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How long for reflux to manifest as sore throat?

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 7/6/2019 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I've had recurring sinusitus/sore throat for the past two years, to the point I'm symptomatic over 50% of the time. I suspected GERD, tried some basic treatment options (Ranitidine and Gaviscon) with no effect. Though reading the material it can be a lot trickier, and take longer to treat, than a week long experimental treatment regime. Recently visited the doctor with a killer sore throat expecting to be prescribed antibiotics (in the past, sore throats of this magnitude had 100% of the time resulted in prescription of antibiotics), only to find no signs of infection. Doctor suspected GERD, the prescribed PPI's helped alleviate the worst of the symptoms, but my throat remained pretty sore throughout the entire 2 week course.

After that I observed an odd outcome. I was a good boy, and stayed off the alcohol during treatment period. I'm not a big drinker, but it was a friends birthday and I went on a bit of a bender, drinking only vodka/orange. This was about a week after I'd stopped taking PPI's (with no noticeable changes). Had a mild sore throat as usual that day (usually wake up with a sore throat, which eases/sometimes clears by evening). The next day, Saturday, a mild hangover, but strangely not much in the way of a sore throat. Sunday, I felt perfect, the best I had felt in months. That was short lived, as Monday, back to usual mild sore throat (a bit dry, feeling of something stuck in the back of the throat).

So my question is this - if alcohol aggravates GERD, would I normally expect to feel the wrath of my poor decisions the day after drinking (and definitely not feel better two days after?). If you have acid reflux into the throat, I'm under the impression the resulting effects/inflammation would typically be felt within 12 hours or less. Does that sound about right, or can it take a good few days for the damage to be felt?

Just a few short weeks later, I had a killer episode of food poisoning. Regular vomiting and could not eat for two days. Curiously, throat felt great. As soon as I was able to eat a proper meal again, bam, next morning sore throat is back. It struck me as a little odd, that vomiting itself didn't cause a sore throat. Could this just be, when I experience reflux, it's happening at a much higher frequency, causing more damage? I've also noticed the day after gym visits, my symptoms are typically worse - which makes sense to me as I do a lot of abdominal exercises which could trigger reflux.

Anyway would love to hear peoples thoughts on how long GERD symptoms take to manifest. I rarely feel acid reflux as it happens, maybe once in a few weeks I'll feel something come up and have to swallow. I'm trying to nail down the cause as far as possible. I'm on a more aggressive regime of Gaviscon and low acid diet for the time being. I haven't ruled out post nasal drip or sleeping with my mouth open (I have the device for keeping mouth closed, but it makes it difficult to sleep).

Thanks!
Posted 7/6/2019 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
Something unrelated, but I've been treating sinusitis (for about 9 months), using Lactobacillus Sakei supplements, and continue with this treatment regime today. Previously I would have sore throat and lots of sinus problems (and a whole lot more phlegm). I think the L. Sakei has helped resolve the sinus problems, as today instead of that double whammy, I just have the sore throat - while my sinuses feel fine. In particular, if I were to breath deeply through the sinuses, in the past I would feel vibration/wheezing in the sinuses (from the build up of phlegm restricting the flow of air). That has gone now. Incidentally, it may also be the reason during that doctor visit, there were no signs of infection (perhaps in the past, an aggravated membrane frequently led to infection?). Anyway just anecdotal results, I've been trying all sorts of adjustments, making it hard to nail down any one change.
Posted 7/8/2019 11:54 AM (GMT 0)
Lee1212:

How were you diagnosed with GERD, did you have an endoscopy? If not, that's where you should start. I'm not sure that you can put a timeline that corresponds with eating/drinking issues and symptoms. And in my experience, two weeks isn't a lot of time for medication to take effect. Keep a food diary, and try and pinpoint your trigger foods. It can be something as simple as food intolerance. If alcohol seems to be a trigger, stop drinking. Follow a GERD-friendly diet. There are a lot of suggestions that are pinned to the top of the Forum.

Sharon
Posted 7/8/2019 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Sharon,

I rarely if ever experience the sensation of reflux as it happens, only a sore throat (almost always in the morning). That's why I wanted to try and confirm if a sore throat from GERD usually has a pretty rapid onset (6-18 hours), otherwise it could make it tricky to pin down trigger foods/conditions, if sometimes it can take 24hrs to feel symptoms. I figure pepsin might have more of a delayed impact than the acid exposure. I'm a candidate for sleep apnea as well, rarely feeling well rested when I wake up, so I'm starting to monitor that as well.

I haven't had a confirmed diagnosis of GERD, doctors just kept prescribing antibiotics whenever I went in with a sore throat (as they saw signs of bacterial infection). The antibiotics did work to swiftly clear up the pain, only to have low level symptoms return a few weeks later (I would only visit the doctor when pain was severe). I had multiple nasal endoscopies with my third doctor (finding infection), but when I asked what can I do to stop this recurring, since I can't chow down antibiotics every month or two, he didn't offer any suggestions (which in retrospect is very disappointing). He only offered up a nasal rinse.

Anyway the next doctor was the first to see no signs of infection, just inflammation, so suspected GERD, but no detailed examination. The next time a severe sore throat strikes, I plan to visit the doc and get a proper throat endoscopy to try and confirm, and/or throat PH monitoring.. and check for Pylori. I'll start logging my meals as well, though my diet is pretty stable (rotate through the same cycle of meals from week to week), while one week is symptom free, then randomly a severe sore throat will strike.
Posted 7/9/2019 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
Good Luck, Lee!
Posted 8/3/2019 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
To diagnose it see an ENT who can look into your throat and see the damage coming from your esophagus. The tell tell signs are redness and swelling near that area. The reflux symptoms in my throat are pretty immediate. In your case you may be having episodes at night while sleeping. A wedge pillow might help you. Keep taking a PPI.
Posted 8/28/2019 8:22 AM (GMT 0)
Just an update. I suspended PPIs for two weeks so I could get checked for Heliobactor when next visiting the ENT. During this time I also stopped taking an oral probiotic (combination Lactobacillus Salvarius, Reuteri and Paracesei), and the morning soreness went away within two days. So high confidence this was the cause (though I did start taking digestive enzymes at the same time, so can't rule that out), but will be doing follow up checks to make sure. In future I will be more careful when starting new probiotics, as I didn't expect this outcome at all.

The reason I was trying this probiotic in the first place, was spurred from success of Lactobacillus Sakei supplements, which largely resolved my recurring sinusitus issues, but only had a limited impact on sore throats.
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