refluxgoneforever.com/newsandarticles

 Hope everyone can benefit from it!

Edit, I fixed your link.........Kitt

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 2/16/2009 8:36:53 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/20/2011 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
im suffering bad the now with gastritus, my throat feels as if its going into spasms,and my upper tummy is bloated with a full up feeling,i feel eating is makn it worse, im on the usual kind of medicine for the symptoms but nothing seems to be helping, any help would be gratefully received
Posted 3/20/2011 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome juicy lucy,
You've found a very old thread. No one has been on this thread for over three years.

I suggest you start a new thread by clicking on the button "post new topic"
What kind of doctor are you seeing?
Do you prop up the head of your bed?
What medicines are you taking and their strength?
Are you following the gerd diet?

Posted 3/21/2011 12:23 AM (GMT 0)
I can't do any crunches/stomach exercises at all because it make my GERD much worse. Even leg lifts of any kind is off limits for me. You might want to research it a bit. All I know is after any sort of stomach exercise I would get sick, nauseated, weak and just feel awful.
Posted 3/24/2011 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
jmak,
you asked if anyone knew about exercises that can tighten the LES... a very interesting question. I read a research paper that indicated almost half the action of the LES is the result of the support of the diaphragm! The research paper didnt indicate what if any exercises would help the LES but the measured changes in LES pressure during deep inhalation and exhalation were significant.

If you web search for " breathing diaphragm LES" you will get many hits that indicate forced diaphragmatic breathing reinforces the activity of the LES
Posted 3/24/2011 3:44 AM (GMT 0)
heres the research paper

Influence of breathing pattern on the esophagogastric junction ...
by RK Mittal - 1995 - Cited by 20 - Related articles
breathing on the EGJ is through contraction of the crural diaphragm, which increases EGJ pressure. A swallow induces relaxation of the LES but not of the ...
ajpgi.physiology.org/content/269/4/G577.full.pdf
Posted 3/25/2011 10:45 PM (GMT 0)
Where do you get DGL (licorice)? Does it really help a sore throat?
Posted 3/28/2011 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
dgl can be got at a mega vitamin or health food or supplements store
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