LPR - Questions for the experienced

Hello all,

I have some questions about LPR/GERD. I've had swollen throat, excess mucous, post-nasal drip and hoarseness for months now stemming from taking antibiotics when a case of Strep hit me last fall. In the beginning, my globus was horrible and lasted for days. Now its much more milder but I still have many issues.

My main symptoms now are:
- slightly swollen throat,
- mucous caught in the throat. Can clear it out but it comes back.
- bad taste in back of mouth (i'm sure bad breath too)
- some hoarseness

I get the above attacks once or twice a week. Being a control freak with some history of anxiety, I want to know exactly HOW these symptoms occur. Partly to control symptoms or cure it but the also just for piece of mind knowing what's wrong. Much of my time when I'm NOT experiencing the symptoms, I'm worrying about them coming back. If there's a trigger food or smoking gun, then awesome. I just want to make sure its not all in my head. Since the symptoms seem to appear at random times, it is frustrating.

Sometimes I feel I cause the symptoms when I just worry or think about it. But not all the time.
Sometimes I feel bad food choices cause it, but not all the time.
My ENT looked and saw signs of LPR, but I'm skeptical and not convinced. She put me on a 6 week diet. I when at it about 75%. I still had coffee and alcohol and some fried foods. All seem to not affect me that bad but fast food seemed to cause swelling.

So here are some of my questions I am hoping to get from the experience LPR sufferers/cured:
- can LPR symptoms be delayed?
- can I eat a trigger food at night and not feel the effects til next day?
- can worrying cause my throat to swell then excessive mucous get caught in there causing worse symptoms?
- can my LPR be gone and this just be over-sensitization or something else?
- anything that can help soothe symptoms instantly. I try cough drops, water, tea and all don't seem to help that much.

The only thing that makes it better is concentrating on something else, which is pretty tough to do sometimes. I do feel that following a higher-pH diet helps.

I thank anyone who takes the time to read this and respond. I know this is a crappy fight that you all face daily as well, I'm hoping the best for all of us.

THanks for your info LAWCHICK. Hopefully your new bed lift helps with your night reflux.


Mine is so random, I can't put my finger on it. Anyone ever try the peptests that you can order to verify you have LPR?

Hi, I was diagnosed with LPR a few weeks ago.

No ear "infections" but they itch! The only way to scratch is to jiggle the ear with my finger, which, I guess, pumps some air in and sort of scratches it.

I'm doing all the physical things as above, but the PPIs made me sick. So, I went internet searching for a better solution. Found a book by Jonathan Wright, a doc I have respected for a long time. Bought it and have read it from Amazon. It's about Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux and GERD.

So now, I'm taking Betaine HCL/with Pepsin when I eat, trying to RAISE my stomach acid. There are volumes of sites about raising your HCL and how the PPIs can damage you long term. Also, this week, in a stunning blow to the drug companies' biggest profit makers (PPIs etc.) it was reported they can cause heart problems.

Since I've only done the HCL for about 10 days, I am not "all better" And, an ENT new friend explained why what I was doing was the best thing for me, but it might take up to a year to heal.

I think it's worth investigating. The proof is in the pudding, and I'm not healed yet and still can't sing.