Another sore throat...

Hi, Everyone,

Background info - Last year after going some time with untreated lower digestive problems, I got referred to a GI, got scoped top to bottom after a weird blood test suggested the possibility of Crohns Disease. That wasn't found, thank goodness, but mild esophagitis (grade A) and gastritis were seen on the EGD. My GI put me on 40 mg of Omeprazole daily. At my post EGD follow-up appt, he shrugged off the gastritis, saying that everyone's stomach is in a state of mild inflammation b/c of what goes on down there, but asked me if I ever had any heartburn b/c of seeing the damage to the esophagus. I do not regularly suffer with hearburn. I have had heartburn twice in my life, and one of those times was when I was pregnant with my second child. So he took me off the omeprazole. That was a year ago, almost exactly.

I was talking to my PCP at my physical in April, and she mentioned that since I don't present typically, I should probably have another scope within the next 9 years to make sure things haven't gotten significantly worse, as untreated it can lead to cancer. She concurred with his taking me off the PPI as she said that taking those long-term also isn't advisable.

So the last two months or so, I periodically have had this feeling in my throat - the feeling that I get before I get an upper respiratory something-rather. I don't know if other people know what I'm talking about, but my throat usually warns me when those types of things are coming on. Anyway, I haven't gotten sick. It'll go away, and then come back at some point. But the last 2-3 weeks, I've noticed it more and more regularly, and now it's at the point where it gets progressively worse through the day, and then last night and the night before I actually noticed my voice was affected, albeit slightly. It's not like my throat is severely sore, but it's persistently uncomfortable. Doesn't hurt to swallow or anything, so it's not affecting me to an extreme degree but it is noticeable. I plan on discussing with my PCP soon, as it's becoming annoying and if it's indicative that something is getting worse then I feel it should be addressed. Or should I just go back to my GI? I didn't love him tbh, and I wouldn't mind getting referred to someone else. There is one female GI in the area who is new; maybe I can try her out.

Any tips on things I can do in the mean time to minimize discomfort? I saw someone with LPR talking about gargling with Tums water or something.

Thanks!

Hi MayOK,,

Neptunian has a good point. If you can find a great ENT, he/she may be more in tune to the LPR (or atypical) symptoms you seem to be experiencing.

Your PCP was correct in saying that you should get another endoscopy, since silent GERD can be happening without you being aware of it--hence the name "silent"!

You should NOT go back to a GI you didn't particularly like. I had one GI doc that did nothing for me, and didn't believe I was experiencing what I was experiencing.

My second GI was much better.

In my city there's an ENT that is also a Head/Neck surgeon. If you live in a bigger city, and you can find an ENT/surgeon, he/she will have a stroboscope (I really don't know if that's the name), but it can look at your vocal chords more clearly, as it can take pictures even when they're moving.

A doc with that type of equipment is likely to be more well-versed in LPR.

That said, if you're just starting to get some hoarseness, an ENT might not see anything, and an endoscopy would be more revealing.

When I wanted a new GI I talked about it with my PCP and shared what I needed (someone who would REALLY listen to me, and was a good communicator). Hopefully your PCP can guide you to a great GI and a great ENT.

Good luck!
Denise

May, you can google "gerd diet" and find several good ideas.
I had LPR and all I did was cough, get bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, ear infections, and lose my voice for weeks at a time. I never felt like I was going to vomit. One time I woke up during the night thinking I was having a heart attack. As soon as I had some tums the pain went away.

I had the surgery to correct my LPR. No problems now. :)

Yes, the Nissen Fundoplication is what's it called.
You can read all of the post here from others who have had the surgery and other procedures done.
Surgery is the last resort for many.

here is the whole story: the pill cam showed narrowing of the duodenum. that was the GI doc's finding, and that it needed to be evaluated with EGD. so she calls me and tells me that my pill cam showed "no crohns" and that my esophagus needed to be stretched if i start having issues swallowing stuff. so i requested a copy of the results for myself (highly recommended), and discovered it was the duodenum thought to be narrow, not the esophagus. i called back and had the duodenum vs esophagus conversation, and then insisted on a follow-up with my doctor, who when i saw him said that was what was supposed to have happened. he wanted the EGD done to evaluate supposed narrowing. my problem is that her ignorance almost resulted in my not having a vital test done. turns out the narrowing was actually really sharp angulation of my small intestine, but that was only able to be evaluated by the EGD. that's what my problem is. she took it upon herself to interpret the results as not a big deal, and while it ended up not being a big deal, i could also have had crohns of the small intestine for all she knew. you know?

if that had been my actual doctor, that wouldn't have been forgivable. stress or not. a GI doc should know basic GI tract anatomy, and i really don't excuse the nurse, b/c just in my minimal research i had CORRECTLY learned the names of various parts of the GI tract. and I am a mere layperson medically. ;) has anyone ever asked for their money back? i guess that is what malpractice suits are.

so today i am having what feels like snotty junk in my throat. i'm going to start using tums i guess to see if that helps. grrrr...it hurts today worse than before.

Thanks for the tips. I will be making an appointment next week.