any idea why i may now have acid reflux?

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:07 am

ok....any ideas as to why i might now have acid reflux? lately (maybe the past month or so) i have been belching more (a different kind of belch than i normally do), a feeling like i have a lump in my throat, clearing of the throat and sometimes sounding hoarse??? why now...what the heck can be causing this now?? drs. med. assistant said to take an over the counter med. like prilosec, but i have not gotten any b/c i thought i had read somewhere on here that the ppis were not good for people with mc?? any suggestions would be welcomed..

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:15 am

oh yeah....this a.m. - i have not eaten anything yet, but i have cleared my throat alot and i feel like i sound hoarse??? i also have burped a few times???

TooManyHats · Post by **TooManyHats** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 7:19 am

As far as clearing your throat goes, it could be just plain old pollen. It is the season for the pollens to start flying.

I have no idea about the burping.

natythingycolbery · Post by **natythingycolbery** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:54 am

This is a bit of a pointless post, but I am sure there are others on PP that have acid reflux too.

Post by **tex** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:43 am

Make sure you're not sleeping on your right side. That, in itself, can cause reflux.

Unless you ate something within the past few hours, or you tend to swallow a lot of air while sleeping, you shouldn't be doing any significant amount of belching, first thing in the morning.

I get the impression that your stomach is too full, and if it is still full this many hours since your last meal, you appear to have gastroparesis. This is somewhat common with MC - I had the problem myself, not always, but somewhat often.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:57 am

I endorse sleeping on the left! I have been a right-side sleeper for years - my husband and I switched sides of the bed after Tex mentioned this, and I cannot believe how much more comfortable I was, even on the first/worst nights.

Such an easy change, for a real improvement. And no expense, no side effects!

Eating a lighter evening meal helped, too. It took me a few days to figure out that I had to eat a bigger breakfast and lunch to make that work ;)

Sara

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:04 am

tex, why do you get the impression my stomach is still full? b/c of the belching, etc.? it is not frequent belching in the a.m. and the belching has been pretty good the past week...it's the lump in the throat and the hoarseness that kind of worry me.....and why all of a sudden it has happened. i am not on any meds for it.....

Post by **Rosie** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:57 am

i have been belching more (a different kind of belch than i normally do), a feeling like i have a lump in my throat, clearing of the throat and sometimes sounding hoarse??? why now...what the heck can be causing this now?

FWIW, I've developed similar problems over the past 4 months, and a recent blood test shows that I'm hyperthyroid. I never belched in the past, but have noticed a lot of belching recently. The lump in the throat and hoarseness are on the list of classic symptoms. I have an appointment with an endocrinologist in a few weeks about this. You might check the internet for a list of other symptoms associated with being hyperthyroid and see if it fits enough to warrant getting tested. It's easy enough to have checked.

I certainly hope it's not the case with you! I was really annoyed with the diagnosis, as I've been gluten/dairy/soy free for 20 months now, and had been feeling pretty good. But additional autoimmune disorders seem to come with the IBD territory......

Rosie

Post by **tex** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:13 pm

The lump in the throat, and hoarseness, are pretty strong indicators that reflux is occurring. The potential for reflux is much greater when the stomach is full, and the potential is relatively low, when the stomach is empty. And yes, if the stomach is empty, there's no good reason to be belching.

willabec wrote:.....and why all of a sudden it has happened

It may have been happening previously, but with much lower intensity or frequency, so that you didn't notice the symptoms until they became more severe.

Or, maybe it has happened suddenly. If that's the case, look at the foods that you are eating in the hours before bedtime, and try to isolate the problem food, and pay close attention to whether you ever spend time lying on your right side.

Rosie wrote:The lump in the throat and hoarseness are on the list of classic symptoms.

Yes, that's certainly another possibility. Thanks, Rosie.

Tex

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 1:00 pm

rosie, thanks. i did google that condition and there was no "symptom" like belching, etc. listed as a symptom of hyperthyroid.....i wonder what made your dr. have you tested for that? what other symptoms did you have? according to my google list- some of the symptoms are, heat intolerance, excessive sweating, tremors, fatigue and rapid heart rate to name a few. so, if that list is correct, i don't have those symptoms (i am always freezing!! :))

Post by **Rosie** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:17 pm

Willabec, my doctor always tests for thyroid function as part of my annual physical. A year and a half ago,the levels were normal. Then in January, my TSH level tested very low, and my T4 level was high normal. Since low TSH indicates hyperthyroidism, my doctor had me tested again two months later. At that point, my T4 levels had risen further, and now were definitely above normal. I feel grateful to have caught it early, as I haven't felt any serious symptoms, just some changes that I now can put a name to. I was wondering why I just couldn't seem to put on weight, despite making a conscious effort to eat more, and having my MC under good control.

The symptoms of being hyperthyroid can be pretty vague, and the same as lots of other problems. I think this is especially the true when it's just coming on, and the classic eye-bulging, heat-intolerance, and tremors aren't there yet. I wanted to reply to you because I hardly ever belched before the past few months, and the hoarseness and lump in the throat are mentioned as symptoms of being hyperthyroid. One of the symptoms of being hyperthyroid is diarrhea, so it can affect the digestive tract. Even though I have Normans, I've been having them more often, like 3 or 4 a day instead of the usual 1 or 2. Taking half an Imodium tames that back down, and also helps a lot with the burping. Also, I find that I tend to be chilly rather than warm.

