LPR/GERD? is making my throat hurt and have a horrible metallic taste in mouth!

Digestive health
1

I am a 22 year old female and am 5'4"ish and weigh about 110 pounds. I haven't been diagnosed with LPR for sure yet, but I went to the ENT last week because I had this horrible metallic taste in my mouth, which I found out because every time I smoked a cigarette, it would not taste good, and a horrible lump with mucus in my throat which I thought was being caused by severe allergies. My doctor did a test where they spray anesthetics in your nose and put a thin camera thing through your nose to the back of your throat. I did that, and he just said it looked a little inflamed, and told me that it was acid reflux and was caused by GERD and prescribed me to omeprazole and antibiotics. I didn't think it was that big of a deal and thought it would go away since my doctor didn't really seem worried, but it's been almost one week now and it hasn't seem to get better AT ALL. I have been googling stuff online about LPR and GERD and reading all these forums about how people have it for soo long and they do not get better quickly and that it takes time, and all that other "good" stuff. It is scaring me because I do not want it to last that long. Just like the rest of you, I literally have been up all night every night since the ENT visit, and it has been scaring me and worrying me like crazy. 

I take adderall almost every day, and usually do not eat that much, but recently I have been eating a lot more than usual, and have been tending to lie down right after I eat, and am stressed to the max, which is what I think triggered the LPR. Even though I haven't actually been diagnosed with LPR yet, from all the forums online that I have been reading, most likely, I am thinking it is LPR/GERD. I'm not for sure, but I feel like after my ENT visit, I realized that I have constant sore throat, and having trouble swallowing at times, and having trouble breathing sometimes as well. I am taking a lot of medication right now, and I am not sure if it's the side effects of all the different medication, but I just need you LPR sufferers' opinion. I am taking zyrtec (antihistamines), adderall, omeprazole, and antibiotics. And advil and constipation medicine occasionally (but haven't taken advil after the doctor's visit). 

My doctor suggested that I take the medication and put blocks under the head of my bed, but I feel like nothing is working. Also, 2 years ago, I went to the ER in South Korea, due to "over drinking", which caused horrible heartburn and back pain. And last year, I went to the ER here in Austin, because I had the same pain like I was having a heart attack, but both times, after seeing a gastroentologist, the heartburn pain went away within a week. Of course, I was very careful of what I ate, and barely took any medication. But this time, it is worrying me a lot more than usual. Every time I search online, it mostly says that you have to make a lifestyle change, but the past few times were GERD, I believe, and this time I feel like it is LPR. I rarely have heartburn. After taking medication however, I feel like my symptoms have gotten worse. Before I went to the ENT, it was just the metallic taste in my mouth, dry mouth, and mucus in my throat, but now it is all three, plus sore throat, headache, drowsiness, constipation, feeling of indigestion, heartburn occasionally, and a couple days ago, I had the "heart attack" feeling at night, but went away within a few minutes. I'm just so confused and am in dire, desperate need of help. I feel like after reading all the forums, doctors don't really care or think much of it, and it is worrying me and causing anxiety and depression. I feel like this will never go away, after researching, and feel like I will be depressed just waiting for the symptoms to go away. Please please please help me! The doctor is supposed to call me tomorrow with the results from the cotton swab test he did. He thinks it is just a sinus infection, and doesn't think much of it which makes me more mad! I feel like I am a crazy person, and I feel like everyone around me just thinks it's all in my head and I'm being crazy. Please anyone who has experience with LPR or whatever, give me some good news?

I've cut back on smoking, caffeine, fried/spicy food, and have been staying away from acidic foods, so other than what is obvious, please help me. I want this metallic taste, sore throat, and all this throat stuff to go away! POR FAVOR AYUDAME!

2

I'm just guessing here, but ta never know .....

I read that metallic taste can sometimes be to do with vitamin d and calcium supplements.

just in case you are taking ant-acids (many have calcium and stuff that *causes* acid I stomach. Ask me, I started taking calcium supplements and after a while got horrific stomach pain and acid reflux. It was the ant-acid effect of the calcium supplements.

stopping the supplements made it worse fir a few days, but sine one told me to drink a can of coca cola a day and the phosphoric acid in thar rebalanced my stomach. 

