Hi guys,
I am 8yrs post op Ivor Lewis, do any of you suffer with post nasal drip since your ops? I am waking up every morning with a sore/ dry throat, constantly having to clear my nose. It’s driving me insane, someone has suggested it being silent reflux, any ideas?
many thanks
June
Clinically IL survivors arent getting silent or otherwise GORD at par with pre-IL surgery.
What we get is purely reflux (stomach content of acidic nature or bile content alkaline in nature!)
Also suggest checking the humidity int he room where you sleep. Excessive dryness in the air can cause throat to go dry and cause dry cough.Nasal wetness is commonly noted amongst the patients who had nasal tubes during hospital stay etc.
Hmm that’s interesting. I wake often with a bitter taste in my mouth and a slight burn, I always put that down to bile, I’m not sure I know the difference to be honest. I always sleep in a cool room otherwise I can’t sleep, so not sure it’s that, I just assumed once the op was done there would be no more reflux. I get quite down about it, I worry about the continuing damage being done.Thank you for your reply.
Ok, the bitterness and burn same time can be said acidic reflux. Bile is not burning but very bad taste. If not sure you can always buy Litmus papers strips and find the pH from the deeper end of your tongue throat fluid. it will tell you if acidic or alkaline.
Bile vomit is very different taste to acidic one.
Once you have op you are always prone to reflux, simpyl because you dont have valve anymore (this is removed) and sheer location and gravity rules.
The typical acid management works for most of us without adding any PPI's.
It looks from your resonses that you have acid reflux.
Sleeping on steep incline, going to bed empty stomach. Avoiding trigger elemenets in diet and lifestyle etc all helps.
Thank you for that, I shall definitely look into it. I take ppi's as well as gaviscon, I wish I could get off of them.
Its personal management to be honest with you.
I speak to a retired nHS consultant who has managed to live happily without PPI or othe meds for last two years. suffers from acid reflux but not cancer patient.
Since my surgery (IL) 3 years back I only use Gaviscon advance when travelling internationally (due to disrupted lifestyle pattern) and in the nigths when I get flared up due to variety of lifestyle reasons. Normally I dont use Gaviscon either. I manage my lifestyle for me to live with my new normal plumbing.
lifelong PPI prescription is normally counter acting on quality of life and end of life. Especially I have seen quite a number of patients (without PPI or OC) suffering from critical bone fractures and only painful downhill end of life after that. Now add the PPI overuse to this data and see the projection for yourself.
Hi I am 9 years post Ivor Lewis and totally agree with you I suffer with the same cold nose and drip , and dry throat in the morning .
Hi june - I had surgery nearly 6yrs ago and I’ve only ever suffered from silent reflux before and after - it causes me throat issues (usually just when I go to bed - the reflux comes up and disperses in the throat - causing throat clearing ) and post nasal drip - I sleep bolt up right on the sofa and take gaviscon double action before bed - you could try the GP for a nasal spray to help post nasal drip - all the best
Hi molly14Thank you for your reply, I have had nasal sprays in the past, I will ask the doc again. I am still on ppi’s, which I’m disappointed at, as I thought having the op would have helped with that, I do worry about being on them. I also take Gaviscon advance at night as it seems to be only night time I suffer, I have a wedge and 2 pillows, it gets me down a bit if I’m honest. Guess I was hoping to be “ normal “ for once !
Hi June - I was told I’d be on PPIs forever after op as we don’t have the valves now that helps keep acid down - I don’t worry anymore about that - I know how much the nasal drip will get you down - I sleep on the sofa which I find supports me more from moving - I’m bolt upright with a V pillow on arm end with legs on sofa and the back of the sofa as support - I’ve tried everything and it’s the only sleep I get now - there are some really good steriods nasal sprays which I’ve had in the past - not so bad now - all the best x
Ahh bless you, I'm newly married, don't think hubby would like me on the sofa haha, but I'll try to sleep with a v pillow to see how that goes. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.Stay safe x
I am 14 years post IL. I had never even heard of post nasal drip until a few weeks ago, when a friend mentioned it to me and I looked it up. I now realise that I have been suffering from it for years. At first, I thought the symptoms were simply due to my longstanding sinusitis and deviated septum. Then I thought that they were made worse by the chemotherapy, which caused me to produce a lot of saliva and mucus. But in the last three years they have got worse and have caused uncontrollable bouts of coughing, as well as wheezing and breathing difficulties, leading to a diagnosis of late onset asthma. Unfortunately, I can’t offer any remedy. I already take PPI’s to reduce acid reflux, a saline nasal mist and a steroidal nasal spray to keep my sinuses clear, and anti-histamines for hay fever, which are three of the main remedies. The only one I don’t take is a decongestant, because I find they dry out my sinuses and cause them to seize up. When it’s bad, I find the only relief is to drink lots of peppermint tea, sleep in an elevated position and adopt a bland diet to avoid any food triggers. Good luck.
Thank you Spikey, that helps a lot. I have been on a nasal spray before so I shall give that another go, I am allergic to anti histamines, which as you can imagine is a nightmare! I do sleep elevated,when I can sleep lol. I have been experiencing coughing latley, couldn’t figure out why, also I always wake with a dry throat. I am cancer phobic so always worry it’s something more sinister, but I shall talk to my doc about this. Thank you once again.All the best
June
Well, I have nasal drip but I did before Ivor Lewis. I also have a dry throat all the time. Think it may be a combination of reflux and nasal drip but I don't get heartburn
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Sleeping position - 31 Months post Oesophagectomy
