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All symptoms went away during PH-Impedance test

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Posted 8/14/2015 9:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

Basically, I'm totally baffled. Why on earth would the only good day coincide with my PH-Impedance testing? I've been having GERD symptoms for years, and recently LPR, quite severely. I was scheduled and had to fly over for the PH-Impedance and Manometry tests. The days before the test and about an our before it I was regurgitating, burning throat, ear pain and all that stuff...sure enough, right before the test and the 24 hours while on the catheter I was 100% symptom free! I tried to provoke the symptoms by eating my usual trigger foods: tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, and carbonated beverages; I laid down after launch and nothing induced the symptoms except for very mild discomfort.

Sure enough again, after about an hour or two after the catheter was removed, symptoms slowly started to creep in. A day after, the LPR was back in full force!

Now I'm really frustrated. Am I so unlucky that the good day I haven't had in years had to come on the test day, such that I'm basically back at square one with my testing/diagnosis? Or does it have anything to do with the catheter or the swallow test that caused a temporary improvement??

Has anyone experienced such a coincidence that on the PH-test the symptoms decided to take a short vacation? shakehead
Posted 8/14/2015 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Wow! That's so weird.

The only thing I can think of is that, as a total fluke, perhaps your LES was temporarily nudged to properly open and close for a short time with the small, foreign object in your esophagus.

If that is the case, you really didn't have reflux that would cause you to press the 'pain' or 'heartburn' button on your monitor? You might have to repeat the test based on what your doctor comes up with. This is a defining test to measure acid.

Were you totally OFF your acid controller for 10 days prior to the test?
Posted 8/15/2015 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
I just had this test and your not allowed to eat any fruit, chocolate or tomato products!! So I didn't and it was too uncomfortable to eat most other foods anyways so I noticed my symptoms were better too!
Posted 8/15/2015 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
I had mine done last week and my gastro said that its Sods law, haha, and that heaps of people find they are asymptomatic during the test. Contrary to heather77 though I was encouraged to eat, drink and do whatever would aggravate my symptoms, he even told me I could have a wine or beer if I needed to if that would set it off. I didn't, but I found that kinda funny.
Posted 8/15/2015 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
My understanding: The whole idea for the esophageal pH monitoring test is to CAUSE the very symptoms you have when your stomach is not being controlled with acid controllers.
I had to be OFF my Nexium for 10 days prior to the test. (Not fun but necessary).

This is why you are encouraged to eat all those trigger foods and drink that CAUSE the misery. It's not pleasant but tells your surgeon how much and how often refluxing is occurring.

The test can't be accurate if you avoid trigger foods. When I had this test, I ate and drank ALL those foods I'd been avoiding. Yes, it was fun but hurt, too. I didn't sleep much, but I was pushing buttons almost constantly. Without an accurate reading of refluxing and acid coming up into your esophagus, the doctor won't have the accurate information he needs to determine your course of treatment/surgery.
Posted 8/16/2015 6:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thats what I thought too Linda Sue, I was off Omeprezole for 5 days prior and Motilium for 2 days prior . Just go for all the foods and drinks you would normally look at and say "I'm really going to regret this later". If you can't coax the acid out, try eating more than you usually would too, that will put extra pressure on things. It will be really uncomfortable, not gonna lie about that, its a hell of a test, but do your worst now so you don't have to get it done again.
Posted 8/17/2015 1:52 PM (GMT 0)

Mr Mustard said...

Basically, I'm totally baffled. Why on earth would the only good day coincide with my PH-Impedance testing?

That's really weird, I remember mine was exactly the same - no symptoms at all.

Funnily enough, I left mine in the next morning (so over 24 hours) figuring it couldn't do any harm and the symptoms came back with a vengeance so I had some "good" (i.e., the Dr couldn't say there wasn't a problem) results.
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