A Long Journey with LPR

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)

For more than 40 years I’ve been plagued by post-nasal drip, throat-clearing, coughing, belching and sinusitis. I’m 64 years old.

I’ve lived with regular expressions of disgust from family, members of the public and colleagues. I’ve been asked, ‘Do you have a cold?’ more often than the Iceman.

38 years ago I had chronic tonsillitis, so they were removed, as were my adenoids and appendix. My nose cavity was surgically enlarged at the same time, which was broken falling off a cupboard when I was 2 and untreated.

It took a few years to learn to eat less, which helped reduce the heartburn and belching, but the post nasal drip and coughing continued.

I tried going off dairy products and becoming vegetarian. That didn’t work.

Later, I got myself tested for food allergies and tried avoiding things like gluten. That didn’t help much.

Thinking the post-nasal drip was an immuno-deficiency problem, I watched my diet, fluids and exercise, which is why I’m so hot-looking at 64, lol.

Following this train of thought (and a 2-year bout of chronic fatigue syndrome – CFS), I saw naturopaths, chiropractors, homeopaths, acupuncturists and dieticians. I started taking some anti-aging supplements. I fasted and did cleansing diets. Some of it helped and I’ve learnt a lot and picked up some useful habits. But the sinusitis, post-nasal drip, throaty-clearing and coughing persisted.

An MRI discovered a Sliding Hiatus Hernia. A hernia is when organ tissue and/or muscle loses integrity and stretches excessively. In this case, the tissue connecting the lower esophageal sphincta and stomach to the diaphragm stretches. This causes two things; the stomach slides up into the lower-pressure area of the lung cavity and the sphincta doesn’t close properly, allowing acidic stomach fluid to seep up the esophagus. But no one associated that with my throat.

A few years ago I got a total dental revision done to remove mercury amalgams, and infected root canal teeth, followed by a year-long, rigorous cleansing diet. That helped a bit.

But more recently the problem has gotten worse. I would cough my way through the day. My neighbours knew I when I was out in the garden. People knew I was coming before they saw me. People’s heads would turn in public more often.

I had sinusitis more often. A good, temporary solution is a bowl of hot water and essential oils to soothe, clear and moisten the sinuses with steam – use a towel over your head. But that’s only temporary relief.

I had more allergy tests and found a strong reaction that irritates my nose and sinuses. So now I am vigilant about cleaning, vacuuming and refreshing linen.

Finally I decided to take two courses of antibiotics to get rid of the sinusitis. With them cleared, I could eliminate it as a cause of the post nasal drip, throat-clearing and coughing, which lingered.

In the end, I have self-diagnosed the problem correctly, despite all these years of consulting doctors and natural therapists. It’s laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), a type of GERD (gastroeosophagael reflux disease), caused by the hiatus hernia allowing gastric fluids to creep up the esophagus without any noticeable heartburn and irritating the throat region. Untreated, it can lead to Barret’s Disease and cancer of the esophagus. By the way, I also self-cured the CFS 25 years ago.

LPR is not easily diagnosed because there a numerous other conditions that can cause the same symptoms. They have to be eliminated first.

Sliding hiatus hernia is not uncommon, as is post-nasal drip. Mine is congenital – my brother and mother did, too.

Lesson of the story? Care about yourself. Do your own research. Use your intuition and intelligence. Utilize the medical professions but don’t rely on them.

The treatment for LPR is usually a life-long prescription of PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) that reduce the mix of acidic fluid in the stomach. Now why would I want to interfere with what my beautiful stomach is doing a good job of producing, to break down food? You see? Traditional Western medicine is so lineal and logical, that it focuses on solving one problem, while causing another one! My doctor conceded this; that it changes the balance of chemicals and vitamins in the intestinal system and that there are side-effects, but only, I suspect, because I pointed out the conundrum. PPIs are not a long-term solution.

Antireflux surgery is another option. This involves key-hole fundoplication surgery, a “technique that re-creates lower esophageal sphincter pressure by wrapping your stomach’s fundus (the upper part of your stomach that bulges around your esophagus) around your esophagusto”. I was advized it is not always successful or long-term, either.

I went to a great health food shop called GoVita (yeah, I don’t mind giving them a plug) where a young woman with obvious, encyclopaedic knowledge, recommended enzymes tablets to help digestion when reflux occurs. She was all over it. I found another solution online – licorice root. Taken as tea (not expensive) or chewable tablets so that it lingers around the throat and slowly makes its way down the esophagus all the while soothing and calming it. This seems to be helping.

I have settled on life-style solutions. Meat and vegetables cause the least problems. Processed foods are worse. I fast for 24 hours once a week, giving my digestive system a chance to rest and go dormant. Anti-histamines help reduce sinus irritations and infection. A half teaspoon of turmeric a day reduces inflammation. A prune a day helps bowel function. Eating big in the morning and little at night helps get a restful night. A drowsy antihistamine, a nose band and a head strap to keep my mouth shut guarantees a good sleep.

If you’ve got this problem, I hope this story helps you find a solution.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngopharyngeal_reflux