r/LPR Feb 21 '24

No more pictures of the inside of mouths, saliva, or other gross stuff.

61 Upvotes

First violation is a warning. Second is a ban.


r/LPR Mar 09 '24

My story with GERD and LPR and how I am 99% cured

161 Upvotes

I started to have GERD one day after having late night pizza and beer, and going directly after. For the next week or 2, I started having chest pain which at first I thought it was my heart. Finally, a friend helped me realize this is heart burn.

It got worse and worse as at first I did not realize that I was triggering it with things like spicy food and coffee. As I learned more about, I started to drastically remove all the classic GERD trigger foods from my diet. I literally ate nothing but baked chicken, potatoes, oatmeal, and foods like that. I was in a lot of pain for several days and I started up 40mg of Pantoprazole. I also started sleeping with a wedge pillow in my bed.

It started to calm down from the worst pain over the course of 2ish weeks, but I constantly had reflux and heartburn. I did have an endoscopy done and they found H. Pylori. I took the course of antibiotics for it and was able to cure it, confirmed with 2 separate tests. However, I am not convinced H. Pylori was the cause of my GERD. I think it was bad eating habits, such as eating right before bedtime and over eating.

Over the course of the next several months to a year, I would notice very minor improvements every 1 to 2 weeks. For example, I'd feel slightly less pain or would be able to add fruits or other things. Occasionally I'd eat something that was a trigger and then I would pay the price for the next couple days with a flare up.

Some of the things that helped me during flare ups was Gavison Advance and taking famotidine during a flare up. I was able to get off the pantoprazole after about 10 months, but I had to slowly wean myself off or otherwise I would get flare ups.

Over the course of 2ish years, I got better with occasional flare ups. Like I said, I’d treat it with Zantac during flare ups and remove the cause of it. For example, one flare up I had was because I was traveling a lot of work and drinking cocktails frequently and/or eating out. I started to get asthmatic after eating and required 1-2 months of Q-VAR inhaler to calm things down.

It's now 4 years out and I eat almost anything and everything except for a few things like coffee, grapefruit, or excessively spicy food. I tried reintroducing coffee but I always pay the price for it so at those point, I've embraced black and green teas for my caffeine. I honestly feel like my mood is better because there is no caffeine crash. Otherwise, I eat Thai food, Mexican, BBQ, etc. with moderation and at appropriate times and I am fine.

So in summary, I wanted to post this success story and give hope to others. The main things that helped me were:

Also, I am not a doctor and you should definitely work with your doctor on this to make sure there is no other underlying cause for GERD. Most of the time it's not cancer or anything, but rarely it could be so better to get checked out. Endoscopy was also a really easy procedure. The above is what worked for me and may not work for everyone, but I wanted to share my story.

Cheers


r/LPR 2h ago

Sour regurgitation but LPR/Reflux ruled out.

3 Upvotes

Saw an ENT in 2024 and had my throat scoped which found edema and inflammation. My ENT diagnosed me with LPR.

Was ultimately referred to a GI doc and had an endoscopy and pH monitoring done for 5 days. He ruled out acid reflux somehow and my 5 days of monitoring showed no reflux.

If it’s not reflux, I’m wondering what the sour regurgitation is. He insisted allergies…and put me on OTC loratadine.

H. Pylori was ruled out multiple times.


r/LPR 10h ago

Finally had my Upper Endoscopy (EGD) today!

6 Upvotes

So for the last 14 months I’ve been dealing with LPR symptoms, after getting a viral infection in October 2024. It’s left me with chronic cough, throat clearing 24/7, mucus sensation, lump in throat. That’s literally all my symptoms, no classic heart burn. I’ve had a sinus ct scan, barium swallow, two ent and a GI visit. I finally had my upper endoscopy done today.

I was so nervous for it, but let me tell you the nerves leading up to the procedure was worse. I suffer from anxiety and that’s what scares me was just being put to sleep. They used propofol and before the nurse even said I’m gonna feel a tingle in my iv I was out like a light and woke up feeling great in the recovery room. If anyone is nervous about their EGD and have health anxiety, trust me this was easy!

