Asthma silent reflux no voice

[Shazbott12]

Hi I have astma and silent reflux I have had hardly no voice for over a year now I’m also taking montulkast for my astma 2 inhalers and lansoprozole 3omg and gaviscon I’m out of breathe when walking and cannot talk I was under ent but when COVID came out my appointment was cancelled now they have discharged me I was on peptac before gaviscon and the dr is stating I must stay on gaviscon for 4 months before ent will see me again I feel embarrassed when I talk as no one can hear me please help thank you

[Poobah]

Did your loss of voice happen after you started a new inhaler or after you started to experience reflux? It's not unusual for inhalers to affect the vocal chords and cause dysphonia. Strict oral hygiene and gargling after inhaler use can help.

If it's reflux related then definitely an ENT matter as investigations into what is going on with your throat and voice box will be necessary.

Reflux is horrible and getting it under control will definitely help you feel a whole lot better. You're already on a PPI ( lansoprozole) which inhibits stomach acid. And Gaviscon should help keep the acid in the stomach. If these aren't working then you could try adjusting your diet until you get to see ENT. There's a vast amount online about how to control reflux through diet, but everyone is different so what works for one may not work for someone else.

I now only have 2 meals a day in order to allow digestion and I cook from scratch, no spices or other things that trigger my reflux. No snacking. Nothing processed. No cakes, biscuits, crisps etc. No sugar. It works for me and it's great to feel so much better - worth the effort. I used to live on Gaviscon and antacids but don't need them now despite having a hiatus hernia.

[Shazbott12 in reply to Poobah]

Thank you for your help I do have a humidifier but I’m not sure if that’s helping or making me worse I cut out the apples as that was definitely one of them for me but I’ll try the strict diet route

[Gareth57]

Some people swear by gargling for controlling the side effects of inhalers (like loss of voice) but I find a hot drink very effective, if I miss one I get quite hoarse.

[Shazbott12 in reply to Gareth57]

What hot drinks do you have please as now I have decafe drinks thank you

[Gareth57 in reply to Shazbott12]

My morning pick me up is black coffee, the tea in the evening. So I guess pretty much any drink would do to rinse any residual powder from your mouth and throat

[Shazbott12 in reply to Gareth57]

Thank you for your reply I didn’t think you could drink coffee I’m using decafe

[twinkly29]

How frustrating that you were in the system for ENT and now you've got to start again. You're not the first person I've heard of that that happened to - I get that they wouldn't be seeing people because of covid but just discharging people was a ridiculous approach.

It would be worth persevering with the gaviscon and so on in order to be able to see them. It's important to find the right cause/s of one's symptoms because only then can the right treatment be found. I guess ent might work out where the physical issues are, eg top of throat or lower down, in order to determine what the cause is.

[Shazbott12]

Yes it’s very frustrating I was on peptic now gaviston I can’t see that working neither tbh I’m not sure what to eat either please help

[Itswonderful in reply to Shazbott12]

Look on Amazon for The Acid Watchers Cook Book. It is American but it gives lots of information about how to go about getting acid under control and healing the parts of the body that have been exposed to acid. For instance, coffee and chocolate loosen the sphincter muscle allowing acid from the stomach to escape upwards causing acid reflux or silent reflux. I had silent reflux and I have learned to keep it under control. I eat smaller portions and only eat 2 meals a day to allow for digestion. I don’t eat any processed foods anymore and I don’t eat my last meal of the day any later than 6 pm and it is usually a light meal of, for example homemade vegetable soup with one slice of bread. If I want a more substantial meal I won’t eat later than 4pm. It has been a worthwhile change because continuous reflux is such a miserable thing to have. Good luck.

[Shazbott12 in reply to Itswonderful]

Thank you so much

[Shazbott12 in reply to Itswonderful]

Do you think decafe coffee is ok

[Itswonderful in reply to Shazbott12]

We are all different but coffee is known to relax the muscle that keeps reflux from coming up and causing problems. The only way you will know is to cut it out for a few months and then gradually reintroduce it and see if it effects you.

[Lorcas_15]

I used to have hoarseness when speaking when I was first on asthma inhalers but gargling with plain cool water after each puff solved the problem.

[Shazbott12 in reply to Lorcas_15]

Thank you

[CANINE12]

I'm sorry you are experiencing this, they are the same symptoms I had for years. It took a long time in the system to get to see (and find) the right help. Since seeing Prof Alyn Maurice who took my symptoms seriously and having treatment my voice is back, no lasting effects. I am able to walk without getting breathless every time. I had a sliding haetus hernia which was corrected when I had the Nissan Fundoplication operation. He is very thorough and will do tests, I had my mythochlorine challenge test done there which was positive. I now know I also have asthma, now diagnosed with severe asthma so I had two things going on at the same time which can complicate things.

They will only suggest an operation after exhausting all other treatment options.

[Shazbott12 in reply to CANINE12]

Thank you how do I get older of the prof please x

[CANINE12 in reply to Shazbott12]

Sorry I don't quite understand your question. I think you will have to be referred by you GP if you want to be seen by him. This would also apply to the other specialists in silent reflux disease. Hope this answers your question. 😊

[Shazbott12]

Thank you I’m on montelukast do you think this could be affecting my voice

[CANINE12 in reply to Shazbott12]

I very much doubt it. I've been on it for years and my voice is fine.

[Keem59]

Hi... I've just been to ENT for this. I had the camera, which showed inflamation around the vocal cords. I struggle to finish a sentence... And if I talk too much, by night time I've got a little voice. She's given me leaflets to follow. I'll attach them later, they may help you.

[Shazbott12 in reply to Keem59]

That would be great thank you

[Keem59 in reply to Shazbott12]

Here's the leaflets... Hope some or all of it helps. X

Leaflet on managing Persistant Cough.