Paradoxically, soon after beginning the drug, I noticed an increasing occurrence of reflux. Thinking it was coincidental, it just made me feel more like I should perhaps be taking this drug after all.
I took this drug dutifully for two months. Once, on a weekend visit with inlaws, I realized I had run out of the medicine. Instead of refilling it, I assumed there would be no harm in skipping it for a couple of days. I was tragically mistaken. For dinner one night, we went out for pizza, and I had a beer. That night, thinking nothing of it, I went to bed.
In the middle of the night, I woke up with the sensation of searing pain in my throat and what felt like the canal between my ears. I sat upright, then drank a glass of water. It hurt to swallow. It continued to hurt to swallow, every time I swallowed, for months thereafter.
My doctor, at that time, did not believe LPR existed. He just sent me to an ENT to stick a scope down there. The ENT reported clear signs of irritation in my throat, but nothing conclusive was decided. In the meantime, I had daily irritation, swelling and lump formation that prevented the consumption of all but the smallest, smoothest bits of food.
With no clear guidance from doctors, I turned to the web. I discovered what proton-pump inhibitors actually do, and how quitting them cold turkey can cause the acid backlash- a concept still resisted by doctors but unquestionably real- that damaged me. I decided to taper off of them, very gradually. To accomplish this, I took the advice of some in the online community and bought the version that consists of a gel capsule and small grains of the drug. I took months counting out individual grains and gradually reducing them a few grains at a time. I chewed on deglycyrrhizinated licorice tablets to reduce the PH in my mouth and throat and soothe irritation. For acid reflux relief, I used Gaviscon, which is believed to form a barrier between food and the esophagus that is hard for acid to splash through. I think they both contributed to my healing.
At the same time, I adopted Jamie Koufman's acid reflux cure diet. I read her theory that acid hung out in the throat and caused continual damage, that it was only by banishing acid foods and liquids from even passing through that could give your throat the time it needed to heal. In the process I lost a lot of weight, which in and of itself has the effect of reducing the amount of esophogeal reflux. So it's not 100% clear in my mind which really caused my symptoms to stop and the healing of my throat, but either way it resulted in the desired effect.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I became symptom free and could live a normal life again. I have occasional flare-ups, but nothing like it was before, just a minor lumpy feeling in there if I've overeaten or ate too much acidic food. Fortunately it's very rare.
My slow healing process was documented on this blog pretty well. I've posted some low-acid recipes, and discussed symptoms I experienced from day to day. Some of you have reached out and hope our interaction has helped you.
So, why am I commemorating this journey now? Well, unfortunately, we are only human, and let's be honest, it is hard to keep things on the straight and narrow. I feel like there has to be a transformation in your mind to make lasting, permanent changes. Unfortunately, I'm afraid my own changes were merely reactive- specifically, reacting to pain and discomfort- and I did not not successfully integrate mind and body.
I have hope. I made a complete change in my habits over the period of a couple of years. I can do it again. It's just this time, my motivation has to be from a desire to be better, not in reaction to pain.
I kept private notes away from this blog during my episode. I will be documenting some of those notes here. I hope you find some of the insights contained within useful. At the same time, I am going to devote time on this blog to finding the path forward- really, finding the dual path of mind and body, progressing together.
Please let me know about your own struggles, I'd love to share your experiences here.
6 comments:
Dude, how is it going? My journey has been since January 2017.
Thanks for asking. It's about five weeks into my re-injury. I still have to be really careful about what and when I eat. I am making progress, though- I can handle slightly larger portions and recently I found I could handle cooked onions. Raw onions, tomatoes and garlic in any form are still a no-no- I have discovered this experimentally.
Here's what works for me:
-small portions
-allow stomach emptying between meals (3 hours min, 4 hours optimal)
-when really bad: rolaids before and after meals. On good days- DGL and/or Slippery Elm lozenges before and after.
-I've tapered down to one half a Prilosec in mornings and evenings, 30 mins before breakfast and dinner. Literally opening them and counting the grains. I supplement with a Zantac daily.
I wish you well on your journey. Moderation is the key- you can do it!
I agree on the small portions, but do you not also have issues on a completely empty stomach? I swear if I wait too long before eating I definitely seem to get some type of vapor burn on my larynx.
Oh yes, I definitely did. I could have a small sip of tepid water and have immediately feel pain in my sinuses and a sour taste in my mouth. I think that's why until your laryngeal-esophageal area is no longer acutely damaged, you need to be on acid blockers for a time.
You do bring up a good point for sure, and that is a little something on your stomach can help. It gives your acid something to work on. Dry sourdough bread works best for me. It's partially digested by the beasties that eat the sugar produced by fermentation, so it's easier on your system. If you are celiac, maybe some white rice would do it.
One possible way to ease that is be sure to eat at the same times every day. As in, time it. Your digestion anticipates activity at the times you usually eat. If you don't eat on a schedule, it seems that could happen at random times. Stick to a schedule and you'll be giving your stomach food when it expects it, and then acid levels go down until your next meal. Might be worth a try.
Honestly, I am on no acid blockers. Do you honestly think they help? I noticed nothing positive or negative really with the H2 blockers. Now the PPI's were definitely negative.
I really don't know, no. It could very well simply have been drastic lifestyle changes- eating a lot less and sleeping on a wedge- that helpe me this time. Five years ago I took PPIs for gastritis and experienced extreme rebound. that injury took a year to heal and still gives me problems if I don't watch what I eat.
This time I took an alpha blocker for enlarged prostate, and it relaxed my LES as well. My throat was damaged all over again. For three weeks I was in the acute phase, unable to eat much at all, refluxing over water, in really bad shape. My doc suggested Prilosec and I decided to try just because nothing was helping. Perhaps it gave my throat a chance to heal. Maybe it was because I was eating almost nothing. I really don't know which. All I do know is rebound is real, so I've been very slowly working my way off of them all over again.
Not much help, I know. Last time around the PPIs were, without a doubt, the cause of the problem. And this time around, I was desperate.
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