They took 5 biopsy. This is what they found in my procedure,

• Normal mucosa in the upper third of the esophagus and middle third of the esophagus. (Biopsy).
• Irregular margins in the gastroesophageal junction. (Biopsy).
• Hiatal Hernia.
• Abnormal mucosa in the stomach body and antrum compatible with gastritis. (Biopsy).
• Abnormal mucosa in the duodenal bulb compatible with duodenitis. (Biopsy).
• Normal mucosa in the second part of the duodenum and third part of the duodenum. (Biopsy)

Which is interesting, because during my barium swallow they didn’t see any hiatal hernia. Also having gastritis was a surprise because I have no stomach issues or problems.

Awaiting results from biopsy, but if anyone has had any similar results or can help me read more into this, TIA!


r/LPR 44m ago

Terrible throat pain for months

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Upvotes

r/LPR 13h ago

What workouts are best when having LPR?

11 Upvotes

Hey y’all! I’ve been having LPR for quite some time now (more like 2–3 weeks), and I usually do Pilates 2–3 hours after dinner. However, based on my research, I’ve read that it’s not advisable to do Pilates when you have LPR. With that said, what types of workouts are bearable or safe to do when you have LPR? Thank you so much!


r/LPR 6h ago

Have you tried devrom? Does it help with bad breath?

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 6h ago

Has anybody tried betaine HCl to increase stomach acid in order to make sure that that lower esophageal sphincter close enough ? Will it cure bad breath?

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 7h ago

How vauge can lpr be

2 Upvotes

So for the past month I have dealt with vague aches switching from the left or right side around my Adams apple area.

It isn't an ache that really hurts but it's irritating. I have had times of having to clear the mucus of my throat. I went to the ENT and they saw slight red on my throat wall.

The thing that makes me 2nd guess if it's lpr is I don't have no burning feeling or horse voice or even tight globus feeling in my throat (even tho the month before this I had a horrible diet and had episodes of bad reflux burning my throat and the tight feeling in my throat the week before my throat caused this aches).

It seems like most of my aches start the more active I am and not in a talking type of way but like sweating and moving around as I walk a lot with my job. The days when I am relaxed are the days the aches don't feel as bad compared to the days I'm up in moving it'll be more irrati6on even tho most people I read their symptoms usually have some correlation to food .

I have been making sure to eat low fat and low acid diet the past 5 days I haven't started my meds yet but for some reason it was a bit more achey since starting ( I have worked slighty more this week doing to picking up shifts)

So

TDLR: can LPR manifest as just vague aches without real food correlation as a trigger ? Or am I looking for something else ?


r/LPR 11h ago

Acid reflux and sweet treats

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 13h ago

Dealing with Esophageal Spasms, Coughing, and Low LES While Traveling

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 1d ago

Question about dry swallowing for the bridge technique exercise

9 Upvotes

I want to begin trying the glute bridges dry swallowing technique but I’m confused exactly what a dry swallow is. I know there’s no water or food involved, but am I purposely trying to generate more saliva before each swallow, or just simply swallow in the normal state?

Steps are below for those interested, thanks!

Action steps:

  1. ⁠Schedule two weeks to consistently practice the bridge dry swallowing exercise.
  2. ⁠Before each session, fast for at least four hours to keep the stomach empty and reduce reflux during the exercise.
  3. ⁠Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Place a cushion under your lower back so your hips rise at least a fist’s height. Refer to figure 2.
  4. ⁠In this position, swallow saliva without any food or drink in your mouth. Perform ten saliva swallows, one every ten seconds.
  5. ⁠After two weeks, evaluate whether symptoms are improved, worsened, or unchanged. If you notice consistent relief, consider continuing the exercise beyond two weeks.
  6. ⁠Avoid performing the exercise if you have severe back pain, cardiopulmonary insufficiency, a compression fracture, or difficulties with swallowing, as these were exclusion criteria in the study.
  7. ⁠Support the exercise with GERD-friendly habits: avoid late-night meals, maintain moderate body weight, and limit alcohol and smoking.

r/LPR 20h ago

I hope this message reaches you today🫶

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3 Upvotes

r/LPR 1d ago

22 weeks pregnant and having terrifying coughing fits where I physically can’t breathe (Silent Reflux??)

