LARYNGOPHARYNGEAL REFLUX

[Jodiedebs55]

hello lovely members, just got back from an appointment at ENT in my local hospital, problem with swallowing and hoarse voice, gp wanted to exclude cancer of the thyroid though I never thought it was that , turns out to be LARYGOPHARYNGEAL reflux (not sure why that comes up in caps sorry ) consultant suggested gaviscon but admitted it's only a temporary fix and if left untreated could actually turn to cancer of the esophagus which obviously worried me, I told him I'd ask advice in my group first he was intrigued and asked the name i said thyroid UK he grinned and actually said he had spoken to quite a few patients who were members and he was very impressed with their knowledge of their thyroid journey and said do you know what, they could probably give you better advice than an endocrinologist 😂 that made me giggle and hes right , so may I ask if anyone has any suggestions for over the counter remedies that wont effect my thyroid meds , thank you in advance 😁

[greygoose]

Acid reflux in hypos is more likely to be caused by low stomach acid, rather than high stomach acid. In which case, what you need to do is increase the acid level rather than decrease it.

When you don't have enough acid in your stomach to digest food and send it on its merry way into the gut, it tends to ferment in the stomach, and erupt like a volcano, sending what little acid there is up into the larynx.

So, before you start taking anything, have a read of this article and try the home test at the end:

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I wonder if, as well as low acid, being hypothyroid weakens the stomach sphincter, actually encouraging reflux.

Never thought of that before!

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

That's a distinct possibility, yes.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Thankyou so much

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

You're welcome.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Hi and thanks for the reply, as he used the camera he took me through it all and showed me the esophagus and thyroid gland it was fascinating but uncomfortable to be honest but he explained how my esophagus was in over drive from trying to keep the acid down and in doing so had become inflamed and enlarged he said it's like going to the gym with no rest , he offered omoprazole I think that's how you spell it and gaviscon but I wanted to get advice here first as I know other members have experience with it , he was very helpful and I liked that he thought this group helped other people with thyroid problems he didnt mock it (like other consultants have ) he actually agreed I should check here first , which is good 😁

[greygoose in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Yes, he sounds good. But, he didn't actually measure your stomach acid level, did he? They all want to prescribe omeprazole, a PPI which lowers stomach acid. So, if your problem to begin with was low stomach acid, lowering it is just going to make things worse. But, as I said, do the home test in the article, and see what happens.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to greygoose]

Yes your right thanks

[Hidden]

I found that after starting on thyroxine the reflux problems decreased. The main lingering symptom is irritation in the throat, especially when hungry (digestive juices more active probably) or after going to bed.

I was on Omeprazole, but only needed it occasionally - maybe a few times a week - plus a few Gaviscon tablets a day in between. After starting Levo the reflux also improved and I stopped the Omeprazole (you aren't supposed to take those kind of medication with Levo anyway)

Now I only need an occasional Gaviscon Double Action tablet (better than the ordinary ones). In fact, half a tablet is plenty to deal with the discomfort.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Often I get bored with it and spit the other half into a tissue, possibly to save for next time !

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Hidden]

Hi thanks for the advice, iv been on levo for many years and unfortunately my reflux is getting worse, throat is so painful and swollen and he said there is inflammation on my shrivelled up thyroid my voice is so hoarse and I struggle to swallow as the esophagus is inflamed so I have to chew food to tiny pieces or it gets lodged in my throat, it's a bit worrying as I know I'm limited with what I can take to relieve the symptoms

[Hidden in reply to Jodiedebs55]

Are you undermedicated? Maybe your thyroid function has deteriorated and you need an increase?

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Hidden]

I'm wondering this myself and iv had several AF episodes this week I'm due thyroid bloods soon but will have to go private as my surgery refuses to take the full panel they only do TSH which is ridiculous as I take 12mcg T3 so its obviously necessary to test my T3 and Ft3 , the ENT specialist today requested my T3 and Ft3 but they took the bloods at 3.45pm ???? I pointed out this is silly I need them taken at 9am preferably (obviously not telling them I'd take my thyroid meds after the bloods drawn) but they insisted on taking them today so those results will be useless ,

[Hidden]

"he grinned and actually said he had spoken to quite a few patients who were members and he was very impressed with their knowledge of their thyroid journey and said do you know what, they could probably give you better advice than an endocrinologist"

Wow!

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Hidden]

I was expecting a grumpy old man and was expecting the usual " nothing to do with thyroid just eat better " but he actually listened and seemed very interested and most definitely wasn't a grumpy old man 😂 i mentioned this group and the amazing advice iv learned from here several times to different endos and consultants only to be met with a look of disgust and usually ridiculed but this chap was different, I left feeling like I mattered for a change instead of being made to feel like a hypochondriac PLUS it was nice not to be prescribed prozac 😂 as that seems to be the usual answer to everything

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Low stomach acid can often be an issue

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

What are your thyroid levels and vitamin levels ?

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to SlowDragon]

I'm due bloods December but I think il need them sooner my vitamin levels should be good I take B complex every morning 4 hours after thyroid meds, I take 4000iu vit D3 with my evening meal I take magnesium ashwagandha for 2 months and a month break inbetween (to relieve anxiety and stress and lower cortisol) I take a pro biotic and digestive enzyme, I'm GF and eat mainly leafy greens and 1 potato and either salmon or lean meat I eat plenty of thyroid friendly fruit and I rarely have sugar but I'm not good at the moment so something isn't right I'm lethargic and light headed and palpitations and missed beats also new symptoms at same time as palpitations is a wave of nausea and loose bowels but only when having this PAF episode, ended up in A&E again this week but xray and blood tests show nothing but obviously if your not having an episode when they are testing you it's not going to show up so they are arranging a 24 hour monitor of my heart to hopefully diagnose PAF as this was picked up 2 years ago by paramedics

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Jodiedebs55]

If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before any blood tests, as biotin can falsely affect test results

endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...

endocrinenews.endocrine.org...

Suggest you get thyroid levels tested before starting any ppi

[Lesleyg13]

I'd recommend trying eating low carb (LCHF) for at least a few weeks to see if that helps you:

dietdoctor.com/low-carb-can...

From what I've read PPI's (such as Omeprazole) should be a last resort, and should not be used long term as they interfere with the absorption of nutrients/vitamins - which anyone hypo obviously needs to avoid.

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Lesleyg13]

Yes I completely understand that which is why I'm trying to find a different route to go down, to be honest the symptoms don't bother me it's the fact that left untreated can leave you at much greater risk of throat of esophagus cancer which is my main concern but thanks for your reply

[Jodiedebs55 in reply to Lesleyg13]

Thankyou for that link it's so informative much appreciated