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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 12/6/2006 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
You replied to my post and saw your other replies. Didn't know a better way to chat with you so I just posted this up. I hope you don't mind I took the liberty to do this. I am terribly sorry about what you went through. Your case is similar to mine, not close to as stressful, but similar. Just like you I had maybe at most three or two cases of heartburn in my life. So it really shocked me that I was told I have acid refllux. It didn't make any sense which stressed me even more. What was even more crazy was that it was such a atypical symptom. The right part of my throat was the only part that hurt. It was frustrating because I just couldn't figure it out. It sounded in your other post that you were pretty upset at your husband moving away, did you express this to him in any way?

I read that other guy's post about Dr. Sarno. It definetly made sense because my reflux coincided with a time of stress. I mean if it was the result of just something physical or diet wise, I believe Acid Reflux would have developed gradually, I could eat whatever, whenver, however, how much ever I wanted and never get heartburn. And than boom acid reflux, and up to my throat does not make sense, does it? I hope you understand what I'm saying. There's another person you can read, her name is Carolyn Caroline? Myss. The book is anatomy something.

I'm not saying western medicine is bad, I mean if i get in a car accident or get shot I 'm not going to run to the nearest accupuncturist if you know what I mean...But it is limited. It has become a business. Its become like a drug dealer, I think Chris Rock siad it best, they make money of the comeback not the cure. Even when your dr was like you have "SERVERE" reflux...don't get worried or scared, it seems many people including dr's and drug companies use fear to control people. Be concerned, but don't be controlled. I hope what little I had to offer is of some help. Let me know what you think and how it goes.

Posted 12/9/2006 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there, MOB1123,

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. The thread got way down in the line and I didn't notice it. I sure think we're on the same wavelength, especially about the quickness with which the symptoms appeared. Why, I kept asking myself, after so many years, would my UES suddenly become dysfunctional? There was no logical explanation. I truly believe that a brain that is capable of making us sweat and get the runs when we're nervous is capable of making the UES start to leak.

I've started experimenting with some CDs I bought that help with visualization and dealing with repressed feelings. I only got them a few days ago, so I'm not ready to call them useful, but using one this morning, the third time I've listened to it, I did feel like I was getting closer to the deep seeded emotions that are coming into play. This is the part that is so hard to explain to folks who are very skeptical. Is it the stress of my mother's illness and death that caused problems, or my underlying grieving, which I'm not allowing myself to experience? Is it the stress of my husband's move and my having to get the house sold that's causing problems, or the fear of what this huge change will bring into my life, both in terms of what I'm giving up here, and the uncertainty of what I'm facing there? These are the kinds of issues I want to explore, so I don't end up with some other condition!

The guy who did the CDs is Monte Hueftle. The website is http://www.runningpain.com/imagery.html. He talks a lot about Dr. Sarno's work, and his practices are an extension of Sarno's.

The two CDs I got are "Get Rid of the Pain in Your Butt NOW" (but deals with all kinds of TMS conditions), and "Natural and Healthy Weight Loss." I'm not overweight (okay, could lose 5 pounds), but I know I have issues with emotional eating, and only keep my weight down because I exercise a lot.

If you want an update on the progress, let me know. Also, if you try them and notice any benefit.

Take care,
WDC
Posted 12/10/2006 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hey WDC,

You said you were on Prilosec for about 6 weeks. Were you on the OTC Prilosec or a stronger dosage?

Lonibel
Posted 12/10/2006 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
Lonibel,
I was on the prescription strength - 20 MG twice a day.
WDC
Posted 12/10/2006 1:26 AM (GMT 0)
hey WDC,

Like you, I tried to figure out why my UES would fail. I admit that during the stressful time I had the symptoms of LPR, my diet wasn't all that great. Someone else posted that a doc told her that LPR is a result of diet damaging the UES. WDC, can you tell me how your diet was like when you first starting have symptoms of LPR? It doesn't make that much sense because it would develop over time. But I saw some reports saying their not even sure it's the UES that causes LPR, I don't think doctors know what they're talking about.

