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LPR and nissen's fundoplication

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Posted 4/10/2012 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone out there have a hard time diagnosing their LPR? I have had a terrible cough for about two and a half years now. I am a non-smoker, 45 year old female. I was in good health until I packed on about 45 lbs in the last two years due to not being able to do anything physical since this cough got so bad.

I heard about Nissen's fundoplication and thought it would be the best if it would work. My doc has since sent me for numerous scans and scopes to see if we can diagnose this to make sure it is reflux.

I've had Upper GI, Colonoscopy, Esophagram, Barium Swallow, Hida Scan (to check gallbladder function), ultrasounds of abdominal area, nuclear reflux study, bloodwork and other pulmonary function tests.

My lungs appear clear and breathing is fine when I am not coughing. At night, I literally stay up HOURS (sometimes 8 hours, yes all night) because I cough so much I cannot fall asleep. It is now starting to happen during the day, too. I used to just clear my throat. Now, it turns into a dry hacking, deep painful cough. Surprisingly, my esophagus looks good. I have been on Omeprozole for over a year, so maybe that has protected my esophagus. We are now leaning toward LPR or NERD (funny, huh? Non-erosive esophageal reflux disease)

I am awaiting results from the rest of these tests to see if they are, in fact, seeing reflux at all. If they are not, I do not know what I will do. This coughing has to stop. I have no quality of life at all.

If anyone has a similar experience, please let me know. I am at the end of my rope waiting on results.

Thanks so much!

PJess
Posted 4/11/2012 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
PJess

I am 63 and just recently celebrated my 1 year anniversary of my Nissen Fundoplication. I suffered progressively over about 12/13 years going from one PPI to another and getting higher doses as we went. I had been diagnosed with asthma and it got progressively worse also. I too cleared my throat for about 2-3 years and then the cough started. only at night when I lay down at first, I took loads of sinus tablets and cough medicines etc, to take care of the drainage.. then it got to the point that I was coughing all the time whether I had a cough drop in my mouth or not.. it was terrible.. at the same time I was going through all the tests for the surgery. when I had the 48hr Bravo monitor. The gastro doc who inserted it told me when I woke up that in the 10 days that I had been off the PPI preparing for the test, I had developed an ulcer, and "OH by the way, I noticed that you have a history of asthma, well all indications are that it is reflux induced". This was in late January, I had the Nissen on April 1, 2011. I have not taken anything for my asthma since the day I had the surgery. Even friends have remarked that my cough is gone. No more drainage, no more respiratory infections or problems. I used to have to carry a rescue inhaler.. no more.. my problems were from reflux..
You have to find doctors who are educated in the issues of GERD and reflux and NERD and all the things that go with it.. it took me a while, but I finally found a surgeon who looked at my history and sent me for the tests to convince him that 99% of my problems could be fixed and then he gave me my choice of what I wanted to do. Research your doctor and be sure that he is very informed and extremely experienced with GERD and Reflux and the whole ball of wax. Do not just take a doctors word for it.. ask for proof.. this is your body.. be sure what is called for.. If you haven't seen a good GI doctor, find one..and more than anything else.. research everything you find out.. if the doc says they find nothing and you are still coughing, find another doctor.. you don't cough for no reason... Surgery may not be your remedy, you have to have a doctor that knows all the way around GERD , Reflux and the NF or that type of surgery.. just ask questions until the answers are helping you

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing and what you find out...

Reach for the Sunshine... Rainbows will follow
Sandi smurf tongue turn turn tongue smurf
Posted 4/12/2012 3:44 AM (GMT 0)
Sandi,
Thanks so much for the advice. I am finding myself getting very depressed about all of this. I have a specialist/ENT at a Cancer Center in Baton Rouge, LA. I live about an hour away in a large city. His practice is called the voice center and he deals w/ singers and musicians w/vocal cord issues. He is the one who referred me to a pulmonologist and GI Doc in my own city so that I could do all the testing done here and not commute to BR each time. I am shocked at how little these docs know about reflux. After my research, I am just baffled that these professionals don't keep up w/new research. My EGD showed inflammation of the esophagus, an inlet patch,but no real damage to the esophagus. My research indicates that inlet patches are often red flags for LPR. I did not have a hernia which is good, but they went ahead and did a colonoscopy and found a pre-cancerous polyp, so they removed it. That was good news, but it doesn't have anything to do w/ my LPR. Also, when I did my barium swallow study,the speech pathologist in the room commented to the radiologist that "something she saw was indicative of LPR" and he said "of what?" Wow, I was not impressed that he didn't even know about it...how can he help diagnose something if he doesn't know about it....I would like to see my ENT specialist again so that he can interpret some of these reports....thanks for listening....who did your NF? A GI doc or an ENT?
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