But of course, as Polly says, "When you hear hoof beats think horses, not zebras". So acid reflux is much more likely. I just wanted you to be aware of another possibility.........

Rosie

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:05 pm

thanks guys....i will talk to my dr.about it...i have been hoarse pretty much all day....not hoarse like when you have completely lost your voice but like you have been talking too much. so i don't know about the full stomach/empty stomach thought.....i have not eaten anything since 1:00 and it is 6:00 and i am maybe even more hoarse than i was before?? i am stressed about my celiac, my mc and now it feels like i have to deal with something else. i did take a zantac this a.m. maybe i can say i felt a little better early afternoon but like i said the hoarseness seems a bit stronger now. i don't think it's hypo or hperthyroid but then again one never knows right?? he feels that i have two issues going on why add one more, but who is to say that i don't have something else going on?? granted i don't want to have to deal with something else, but it seems as though i am....right??

Post by **tex** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:50 pm

willabec wrote:so i don't know about the full stomach/empty stomach thought.....i have not eaten anything since 1:00 and it is 6:00 and i am maybe even more hoarse than i was before??

You're missing my point, completely. The point is, if you go to bed with a full stomach, you run a risk of reflux while you're asleep, because digesting food can generate gases that put pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, (LES), and since you will be prone, the stomach contents can flow back into the esophagus, if the LES opens because of the back pressure. In the daytime, (while you are standing or sitting), belching is possible, because gas rises to the top of the stomach. At night, while you are supine, if your stomach is full, (or partially full), there will be chyme and digestive juices adjacent to the LES, and if the clamping pressure of the LES fails, instead of gas, chyme and gastric juices will flow back into your esophagus.

Furthermore, if you happen to lie on your right side, that places a large percentage of your stomach contents above the LES, and gravity will magnify the pressure against the LES, resulting in significantly increased odds of reflux. If you have reflux while you are asleep, the acid will burn your esophagus, causing you to be hoarse for up to several days, if the damage is significant enough. The burn can also feel like a lump in your throat, because the area will be inflamed, and possibly swollen, as a result. If your stomach is empty when you go to bed, none of that is as likely to happen. Look at a picture of how the stomach lies in the body, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CCAQ9QEwAA

Also, certain foods are more likely to cause reflux, especially if you eat them just before bedtime - foods such as peppermint, tomato sauce, citrus fruits, coffee, garlic, etc.

http://www.acidrefluxcure.net/diet/

Just because you don't have reflux during the day, while you are standing or sitting, doesn't mean that it won't happen at night. Eat early enough that your stomach can empty out, and don't sleep on your right side, and the problem may go away. I had a problem with acid reflux about a year ago, following surgery, but I resolved it by following these guidelines.

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 6:55 pm

Willabec, I understand how much this is concerning you. But think on the positive side: it's good that you're paying attention and observing yourself and your symptoms. Don't be too alarmed right now, or feel you absolutely have to reach the perfect conclusion in a hurry. As you say, you're dealing with a lot already.

When you google symptoms or possible conditions, it's pretty easy to get alarmed - in NO WAY do I mean that you are overreacting - just saying it's pretty upsetting to try to figure out which symptoms are the main problem and which are side issues. Anyway - try sleeping on the left, maybe elevating your head/torso to discourage the reflux. I know when that's really bad those things might not be enough... but they're easy to try and gentle on your stressed out system. Sleeping on my left made an amazing difference to me, and I never would have thought of it. That may be a temporary problem, but what a risk-free solution.

I've been belching a bit more, too - no idea why. Right now, my digestive system is just aggravated, from top to bottom. I have had throat clearing/coughing on and off, and all kinds of other things (felt better when I ate, felt worse when I ate, stomach aches - or was it something else that hurt? - small intestine??). For now pepto seems to be helping, along with eating a very limited diet. I'm not back to stable, but the "outraged" upset is going away. My immediate goals: 1) avoid making the problem worse (wheat is out for sure, but I am avoiding many other likely suspects also). And 2) let the whole body calm down (not just digestion - the skin on my hands peeled, go figure... and I'm not even going to google that, just take it as a weird sign that I'm not 'right'). Until I get the upset system to a state of calm/healing, anything might seem like a bigger deal than it is. Or I might ignore something important, because so many other symptoms are calling for attention.

You've had a lot thrown at you at once, and are doing your best to get it all figured out. I'm hoping to throw a little encouragement your way, instead of the discouragement of new diagnoses, new symptoms, etc. that is such a part of the upheaval of something like this. We've been making a lot of chicken broth at my house - comforting, sustaining, and not upsetting the apple cart. Your magic potion may be different, but take it slow and give yourself every chance to recover.

Best,
Sara

Gloria · Post by **Gloria** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:36 pm

Sara wrote:Until I get the upset system to a state of calm/healing, anything might seem like a bigger deal than it is.

I agree with you, Sara. I've had mouth sores for quite a while. I never thought it was unusual until I became a member of this board. I guess I was the opposite of being concerned

. Now that my gut has calmed down, the mouth sores have greatly diminished, only occuring once or twice every week or two. So many things are affected by our immune system and will take care of themselves once we get the main problem fixed.

Gloria