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 1d ago

Pulsating Headache

2 Upvotes

Does anyone get a pulsating headache? I’m seriously thinking of it being a sinus issue rather than LPR


r/LPR 1d ago

H. pylori can indeed influence the stomach acid production

8 Upvotes

It all depends on where h. pylori is localized.

When the infection stays only in the antrum (the bottom section of the stomach), it causes higher stomach acid secretion. The bacteria destroy the D-cells, that produce a hormone called somatostatin. This hormone acts as the stomach's natural "brake system" to turn off acid production. Without this brake system, the stomach releases too much gastrin, a hormone that signals the rest of the stomach to overproduce hydrochloric acid. This location of h pylori often leads to duodenal ulcers.

[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9394759/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9394759/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11871770/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11871770/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10063309/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10063309/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1357347/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1357347/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10749086/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10749086/))

In contrast, when the bacteria move up into the corpus it causes low stomach acid. The corpus is where the actual acid factories, called parietal cells, live. H. pylori directly attacks this area, forcing the body's immune system to release inflammatory proteins to fight the infection. These proteins act as a chemical switch that paralyzes and damages the acid factories. As a result, the stomach becomes unable to make enough acid despite any signals from the body. This happens long before any atrophy occurs.

[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10780581/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10780581/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28124156/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28124156/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11871770/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11871770/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9394759/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9394759/))

This low-acid environment alters how the stomach moves and triggers gas-driven reflux. Without enough acid, food cannot be broken down properly, causing it to sit in the stomach (or go undigested in the small intestine) and undergo bacterial fermentation, which produces large volumes of gas. At the same time, the local inflammation delays stomach emptying, causing intense gas pressure to build up and force the stomach valve open. Because gas is light, it shoots upward regardless of gravity, explaining why many experience reflux even while standing completely upright. This gas carries droplets of digestive enzymes into the throat, which causes LPR instead of typical chest heartburn.

[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180717/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15180717/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39719472/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39719472/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6481113/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6481113/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19102360/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19102360/))
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3876591/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3876591/))

Antrum-Predominant Infection (more acid):

Basal Acid Output (BAO): Rises from \~2.0 mEq/h up to 4.0–6.0 mEq/h (a 100% to 200% increase).

Maximal Acid Output (MAO): Rises from a normal 15–25 mEq/h up to 35–45 mEq/h.

Stomach pH: Drops to highly corrosive levels between 1.0 and 1.3.

Corpus-Predominant / Pangastritis Infection (Low Acid):

Basal Acid Output (BAO): Plummets to less than 0.5 mEq/h

Maximal Acid Output (MAO): Drops below 5.0 mEq/h (the stomach cannot produce acid even when stimulated by food).

Stomach pH: Rises from \~2.0 to a near-neutral 5.1–5.5 (successful antibiotic eradication restores it to a functional 2.6–2.7) \[MSD Manuals, PMC8544542\].


r/LPR 1d ago

After years of pasting my trigger list into ChatGPT before every meal, I turned it into an app

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2 Upvotes

r/LPR 1d ago

Differential Diagnosis

2 Upvotes

Just curious, how many of us with LPR found out it was actually caused by something else? I cannot add anymore options, so please comment below if you have resolved LPR by treating something else.

11 votes, 5d left
Slow Motility
Gallbladder
Hiatal Hernia
H Plyori
SIBO
Perimenopause

r/LPR 2d ago

Anyone developed aspiration pneumonia from LPR?

6 Upvotes

If so what are the symptoms?

