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burning throat pain

For the past 7 months, I have experienced a variety of throat and esophageal pains and a feeling of a lump in the throat.  It started off as a feeling of something in my throat and has graduated to a burning, stabbing, piercing pain in my throat and esophagus.  The only time I don't experience this pain is when I'm eating and lying down/sleeping.  I have had my throat scoped by 2 ENTS, had 2 endoscopy procedures, an impedence pH procedure (24 hour), a swallowing test, bloodwork, my throat dilated and am having an MRI of the neck and throat today.  All of these tests came back showing I had a clean bill of health (no anemia, NERD, GERD, thyroid problems, tumors, etc.)  I have been to a total of 10 doctors and NO ONE knows what this is.  The pain is so severe that I went to the ER last night and they prescribed Percoset (sp?) which made me wired instead of tired.  It has been suggested that I go to Mayo but no one knows who I should go see.  It take prescriptions for anxiety/depression and a couple of the doctors said that I needed to alter my meds, which we have tried and tried and tried and none of it has given me ANY relief.  This all started after I started taking Cymbalta in March because my old antidepressant was no longer working.  In the past month, my doctor has gradually weaned me off of the Cymbalta and my throat felt better (but not gone) for 2 days and now the pain is right back where it was before.  I am desperate for any help!!
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Avatar universal
Run don't walk to call your Dr and request a Vitamin D lab test.  I had severe LPR and the Drs gave up on me after two years and said I had to learn to live with severe throat pain and they would not approve a referral to a outside research hospital.  They said they couldn't figure out what I had.  I knew by this time, after two years of privately studying what was wrong with me, that my esophogeal muscles were "limp" and not closing off the stomach.  I went on the web and asked what strengthens muscles and up popped some articles on Vit D.  I researched what type of Vit D3 was the best to take and found that Vit D3 drops are the best.  I immediately ordered a D lab test.  I was told that a score of 25 was ok.  I found that to be inaccurate.  I aimed for a score of 65 and test every 3 months.  Its been one year I've been on Vit D3 drops and I have slowly but steadily improved.  I have not plateaued.  And because I feel that I continue to improve, I will push on and try to get my D score to 80, which is high normal.

Taking Vit D3 and getting 20 minutes of sun a day, when I can, has made the world of difference for me. Simple inexpensive Vitamin D3 drops got me better and all the PPIs and surgery did nothing for me except make me 10x worse.  Amazing for me to realize that I did more for myself than my Drs did.  It was a horrible experience as my Drs were indifferent and put me through hell.  Often times they were angry with me when I described my symptoms and told me that what I felt was impossible.  Toward the latter part of the 26 months of hell, I also developed other symptoms, I couldn't lift my arms, my bones hurt, I developed incontinence...all of these symtoms disappeared the moment I started Vit D3.

Look up the latitude you live in.  If it is at or above the 37th latitude the suns rays do not make enough D on your skin...you must supplement.  And if you are inside most of the time, in front of computers and TV and all covered up with clothes you aren't getting enough sun rays to keep you healthy.  LPR/Burning throat/silent acid reflux is only one illness that can be caused by low D levels.  From what I have read low D causes so many illnesses the list is too long to write.  It is stunning how little our Drs know about the basic need of our bodies to have high enough levels of D.  Before I requested my D level lab work, I have never ever had any of my Drs do a Vit D lab test on me.  A very important piece of good health for a life time is high enough Vit D levels.  All I can say is its a crying shame so many people suffer of serious illnesses caused by low levels of Vit D.  I've read that some research Drs speculate that if populations had high enough levels of Vit D it would reduce, world wide, illness of all kinds by 60-70 percent.  All the fund raising and walk-a-thons are such a waste of time when something so simple and inexpensive as Vit D could been given to populations around the world, who are so desperately low in this important hormone. Get your family tested and encourage your friends to test.
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Avatar universal
Yes, I think the burning may have something to due with thyroid and the nerves.  I'm in intense burning pain in my throat, esophagus and the back of my neck.  I've had severe thyroiditis the past 5 years and I think it damages the nerves.  I've been since by many differnt doctors and specialists and no one has found anything to cause this.  I'm on thyroid T4 and T3.  I started them this year and I think the pain has increased on them so I'm thinking this is thyroid related.
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Avatar universal
I'm now going thru the same symptoms. I had an endoscopy procedure and after that my life is been miserable. I beleive that it has to do with damage to a nerve I, have been readin some info on irritable larynx syndrome and saw info on central hypersensitivioty disorder which led me to the possible damage to a central nerve.
Hope this helps
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Avatar universal
I had these same symptoms many years ago and eventually lost my voice completely.  Please go to an ENT specializing in Laryngopharyngeal Reflux.  This doesn't show up on normal pH monitoring (because even normal pH can cause damage to vocal cords).  Have the ENT look at your vocal cords with a laryngoscope and make sure that you don't have any granulomas present (these can cause pain, tighness, globus sensation, etc.).  I've been on high-dose Proton pump inhibitors for the past 12 years for this and it's well managed, but I remember how awful it was at the time.  Good Luck!

http://heartburn.about.com/od/gastrictractdisorders/a/whatis_LPR.htm
Helpful - 0
500238 tn?1255131214
Insist that your doctor test your Vitamin levels, especially your Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Ferritin levels (not just hematocrit or hemoglobin because Ferritin is the best test for iron deficiency).  These can cause your problems and should be checked.  Do not supplement without being tested because too much of these vitamins can be toxic, but I had similar symptoms as you and was extremely low on both Vitamin D and Ferritin which caused anemia.  I have just begun treatment so I do not know if it will clear but I am hopeful.  
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