Gerd & Throat Phlegm

I was diagnosed with a hital hernia some years ago and until recently it has caused me no trouble and I never get heartburn. Earlier this year I was getting a hernia type pain and had another Endoscopy which didn't find anything unusual. For the last three months I have had what feels like phlegm in my throat which I cannot clear. My question is then is this usual with GERD and will it eventually go or am I stuck with it?. Does anyone else have this problem?.

All I know is I called my gi docs office today and questioned them about the inside of my nose burning and post nasal drip. She said she had never heard of the burning but pnd was definitely gerd related. Sounds similar to your problem.

Hi Hearty. Yes it does feel like pnd which I have had for short periods in the past but this now seems to be permanent. Feels like phlegm in the throat which can't be cleared and it is most annoying. I guess there is nothing that can be done about it. Cheers.

I get the feeling of a large ball of phlegm at the top of my throat and the tan curd like phlegm. It really burns my throat and tongue from the acid irritation. Just went in to get medication again to help the GERD, I'll let you know if what the doc gives me helps. Hope so - Kris

Yes, I believe that a fur ball feeling in your throat and a tongue that feels like a pietre dish and is cruddy and horrible is part of the GERD situation. But it is possible to get a couple of month's relief now and then. The most important thing I can figure is DON'T eat right before bedtime. I'm giving up caffeine but I need to lose some weight which I'm working on.

Post Edited (Joan Mack) : 6/9/2006 6:22:03 PM (GMT-6)

I have had chronic hoarseness and a cough for several years, ever since I began to notice the heartburn. My Dr. says it is a result of the acid coming up in my throat and irritating my vocal cords. He also says the cough, whic is getting worse, is from aspiration of acid during sleep. I am scheduled for that Reflux surgery soon, since the meds no longer work...

Hi Bug

I see you are new to the forum. Can you give us a history of your symptoms. How long has it progressed to make you need surgery.

Thanks

Marsha

dear bug...best of luck on your surgery

Hi Kris,

I will be interested to hear what medication you receive and whether it works. Thanks. My Doctor held out little hope of getting rid of the phlegm-like feeling but my Gastro specialist rekons that it will eventually go. Perhaps he was trying to make me feel better. Cheers. Pat.

Hi I am waiting to be diagnosed but you all seem so informative maybe you can help!

trapped wind very painful, in back stomach chest shoulders
sinus infections
phlegm
heartburn
hoarse voice
burns on my tongue
funny tase in my mouth
rippeling feeling from my chest into my throught
wheezing
cough.
feeling that i am going to vomit

no i have suffered from panic attacks for 10 years, my main symptoms where this rippeling feeling in chest throat that i thought was palpatations. and a feeling of i could not breathe.

I am wandering if i have had this gerd all along.

my gp has just given me ranitil 300mg but he says i dont need any tests i am just to take 2 of these a day and it will go.

any advice anyone.

thanks hayl

I have suffered from panic disorder for 13 years. about 5-6 years ago i started getting shortness of breath, post nasal drip, a glob of sticky mucous in my throat that is there all day and hard to move (sometimes it feels like when I'm driving in fog or humidity i am struggling to breath and swallow), difficulty swallowing, sore tongue. I was always nauseous. My stomach was swollen and it always hurts. I had an endoscopy which showed irritation, and a barium which showed a small sliding hiatal hernia. Then i was tested for food allergies. My chart was full. I'm allergic to almost everything. I had a high eosinophil count from a blood test too, which is an indicator of allergies. My sore tongue went away when I stopped eating a lot of the allergic foods, but I can't stop eating them all because i'm allergic to so many things. Im miserable daily. I'm sure it is panic disorder related.

Please everybody...on the phlem, if it is yellow all day long, it is probably an infection. If it is green, please see your doc. You can take the ppi (nexium, etc.) at night on an empty stomach.

mine is never discolored...usually clear or white

 My phlem is clear too.  I am spitting it out when convenient.  I figure why not??? But decided not to cough it up as it could make my situation worse.  Take care everybody

I would still like to know what causes the phlegm. Is it the result of a Hiatal Hernia or reflux. I have GERD and I know I have a Hiatal Hernia but thankfully I do not get Heartburn.
Pat.

this is first time i am really learning more on heartburns. i am noting the symptoms just in case. i want to be sure that i can discuss it with my physician if ever i feel that i have similar symptoms.because i hve been having phlegms a bit more often recently and i have nt done anything about it.i am posting the link to the post i read on heartburns:
www.imsickofbeingfat.com/forum/1349-wading-off-heartburns.html

