really worried ! pain in throat

Black_eyed, welcome aboard, you are amongst friends

what you describe mirrors my experience very closely, especially the fear and anxiety!

yeah the internet can fill our heads with a lot of dreaded information about worst scenario outcomes. its true that gerd and lpr raise risks for cancer but not as much as a worried person might guess, and the odds are that most people who suffer from reflux, even a really bad case of it,, are going to meet their maker from some other cause or ailment.

i spent many lonely nights in pain and high anxiety, unable to swallow, feeling a huge lump in my throat and fearing the worst

now im no expert, so you should definitely run anything i say by your doc for review and you should definitely get some tests, but what you describe could well be LPR which stands for laryngo-pharyngeal-reflux.

i heard you say that you got the gerd thing all taken care of but check this out, LPR is called silent gerd cause often, if not most of the time people with lpr are refluxing but dont feel it cause the refluxate residency time is brief but goes higher up the esophagus, sometimes flooding not only the larynx but the nasal passage, and eustachian tubes and even the mouth.

in fact all the symptoms you describe even inflammation of the mouth taste buds etc could be a result of lpr

you might want to ask your primary care physician if a barium swallow test or a scoping might be appropriate as the results would help you to know what is happening for sure and stop letting your mind race with all the worst possibilities.

esophageal endoscopy with some biopsies will give substantial and definitive information but is often preceded by some pre-tests and advanced scheduling, so you would be left with a lot of worry time!

you could request a quick trans nasal flexible scoping which would show, if i am not mistaken, the areas where you are probably feeling there is a lump stuck in your throat. this kind of check can be done with less advanced scheduling, and thus less waiting and might greatly ease your mind!

i was in so much pain and fear for so long that i got all three of the above mentioned procedures over a period of months.
but
i was misdiagnosed 4 times before these test and the docs realized i had lpr.

for awhile they thought i might have cancer... yikes did i freak out...im sure the worry poisoned me and hurt my health as bad as anything.

so if we here can help answer your questions and ease your mind dont hesitate to ask, cause there are a lot of smart and caring people around here and im a very junior member and far from the smartest

talk to your doc, express your concerns and insist on some diagnostic procedures so your questions are answered

hang in there, the odds are in your favor!

best of good luck to you
mock turtle

Post Edited (mock turtle) : 4/28/2011 10:21:51 PM (GMT-6)

yes , if what you have is gerd, or LPR then, yes, i can recommend some things you can do to help yourself. no i have not heard of outright cures except for surgery, although the data indicates some people enter into spontaneous remission for reasons im not knowledgeable about.

however, short of an operation (like fundoplication) heres what you can do to help yourself if (IF) your problems are LPR related

eat small meals,,,that means you want to eat 4 or 5 meals a day AND your total food intake even tho you are eating more meals needs to go down so you can loose some weight...weight loss is associated with improvement of symptoms, unless, that is, you re already a very thin person

dont eat anything within 3 hours of going to bed, and never eat and then lay down. always stay vertical for at least 2 hours during the day after eating

sleep with your bed inclined at the head by at least 8 inches, use bricks or books or what ever to raise up the head of your bed. extra pillows under your head wont work and in fact make things worse cause a sharp bend is induced in some parts of the body that can make things worse. i sleep in a reclining chair that will not go back more than 45 degrees, this works for me, you mileage may vary!

ok heres the hard part but it is very important, dont eat chocolate, spearmint, peppermint, dont drink alcohol nor coffee and dont smoke... all these things cause the les (lower esophageal sphincter to open and remain open too long thus allowing stomach contents to enter and rise up your throat

if (IF) your problem is LPR these changes should help, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME. the tissues that get damaged with lpr are very sensitive to reflux and they take a long time to heal...sometimes months

it is imperative that you eat small meals if LPR is your problem. the more food we put in our stomach at one time, the more the stomach "distends" which means it gets pushed out of shape and weighed down and thus more stomach acid is produced and unfortunately the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) opens more often and stays open too long.

eat small meals and eat less

finally, know your "trigger" foods. with lpr this is harder to do than with gerd,,,because with gerd you can feel the burn and know what you ate is a problem. so with lpr its good to start out by avoiding the classic foods that cause reflux, like raw onions, garlic tomatoes etc. you can surf the net for gerd and lpr trigger foods to add to the list and keep a diary of what you eat so you can refine the list for yourself as reflux responds a little different in each individual.

talk to your doctor and explain your concern and request some tests as soon as possible that will rule out the life threatening conditions you indicated worry you the most.

best of good luck to you , and stay in touch, let us know how you are doing!
mock turtle

Black_eyed,

 

Welcome to HealingWell. You may want to check out our resources at the top of the forum, here is a link to one that is pretty simple:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=1483795

Here is another link that you may like:

http://www.nycornell.org/ent/Laryngopharyngeal.reflux.html

Also reading the posts from other members will give you much information as the members here are very wise and know this disorder very well.

Anxiety may also cause the sx you are describing, "neck pain/headache and pain at the upper part of throat. sometimes the pain in neck/head really get worse."  I would advice you to see a good GI Physician to rule out any serious problems.  Also never be afraid to get a second opinion and be your own best advocate.

 

Kindly,

 

Kitt

stkitt said...
Black_eyed,


Welcome to HealingWell. You may want to check out our resources at the top of the forum, here is a link to one that is pretty simple:



https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=1483795



Here is another link that you may like:



http://www.nycornell.org/ent/Laryngopharyngeal.reflux.html



Also reading the posts from other members will give you much information as the members here are very wise and know this disorder very well.



Anxiety may also cause the sx you are describing, "neck pain/headache and pain at the upper part of throat. sometimes the pain in neck/head really get worse." I would advice you to see a good GI Physician to rule out any serious problems. Also never be afraid to get a second opinion and be your own best advocate.



Kindly,



Kitt

many thanks ...

I had a look at both links and its of great help ... as you guys have explained it is cause of acid reflux ... i had burning sensation from stomach till mouth since last night ...

I still am waiting to for the appointment date which will be in the mid of MAY .. A long way to go

black_eye,
I hope you get to the bottom of things very soon, and can relax again.
Very best wishes!
Denise