LPR or allergy?

Hi all,

I hope you can help me. I live in a country where the health system doesn't work that well. Every visit to a specialist costs a lot of money and the outcome is usually not very insightful. Certain tests (like PepTest) don't seem to be available. So I'm seeking advice here to supplement what doctors tell me.

I've been battling with recurring sinus infections for the last couple of years, since I live here. Recently, I got quite strong breathing problems. I can't breathe in. I don't get enough air when doing exercise.

My nose burns and itches from the inside. Sometimes it feels like something is stuck in there. I get a severe sinus infection every 2 months.

I've been to two different General Practitioners, two ENTs and one Gastroenterologist.

The first GP only gave me antibiotics every two months, so I switched.
The second GP prescribed me a course of oral Cortisone, cortisone nasal spray & inhaler, which helped. He did a blood allergy test that returned nothing. Other blood tests only revealed that I'm low in iron.
The first ENT did an Endoscopy on the nose and diagnosed "Non-Allergic Rhinitis"
The second ENT in my home country said "that's obviously an allergy", but couldn't perform a second test because I was on cortisone at that time.
The GP sent me to a Gastroenterologist to rule out reflux affecting my sinuses. Voila: Hiatus Hernia, 3cm.

I don't have any voice or throat problems, so I'm still thinking about an allergy. Especially because I have now three different diagnosis. I don't want to take the PPIs unless I'm 100% certain. They make me feel sick and I'm scared of the side effects.

What do you guys think? Does this sound like LPR or an allergy? Would cortisone help with LPR caused problems, because it seems to work for me.

Thanks a lot,

L

Thanks! Good to know. Before you knew it was LPR, did they try cortisone on you? Did it help? Just trying to figure out if mine is definitely LPR, because cortisone helps for me.