Hi,
I've been reading the GERD forum for a while, and finally decided it was time to de-lurk.
I've been suffering from silent reflux for two or three months now. It all started in February, when I had a weird reaction to a cup of coffee. It was a pain right under my rib cage just to the left of the sternum (as I look down at my torso). It would grow, then peak and hurt, then recede, and disappear. Two minutes later, it would happen again. And again and again. The first time this happened, it lasted a day and a half. I had another episode in March, this time as a reaction to eating bacon. Again, it lasted for a couple of days.
My doctor decided it was GERD and put me on 20mg of Prilosec a day- 10mg in the morning and 10mg at night. Almost immediately after I started taking it, I would feel prematurely full and experience terrible pain due to bloating after I ate. I did not feel anything like this until I took the Prilosec.
about
two months later, I had goofed up my Prilosec regimen somewhat- I skipped the evening dose. I woke up the next morning with a terrible sore throat. For the next two weeks, things would get stuck in there when I ate. After about
a week of this I began to learn to eat very carefully. I always peeled fruits and vegetables, for instance, and made sure chunks of food were small. Finally, that began to recede and I almost started to feel normal again. But then it happened again- this time with no instigation. I woke up with the sore throat and had trouble swallowing again. This time it felt more swollen than the last time. After two weeks of this (during which it was starting to recede somewhat), I decided to taper off of the Prilosec and rely on an H2 blocker instead for an antacid. After two weeks, during which I kicked the Prilosec, I had an upper GI scope. The results were normal except for a restricted esophagus, which they dilated. The doc at that time ruled out a hiatal hernia.
For about
a week after things went well. Then I awoke one morning and my throat felt scratchy. The feeling I now know is called a globus really started to come on. I'm in week three of this latest incident. Unlike previous periods, this time I have to be sucking or chewing on something or the globus swells (I can feel it on the wall of my throat when it swells). Burping irritates it. When I wake up in the mornings, if it doesn't feel worse, it feels better until about
9, after I've been at work for about
half an hour. Then I have to do the chewing and sucking or it swells up. Getting up and walking around seems to help it. Sitting at my desk is practically a guarantee it will be a problem. By evening it sometimes recedes and feels ok at bedtime. Then I roll the dice again the next day and see how it's going to be, better or worse.
I'd hate to think this means I need to get back on the Prilosec. I really feel like it was monkeying with my stomach acid which caused this problem to begin with, and my doctors only want to put me on more drugs. At the same time, I know it's very important that the LPR heal as soon as possible. That's why I've taken on the Koufman diet, down to the alkaline water. I wanted to test it out before submerging into it 100%, and I have been about
99% strict with myself the past week and a half with little trouble sticking to it.
But I have concerns. One is, I don't know how to tell if a food is hurting or helping. Since I have the silent GERD, I really can't tell. Also, since the swelling seems to be a constant thing (or, when it's not, it seems to be random), it's hard to tell what, specifically, is making it worse.
I want to keep a food diary and record my reactions to the food, but I'm not sure when I'm reacting. Is there a general time to wait for a reaction? Is it immediate, or some hours later? I assume the LPR reaction can be rapid, but I don't know. Is the relative sourness of a burp after eating an indication of whether it is giving me LPR? Maybe that can serve as a general guide.
There's only one food so far that I suspect is giving me problems with LPR- and that is ginger. Ironically, as I've been drinking tea made with fresh ginger and sucking on ginger lozenges. But I could swear my throat feels irritated by it. In contrast, DGL licorice and cinnamon gum both help almost immediately. Ginger either does not help or seems to make things a little worse. I'm wondering if it might fall into the too spicy category for me.
Anyway, I'm getting concerned because I can tell my sinuses are starting to be affected by this, and that is a new sensation. It seemed like for a while on the low acid diet I was making progress in healing. Suddenly, I'm not so sure. I am not using a foam wedge, but I find it hard to not slide down it at night, and sleeping on my left side is all but impossible on it.
Sorry for the long post. I have only a simple question, but none of my history is on the board, so I thought I would share that in case it helps.
Michael
Post Edited (michael__s) : 10/30/2012 12:59:28 PM (GMT-6)