What I know is that LPR from the people I encountered share one common thread, they first got it at a time of high stress. Probably at a point where a culmination of stressors produced it. The diet doesn't make sense cause I know a bunch of peeps who eat worse than me and they don't have LPR. Hmmmm...
If it the UES, if its broken, then why does LPR wax and wayne? Depending on what? If is is the UES, I believe the body can heal itself.

Just before I felt a sharp pain in the right side of my throat when I was thinking about something stressing. The thing is it can't be acid cause I took a prilosec.
I will definetly try Sarno's method. I refuse to believe it's the UES. If it was, why aren't docs, scientists, trying to find medicine or another way to fix it. Like you said they're just able to cover up symptoms. I believe that there's another to fight LPR besides drugs and surgery.
Posted 12/10/2006 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
WDC,

Sorry for the long post. Gonna get off prilosec soon. Doesn't even seem to be helping anyway. I'll keep you posted.
Posted 12/10/2006 2:04 AM (GMT 0)
MOB 1123,

I know for sure that neither my UES or LES were working, because I was able to see the barium refluxing when I had the upper GI x-ray. But, since I was on prilosec at the time, I had no pain or coughing. That was the very moment when I decided I had to get off prilosec and deal with the real problem (although I didn't know what it was at that time), not the symptoms. I know you're not supposed to quit it cold turkey, but I did. I did a complete 180, and tried apple cider vinegar, on the theory that reflux is caused by too little acid, not too much. I also came to believe, even then, that the more I tried to 'doctor' this problem away, the worse I would get. The symptoms returned, but never as bad as when I first got them. I've come to believe that there's nothing structurally wrong with my "valves" - my brain caused it to be dysfunctional as a response to psychological factors.

Diet - generally I have a very healthy, balanced diet. I have eaten mostly organic food for nearly ten years. I've never been into really spicy food, but do enjoy a good pizza. I try to eat as low fat as I can, but, as I said, when the emotional eating kicks in I'll finish off three bowls of ice cream in a row. Diet causing LPR? I don't know. I don't think the doctors have a clue why it happens, to tell you the truth! Just treating the symptoms.....

I'll be very interested to hear what you think of Sarno's book. When you talk about the sharp pain in your throat, it makes me think of some of the things he writes about pain in general, that it is the result of the brain depriving that part of the body of oxygen. I had mentioned in my first post that I am running again after getting tendonitis a year and a half ago. That kind of pain, he theorizes, is the result of oxygen deprivation.

You had asked me earlier if I had communicated to my husband my misgivings about the move. It was a completely mutual decision, and although I knew it would be hard, I also knew that he had stayed in a job he wasn't happy with for a number of years so our kids could get through high school and I could finish my MA. I truly feel it's his turn, but it's still very difficult. I think they emotions related to this are fear and loss, not anger.

Let me know how it's going. I hoping for the best for you.

WDC

Post Edited (WDC) : 12/9/2006 7:10:48 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/11/2006 2:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hey WDC,

Thanks for your response. You know what? It can't be diet. It may be a small factor, but not the primary. It's just my intuition. For some reason I don't think Kobayashi (current hot dog eating champion) has acid reflux or any type of LPR. DAmage sounds like such a strong word. I know my people who drink, smoke, and eat alot more than me and they don;t have it. We can't all be built that different.

It seems that the common denominator for peeps who had LPR or GERD is stress or anxiety from the people I encountered. Yet, why is that doctors never admit that this could be the primary cause?

You're right, it seems the more I try to doctor it, LPR just seems to become more stronger and longer lasting.

I only had LPR symptoms once in a while, but after getting diagnosed and taking the dr's prescript it just got worse and more occurent. I was going to wait a few more days to get off prilosec, but for some reason I decided to start today. So sick of taking it, the thought of taking it forever, and want to get to the root of the problem. I will definetly tell you of my progress. I think it if was just acid reflux that caused heartburn, I believe my mind knew it wouldn't be as effective as bothering me in my throat. Tells you how powerful the mind is. Can you tell me what specific things you do to get to your repressed feelings and address them? Thanks. Please keep me posted as how your progressing.

