Hello everyone !
Sorry I've been absconding from these forums. I am back to give you a LINX update 5 years out.
Some info first
Some things have happened since then
- Post Linx 24 hr pH study noted normal acid exposure but I still felt heartburn, so it was put down to esophageal hypersensitivity
- I tried to get off of PPIs in 2013 and basically failed. My breathing never showed sustainable improvement either
- Had one ER visit in 2015 when I was attempting to eat soy seeds (can't recall exactly). Settled down after 1 day. Abdomen CT scan revealed LINX in place, no migration
- Sometime in 2015 (can't recall exactly), I resolved to get off of PPIs. I think I quit them cold turkey. As expected, there was some heartburn initially but after some time, I stopped having heartburn.
The current situation, December 2017:
- I haven't had heartburn for years and I try to take Carafate when required (rarely required, generally speaking)
- Still reflux a little bit, the throat can feel a little sore some times
- Linx has basically worked for reflux and not for breathing
- I'd recommend Linx without reservation
- I am not sure yet, but there may be a slight increase in flatulence
- I've gained weight from eating normally/in-excess
- I know that I reflux a little bit more at night and using CPAP prevents that reflux
- I have discovered that my breathing issues and sleep apnea are VERY LIKELY due to under-developed jaws. I STRONGLY encourage everyone with breathing and GERD issues to go to a qualified Orthodontist or Dentist who specializes in airways and get a CBCT scan. My results are indisputable - I have 1/4th the minimum cross section area of the airway as normal when standing up and 1/2 to 1/3 normal airway volumes. I have severely crowded and narrow upper jaw. When the airway is constricted like that, one feels like "breathing through a straw" and as my experiments with CPAP show, airway constriction can bring reflux.
- I am attempting to move to the new Linx device so I can get 1.5T MRI. My device is only good for 0.7T and I need MRI ability for other conditions.
If you have any questions, let me know. I will try to answer them below - once again, I am sorry for disappearing; I was a little disappointed with Linx for the first year or two, but stubbornly going off of PPIs was useful as paradoxical as it may sound. If you have a history of long term PPI usage, keep in mind that esophageal hypersensitivity might come into play when you go off of them.
EDIT: It seems I had a similar experience to kdawg:
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=3526682&g=3532047#m3532047Post Edited (gerd_hater) : 12/3/2017 1:39:01 PM (GMT-7)