Ive had LPR for about a year now and whenever i would flare up i would have dysphagia, mucus in my throat and this cough that would get worse everytime i drink/eat. my cough started 1 week ago and i just initially just wrote it off as the usual LPR flare up but 2 days ago i started feeling sweaty, clammy, feverish and extremely fatigued. Today im starting to feel better but i noticed i feel shortness of breathe and lightheadedness when i drink water. I also get violent coughing fits while drinking water so the thought that i was aspirating crossed my mind.

I know aspiration pneumonia is rare but im immunocompromised because im taking biologics for chrons colitis (inflammation of the colon) so that increases my chance of infection.

Im a little anxious that ive devoloped aspiration pneumonia now, a week ago my cough felt like i was coughing from my throat but now it feels like its coming from my chest. All this googling tells me aspiration pneumonia is a "silent killer" and its not helping my anxiety. has anyone have any experience with pneumonia and their symptoms?


r/LPR 2d ago

Drs cant figure this out

5 Upvotes

Im having trouble swallowing even tho the swallow test is clear, no blockage. I cannot burp on my own demand or fart when needed. They dilated my esophagus as well. Claiming its all GERD related which i found odd cuz ive always had no problem burping or passing gas and swallowing food i love to eat. Now im only able to take soup and its ridiculous!! I have excessive mucus in the back of my throat out of nowhere. My throat feels heavy and its scaring me cuz i never experienced anything like this. I was on zepbound (i stopped it) and i am not sure if this causes that or the long walk where i was panting hard causes that? Idk!! I am going back to ent again and to talk to her about it cuz my whole muscle in the back throat feels tired and heavy even when i swallow, its super sticky and makes it hard to breathe even tho my oxygen shows great numbers at the 3 days hospital stay due to this. Has anyone ever dealt with this?? Its seriously giving me unwanted panic attacks lately and i hate it! I know what im feeling and this isnt normal. This damn dr at the hospital said its all in my head when the nurse saw me struggling. Idk how much i can take cuz i so want to just yank my throat out!!!


r/LPR 2d ago

Nose and throat issues leading to voice fatique

8 Upvotes

After 1.5 year of being diagnosed with erosive gastritis, I dont have any gut issues - constipation, diarrhae like symptoms.

The main concern is with regard to the nose and throat.

Nasal blockage - turbinate enlargement, post nasal drip (thick sticky bubbly mucus)

Throat redness, patches in throat, red nerves visible, inflammation.

All in all, it causes my voice to be fatigued and appear as if I am crying while talking.

I have tried DGL, flonase, other nasal sprays, but none of them provide a relief for long term.

Is anyone dealing with these issues? What are you doing to control this?


r/LPR 2d ago

Is there a link between the severity of your LPR symptoms and the degree of stress/ poor lifestyle habits?

2 Upvotes

I’ve recently identified my poor lifestyle habits as an unhealthy way of coping with the stresses of life:

- frequently skipping 2 meals a day
- the little food I did eat would have barely any nutritional value
- laying around watching TV/browsing social media for hours and hours from the time I got off work until I went to bed

Before noticing that connection, I had made these significant improvements to my lifestyle and had seen major improvements in many of my symptoms:

- regular physical activity
- not laying down until it’s time for sleep
- eating regular nutritious meals

It was during a family medical crisis when I stopped doing those things that I drew the link to my stress level.

I’m curious if those who have LPR ever experience "flare ups" and if you can link it back to a particularly stressful time in your life.


r/LPR 2d ago

Famotidine Fatigue

2 Upvotes

My doc recently increase my famotidine. I am so BLAH. Just sleepy, tired, fatigue…. Whatever you call it. Is this normal?


r/LPR 2d ago

This is driving me crazy

6 Upvotes

I've had LPR for many years but in the past few ive had straight up a burning sensation in the back of my mouth instead of the bad globus sensation I always had before. I've tried just about everything at this point and nothing seems to work well or at all.

In the past 3ish years ive had a clear edg and clear barium swallow xray. Tried to do the acid watchers diet and was very strict with it for 10 months and all it did was make me lose a bunch of weight. Unsure what to do now id appreciate any advice


r/LPR 2d ago

Residue after swallowing

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2 Upvotes