Posted 12/11/2006 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there MOB1123,

Here's what I'm thinking about drugs: I think I really needed the prilosec in the beginning, to keep the acid out of my larynx long enough for it to heal. But it does nothing to stop the reflux (it's just that the "stuff" that's refluxing doesn't have acid in it anymore, but, of course, neither does your poor stomach which is trying hard to digest food!). How long does that healing take? I don't know the answer to that, but in the meantime, one has to be thinking about how to stop the "stuff" from leaving the stomach and getting into the esophagus and larynx. Although I did stop the prilosec cold turkey and was fine, you might be aware of the "rebound" effect if you've been on it a long time. If you're suddenly worse, you might need to get off it more gradually.

Diet? I, also, can't believe it CAUSES reflux. I can believe that for some people, if they're refluxing anyway, a poor diet can aggravate it. For me, however, it really makes no difference.

Did you take a look at sillylilly's post that had the article about the difference between GERD and LRP? It was really informative, and actually shows damage done to the larynx by acid, as well as explaining the whole reflux process.

Addressing repressed feelings: I started by journalling. Just writing down, each day, what I felt emotionally, then trying to explore if I was really being honest. I also tried to read some of Sarno's book every day (after I'd read the whole thing through), as it serves as a constant reminder of what's going on. I'm also listening to the "Get Rid of the Pain in your Butt" CD I mentioned earlier. It is good at helping you learn to be present in the moment. For instance, when you start to feel pain, to stop and ask yourself, "What am I feeling (emotionally) right now?" It takes you through a whole visualization process, along with relaxation. It's about an hour long, and, unfortunately I get so relaxed I sometimes fall asleep before it's done, but I think it's useful. The thing about this is that you have to keep working at it. So I'm hoping that as I get better at being "in the moment," and experiencing my emotions rather than repressing them, it will not have to be such a conscious effort. Interesting note: yesterday I went most of the day without feeling any lump at all in my throat, but my ankle started hurting!

I hope this helps. Let me know how it's going.

WDC
Posted 12/12/2006 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hey WDC,

Read the article on the difference between GERD and LPR, but I got a question. I was feeling good about beating LPR, and the article scared talking about damage to the larynx and all that. I hate information. I don't think my reflux is all that bad. Think I could go cold turkey tommorow on meds.

My question is where exactly is the UES located?

Posted 12/12/2006 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
What a great question. I've always just put it somewhere between the esophagus and the pharynx, but haven't thought about it in more detail. Look at this website. It actually has a diagram showing where it is and its parts. http://www.aafp.org/afp/990901ap/873.html. It's pretty scholarly - I mostly looked at the pictures!

I know that sometimes NOT knowing what can happen makes us happier! I think if you're feeling you're not too bad off, and you want to try going cold turkey, try it. Just don't be in denial if you notice your symptoms (especially closing of the throat, not being able to take breaths, etc) worsening. It doesn't sound to me like irreversible damage happens overnight.

WDC
Posted 12/13/2006 3:18 PM (GMT 0)

Didn't take any meds yesterday. Wasn't too bad. I did notice I was burping as if a pocket of air was stuck between my LES and UES. But tried to relax as much as possible. Late at night, was the worst (not too bad, but definetly felt it trying to affect me). The more it tried to cause discomfort the more I tried to focus inward and get to my repressed feelings. I was shocked to see how much rage I had inside, espeacially toward the people closest toward me.

I also realized there were things that really were repressed, events of high anxiety, loss, etc.

For most people, if you really ask them to think about it, I believe most will find that there reflux is a result of a combination of repressed feelings, over a culmination of events, espeacially ones that they felt they had no control over or felt powerless about. These things really do manifest in the body. It's kind of sad how we all do repress these emotions, not dealing with them, feeling them, letting fo of them. You're right, doctors are clueless as to why people get reflux. Some aren't even sure if it is the UES that causes LPR. And those that say it's the UES, don't know why it messes up. Well my theory is just like TMS is manifested by deprivation of oxygen to the muscles, same thing to the UES. Isn't the UES and LES both spincter muscles? The whole gastrointestinal tract is a muscle. Just like how are whole body tenses up during stress, so it's no suprise that it can happen to our GI, it gets out of balance.

Yesterday wasn't too bad, hopefully today won't be bad either, maybe even better.

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