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Confused by Gerd and Throat Problem.

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 12/7/2017 2:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I`m a 37 year old male from England, with a confusing Gerd problem. It started in June 2015 after a cold, I had a lingering cough and a feeling like something is pooling at the back of my throat and i keep needing to swallow it down. I do not get Heartburn, but do sometimes get a feeling in my chest when breathing in like i need to cough, this feeling normally coincides with a stiff neck and sore shoulder blades, I just put it down to a bad nights sleep that night.

Anyway, fast forward 2 years to December 2017, and the swallowing feeling persists constantly throughout the day, everyday, its annoying and can make me feel a nauseous.

I have seen 3 ENT specialists, who say the throat is fine.
I have seen 1 Gastroenterologist, who after 2 endoscopies March and September 2017 told me I have :
Hiatus Hernia - Sliding of length 2cm
Apparent Mucosal junction at 39cm
Grade A oesophagitus
Mild Antral Gastritus
Small erosion in the Duodenum.

I was prescribed Rabeproazole 20mg daily, and Gaviscon Advance 2 teaspoons 4 times a day. Previously I was on Esomprazole 20mg twice a day. I also take on the advice of the ENT specialist Flixonase Nasule Drops, and Fexofenadine antihistamine 180mg.

It seems rather a lot of medication and not a single thing helps.

My question is, where do I go next, do I start cutting medication down, or keep with it even though it has been over a year on PPI`s, gaviscon 4 times a day and Nasule drops without anything making a difference ?

Also any ideas what the throat problem could be ? Drinking water seems to make it worse ?

Thanks !
Stuart
Posted 12/7/2017 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
It seems like you have LPR (silent reflux) IMO. Regular antacids don't usually do anything for this, I would ween yourself off the PPI, if they are doing nothing (you have to lower the dose slowly over a month or so, be patient).

I honestly don't have a solution for you though, as I am going through the same thing (constant mucus running down the back of my throat, runny nose for the past 11 months). I do have a little heartburn though, so I take a small amount of antacids to manage that, and they actually seem to make my mucus worse with the more antacids I take, as I stopped them for 3 weeks and my nose/sinuses cleared up.

Post Edited (jarhead) : 12/7/2017 9:22:08 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/7/2017 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the reply. Yes I feel it is LPR, but surely one of the 3 ENT`s I saw would have told me it was LPR ?

I have a print out from the Gastroscopy report after the Endoscopy which reads : Hiatus Hernia and Reflux Oesophagitus, Grade A.
Posted 12/7/2017 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
If you have a hernia, the only thing I can suggest is to look up some exercises that might help it, I don't know if these work in practice, but people seem to have positive results with them, and I can't see any negatives to at least trying the natural remedies. One I saw is where you drink a glass of water in the morning and drop down onto your heels a few times, to help pull the stomach down.
Posted 12/7/2017 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks again for replying mate. Have you tried antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays for your post nasal drip ?
Posted 12/7/2017 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Have you considered any surgical procedure to repair the hiatal hernia? It may be an option, or something to consider down the line. I had a hiatal hernia for ten years and recently had a TIF procedure. It has not been long enough for me to tell if it will be the best fit in the long run, but keep researching.
Posted 12/7/2017 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
The main question with that is would surgery to fix the hernia fix the reflux ? Anyone know ?
Posted 12/7/2017 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. Did you have your op on the NHS or private ?
Posted 12/8/2017 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
Crazy! I have the exact same symptoms as you but with acid reflux. I had an endoscopy on Monday and was also told I had a hernia, esophagitis and inflammation in my stomach and duodenum. Did you ever find out what caused the inflammation? I'm waiting for the biopsy results for mine.

I have been wondering if the throat feeling is acid sitting in the throat?

Hope you find some answers soon smile
Posted 12/9/2017 8:22 AM (GMT 0)
I agree, I think it is acid coming up and sitting in the throat however I would have thought an ENT would have noticed this when examining my throat, he suggested it could be allergies or bile. Allergies are easy to cure, bile not so. Have you found anything to help your throat issue ?
Posted 12/9/2017 9:58 AM (GMT 0)
I haven't found anything that helps yet sorry. I'm quite new to all of this myself. If you find anything though, let me know as it's driving me nuts lol.

Post Edited (user98) : 12/9/2017 3:15:11 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/9/2017 10:27 AM (GMT 0)
Do you find water makes it worse ? It does for me for some reason.
Posted 12/9/2017 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't noticed if I'm honest. Just eating and drinking in general just makes it worse. It also feels like food and drink gets stuck in my neck and chest when I swallow.

Do you have the throat feeling constantly or does it come and go? I started off having it now and then and over time it lasted longer and longer. Now I have had it constantly for 3 weeks and it won't go. At times it gets so bad that it feels like I can't breath properly.
Posted 12/9/2017 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I also have it constantly for nearly 3 years now. It’s very annoying. It does seem to affect my breathing aswell, and whenever I get a cough that seems to last for ever before it disappears. Guess that’s the reflux affecting the lungs.
Posted 12/9/2017 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
The acid seems to get to my lungs too. I had bad reflux about 4 years ago for the first time in my life, ever since then I had been taking omeprazole, I felt normal for about 3 years, until suddenly I had a runny nose/flem in my throat, I thought it was just flu, but it has never gone away and it has now been nearly 12 months putting up with this every day.

Yes, I have tried nasal spray several times, it works for an initial week, and then my body fights it or gets used to it and my flem is even worse. I suspected it was a side effect of the omeprazole, so I weened myself off it slowly over a period of 2 months, I was fine off the drugs for about 3 weeks, until my chest started to tighten up from the constant acid, but weirdly my nose and flem almost went completely normal again. When I started taking antacids again, my nose and flem came back worse than before. I suspect it is antacids that are causing my flem and LPR symptoms, but if I don't take them, the heartburn is too bad to deal with, and also dangerous in the long term.
Posted 1/4/2018 1:25 PM (GMT 0)
I have the same problem form last year but i don't have heart burn.my all tests are clear.
Posted 3/15/2018 6:08 PM (GMT 0)
Just to chip in, but my symptoms are very similar : constant "lump" in the back of my throat that almost feels like post-nasal drip/phlem that I have to swallow, but it won't go away. I went to an ENT and they found nothing wrong, at least not in the area where it feels like there is something I need to swallow. I have had this since 2013, at tiems worse than others. Last year my reflux got worse when laying down, and I started to get throat spasms when I fell asleep. That's what clued me in to LPR as the potential long term cause for all of it. I'm now scheduled for wrap surgery, and hoping that it also clears up the "lump"
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