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GERD and Stridor

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 5/26/2009 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone! I am new to the boards here, and have a few questions to see if anyone else has experienced what I have

I am schedule for my wrap on 6/8. I am meeting with the surgeon on Friday to go over everything with her.

I am trying to exhaust all options before going into surgery, but I think I may have. I have tried 3 different PPI's at different dosages, reglin, carafate, and aciphex. Changed my diet (giving up diet coke and coffee and wine among other things) and nothing helped. I have had the 24 hour pH test and the manometry test.

What has baffled me the most is a noise I make. It happens randomly and with out notice. I saw an ENT at the request of my GI dr and was told the noise is stridor, caused by silent reflux irritating my vocal cords. Sometimes when I make the noise there is acid/fluid/food and sometimes just the noise itself.

Has anyone else experienced stridor with GERD. This is not a belch/burp or hiccup... its just strange.


The ENT and GI dr both think the wrap will solve the reflux and noise... so I sure hope so!

Thanks Much!!!

Jodee
Posted 5/26/2009 11:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Jodee,
Welcome to Healing Well! You'll find lots of support and encouragement here. Lots of us have had the Nissen Fundoplication procedure, so we can help you know what to expect pre and post surgery. If you look back to the end of February, you can follow my posts that describe my experiences after the surgery. I tried to post every few days in the beginning, in hopes it would help people looking for answers.

I got lots of help from the people here. You'll learn what you need to have on hand and ready for when you come home post surgery. You'll learn what to expect, and how we've dealt with the inevitable bumps in the road. Be sure to ask lots of questions!

Unfortunately, I have now experience with stridor...hopefully someone here will. At any rate, you'll have lots of support and encouragement as you approach and recover from your surgery.

If you've got doctors you respect and trust who concur that the fundo surgery will help you, I think you can be pretty confident that it's the right decision. My doctors were the ones who nudged me repeatedly--encouraging me to get the surgery to get my asthma under control. I'm really glad I listened to them, because it has really made a huge difference in my lung health.
I'm sure your doctors are confident that it will resolve your issues as well.
Again, welcome!
Denise
Posted 5/26/2009 11:36 PM (GMT 0)

Hello and welcome,

A stridor is a breathing pattern that sounds like and suggests that there is a partial blockage in a persons upper airway. This could be caused by something simple like breathing through phlegm or something more serious like a swelling of the epiglotis, the flap of tissue that coveres the entrance to the lungs when you swollow.

As a nurse we watch for a stridor in infants who are in respiratory distress.  I hope with your procedure the stridor problem goes away.

Your wrap is coming up fast so I will keep you in my prayers and hope for a successful outcome.

Again a warm welcome to HW.   We are happy to have you.

Kitt

Posted 5/27/2009 3:33 AM (GMT 0)
Hi ,

I had a clicking sound in my saliva .I had the surgery on 5-7.Also,Marie has the clicking sounds as well. Is this what you mean?

Bea

Posted 5/27/2009 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone and thank you for the warm welcome!!

As for the noise I make... it's not a wheezing noise, and not a click. The best way it has been described to me by people who have heard it say I sound like a terradactyl (yes like the dinosaur, and my boyfriend calls me that). Strange I know. The noise is random and comes with out warning. I can attempt to keep it "quiet" by keeping my mouth shut, but there is still a noise. Sometimes when I try to keep it quiet it hurts really bad in my chest. I know that the noise is generated in my throat because thats where I feel the contraction. I have been on muscle relaxers to see if that would control it but to no avail. I saw an ENT who looked through my nose and into my throat and said my larynx was red and irritated, and that it was caused by the reflux... so much acid coming up and irritating them. Sometimes it is just the noise, and sometimes its the noise and food/acid/liquid... not fun at all!

So thats the deal with this noise. And of course... in all my dr appts... they have never heard it.

The biggest thing I am hoping for out of the wrap is the noise going away. Its embarrassing to make in public and during business meetings..

Thanks again... and if anyone has experienced this let me know, I would love to find someone else who sounds like a dinosaur too :)

Jodee
Posted 5/27/2009 9:16 PM (GMT 0)
Jodee,
Welcome! I too can't help with the stridor. I am recovering from a redo nissen myself. If you have any specific questions you don't see answers to here feel free to email me and I will try my best to help (it's on my profile). As Denise says if you have competent doctors who feel this is what you need and you meet the criteria, I say go for it. We all will support you and be here to vent, rant, babble, or when you need a laugh. The place is just wonderful and the people here I gladly call me Friends.
Kitt, Once again there you are to our rescue with definitions and such for us. Keep them coming. Not only do you get support and frendship here, you can learn a thing or 2!
Again welcome and I hope all goes well. Don't let the nay sayers scare you out of this.
bill
Posted 5/27/2009 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Bill~

Thanks for the welcome. I have been following your road to recovery... and wish you the best as well!