Now, vitamin d is related cause it has something to do with metal uptake by the body - but that's all I kniw, it's related.

all best, hope you get answer here. My advice us write everything down and keep records of stuff. 

3

I use to suffer with throat problems caused by reflux, I started the medication and now I no longer have any throat problems, yipee!! However, it doesn't stop overnight, it takes time for the medication to work and I have to take the medication every day to stop the symproms so you have to hang in there.

Lifestyle is also important. Even on the meds if I over eat, or eat certain foods it triggers the pain. I have to take extra lanzoprazole and wait for it to wear off. I don't eat just before going to bed, I have my bed up on bricks and 98% of the time life is good. I would never be able to mange my condition without the medication.

If you want to get really worried about something, then think about what smoking does to you, now that is very scary. I have watched people die with lung cancer and its not pleasant. Its very rare that reflux leads to conditions like that.

Hang in there, remember when you cut your finger and the pain doesn't go away instantly well reflux is like that, the body needs time to heal and the ppi is the fastest way to heal which is important to remember

4

I'm sorry you had to suffer through this too! It's horrifying and googling stuff has made me even more worried and anxious!!! 

How long did it take for the medicine to work for you? I know it varies on the person, but I just don't know when it will go away and worrying about it causes more stress and I don't want to be on medication forever! I am taking so many different medication, and the side effects are slowly KILLING ME I have been avoiding all the bad stuff, and have been doing literally almost all the things I'm supposed to, but how long do I have to do this? It depresses me to think about it not going away, and the throat pain and metal taste is killing me like crazy!

5

The weird thing is, I feel like my stomach pain due to acid reflux only just recently started AFTER I started taking omeprazole that my doctor prescribed me. But you're saying that the ant-acids in the omeprazole cause the stomach acid? That doesn't make sense though. Why would my doctor prescribe me omeprazole if it causes stomach acid? Hmm..

And did drinking a can of coca-cola help you ? I'm not a big soda drinker, but I do drink it occasionally when I feel like my body needs it. 

6

I can't remember how long it took before I started to feel better but it was definitely a few weeks.   I am on Lazoprozale and it has worked for me from day 1. there is an interesting report that it works better than omeprazole so it could be the ppi you are taking isn't working for you and you need another. Or your dose may not be enough. 15mg a day I have symptoms, 30mg I don't.  Some days I even need 45mg to keep it under control if the body decideds to generate too much acid. Maybe worth asking the dr about changing your dosage or ppi.

I find that life style is very important. I can't go long periods without eating even now so eating regularly is good. Fizzy drinks 1 is ok, 2 will set me off. I am on the meds for life and am VERY HAPPY to take them because I am pain free 99% of the time.

7

During those weeks before you got better, did you like absolutely not touch any acidic foods and stay away from all the bad stuff? I haven't had caffeine in 5 days now, and haven't had chocolate and try to stay away from spicy and fried foods, but my throat feels the same; constant sore throat feeling, metallic taste, trouble swallowing, sometimes trouble breathing, mucus feeling in throat, and lump-like feeling in throat that won't go away by swallowing. I haven't eaten before bed either lately. But I rarely have heartburn. It is literally the pain and taste that bothers me!

8

5 days is not long  in trying to repair the body. As I said before the dosage and ppi may be wrong especially if its giving you no relief. I get very little relief with a 15mg dose.  I don't get heartburn either which is why mine took so long to diagnose. What dose are you taking?

One tip is to take the PPI and then wait 30mins before eating. I take mine before breakfast.

9

I'm a very impatient person, and 5 days is not a long time in repairing the body, but to me it's a long time, which is why I'm getting so frustrated. I'm just freaking out because I've never had it before, and what I have been reading is scaring me. I've already been a little down and depressed just worrying about this all the time, but I'm trying not to make it stress me out more. I'm supposed to be getting a call from my ENT doctor today to see what the results are, so hopefully I will have an answer. 

And for omeprazole, I am currently prescribed 40mg once a day, but since yesterday, I have been taking it twice, which might not be a good idea either. I have been taking it 30-45 minutes before I eat, which is the what the doctor recommended but I'm really not sure if it has done anything. Should I ask him to prescribe me with lanzoprazole, since you said it's stronger? 

