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I'm not quite sure where this belongs, so I'll just try my luck here. Last week, I had nose surgery. Separately—and this might sound strange—I've dealt with back pain for ten years, specifically moderate to advanced degenerative disc disease at the L4 / L5 segment. It was honestly tough just getting into a car, and certain positions—like sitting or standing for too long—would trigger a lot of discomfort. But since the nose surgery, all that pain has just... vanished. I don't really get it, and it doesn't make sense to me, but nothing hurts anymore. Is there some kind of rational explanation for this?
👎So, my Visa Platinum has been a complete nightmare when it comes to online shopping—at least, that’s just my experience. I’ve tried using it to book flights, but I haven't had a single successful transaction across four different websites now. It's honestly pretty frustrating, so I'm calling Bank of America tomorrow to figure out what the hell is going on.
Alright, 10x—but I’m still feeling pretty restless about this because I can't wrap my head around the root cause of my reflux. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't even touch coffee that often, I'm not overweight, and I'm not a high-stress person—so how does this just happen? It seems like whenever it comes to reflux, everyone (and by that, I mean doctors) immediately jumps to the conclusion that it's an excess of stomach acid and prescribes some antacids. Does anyone ever mention that a deficiency in stomach acid could also trigger reflux, or am I totally off base here? Second thing—diet. I honestly can't figure out which foods might be triggering extra acid production (if that's even what's happening) because I don't get the typical symptoms—no stomach pain, no burning, no heartburn—none of that stuff the Republican Party crowd deals with (which is why I couldn't find any helpful answers on that specific thread). My only real issue is this constant, day-and-night throat clearing—basically a sort of heavy, rhythmic snoring in my throat
Is it just me, or does it feel like nobody else has an LPR diagnosis?😢 It seems like most doctors still aren't catching it in the majority of patients--honestly, it feels like they're missing the mark quite often.
Laryngopharyngeal reflux—or LPR—is basically when stomach contents travel all the way up from the stomach, through the esophagus, and into the throat area. It’s a relatively new clinical concept that many doctors in everyday practice still overlook or mistake for atypical GERD.
Recent studies have actually linked this condition to various upper respiratory issues. It seems certain inflammatory conditions—like chronic laryngitis, pharyngitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, secretory otitis media, and laryngomalacia—are definitely tied to LPR. There's also evidence that a huge percentage of asthma patients deal with LPR, and it's incredibly common among those with laryngeal or pharyngeal cancers. The most frequent symptom is hoarseness (dysphonia), which shows up in about 92% to 100% of cases. I've noticed people who deal with intermittent hoarseness several times a year often complain about laryngitis that drags on for days or weeks. After that, the next most common symptom is constant throat clearing (seen in 50% of patients), followed by a sensation of something stuck in the throat—globus pharyngeus—at 33%, and dysphagia at 27%. LPR and GERD are actually quite different when you look at the symptoms, how they manifest, the underlying reflux mechanisms, the diagnostic criteria, and even the treatment approaches. Usually, LPR patients see an ENT, while GERD patients go to a gastroenterologist. The symptoms tell the story—LPR patients mostly don't deal with heartburn or regurgitation, whereas those with GERD almost always do. Hoarseness is the big one for LPR (92-100%), and you just don't see that with GERD. On the flip side, heartburn hits about 89% of GERD sufferers but only about 6% of those with LPR. So, essentially, LPR symptoms focus on the throat and larynx, while GERD is more of a gastrointestinal issue.
Is anyone else out there dealing with this? Honestly, the diet part is what's getting to me most—it's so hard to figure out my triggers since I don't get the typical heartburn or stomach pain that GERD patients do. Still, I'm stuck following the same restrictive diet as someone with GERD, and it's tough to accept that I might have to give up tomatoes and citrus forever and just rely on Vitamin C supplements. Does anyone know if it's possible to go back to a normal diet after finishing treatment?