I am so happy to have found this site(thank you Denise) with everyone who is so helpful, and I have learned a lot already reading posts from other people. Never can have too much information :)

Thanks again... and I will keep posting as my surgery gets closer and after as well.

Jodee
Posted 5/28/2009 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jodee,
I'm so happy you joined us! I remember when I was where you are. I didn't know where to look, and was so worried about the decision I was making. There are many online posts that are frightening, and not helpful at all.

This forum is filled with people who are happy to share their experiences and support. This was the place that gave me the courage to move ahead with my surgery. People here have "been there"...they know things about the surgery and recovery that your surgeon doesn't. They've experienced it firsthand, and have learned what works and what doesn't.

I'm so glad you joined us, Jodee!
Be sure to post a new thread if you have specific questions, so people will be sure and see them.
Good luck!
Denise
Posted 5/28/2009 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
Jodee,
I second everything they are sayin. I was scared crapLESS to have my surgery. I am so happy I did. thanx to the encouraging ppl here from kitt, denise, janice ,bill , all helped ease my fears.

a few times I said to my hubby what if they arent real ppl and its just a scam,ppl just saying blah blah blah. But I know better now and stopped being a pessimist

we are here for you
Bea
Posted 5/28/2009 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
Jodee

Would you describe the noise like water going down a drain or a gurgle? I have a random noise too. Mine came after an endoscopy with a bravo unit. The doctors say that has nothing to do with it but I never had it before. When I swallow just saliva I will get what feels like pressure building in my throat and then it's like the pressure will release after a time and I will feel the muscles contracting and a sound will be made. Sometimes I will get it the noise just bending over. I don't have trouble swallowing food or drink but I do get a tight feeling in my throat alot of the time. The doctors want me to do a swallowing test now. Has anyone had a test like this done? If so what does it consist of?

 

Posted 5/28/2009 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone! I have to say I am feeling more confident going into this surgery now knowing that you are all here for help and support :-)

I have been so worried that I was not doing the right thing, and after reading so many posts, I know I am, and that I am the only one who truly knows what my body is telling me. So thank you! It is so hard to explain what I am feeling to people who are not in the same situation, and while reading posts I find myself feeling not so alone.

Carly - this is not a gurgling sound at all. All I can describe it is as the terradactyl... I was sick a few months ago with no voice, and the noise changed to a mouse sound... a small squeak. But for the most part, its this loud sound. If you have seen the movie Nims Island, there is a lizard friend the girl has, and I kinda sound like that... There is no other way I can describe it.

I have not had swallow tests because i did a manometry test, and the results came back that my esophagus function was normal. When I make the noise i can feel my larynx contracting. I saw an ENT and he looked my larynx and said the whole area was red and irritated, due to acid coming up and irritating the area. He said has a result, the vocal cords would spasm and cause the noise...

Also, sometimes I make the noise alone, and sometimes I make the noise and have food/acid come up (which is scary if you are talking because I am so afraid it will come out... gross I know). People often say "bless you" when I make the noise and try to keep it quieter if they dont know me... because they know I made a noise and think its some strange sneeze.

I get the tight feeling once in a while, but I think its just from the reflux...

Hope that helps... Let me know if you have any other questions :)

Jodee
Posted 5/29/2009 1:33 AM (GMT 0)
Jodee,
I know how hard it is to make the decision you're making. You and I both come to this surgery from a very different place from many GERD sufferers. Our symptoms are more secondary--not the horrible acid and food that regurgitates into the mouth of many severe GERD sufferers. My lungs were being accosted by reflux--and it didn't take a lot to get it going.

Actually, my 24 hr PH monitor number was very low...2 years ago, it was "4", and this year it was "14",which is considered average, and generally not indicative of surgery.

However, my asthma has been horrible, and uncontrollable for the last (at least) four years, and my asthma and family doctors were both throwing their hands up in despair. They could not help me, because my GERD was constantly inflaming my lungs. There was nothing further they could do for me, and I got sick of constantly coughing and wheezing. They both felt very confident that the surgery would benefit me. It took a long time for me to finally get to a place where I felt comfortable with the surgical route. I finally couldn't deal with it any more.

I now wish I had done the surgery long ago. Finally, my lungs are clear, and I'm not constantly coughing. It is heaven.
I know that your condition, like mine, is a secondary condition, and is not as clearly defined. All I can say is that although my numbers didn't indicate that I was having horrible GERD, it was enough to throw my lungs into constant asthma.

This is the forum that helped me get the courage to go forward. There is so much knowledge and support here!
We're all here for each other. Any questions you have as your surgery gets closer will be happily answered!
Best wishes!
Denise
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