I often wake in the night with a burning sensation in my upper throat. I assume this is due to acid reflux,

[shamrock]

But the thing is that it seems to have got

into my wind pipe and mucus as when i cough or clear my throat the burning sensation gets temporarily worse, This last for around 30 minutes.

Any ideas will be welcome

[OPA_LarryR]

Hi

I see that you have had an oesophagectomy. What you are describing sounds like reflux. But I need to ask a couple of questions....

1. Do you sleep slightly inclined. If not you should.

2. Do you take a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) such as omperprazole? If not you should discuss your symptoms with your specialist support team.

In general after this type of surgery it is not unusual to get reflux problems (both acid and bile) as the valve between the stomach and the oesophagus has been removed during the surgery. This will make you likely to get reflux particularly when lying down. Obviously every individual case is different so you need to discuss these symptoms with your medical team.

It is important to address this as it can cause coughing and lung related problems if left unchecked.

I hope that helps.

Larry

[shamrock in reply to OPA_LarryR]

1.Yes I try to sleep inclined but tend to slip down whilst asleep I wake a lot during the night and rectify this. Its not every night that I get this reflux

2. Yes I take omeprazole twice a day, morning and when I go to bed.

I have also got a tickly cough which won't go away

Thanks for your info Larry

[Hidden]

You could try using a memory foam mattress topper (eg from Dunelm Mill - tel: [phone] dunelm-mill.com) One of the tips at sosg.info/tips/reflux.aspx

As Larry says, gravity does help.

It is possible that it might be bile, which is alkali, and therefore not really counteracted by omeprazole. (Bile tastes really, really awful, whilst acid tastes awful).

Having gaviscon to take before or after an attack of this may well help. Gaviscon forms a protective raft inside for a few hours, and is not specifically an antacid.

[shamrock in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. Will Gaviscom be Ok to take after Omeprazole as I take this twice per day

[paula1966 in reply to shamrock]

i take gaviscon after every meal,ialso take lansoprazole its ok

[paula1966]

had operation in september 2010 and did really well,put weight back on however since march 2011 have lost 3 stone cant seem to manage to eat the calories needed to maintain weight,constantly feel full and dont have any appetite.

[shamrock in reply to paula1966]

Thanks Paula, I know how you feel. Had my op in April this year and lost over 2 stone, have not put on any yet but its early days. I will try the gaviscom and see how it goes

[Hidden]

People who have this operation often lose weight as the result of their new digestive system (3 stone is not unusual, and it has been up to 6 stone, but it depends on where you started out from to some extent).

The important thing is not to think of weight as a barometer of heath and progress. If you are progressively feeling better, do not worry about your weight. It might be a wardrobe problem but it certainly should not be any kind of target for you to try to regain the weight you once were, and certainly not to try and eat more than you can cope with in order to try and achieve this weight level. Just try and keep up the habit of eating at regular intervals and absorbing what nutrition you can.

You will probably end up as having a new normal weight, and if you can cope with that, it will be fine.

Your stomach may be a new, smaller, shape, and that often means that it reaches maximum capacity very easily. You might have to ask your doctor about gaining vitamins in other ways (eg through supplements)

Stimulating the appetite is an issue. Eating can have such difficult consequences at time! Some people try a glass of sherry beforehand. Taste buds are linked to smell. Your taste buds should eventually recover, but they will have had a bashing from the effects of surgery and perhaps from some of the medication as well.

If you quietly persist, things usually gradually improve!

Hope this helps!

[shamrock in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Alan

[Biggles]

Hi All,

I am pre op Sept 2009 and have all the same symptoms, I take 2x20mg Omeprazole once a day (in morning) as was prescribed and I also suffer from reflux quite often and do sleep inclined.

As you take it twice a day how much are you on as i wonder if twice a day would better option for me. I have started to take Gaviscon before I go to bed which is a great help I still sometimes get reflux but it dont hurt, I too have lost some weight lately 4lbs and also feel full with a weak appertite.

I will mention this when I have my next check up.

[shamrock in reply to Biggles]

Hi Biggles,

I take 2 x 20mg omeprazole once in morning and once at night when I go to bed. I wonder if the night reflux / bile is caused by what I have for dinner as it does not happen every night, although having said that it has happened the last 3 nights. Also my appetite is not that good. I am making a list of questions for my next checkup early in October

[IlyC]

Hi, I had my operation over 4 years ago, and for the first 3 1/2 years I never had reflux once.

About 6 months ago I woke up in the middle of the night with the same as you, burning so bad that I was really scared. I didn't know what was going on as I had never experienced it before. I was coughing for a long time, and it eventually eased down. I looked it up on the internet, and realised it was reflux, so assumed it was normal. Since then, I get it regularly, but I now keep some 'Tunes' near my bed, and it does help ease the discomfort. I have started sleeping on my side now (still with my head raised), and it does seem to help quite a bit, so maybe this is worth a try, but it takes a bit of time getting used to it. I only take one Lansoprazole in the morning, and my Consultant suggested I could try and take one a night as well, but I am trying to avoid this.

[shamrock in reply to IlyC]

I have just started using Gaviscom at bed time from last night.It was successful as I did not get any reflux. I wonder though if it was that or what I had for dinner was more compatible. I had fish pie and ice cream

[Hidden]

Hi, i take 1x20mg every day it seems to do the trick. if i can sleep sitting up in bed i never suffer from reflux but if i slip down into my bed gess what