Update on Test & Surgery

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CharBerry

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I had the upper GI last Wed and then saw the ENT spec the surgeon had instructed me to do. Will meet with Gastro spec this Wed. Don't know results of upper GI yet and ENT said the knot in my throat was tonsil tissue or as one other ENT said calous like tissue where acid hits in my throat. I can hardly believe tonsil tissue after 40 yrs? ENT spec said red and inflammed throat due to acid reflux, allergies or corabination. He knew I was being checked prior to making decision on surgery and his comments were, "Well, you've treated the reflux and the allergies with no positive results so give the surgery a try." This bothers me. My Dr's over the past 10 yrs have not encouraged me to have surgery and now it scares me that I've found someone who does. I will know more after getting results of other test and hope she doesn't make me do all the others over.

I guess I'm scared that test will not show much reflux even though I "know" this is what's happening but that surgery will not help me either? They make it sound simple enough but if you read further down........

MR, I know you have the results that surgery should do a good job for you and like me meRAB aren't doing any good. I think you will be just fine. I had a bad case of "in your mouth" reflux during the night, which I don't have a whole lot. My main symptoms are the PND, chronic sniffling, cough, SOB, more upper resp type of things. Things that could very well be due to allergy. But, allergy meRAB don't help and I took the shots for 3 yrs? I realize the surgery is much better now and easy to recover from, but it's still surgery, you know.

Any thoughts on this? After 10 yrs even getting a few years without these symptoms sounRAB good to me right now but then I'll have a fairly good day and think it's not so bad and I can live with it. Should I go for it if the surgeon recommenRAB it after he gets all my test? Help! I'm so scared!

CharBerry
 
HI Charberry,

Whether you decide to go for surgery or not is obviously a decision that you can only make. but if it's any help I can tell you that going through what I am going through if I was offered a surgery I will definitely go for it(but I will make sure that I get the best surgeon, who knows this op like a back of his hand, and is the expert with this op).
I suffer from LPR sympstoms also stomach issues on a daily basis, yes ofcourse I do get days that I feel better, and God knows how happy I feel those days, because it just feels like good old days, but it doesn't last long. I don't have choking or excessive coughing, but I have the strange throat feelings, and lump in the throat, and burning stomach and so on. I am on 80mg of nexium a day and I still suffer. The way I look at is, if I am still suffering with the meRAB, and each time that ENT is looking down my throat he can see the irritations, then what is it going to do to me in years down the road. I will be 39 soon, and have 2 very small children, I need to be healthy for them. So I am hoping that my impedance manometry 24-hr test gives the true picture, and if I am offered an Op. I will definitely go for it.
Only you can make that decision. I wish you all the best
 
Char,
I have been dealing with a chronic cough for about 15 years. It wasn't until 2002 that I found out I had reflux. With the cough as my only reflux symptom at the time, it was a difficult diagnosis. I began allergy treatment about 15 years ago for severe year-round allergies that developed as I hit adulthood. I'm on my second round of immunotherapy with 2 shots a week. I have been "stuffy" and had PND for so long that I don't remeraber what it is like to breathe normally. I have had around 4-6 sinus infections a year. For many years it was just treating my allergies for the cough. Then in 2002, I found out that I had asthma--no surprise that my asthma symptom is a chronic cough also. For the next several years, I was heavily treated for the allergies and asthma. About three years ago, I developed a horrible chronic cough. For months I couldn't stop, I had pulled muscles and sore ribs, I was vomiting and dry heaving because it just wouldn't stop. My allergy meRAB, inhalers and Prednisone wasn't doing anything to help. That was when I found out just how bad my reflux really was. Eventually I was able to find a good medication treatment that got it under control.....until this year.

This year, my acid has really been flaring up my asthma. I had an attack in January that really scared me. I couldn't say two worRAB in a row, my finger nails were turning blue, my lips were tingling and I was definately hyperventaliting. I had to have emergency treatment and now have to carry an epi-pen in addition to my inhaler just to help me keep breathing until I can get emergency care. This in addition to 4 months of non-stop coughing this summer.