When and what did they diagnose you with how long after?

10

In my case my GP initially put me on an 8wk course of Lanzoprazole that was about 10 yrs ago. I can't remember how long it was before I noticed a difference, I guess a couple of weeks at least. Certainly by the end of the 8 week period I had been symptom free for a few weeks. I was then sent to a specialist who did an endscopy, confirmed I had reflux and put me on the medication for life as at that time the preference was to manage via meds rather than surgery.

The Lanzoprozole isnt stronger it just seems to work better for some people. I would guess you would need to keep taking your meds for at least a few weeks, but be careful uping the dose without medical advice. Initially I found if I took too much PPI it had some side effects. You just need to be patient and wait for it to work I am afraid. Even as I write this I am having a few twinges because I didn't eat a good lunch today.

If you really want to get worried about something readup what smoking does to your insides and the high cancer risk. Don't worry be happy.

11

I am saying that pills that reduce stomach acid, as they temporarily do, cause the stomach to make more acid later. Look up 'Acid rebound' and just read all the reports of just this.

Soda? NO, no - it's the phosphoric acid in coca cola that you need! Try one can early evening for a few days. 

12

hi,

i have suffered from from lpr since few months. Unfortunately, the more you stress, the worse it gets! I was so stressed out initially that I made myself worse and that lead to gastritis as well. After 3 months on PPI I can say that I am 90% recovered.  Most of my symptoms have become manageable. I used to have lump in throat but once you stop stressing out, it will go away most likely. I don't have it anymore and I know it can be horrible. Now my doc had asked me to wean off the PPI slowly and take Zantac for few more days, am not cured completely, but it's not as bad as it looks. Just take your mess, follow the diet an try not to be stressed. The day I accepted my condition and stopped stressing out, I started getting better, hope it helps. Take care!

13

I haven't actually been diagnosed with it yet, and the ENT that I went to didn't really do anything. I realize he wasn't even a real doctor, just a practitionist or whatever. But I did go to a regular primary care doctor and he told me that he doesn't think it's LPR, but the hypothyroidism and a lot of other small health problems I'm having, and mostly stress. I know I need to stop being stressed but it's not as easy as it sounds. It seems that my whole body ends up having a lot of problems when I get stressed, so I'm trying to be positive and not worry about things. I felt like I was in hell for the past week, but I feel like maybe the symptoms have been getting slightly better. The lump in my throat and the mucus still seem to be there with the slight metallic taste, but I did some bloodwork and I'm getting a full check up this coming Monday, so hopefully I'll get a definite answer.

14

Hi Minnapajama

I am experiencing exactly the same problem and symptoms as you.  It is by far the worst thing I have experienced health wise in my life and wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Doctors and Hospitals don't listen, in fact the Gastroenterologist I went to see didn't even acknwowledge that acid reflux can cause breathing and throat problems, he looked at me like I was from a different planet!  There has been so much written about LPR connected to acid reflux, there are 1,000,000s of forums on internet with people who have the same problems as we do.   I have bought so many vitamins, supplements, books and tried so many things I have lost count and spent a lot of money.  I am trying to follow the Jamie Koufman diet book, but it is difficult and it only helps a little.  I have been on and off the proton pump inhibitors for a few months now, they have very little effect on LPR because it is the peptin in the acid that causes the throat problem, the pepsin gets inside the membranes of your throat, then even the smallest amount of acid in the food we eat sets the pepsin to activate again.  I am worried about the long term effects of PPIs because of vitamin deficiency and also because we do need acid to digest food.  There are a lot of forums that say it is because we don't have enough acid not too much but there is a lot of opinion either way.  The PPIs give me very bad heart flutters, so much I have ended up in A&E thinking I was having heart attack.  Normal acid reflux (GERD or GORD) effects the Osephegus and cause eventually cause Barretts but worst still is when it effects the throat, Larynx etc. because this is much more dificult to deal with.  This problem is an epidemic now and Doctors do not seem to be able to agree on solutions.  I think most of them are just feeding the Pharmaecuetical companies by dishing out PPIs to everyone without doing enough tests.  I was tested positive for H Pylori last November but had never had any acid reflux at all untli the day after my endoscopy, then immediately I have reflux, I am convinced the endoscopy which is forced down the food pipe effects the LES (lower esephegul scphincer) which allows food/acid back into the throat.  I don't get heartburn just the LPR symptoms in throat with the most awful constant metal taste in my mouth.  It is extremely depressing and stops me socialising, sleeping,eating properly and don't know when this nightmare will ever end. I didn't have a bad diet before this happened, and do not know what to do about it.  I am thinking about going back on the PPIs for a while to see if they help but the feeling they give me in my heart is horrible and stops me sleeping.  I hope that you get well soon as I hope everyone who is suffering from this awful condition does.  Kind Regards.