Hi, my name is Gail and I have been posting as "theBug" (long story). Anyway, in respoonse to inquiries as to the course of my symptoms, I have been dealing with heartburn intermittently since 1974 when I first noticed it during my first pregnancy. It was not too much of a bother until I had to start taking Celebrex for osteoarthritis about 15 or so years ago. I had to go on Nexium shortly afterward just to be able to handle the Celebrex. This combination worked for >10 years until I noticed heartburn late in the afternoon after taking the Nexium at night. Gradually, the heartburn was coming earlier and earlier in the day. I guess I got accustomed to the Nexium and it was no longer working. In addition, about three years ago, I began to notice that hoarseness and developed a cough. I have had the head of my bed up on blocks for at least three years, and I have not been eating before going to bed.
Sometimes it is not actual heartburn. Sometimes I can just feel my stomach contents coming up in my esophagus, especially when I am lying down or leaning over. It would awaken me at night with the feeling that I was being strangled or choked! I have had to stay sitting up long after I should be in bed, just because I can't lie down yet. The meds I was taking before surgery were Prevacid 30mg each pm and Prilosec OTC every AM. In addition, often I had to take Gaviscon to be able to go to bed at a normal time. I am a newlywed and don't like having to sit up when it's bedtime, if you know what I mean!!!! I had all those tests and the Dr said my picture was "classic" and that I would benefit from the surgery.
I have yet to see many benefits, but it has only been a week.
Hope I haven't bored you. I am learning from you all.

Hi Bug...

I know what you mean about staying up late just sitting up because you can't go to bed yet.  I've spent many a night on the couch (recliner) because of that - or have had to move to the couch in the middle of the night.  (Much to my husband's dismay.)  I'll have to try the Gaviscon.

I hope you're feeling better after the surgery!

There are two types of GERD

REgular GERD and LF GERD which is an laryngopharyngeal form of gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Symptoms of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux are:

• Continual throat clearing
• Chronic throat irritation
• Chronic cough
• Hoarseness
• Excessive phlegm the throat
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing)
• Constant sensation of something in the throat
• Swallowed food comes back up
• Post nasal drainage
• Weak voice
• Cracking voice
• Blockage of the breathing passage
• Spasm of the larynx (voice box)
• Wheezing

---

I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said, "That cannot be true. You haven't met everyone yet!"

i get the phlem stuck in the back og my throat and i feel like i have to clear it or i will choke so i always try and clear it and sumtimes i get some out and it white or clear and very thick and sticky like a gum. does anyone get this ???????????

Hi, I was diagnosed with Gastritis and esophagitis in March and was given 20mg omeprazole once a day. the symptoms are getting worse Especially food coming back up but whats really distressing me is the constant throat clearing and the sticky "glue" which just wont budge. The more I clear the more it sticks. Now with the constant clearing my chest lining is now raw and last week I panicked because I developed and ache on the left side of the sternum and I thought it was a heart attack. I went to the doc and she reackoned it was this acid reflux complaint but im really distressed about this and feel "whats gonna happen next" Im really worried.I sleep propped up with six pillows and am exhausted because i cant sleep properly as im so worried. I have this chest pain now as i write this after a good throat clearing session and it feels like my esophagus is on fire. Will this last for ever ???????????? Thanks for listening to me moan

Dear "The Bug,"
It's now been a year since your surgery and I'd be intrested to know how you feel. Did the GERD symptoms disappear or at least lesten? Did you have what is called "fundoplication"surgery or some type of endoscopic procedure? I have a feeling that surgery or an endoscopic procedure might be considered down the road for my uncontrollable GERD symptoms so I'd like to know what your experience was.
Thanks,
GerdLady

I became sick this past January with the common cold virus - that nasty bug that it is.  I had a horrible cough and my throat always felt like it was on fire. Then the head hold came with the runny nose...so on so forth.  I didnt need any antibiotics (so my Dr. said) which I was glad for. I just did home remedy things and took cold medicine.

Now, 3 months later I cant kick the Phlegm!  I feel it constantly running down the back of my throat. I clear my throat and its still there. I cant cough up anything, i just gag when I try.  It also has made me start snorting. Its strange, its as though I now dont have enough room to breathe and my throat closes up resulting in the snorting sound.  I've also started doing it in my sleep and it wakes me up.  A friend though maybe I should be checked for Sleep apnea, but i dont think I completley stop breathing (wouldn't I know?) but I think snort when I cant get air though and the sound wakes me up.  

Any suggestions or anyone ever experience the same thing?

Mandarae,

One of my earliest symptoms of GERD was a sort of gasping or choking awake at night. I didn't find out for years that that was the cause, but did have a couple of sleep studies done that came back fine. I wasn't snorting or snoring, though.

It might be a good idea to get checked out for sleep apnea, but I'd say to try to get to an ENT doctor if you can. Since that's the only person who could diagnose my problem, I swear by them now! :) No, seriously, if you have a problem with your throat, they're the folks to see; after all, it's what they specialize in. They'll have a much clearer idea of what might be going on and what further tests are best for your situation.

percycat