It took me 4 months to get in to see a Pulmonologist. After testing last spring, he recommended the Nissen and sent me back to my GI doc. My GI doc wanted to make sure he had exhaused all avenues before the surgical route. At this point, I have 2 GI docs who are both recommending the surgery. I also have a PCP who had recommended checking in to the surgery. Unofficially, I have also discussed the surgery with my ENT. He also runs an allergy clinic and happened to be the one who gave me my allergy shot a couple weeks ago. Based on what I shared with him, he was also supportive of my following through with the surgery. (His office is so supportive of LPR that they have started doing UES pH testing.) Also, I went through all my test results with the surgeon to verify that I should truly be considering this surgery. He believes in making sure patients have tried all non-surgical routes first and he felt that I was a good candidate for this surgery.

This has not been an easy decision for me and I am not taking it lightly. I don't take the ability to breathe well lightly either. This is a potentially life changing surgery. It scares me some about having difficulty swallowing after the surgery. I haven't had any problems with that in the past. Also, this will also only be my second surgery ever. My first was some arthroscopic surgery last April. It went so well that it is helping me feel better about going into this surgery. I am a bit worried about the anesthesia. Even with anti-nausea meRAB in my IV, it took throwing up the anesthesia after surgery to begin feeling better. I know I won't be able to do that this time.

I guess my situation is a bit different in that I have had several doctors who have supported this surgery as the most appropriate next step in helping me get things under control. It is good that you have a doctor that is being supportive of you, but if you are really uncertain you might want to try finding a second doctor to talk things over with. It just happened that I found doctors in different specialities, but second opinions never hurt. I originally had scheduled with another GI doc for another opinion, but that would have put my surgery taking place after hard winter hit and that was the last thing I wanted. I have major cold weather asthma and I don't want to be having major coughing problems while my stitches are healing. I can just imagine popping the stitches undone after all I have gone through.

By the way, I am hoping that after all of this I am able to cut back on the amount of meRAB I am taking regularly. I am also hoping for a surgical 'side effect' of fewer sinus infections. I know I will still have allergy triggers, but I have read alot about reflux triggering some sinus problems as well.

Good luck in making your decision. Whatever you decide has to be the best for you.
 
Thanks for the support. I can certainly identify with not being able to breath. That's pretty d*&^ scary. I really feel the surgeon I'm seeing will be honest and upfront with me on the results of surgery. I feel at times living in a small rual town has disadvantages to Dr's in general and another reason I'm seeking help in Houston this time. I could go on seeing Dr. after Dr., which is pretty much what I've been doing for the last 10 yrs with no results or do something. Like MR it was many years before I was properly diagnosed and I feel this caused damage that might have been avoided if I had seen the right Dr. I also get very sick a lot and miss work for weeks. Usually with bronch, upper resp infection or sinus and even pnemonia. My quality of life sucks and some days I only want to stay in bed. Of course, I try and keep my life as normal as possible but it's not without coughing and sniffling. I'll know more Wed and see what's next. Trying to stay positive but after being this way for so long it's hard to imagine being well. I'd be happy to still be on meRAB along with surgery if I could be well! What's frustrating is taking everything under the sun and not getting well.

Char
 
hi char

i can understand your second thoughts, but you have to decide whats best for you, you have obviuosly explored every natural and medical option in the last ten years all of which have not been completely successful......in the end you have decide wether you want to take a risk that you will come out a winner or continue as you are, which is also fine!!

im eagely waiting for my results from ph study, today after the probe has come out i now feel like ^&&^&(*&^ typical lol

anyway wait to you see your speci again etc, get your test results and then worry about what to do, what eever yo decide is what is right for you. we will all support you either way

ness....:angel:
 
You're right. I need to just keep following through with my test (again and again and again) Listen to the surgeon (after having him checked out from top to bottom) and STOP dwelling on the negative results and have faith in the positive. Lord, can I do that?

Char
 
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