Hi, Just a quick question although I may have asked this some time ago.
If I ask my gp to refer me to ENT for a Throat scope (I think that is what it is called) Will I have to attend the ENT clinic first then get them to make the appointment for the scope or can my gp send me straight for the scope. I think I have LPR and am worried about my voice amongst other things and would like to know one way or the other although I suffer from anxiety and am frightened of hospital and tests. I am in Greater London.
Thanks.
Hi Libralady, I've done the same and have an ENT appt in2weeks. I don't know if London is different but up here in the North when I last had a similar appt he did the scope during the first meeting. It's a very quick and straight forward procedure not like an endoscopy.
Hello libralady
You have two options: go to your nhs gp and he can refer you to an ENT doctor and he will scope you. Depending - waiting time could be six week. Or you can call up a private ENT directly and get an appointment with him / her. Waiting time - probably a couple of days from calling.
I had both an nhs scope and private scope. Both procedures are the same but with the private one the doctor took more time and explained everything whereas the nhs doctor was curt and rude. I nearly complained ...
Love
Elle x
Beg your pardon but if you are frightened of
Hospitals and test perhaps you should go and see a private ent. I went to one and it was not in a hospital setting so was less "traumatic". Sorry but I found the nhs way like a cold meat production line. But maybe because I am in greater London and my hospital was full to the brim. 😒
Thank you both Julie and Elle for your replies. I am seeing my GP tomorrow, It will be NHS we are pensioners and can't really afford private.
It usually takes around amonth for any hospital appointment to come through. It took me months to get an orthopaedic appoinment as they changed the hospital and sent me to the wrong clinic. My husband took 6 months messing about with appoinments just to get new hearing aids.
Thanks again for the information.
I really hope you get a scope soon. I have been suffering from lpr for over two years. I just have constant phlegm in my throat and there is nothing the ppi can do 😒 i hope you get a speedy recovery. 😘😘😘😘😘
May I ask what hospital you went to and how much you paid for a private procedure. I have to have some dental work done soon so have been saving up for that as the dentist wants to do it privately. If you would rather not say the name of the hospital you can send me a private message. I did have to see an ENT doctor a few years back for another matter and I agree the doctor was very curt and said just have a sinus scan which I eventually did and it was normal. He did not seem to have the time to answer my questions or listen to my symptoms. I think this may have been the start of my current problems although I can't be sure.
Hi Elle, have you had a formal diagnosis of LPR at the hospital? Although GP's haven't much knowledge of it I think hospital consultants now diagnose it don't they? Elle how do you treat your condition? Diet or natural remedies?
Sorry our messages keep crossing. I too have the throat phlegm and ppi's did nothing except upset my IBS causing constipation and stomach cramps.
I have been off them for around 2 months. As you have had LPR for 2 years what did the ent doctor suggest regarding diet etc. I know from what I read here that they seems to know next to nothing about this horrible condition.
Hello Julie and libralady.
I went to see a gastroenterologist and I explained my symptoms and he said it sounded like lpr. I also had a endoscopy where the camera goes into the tummy. They found nothing 😒
I had a camera in throat where the ent doctor said it was "inflamed" and indicative of lpr.
I have taken many ppi over the years and nothing had worked. I now "live" with it 😞. Sad because nothing seems to make it better. Stress does make it worse... So I try to relax. Better said than done.
I hope you had better results than medicine. I do not get the burning sensation that other sufferers get but I just have a constant feeling of phlegm on the throat. The nhs doctor said there was "nothing" there. No phlegm. The whole thing makes me sad.
Hi Elle, this is all so new to me. Until recently I'd never heard of LPR. My gastro surgeon has never mentioned it either. I've experienced a coated tongue in the past which goes when I stop eating chocolate, dairy and take probiotics. I have a basic understanding because I'm a trained nurse but this is a tricky condition to sort out but I'm sure that people do get a handle on it.
I had my scope done on the NHS and the doctor told me I had LPR, he couldn' wait to get me out of the door. I wanted to ask him questions, but he just didn,t have time and I waited 8 weeks for my appointment.
Exactly. It makes me sad when I hear this. We try to do what we can. Change diet, eat well, read and research - take vitimins etc. Do what we can and sometimes to no avail. And then we think we go and see an ENT and get some reassurance but it just leaves an even more disgusting taste in the mouth.
The nhs saddens me sometimes.
I am not rich but I did scrape the money ( well I just use a bit of my wages) and lived frugally for a month and when I went to see the ent privately. She was vvv patient and answered all my questions. Although she could not fix me however she psychological have me reassurance that I was not going to die etc etc.
What are your symptoms by the way ?
Elle x
My symptoms started 10 months ago with severe breathing problems and cough, it then progress to throat inflammation and now I have nasal drip and ear ache and also trouble swallowing. Its just not ending. Took different ppi's to no avail, always eaten healthy and healthy weight, I excercise regularly and I still get struck with LPR.
Forgot to ask when I sent you the private reply. When you saw the ENT privately you said she answered all your questions but could not fix you.
Can you tell me what she said did she offer any explanation why there was nothing that could be done or suggest anything you could do. As said before I cannot and will not take any more PPI's because of the side effects. I am trying with diet and I think it was eating a small amount of chocolate over Christmas that put me back together with an awful cold urinary infection and the dreaded antibiotics. I am just so sick of it all.
To Elle and Julie who kindly replied to my postings a couple of months ago. At long last I have an ENT app on 16th March, not expecting a lot after hearing what others have said about ENT consultants being very curt etc. On the good side my throat problems are very much better, singing voice is fine now so I have gone back to choir. I am not really following a diet except for alkaline water and not as much of that as before. My main problems are excess mucus first thing on wakingand after sneezing. Usually lasts around 30mins. I have had a l lot of other problems to contend with so maybe not thinking about it has helped.
Anyway will see what the ENT man/or woman has to say. I think my sinuses are definitely involved though. Hope you are both ok.
Hi Libralady, how have you helped your throat? Out of interest do you take probiotics?
Hi, Firstly I do drink yakult, but I don't take any probiotics in tablet form.
I am not sure what to say about my throat. I did at first change my diet a bit but not drastically, just more fruit and veg, smaller portions cut down on tea and did not eat chocolate for a while. I also drank alkaline water, still do but not as much. I do still notice that chocolate causes mucus. I think this is very common so I don;t have much. Two weeks before Christmas I had a bad cold and then a urinary infection, and I had to take antibiotics which upset my stomach (ibs).
I did have a return of the symptoms just after Christmas, I think it was a combination of the cold and eating goodies at Christmas. Since then it seems to have settled down again. I asked for the ENT referral on 6 th Jan as I was worried about my voice and damage to the vocal chords. There was a mix over the app but as I mentioned I am going to ENT on 16th of this month. I have managed to lose 1 stone, still more to go. Did I mention about coming off omeprazole? I came off end of October and it took weeks to get it out of my system
Now I hardly ever have indigestion and my IBS is not causing any trouble. The only thing I can think of is stress. Although I still have anxiety, over Christmas and New year I had family stay and I was much more relaxed, so perhaps in my case stress exacerbates the lpr if that is what I have got. Sorry I can't be more helpful. How are you doing now?
So lovely to hear how well you're doing. When I went to the ENT specialist he didn't think that I had LPR. My sore throat is linked to reflux. I'm trying probiotics and thinking about trying acupuncture to see if that might help! Good luck with your appointment. Keep me posted. xx