Sore Throat for 11 months - LPR or something else?

Starting in May of 2013, I came down with a sore throat.  Nothing out of the usual preceded this sore throat, and I thought I was just getting sick.  After 3 weeks I saw GP.  They saw nothing, so I saw ENT.  She did a quick look down my throat (saying it was red and a 3 out of 4 irritated) and slapped the "Gerd/LPR" diagnosis on me, telling me I'd need PPI's the rest of my life.  Well, I'd never had Gerd in my life, not even when I was pregnant.  As I was nursing at the time, I decided to not take the PPI's and to try the naturopathic route.  That led nowhere (naturopaths were treating me as though I had Gerd, no one could figure it out).  I tried diet modifications and every other thing you read on these boards to try for LPR.  What I eat or do not eat does not make a difference.  For 10 months, the pain is static, nothing changes.  It's a feeling of a dry throat fluctuating with the normal sore throat feeling.  (Seems worse in evening, and my mouth feels dry at night). 

Tests:  Bloodwork (tests for Sjögren's syndrome ) Normal

           Endoscopy (GI) - normal, no signs of acid damage, no hernia,

                                     no cancerous tissues

            24 Hour Impedance Montioring - Normal

So now what do I do?  The daily pain is making me crazy.  Not knowing what is wrong is worse because I don't know how to take steps to treat the unknown.  I can't get the LPR diagnosis out of my head, even with the negative tests.  Of course, I've read that you can still have LPR with a negative PH test.  However, I only have one main symptom., coupled with 2 negative tests.  So, is it possible this is something else?  But what? 

I am loathe to go to more ENT's and get more LPR diagnoses.  Has anyone had just a sore throat, for months on end and figured it out? 

Hi lobstaguy,

It's hard to pinpoint exactly,but I believe the pain is farther down in the larynx/voicebox area. When I had the 24 hour impedance, the exact spot where my pain is located, is where the sensor was resting.

No mucous. Voice is fine. No coughing, no clearing.

But it just feels awful, dried out, and sore. And, I cannot fathom why in 11 months, there has been no change. None., zip.

Because I only have the sore throat symptom., and all of the other tests negative, I lean toward this being something other than LPR. But what? 11 months is a long time for this. And to not heal? I was all gung-ho on the body healing itself, and now I don't know what to think. I've had no respite in all of this time. There's nothing I can take, or eat or drink to soothe it.

Wouldn't an allergy (and I've never had problems with them, but) fluctuate? I mean to say, you'd think the soreness would come and go, or whatever. I don't notice post-nasal drip, or anything like that. Can you have post nasal drip and not know it?

I've never had a problem like this that leaves me so flummoxed and so depressed.

Thanks for your time and any input.

No medications.  In fact, I had just lost 30 pounds, and was eating extremely clean.  I had thought that my clean diet might have triggered this.  But why?  I never did the PPI drug trial either, as I wanted to find out the root cause of this *(which is turning into a 3-ring circus). 

And, as I mentioned, I tried everything.  I was already eating clean, but I also tried the Kaufman diet, and every other thing you can think of to try and that is posted on these blogs (aloe, apple cider vinegar, probiotics, blah blah blah). 

 

Abdul,

Hello, sorry to hear you are suffering similarly. It is really awful. So do you think you do have LPR? Your ph monitoring was negative, did you have the Endoscopy that goes into your stomach to confirm gastritis?

Well, I was negative on all my tests. I also took the Peptest., (tests the saliva for acid), and after that was negative I just stopped going to doctors. No one was able to help me. I figured that if by some rare instance that this is LPR, drugs likely won't help b/c the amount of reflux is so insignificant (aerosol). But I don't believe it's LPR anymore. I have no evidence, and it is often diagnosed but rarely confirmed.

Does food factor in for you? For me, it matters not what I eat. If I fast, it's the same. If I eat poorly, it's the same. If I eat clean, it's the same.

