Barium Swallow Test Came Back Normal

Hi everyone!  I have been reading and reading this site for a long time now.  But especially the last couple days.  It has been a great source of information and I thank everyone that has taken the time to post their experiences for others to learn from!

I have been having trouble with a lump in my throat, sore throat, enlarged (swollen) vocal cord, chronic throat clearing, and nausea.  The ENT told me I have a "cobblestoned" throat, and when he looked (with that long lighted tube up the nose/down the troat) he also said it was red and inflamed.  He send me home with Omeprazole and a pamplet on GERD/LPR.  I then broke out in a rash from the medicine.  At that time I was also seeing a GI doc who did an Endoscope/colonoscopy.  He informed me that my LES was loose and wasn't closing properly.  I then was tried on another med, and lo and behold rash again.  The ENT and GI ran out of meds to try me on (either Rash or didn't work) and sent me on to a Surgeon.  The surgeon told me about Nissen Fundo and ordered a Barium Swallow and PH test (I could NOT handle the PH test so I didn't do that one)  The barium swallow came back normal.  THe nurse told me there was no HH and no sign of gerd!  I'm still going in to see the surgeon on the 30th to discuss what to do about my symptoms then. 

As much as I was stressing about another surgery (I just had my gallbladder out about a month ago) I was glad there was a treatment.  I don't know what the surgeon is going to say (probably we cant help you) and then I'm back at square one.  I worry about damage to my voice since I had an ultrasound that showed an enlarged vocal cord and I lose my voice for moments here and there.  Can a person still have gerd/lpr and have a normal barium swallow?  Isn't the endoscope results enough to go through with surgery?  I don't want to leave a possibly damaging condition untreated. 

Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.

They didn't offer me a motility test. And I couldn't stand the idea of having a tube up my nose into my throat. I had a very horrible time when the ENT did the light/scope up my nose to look at my throat. I stressed about the test for days, I know I would have gagged and thrown up (I do so way to easily) during the PH test.

I did not know that. I'll bring that up to the surgeon when I see him. Thanks

See a GI for the EGD and Bravo tests. ENT are not as well versed in Gastro problems as a GI.
I gag easy, too. Someone here posted recently about a motilty study she had that didn't involve the tube down the throat. She drank something as they filmed the fluid go down. It took about 7 minutes.

No surgeon should operate without the motility and the pH test. I have the worst gag in the world and got through them, although it took 4 hours and 6 approaches including 2 with a pediatric endoscope to get the little tube down my nose. I knew I needed the surgery and it would have been refused without going through the tests. The most awful one for me, the manometry, was the most critical as it turned out - showed I have a weak swallow. This meant they couldn't do a full wrap because I wouldn't have been able to swllow past it.

As Joy said there was a post about a new motility that is done in Pittsburgh. It was posted recebntly, so search for it.

I can understand how a LES not closing properly wouldn't show as reflux on barium swallow. Maybe they just didn't wait long enough. Mine was really awful but the reflux didn't happen immediately. It took maybe half a minute and then the tech said, "There it comes!" I had a GPEH, so maybe that's why it didn't just reflux right away.

With your allergy history I hope you are keeping a list of meds you don't tolerate. It's really important because every new place you go won't know, or they won't read the reports, and might give you something that makes you sick. They shouldn't give you stuff that's related to anything you are allergic to. I have an entire typed page in small font, with my reactions to all sorts of drugs, grouped by injectibles, pills, OTC ...

I had tericary contractions found during my motility test. So I had to have the 270 degree wrap. It's not a fun test, but you can survive it.