Excessive Post Nasal Drip

I have GERD and I have post nasal drip on a constant basis. I know that my body is creating this mucus as a response to the acid being refluxed into my esophagus in mouth, but the excessive amount of mucus is creating as much trouble as the acid itself. There is so much liquid in my mouth that I basically have to swallow every 3 to 5 seconds or else it begins to build up enough to choke me. This usually isn't a problem since there is no harm in constantly swallowing and just not concentrating on it. The problem I have is that I get a lot of acid in my esophagus and mouth when I exercise. It has gotten so bad that literally climbing stairs is enough to get acid up my throat. Stairs aren't my enemies, but they are awfully painful.

The problem comes in while I am actually trying to exercise though. Whenever I try to do anything that involved running, I end up getting a LOT of acid in my throat, and as a result, a lot of mucus. As a result, any amount of exercise causing a burning and choking sensation that should not be associated with exercise, but thanks to reflux and post nasal drip, I cannot do any sort of exercise without choking. I have looked at average concentrations of gastric acid and from what I can tell, gastric acid is strong but it comes in very small concentrations. So when it feels like there might be a lot in your throat, there is actually a very small amount. From this, I assume that my choking is being caused not by the small volume of acid but by the larger volume of mucus. I would like to find something to take to eliminate this excess mucus so that I can test my theory and maybe even be able to exercise without this choking feeling stopping me.

When I look up treatments for post nasal drip or excess mucus, all the results I find are for seasonal allergies, which does not exactly help me. Does anyone know of any medications I can get to absorb some of this excess mucus while I am exercising so that I might not choke?

Hi Denise. Yes I have made a few posts explaining my troubles and have quite a long list of doctors and treatments that I have tried. I recently got approved for the fundoplication surgery about two weeks ago and will be scheduling the surgery as soon as my hospital stops canceling my appointments to meet with the surgeon. They have cancelled my appointment 3 times already and it looks like I will not have time to have the surgery and recover before college starts back up on August 28th. I finally have an appointment set up with a Johns Hopkins surgeon on August 6th and now I have set up an appointment with a surgeon at another hospital on August 5th. So I will be meeting with two surgeons two days in a row and hopefully one of them will be able to operate on a semi-emergency basis since I really need to have two full weeks between the surgery and when classes start. This is my first summer break during college and I have been super stressed because I am constantly thinking about this and how much I hate people.

In the mean time, is there any way I can find out if there is an over the counter medication that would help me breathe while I exercise?

Hi DontStealMyBacon,

Running, bending and lifting are all things that will create problems until you get your wrap.  Have you tried speed/fitness walking.  Walking is better, as it obviously doesn't get things splashing around as much.  I assume you're exercising before eating, as that should make a difference.  If your stomach is empty there is not as much pressure on the LES.

Hang in there,

Denise

Hi DontStealMyBacon,

The biggest issue with surgeons is their experience with the specific Nissen procedure.  The more they've done the better.

The Netti Pot is a great idea.  I use the NeilMed squirt bottle, which I recommend heartily.  I don't use their packaged powder, but instead put two teaspoons of Kosher Salt into a quart (mayo jar) of distilled water.  My allergy/asthma insists on distilled water because it doesn't have any harsh chemicals like chlorine, that could further irritate the tissue.  I use a bottle in the AM and one in the PM...and whenever I come in from outside. 

Good luck!

Denise