Thank you Danie!! my 2 year + nightmare is OVER!!

I had heartburn for at least 5 years before I even knew what it was. I just striked it up to pains that come and go. Around Feb of 2005 I started getting a cough that just felt different than a regular cough. It kind of scared me but I ignored it. By July of 2005 I started to have voice problems. Just regular talking became a strain on me and I started to get scared at this point. By Sep. 2005 I started having breathing problems and my right side of my neck seemed to constantly be stiff on a daily basis. I also experienced tingling sensations to the right side of my face as well as ear aches but mostly in the right ear. I was in a mess because I didn't have no health insurance so I had to figure this out for myself.

Well from Oct 2005, I quit smoking but gained about 25 lbs because of it and I the throat pain when I would swallow and the constant feeling of my voice not being like it used to be added to my frustrations.

I originally started taking otc asthma medication thinking it was asthma. I then thought it was the flu and took cough medicine. Still no relief. I switched to taking garlic and echinachea and nothing worked. I didn't want to take prescription medication because I have no health insurance and money was tight to begin with.

Well I finally figured out around Nov/Dec of 2005 that most likely I was suffering from LPR or Gerd or a combination of the two. I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar and immediately my pains that I had for 5 years went away for the most part. I had them daily at it's worst and I guess I just accepted it at that time. The ACV really does work and I take it to this day. At the time in Nov/Dec of 2005 I was also taking honey as people said this would heal the esophogus. For me that never happened. So at this time my heart pains went away due to the vinegar which was good but the throat swallowing and the voice was a constant problem for me plus I still had the stiff neck and the sometimes tingling sensation on the right side of my head.

I went on taking the ACV and not much of anything else for the past year hoping my problems would go away if I lost some weight I gained when I quit smoking. I lost 12 of the 25 I gained but still nothing worked.

Now fast forward to Jan 7th of this year. I see Danie's post about DGL licorice and sleeping on the LEFT side of the bed. Well that struck a cord with me because I ALWAYS slept on the right side for the past 5 years because I would always have these sharp pains if I slept on the left side. I never knew how important those two little ideas of Danie would come into play.

Well on Monday Jan 8th of this year, I took a trip to the health food store and was looking to buy some Orange Peel Extract but it was too expensive for me. I decided to buy the DGL Licorice because I was desperate but it was really an after thought at the time.

Well I kept a diary the minute I started this new attack at healing my throat. Two of the things Danie said to do I wasn't doing (DGL before meals and at bedtime and sleeping ONLY on left side).

On Tuesday Jan 9, I started taking 2 tables spoons of ACV in a 4 oz of water 3 times a day PLUS I took two of the DGL tablets, plus I forced myself to sleep on the left side. Well I did this for a week and nothing different to report but on the 8th day on Wed Jan 17th I noticed a subtle difference. I have it in my diary as "slightly optimistic something is happening. Well yesterday on Thursday it was even a little better and I was happier than hell and today I was so happy I have to come here to sign up and thank Danie for the post on DGL. Today after almost 2 years of hell I am turning my neck freely, I am able to talk much better than in a long long time and  I am singing a little again which I enjoyed doing.

I know this is a long post but I am telling you the only thing I have been doing differently in two years is I started taking the DGL and sleeping on the left side. I personally feel the DGL is what did it. Something so simple yet it seems to be healing my throat very quickly now. I just hope the improvement continues but it's definately enough for me to report it.

For all of you that complain that DGL doesn't work, this is only a guess but I am guessing you are not taking enought of it or you are giving up too quickly because of the taste. Yes, let's face it, to me it's tastes like crap but it's a small price to pay for 5 minutes of crappy taste if it will get your life back. My advice is like Danie, try it, grin and bear it and hang in there. I am convinced I am on my road back to having a normal voice and normal swallowing again mainly because of this DGL Licorice. Danie, I am indebted to you for your helpfulness. Had I not read your post and not bought the DGL, who knows how many years I would of suffered.

Thank you!!

Randy

Wow, RandyDandy

That is so good to hear a success story.  How do you take the apple cider vinegar, is it diluted with water?  And how much of it?

For the past year of 2006 I would take one tablespoon in the morning when I got up and one at night. I can say without a doubt this caused most of those chest pains to go away completely. Occasionally I would get an "attack" but I would just take another tablespoon of ACV and it would go away.

Prior to taking the DGL, I was feeling really bad. My ears were hurting bad and that's when I decided that enough was enough and I started to really want to battle this. As far as the ACV, I increased it starting Jan 9th to the present. I took 2 tablespoon of ACV and mixed it with regular tap water from the sink about half a glass. After I drank it I rinsed my mouth out a couple time and brushed my teeth. I did the 2 tablespoon deal 3 times in a day.(Morning, mid day and night) just space it out as evenly as you can.

I only eat once a day and that's when I take my two DGL tables and I also take one after dinner. When I go to bed I also take 2 tablets and I "force" myself to sleep as much as I can on the LEFT SIDE now. Other than that I do exercise daily and am 190 and need to lose 12 more lbs but things are looking much better now. I hope you can feel better too friendly gal.

sillylilly said...
Randy,
Wow, it is so good to hear about your recovery...it gives all of us hope. I'm curious about what type of GERD do you have. Did you mainly have throat pain or did you have the chest burning pain also which would be traditional heartburn symptoms. I also have had the earaches that you mention.

Around Feb of 2005 was when I started to have this constant cough or throat clearing and it went on for a couple months. After that I started to notice my voice change and eventually my voice became raspy and my throat seemed to hurt all the time. It never went away once my voice went bad and stayed a constant. Everytime I talked it was like I was forcing myself to talk and it hurt. This voice and throat went on for two years.

It got progressively worse and eventually I noticed numbness only on the right side of my head only but not the left.

My face just felt weird and I would sometimes have a major stiff neck which would also come and go at times. Just a month ago I started having this ear ache in my right ear off and on and even the left ear started as well but not as much. This is when I knew I had to do something really drastic or try something different because the ACV alone was not getting it done.

What I think I had was the obvious Gerd symptoms but the silent type because I would never ever cough up acid or anything like that. I think these pains which went on for 5 years or more eventually took it's toll on my throat and started affecting my vocal cords in the last two years so that's why I say I figure I had Gerd/LPR. The pains were eliminated immediately with the ACV but the throat and voice continued for two years until last week when I took the DGL Licorice and tried to consciously force myself (as much as possible) to sleep only on the left side. I think most of my pains on the right side only(neck, face and ear were because I was constantly sleeping on the right side which I found out from Danie was a no no.

Again today and the previous two days I notice a major improvement in my voice and my swallowing. It just feels so good to be able to sing again. Please note I am not 100% yet and I am not cured but yes I am feeling much much better. Also what Danie says is true. Keeping a diary helps. Keep track of weight, what you eat, your moods that day, symptoms etc. Anything to find a pattern both good and bad and use the information to help you get better. I will be here updating because I am not stupid enough to think the my journey is over. I know how this gerd can come and go. I do hope I continue to improve. Having this really sucks so I feel for people that have this too. 

 I still would like to know what caused this to begin with but I did smoke, I did drink diet Pepsi, I have taken Advil for a couple months straight for a tooth absess I had, I was a chocoholic. Now every single one of those bad things I have eliminated 100% now. If anyone finds what causes Gerd let me know.

Kindly,

Kitt