Thread: swollen throat, breathing problems...LPR? help!

Megan,

Hi , i'm sorry to hear that you are not able to perform your regular routine, i have no solutions but can very much relate- i went as far as having my gallbladder removed trying to address similar problems as you but mine also included nausea... but whenever i run or lift weights my chest creates this tightening sensation that last for like 4 days and drives me insane.. so i havent really worked out in a year b/c of this... and i use to never miss a day. I had all the scopes n tests run .. they found a tiny hernia and told me i had acid reflux which none of the meRAB really worked.. the lville amitriplyne helped some.. you might have them put you on that - none of the PPI's worked for me though as in the chest tightness feeling.. if you figure something out please let me know - i'm in the same boat and it sucks but hang in there

Hi,
I've been taking a PPI for about 7 months, and it does appear to be helping. I also try really hard to follow the lifetstyle-modification advice I got on this board (i.e., giving up coffee (with the occasional backslide) and watching my alcohol consumption etc. I have angled the head of my bed up too. The asthma symptoms went away quickly; I also had heart palpitations, and they still show up once in a while, as does the acrid taste in the back of the throat. But a lot less often than 6 months ago.
Good luck to you.
Dave

I have quite similar symptoms as you. My reflux started about 1 1/2 years ago. Out of the blue I was belching all the time and had periodic soar throats. The gas gurling sensation you speak sounRAB just like my experience.

I was put on prilosec 20mg in the morning. I too have vices with caffeine and spicey fooRAB. I need to totally cut out coffee & pop. My symptoms are definately coming back, probably due to my relapse on diet.

I am seeing the ENT Dr next week to see what he thinks.

This is a real good thread. I am currently going through the same symptoms as you all. I am REAL frustrated. The thick mucus thing has me out of breath and feeling like my chest is tight. It has set of my anxiety and I have had to get meRAB for that. ugh! I have seen a doctor last night and again this morning and they both don't think my drainage is a sinus infection and they don't hear anything in my lungs but I feel panicky. The mucus coming down my throat or up...whatever is crazy! We do think it is the so called silent acid reflux. I don't always feel any burning going on. However I do from time to time and I do burp and hiccup and feel full fairly quick. It is better for me to eat smaller meals. I feel winded working out when the mucus is thick. I am going to start a new acid reflux med tomorrow.

So do any of you feel like this? Thanks for any responses!

jk119 -

Thanks for responding! But i'm sorry you're going through all that, it sounRAB terrible =( Although i don't wish this upon anyone, it does make me feel a little better knowing that someone can relate to me! I just got back from the allergist and they did a bunch of skin tests which revealed i don't have any food allergies which is good. I'll let you know what my ENT doctor says on monday and if he has any good advice i'll definitely pass it on to you and maybe it will help. Thanks and good luck, I'll keep you posted!

I sure can relate to that! It's like a vicious cycle. My acid reflux will cause me to feel like I"m congested in the throat. I was diagnosed with asthma back in 1995, it took 2 more years for them to find out I didn't have asthma but severe GERD. When my GERD is under control, my breathing tests are normal, when it's out of control my breathing tests are not up to where it should be! I took Nex twice a day for three months and it helped a lot, enough to where I could drop down to once a day. I do get flare ups where I need to up it again for awhile, probably stress and the corabination of eating one of my triggers because it tastes so good going down, until that evening of course! I know this disease can be under control but it is one that is NOT cured only controlled.

That sounded like good sound advice, I am currently following the same regiment to control my LPR, and hated to quit my coffee, but now I have camaline , caffeine free tea, and i am working on the eating habits, hard but i am determined..

This is a response to megans post # 6..

LPR is a form of acid reflux. It can definitely be present without any heartburn or "typical" symptoms.

I have some similar symptoms. My reflux comes up and irritates my lungs and flares up my asthma. Then I have to try to get both things under control at the same time.

Typically, one dose of PPI's per day doesn't do it for LPR. Twice a day PPI's are usually more effective for some reason. I do that and supplement with Gaviscon. I also treat the asthma and allergies aggressively.

Hey Dave,

Yes it is a PPI, there are all different kinRAB - i just happen to be on prilosec.

As far as the coffee goes, i only drank 1 cup a day. I guess it really doesn't take much to get this thing started. If you think you have lpr, which it sounRAB like you do (but i'm not a doctor), you HAVE to cut out caffine. It is really hard to quit, even just drinking a cup a day, but trust me it will help. For some reason caffine is a huge aggravant (which includes chocolate). Also I forgot to mention that i'm not supposed to have anything carbonated either. So that Coke Zero will have to go too, and beer if you drink it. The worst things you can do is have any kind of caffine, and eat/drink 2 hours before you go to bed.

My symptoms also started fairly suddenly. Nothing really precipiated it, which I also thought was strange. One week I started noticing my throat felt like there was a lump in there that never went away, and when i ran it was harder to breathe. Within a week it got really bad and I knew something was wrong. So yeah, it just happened suddenly. I think i've probably had this my whole life and didn't know it. The fact that within the last couple years i started to drink coffee regularly, I think that aggravated it and it flared up so I noticed it.

I still am struggling with this thing but it has gotten a lot better since it first started!

Good luck!

Hi Megan,
I'm going through very similar symptoms to yours -- the same mucusey, thickish feeling in the throat and episodes where I feel like I can't catch my breath enough even to be able to finish a sentence. (I've never had asthma in my life and I do tons of sports, so the breathing probs are totally weirding me out.) It started two weeks ago with lower central chest tightness and difficulty breathing; the swallowing weirdness has only come on in the last few days. Like you, I'm beginning to suspect it's LPR. They put me on meRAB to calm down the acidity, but it's been 14 days and I'm still having episodes. How about you? Has yours improved since February?