Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Problems

[bserchuk]

Hope someone can shed some enlightenment. I have been having this problems flor over 18 months and it is debilitating.

I woke up choking and aspirating what seemed like tons of mucous and phlegm into my throat. I went to an ENT doctor who thought it might be a deviated septum problem. I had the surgery and it did not help. I kept getting the problem and was sent to an allergist. All the tests were performed (nothing of consequence), and medication given to me. Again, no relief. I was sent to a GI doctor who put me on nexium once a day with no relief. I was given a Bravo PH test and was told I had severe reflux. I was scheduled for surgery but the doctor refused to perform the surgery until I had the 24 hour double probe. I had two of these probes performed. Everything came back negative, and the surgery was cancellledd. According to the doctor who performed the 24 hour probe, the docotrs who performed the BRAVO were incompetent. I wa ssent to a voice specialist who performed an EMG on my throat. Negative. Through all this I have continued to choke up what seems like tons of mucous from my throat approximately 3000 times an hour. (The mucous never comes up so thatg I can see it, I just feel it) I was then put on double dosings of nexium (40 mg 2 x day) for the past 2 1/2 months. Nada. A friend who went for a nissen fundoplication recocmmended I see her surgeon. He sent me to another ENT who is going to perform a FEEST study. I keep coughing up this garbage into my throat. I have also seen a pulmonary doctor who does not see anything. Any insights?

[National Jewish]

From what you have described, this is more likely to be coming from the upper airways than from your GI tract.  A simple test might be to take prednisone for a week.  If this works, then it is unlikely this has anything related to your stomach and is more likely due to the upper airways.  Because this is not an allergic reaction, does not mean there is nothing that can be done.  I would continue to speak with your doctors or consider calling us here at LUNG LINE

[Inanga]

i had a similar problem with masses of mucous. I went for years coughing for no explainable reason. GPs were stumped. Causes me chest pains that were investigated with xrays etc. To keep it short I discovered that food allergies triggered all this mucous from my sinuses. Wheat, gluten and soy are the ones I know about. The scratch tests and blood tests were negative but my my experince indicates these foods are the problem. If I avoid them I'm fine. If I eat anything with them I cough and have mots of mucous withing a minute. The time the mucous lasts is dependent on the volume of the allergen I've eaten. One bite of one biscuit might last 5 minutes. One dinner of wheat based pasta might last 8 hours (another night without sleep from choking on mucous). Avoidance is working great for me. I wonder if you might have something similar? There seem to be many people out there with allergies to these but my symoptoms (mucous and upset digestion) are only 2 of many symptoms. I spent literally YEARS trying to get an answer from doctors. Only discovered the cause by accident after talking to someone else with a wheat problem. I discovered the soy thing with experimentation. best of luck!