15

I've been suffering with the lump in my throat feeling for four years now. I have good insurance, and have seen more doctors then I care to remember. What helps me, personally, is twice daily Aciphex, a Zantac 150 ( OTC ) before each meal. I also quit smoking, and do my best to avoid trigger foods ( read acidic ). My doctor also prescribed Xanax ( .5 mg ), to be used as needed, because when the lump feeling gets really bad, it throws me into an anxiety attack ( yea, I'm a hot mess, I know...lol )

through trial and error, I discovered that if I drink a can of Coke, it relieves the lump feeling for up to an hour ( which is a welcomed reprieve ), apparently it's a " fight fire with fire situation " the acid in the coke counteracts the acid in my throat. Only works once a day though, and more then that makes matters way worse. Also, tepid water with vinegar in it works too, but only lasts like ten minutes. 

I believe the damage, in my case, is irreparable , and I'm going to have to live with it. 

Start keeping a log of what you eat, and how it affects your condition.

ive also noticed that outside irritants make it worse too. Heavy pollen days, exposure to diesel exhaust, etc. 

just remember that no matter how bad it gets, it will eventually get better, or at least calm down enough for it to just be more bothersome than anything. 

Hope you feel better soon. 😊👍

16

I have had the very same thing. All of it just like you. Nightmare! I understand exactly what you feel. Noone knows what to do. I tried it all.

In my case diet did not help much PPi where useless. Here are the things that help. Little : stop cofee and chocolates, taking ranitidine 150 at night along with melatonine(help sleep) , liftin my bed 7 " and taking dip cups( sucralfate) prescription to protect your throat from acid. 

here are the things that help a lot: taking antianxiety medicine for stress triggred by your symotoms and specially when you have panic atack triggered by chest pain and dificulty breathing from acid refluxe. I took ativan when I got really bad and it helped me a lot. Not only make symptoms go away but also help me eat better. Ofcourse you can not take this pill often but only when it is really bad. I found out that the main triggered of lprd is your brain. 

Some people go have a 24 ph monitore and manometry test to see if yor LeS is not working. If your LES is not working you can try other drugs. 

I can keep taking for ever on ths subject for now I will just advice you to take something for your anxiety 

 

17

After literally waiting for months I finally received my appointment to have this test. From the information I have received I see that you have to carry on as normal for 24 hours after  not having taken your medication for a specific period. This is going to mean two round trips of 120 miles but if it finally diagnoses my problem then I dont mind that. Can anyone who has had this test tell me whether they found it walking about in public with the tube inserted up their nose as I imagined it is.

18

I have had the tube down my nose for 2 days and it's absolutely fine in public, why are you worried? It's no different to having your arm in a sling, walking with crutches, yes you are different but so is everyone. 

Stop worrying about how you will look, people might stare, so what,are you bothered!!! The huge positive is that they can tell how bad your reflux is and from that work out the most appropriate treatment.m

there is an alternative to the tube and they place a wireless capsule inside you under endscopy, I had that done last year and you carry a small bix around.

best of luck, don't worry. After I had mine done, on the PPI and life is good and better than ever 

19

Thank you for your wise words.To put things into some form of perspective several weeks ago I was at the IOM TT races and the lady I have stayed with over the years in her early 50's has just died of a peforated bowl so walking about with a tube up my nose really doesnt matter does it.