Been suffering for 9 months, please help

Hello everyone, I thought I'd sign up here because everyone here seems very well informed and helpful. Unfortunately I've been under the influence of some real, problematic symptoms these last 9 months, and it's driven me into depression. I'm STILL waiting for an ENT to see me (good old NHS eh?) but until then I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out what I potentially am suffering with.

First things first, these are the symptoms plaguing me:

- Burning throat sensation at the bottom of my throat, even after taking meds like Gaviscon or even drinking water. Even oatmeal or salad sometimes causes it! Usually worst in the evening.
- Loads of mucus; I don't always need to clear my throat but I know there's mucus there.
- A lump in the throat sensation; usually occurs when I'm anxious.
- Constant burping, including when I don't eat anything at all.
- Occasional feeling like I'm going to vomit, thick hot spit and all.

And these are the meds I've tried and continue to try in some cases:

- Lansorprazole, Omeprazole and another PPI I've forgotten. (no effect)
- Cimetidine, Zantac, Ranitidine H2 Blockers. (minimal effect)
- Gaviscon Advance both liquid and tablet forms. (minimal/no effect, random)
- Setraline and Rescue Remedy, as well as hypnotherapy for anxiety. (virtually no effect)
- Nasal sprays and vitamin D supplements. (no effect)

Finally these are the tests and changes I've made:

- An endoscopy and test for H.Pylori (clear)
- Barium Swallow (clear)
- Various heart tests (clear)
- Rapid Spit Test from R.D. Biomed for Pepsin (NOT clear but very low amounts detected, 35ng/ml in a single test out of 3)
- Dr Koufmann's induction reflux diet for a grand total of 10 weeks (no effect). Once this is over, I only make minor deviations from the diet, such as 1% fat yoghurt or digestive, wholegrain biscuits.
- Typical lifestyle changes such as raising the bed, eating smaller meals, exercising and using water of pH 8.2 or higher. (very little/no effect).

The trouble is no matter how much I try, not a single thing really gets rid of those troublesome symptoms, and it can't even get them under control. I'm utterly petrified after reading Dr Koufman's book that I'm one of those people almost-guaranteed to get cancer, as I get symptoms every day. I hardly get anything in the middle of the day, only to receive a huge burst of burning-throat sensations in the evening. From keeping a food diary for a long time, there's literally no pattern to what I eat. On one particular day I even ate a bar of chocolate and experienced no symptoms. The next day I ate 1 chunk of the same chocolate and burned like hellfire.

I know this sounds stupidly complex and vague, but can anyone help me figure this out please? I had suspected anxiety as the cause but sometimes I can have days where I can't calm down and I don't get any symptoms. Likewise I can't exactly blame LPR/GERD as the prime cause as foods, postures and other factors never show any patterns, and apparently - since everyone refluxes to a degree - the pepsin detected in my spit test might have been a red herring.

Thank you for any help you can offer.


EDIT: How far can I trust the information found here, related to anxiety?
http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms/stomach-upset.shtml

@ hope. Apparantly I don't have a hernia. I think varium proved my les was ok but I coupd be wrong. :p Awaiting an ENT appointment in 3 months for a 24hr Restech pH test (I hope)

Teacherman said...
Try nothing to eat 3 hours prior to laying down, I need 3 hours for complete relief. 2 is not enough when things are bad.
Also, alkaline water.
Good luck

Yeah my post mentions lifestyle changes; I've already tried both of these, and I even adding baking soda to ph 8.2 water to push it up a few alkaline notches. For more details about my symptoms, here's my RSI (Reflux Symptom Index, 2002) scores for LPR;

Hoarsness or voice problems: 0
Throat Clearing: 4
Excess throat mucus: 1
Difficulty swallowing: 0
Coughing after eating or lying down: 0
Breathing difficulty/Choking: 0
Troublesome cough: 0
Lump in throat sensation: 3
Heartburn, Indigestion, Chest Pain, Acid Regurgitation: 2

RSI = 10
Normal RSI according to Dr Koufman and other research: < 11-15 (Source: http://www.voiceinstituteofnewyork.com/us-patients/)