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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 12/2/2015 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
Suppose I already know the answer but feel like I've just got to let off steam. After dealing with LPR for 2 years now I feel like I can't off load anymore to friends and family I think they just can't understand why I can't just get on with life.

I've had 2 fundoplications, first a toupet may 2014 and a full Nissen sept 22 10 weeks ago. The LPR eased after the first fundo for a couple of weeks max, I think whilst it was still swollen I guess and I had about 3/4 weeks relief with this full Nissen. It's back in full flow, had a particularly bad night last night. The acid throat wakes me up with the pain, I feel like I can pin point a patch in my throat which is particularly sore, the mucus and throat clearing are also back with a vengeance. I feel so sad and feel like I have no hope left. I'm 38, single working mom. I feel so so low, partly due to exhaustion and also to the prospect of living with this for the rest of my life.
PPI don't help as according to impedance testing prior to this redo it shown mainly weak acid and alkaline reflux to the throat area. The surgeon told me prior to surgery that he didn't think surgery would eradicate my symptoms and that maybe it's something I will have to live with. I'm presuming he was basically forwarning me that he would not be prepared to do any more should the surgery not eradicate my symptoms.
So what now? Where do I go? Do I suffer a horrific sore throat, cough and LPR asthma for the rest of my Life? I'm exhausted, moved is on blocks, I sleep on a wedge and I still get woken by the pain. What do I do? Sorry I don't expect anyone to have answers I'm
Just tired and feel broken and sometimes find it difficult being happy jovial organised happy mom when at times I just feel like all hope is lost.
Posted 12/5/2015 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
Hi trotters. Sorry you are having a tough time.

Did you have. A floppy Nissen? I can't understand how anything is coming back past a regular one. I can't vomit or even reflux at all with just a partial wrap.

I did get rid of my reflux triggers before surgery - food intolerances. With the help of my allergist I kept a food journal and found that certain, specific foods triggered my throat and stomach to react.

It's still early even at 10 weeks, although I would have hoped for earlier results.
Posted 12/5/2015 11:38 AM (GMT 0)
Hi trotters, sorry to hear you're not doing well especially after all you've been through.
I have been studying LPR recently mainly because my mother has all the symtoms and has been run through the mill the last two years. She is now being offered a Nissen as the last resort but i have a feeling from what i've read that it's not the answer.
What i have a noticed is that when my mother's LPR is bad she develops a chest infection so the doctor gives her antibiotics and her LPR completely disappears for a couple of months,then the process starts all over again.
Im wondering if you have ever tried antibiotics and have they made a difference?
Barry
Posted 12/5/2015 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you both for taking the time to reply. I don't think it's a floppy biased. I just don't get it either. Maybe I'm it's extremely unlucky. The surgeon told me after my redo that the original wrap was still all in tact but could t work out why I was still having significant reflux 16 months later. My impedance semester scire was actually higher than prior to surgery. I'm starting to wonder if I have something other than a weak les and maybe something else structurally wrong with me. I don't have a weak swallow or slow digestion. Surgeon listened to my stomach and doesn't think it sounds like I have. SIBO apparently you can hear the gas and bubbles. The surgeon said there was no way I'd be able to burp or eat properly for months although my burps aren't as strong as before I can and I have no problem eating anything. I had a really bad migraine a few weeks ago and I was retching as I didn't get the anti sickness tablet in time and managed to reflux some acidic liquid. Who knows. Maybe acceptance that this is what it is is the answer. Jus wished it wasn't so uncomfortable or so sleep disrupting.
Thanks Barry for the suggestion, yes I've heard the same thing too and I was hopeful when I had a bad chest infection last year and was on antibiotics that I'd gain even some temporary relief but no nothing. Thanks for the suggestion though. It's mad though what I have found is when I have had a bad migraine I have taken codeine i have woke up feeling like a million dollars! No cough, no sore throat or phlegm. I've tried researching to see if this is the case for anyone else but so far Havent found anything. Obviously is NOT a long term or regular solution just think it's strange.
Thanks both again for replying and I hope you are both in good health.
Posted 12/6/2015 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Trotters, seriously, do you have a clue what could be triggering your reflux? If it isn't simply all the time, there could be a chemical trigger, not just a structural one.

You might look up a few of the many posts on food triggers or food journals. Even if you only find a food texture problem keeping a written record might help identify the problem.

Your wrap might be loose if you can vomit easily, but from your description of gas not all coming up, I would guess it mostly is working, just not as tight as some of us have. I couldn't vomit even when I had the flu. In the ER they thought I was drug-seeking because nothing was coming up.

There are a whole bunch of meds that can reduce the refluxing or vomiting. Tablets generally take up to an hour to work, so you might ask your doctor about some of the liquids. Prescriptions like Donnatal are available in tablets or liquid, and can often be made by a compounding pharmacy. Zofran helps me unless I leave until too late. Check with your gastroenterologist, not the surgeon.
Posted 12/7/2015 7:58 AM (GMT 0)
Trotters you poor thing, its awful you are still suffering.

Interesting you mention feeling great after having codiene for migraines, as well as being a great pain killer, codeine is actually a cough suppressant as well. I don't know about you but the worst of my above the neck symptoms seem to always get triggered or made worse by a cough, and the cough is usually set off by reflux. So it wouldn't be completely impossible that supressing the cough with the codeine might give everything else a temporary break and give you some relief. Just something to mull over.

I think Alcie is right, you should see your gastro rather than the surgeon again. The test for SIBO is a breath test if I remember rightly, and wouldn't it be worth ruling that out? The other thing you might want to look into since you get migraines is abdominal migraines, they are rare but they mimic symptoms of other gastro disorders.
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