Most of the time I can ignore it. I'd say 70% of the time, during the day, I can ignore it now. It usually bothers me in the evening (more noticeable), and sometimes (like today), it's just been bothering me all day. But I do not know why as it has nothing to do with food intake.

For me now it's been 1 year and 3 months constant. I expect to live with this now, unless my body somehow heals, or?

Unfortunately, I don't have anything that has worked to lesson the symptoms. I have tried everything on the forums. Ibuprofen does nothing, numbing spray nothing, ... it's always there. I wish I had better news. The one thing that does work, is the less you focus on it, the more bearable it is. The more you focus on it, the worse it is (as with anything).

As far as treatment, I really thing the reason things work for some and not others depends on whether they got a correct diagnosis. Someone that really does have Gerd can likely eliminate with clean diet. Maybe even LPR too. But what about all of the people on here that were diagnosed with LPR, but the diagnosis is wrong. Or could be wrong. What if it's some type of neuropathy (nerve damage), or allergen. Virus? I don't know. I would make sure you feel confident in your diagnosis and seek out other opinions too.

Best to you. Let me know if you find something that helps you.

Abdul,

Ack :( Yes, this condition truly is miserable. I truly empathize b/c I have this pain/discomfort too. I never would have thought I could go on day after day like this. Does your throat feel dry? Mouth dry?

There is a book you may want to read called "about LPR: The Silent Reflux Story (if not already):
http://www.amazon.com/All-about-LPR-Silent-Reflux-ebook/dp/B00AGVD0SC#

If nothing else, it gives all the information/options currently for LPR sufferers.

I do have hope that our bodies know how to heal themselves and regulate, and that they will in fact heal.

Best to you. I hope you do not have to undergo surgery and can find another healing option.

Take Care

hi,

have you thought about trying the old biotene formula toothpaste?

the new formula is awful. it dried out my mouth! but the old formula has both xylitol and 3 enzymes to help along saliva production. it has helped me tremendously. you can still get the old formula on amazon and the expiration for a three pack is mid 2016. it's very mild. it's non foaming. it might help a bit with discomfort. it has mint flavoring, but luckily we don't swallow our toothpaste!

i'm so sorry the toothpaste didn't work.

i do hope you get better!

i have one more suggestion. can you tolerate root vegetables and celery? do you have a blender? it sounds preposterous but perhaps cooking them lightly and then throwing them into a blender until they have a chunky tomato sauce texture and chewing them might help you increase your saliva. in fact just chewing things like carrots and celery and then spitting them out might help, because it sounds like you need saliva. and it's certainly healthier than gum. pretend like you are a grandma chewing tobacco with a spitoon. i know it sounds absurd maybe even disgusting but reading extensively about nutrition, it might help. i fear it will only help as little as the toothpaste did. but why not read up on natural sodium in foods and saliva and digestion and chewing.

wishing you the best!

did you get checked for sjogren's syndrome?

Post Edited (lprsufferer) : 1/19/2015 2:00:17 PM (GMT-7)

I have lpr and I have constant sore throat, I've had this for 11 months. My lpr started after sudden respiratory flu. The ENT looked down my throat and said it was inflammed and gave me ppi's, they made my throat even worse.
At the moment I am taking digestive enzymes and probiotic tablets, I've just started taking these,so its to early to say whether its helping. I've read other post where it has helped lpr sufferer. Maybe you should try digestive enzymes and probiotics tablets.
hope it helps

Thanks Guys. Yeah, I've tried all of those things already. It's been almost 2 years since this started, so I've done it all. (probiotics enzymes, and basically anything you can find on this board). I don't think this is LPR on me based on my test results. It's pretty much a mystery.

Thanks for your advice and help. I hope you all feel better bc having "issues" is no fun.

Hi MLB1234 -

Unfortunately, Lagbomb hasn't been active since his last post you are responding to. I suggest ntat you start your own thread to see if you can get information. This Board has been incredibly slow, and answers may not be forthcoming quickly.

Sharon