I don't want to seem like a "know it all" and certainly not but I have had this chronic LPR crap for 10 yrs. I believe mine started after my divorce and I do know stress and anxiety can cause any illness. I had ALL of the symptoms that different one's have written about since I was first diagnosed GERD. Which, by the way took a long time since I didn't have typical symptoms in the beginning. I did have gastritis, Bacteria H, esophogitis and Dr. said my stomach was trashed pretty bad. I really thought I was going to die. Started with Previcid, Reglan and Carafate. Hated the Reglan but I did get better....Except for the throat problems. I've been to the best Dr's in the area, have had at least 5 scopes, 24 hr Ph test, countless scopes to my vocal cords BUT only 1 motility test and I swore never again. I've taken every med there is, took speech, didn't eat for 4 hrs before going to bed, raised my bed, I could go on and on. This is the best board I've found for LPR patients. I could reply to every post written but don't unless no reply (hate that for people). I've gone back to eating what I want because it didn't matter anyway. I have better days than others but have not gone a day since 1997 without symptoms of some type. I take 2 Nexiums a day just because I'm scared of cancer. My voice even on good days has never been the same. I would be glad to help anyone that has this problem that consumes my life and most interested in every post there is on LPR. Please, please if someone comes up with new information or whatever, let the rest of us know.

Charla

The reason I'm writing this is that I am soo glad to have found a board like this and I've stayed on the internet at least 4 hrs a day, almost every day, reading and learning about LPR, which took a long time to finally get the right diagnose. It's different from GERD and as Yankee Rose, I'm lucky enough to have both.

Hey Charla,

I read one of your post about how you have tried everything for LPR with no success. I thought for a second, hey, this is me. If I didn't know better I could of written that post. Love this sight, finally people who know what it feels like to have Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR).

This nasty LPR has been hanging around me for nearly 7 years or better. I can remember my voice going, going, gone and then a gastro Dr. said I had silent acid reflux. He never told me I had LPR as I kept on complaining that I do not have any sytoms at all. I stayed with that doctor for about 6 years or so until I lost my voice again.

This time we had moved so I had a new family doctor and he was the one who said I had LPR.. who would of thought a internal doctor who got it right. He explained that sometimes, acidic stomach contents will reflux all the way up to the esophagus, past the ring of muscle at the top (upper esophageal sphincter or UES), and into the throat. When this happens, acidic material contacts the sensitive tissue at back of the throat and even the back of the nasal airway. This is known as laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR.
Currently, there is no good standardized test to identify LPR.

I was now armed with some basic knowledge of what it was that was the plague to me. The doctor change my protonix to some other kind of med. and it work as far as lump in my thoart feeling not so big. However after 2 weeks I started throwing up, the meds. didn't work as well. It was that time I was seeing the ENT doc. and he put me on prevaicd. I hack up so many hockers, spit or whatever you want to call it that I swear I had sinsus problems.

Although I will save everyone from the details of my medical history I can say that it is my opionion that radiation treatment I had 20 years ago did have some play in it. I can only remember having the problem after a very stressful time in my marriage. That is when I seem to of gone down hill, so I am the one to experience firsthand the downfalls of getting illness from stress. I also aquired a left vocal cord paralizes. It is said to be radiation damage but in my opinion radiation could of weakened it and then the stress of me yelling and getting LPR made it give out.

So like you Charla I have tried all the above and the only thing left is surgery. Right now I am taking 4 things for LPR, prevacid 2 x , reglan, carafate 2 x and malox. The carafate did help with the lump feeling some but when I take this one pain medication then all the refulx meds do not work. I can not list all of my health issues on my fingers and toes, there are too many. I know for a fact that most of it is from radiation and some of it is herditery.

I ask one of the nursed in the doctors office of the ENT if she knew anyone who had the surgery to fix the stomach flap - surgical intervention such as a fundoplication. She said she has heard from the people who has had it done that it works.

I am always *throat clearing. I have very little *chronic throat irritation. I do have a *chronic cough only when after I eat then I go crazy hacking and coughing sometimes choking. I do get *hoarseness from time to time espesically if I talk a lot. *Excessive phlegm in the throat is always and the *dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is a pain in the butt. Not to mention the *constant sensation of something in the throat which bugs me the most.
*Swallowed food does not come back up like with most people but it does get stuck and I have to drink plenty of water. I sometimes have *post nasal drainage but just occasionally and I do have some slight alleriges. Funny speaking of allergies I took 2 shots a week for allergy to dust mites and it seems to make my voice worse. One month I was busy packing to move I didn't get a chance to get my shots and everyone noticed my voice was better.. so I didn't take them any longer. However I still have a *weak voice, *cracking voice and one nasal always seems to get clogged when I lay down or sometimes sit *Blockage of the breathing passage
Spasm of the larynx (voice box) I can't tell since I only have one working vocal cord. Wheezing is at a minimal and I have no heartburn unless I have hacked so much to clear my thorat that I have aggravated the esophagus.

I am thinking on have the surgery to prevent reflux.
Surgery to tighten the junction between the stomach and esophagus. The surgery most commonly done is called the Nissen Fundoplication. It tightens the junction between the stomach and esophagus by wrapping the top part of the stomach around the junction between the stomach and esophagus and sewing it in place.

Has anyone had this type of surgery? According to all I have read we all basically have common problems and have tried everything under the sun. I hope someone can enlighted me with some good news for this type of surgery.

This is my first post so sorry for being sooooooooo long and thanks for those who took the time to read it. Have a Blessed Day!

Pam ;)