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Throat tightness and soreness is often reflux. If I were you I would take the PPI (nexium, protonix, Prilosec, or whatever was prescribed) and see what happens in a few weeks.
Totally worth it. And if that fixes you then you can either get a script, or buy OTC. Some of the non-PPI ones like prevacid may work as well, but I would start out with the big guns to see if that is what your problem is.
Silent reflux is very common, and can lead to coughing, sore throat, tight throat, hoarseness, heartburn, etc.
My friend had an annoying cough for years, and after spending gobs of $$ with pulmonologist and allergists finally saw a gastro and it was silent reflux.
I really would not get involved with the sleep study stuff yet. JMHO. Also make sure you get a throat swab that is sent off to a laboratory, for testing.
Health problems are often solved through process of elimination. You have to be part of that process. Remember the saying "if you hear hoofbeats think horses, not zebras". Throat cancer? Really? Most common most likely reason for a sore throat should be ruled out first. If the acid reflux med and the sleep apnea study don't provide answers, allergy testing makes sense.
I agree. The simplest thing is to get started on the PPIs.
Then allergy testing.
And before i did a sleep study I would have a gastro do an endoscopy. After a certain age everyone should have one, along with a colonoscopy, anyway. Both are able to examine things and send to pathology, so you KNOW if there are cellular changes going on. Hence, your fears about cancer would be alleviated for sure.
My reflux led to quite a lot of damage to my esophagus. But silent reflux doesn't have heartburn, etc. symptoms. So its oftne not ocnsidered.
As for the horses versus zebras......l wouldn't even THINK throat cancer, but the cause of mine was actually zebras and not horses. (but I agree about looking for horses first!)
Mine was that I got alpha gal allergy from a tick bite. So eating mammalian substances was giving me a lot of gastro and as a result, esophageal problems. Some of us aren't so lucky as to hit the simplest thing and we are left dangling around in the medical system for years until we are diagnosed. So "allergy testing" would have solved my problem early on, except that the standard allergy testing is usually environmental stuff like grasses, trees, pollen.......mine was a carbohydate "substance" which is rarely tested for. I went to an immunologist/allergist who finally was able to shine a light for me. He was sophisticated and did mast cell tests and other more obscure things. But of course, you don't start there, as its usually not as complicated. Look for horses first!
Silent reflux (symptomless in terms of heartburn etc.) is the simplest most common thing and I personally would start there.
Throat tightness and soreness is often reflux. If I were you I would take the PPI (nexium, protonix, Prilosec, or whatever was prescribed) and see what happens in a few weeks.
Totally worth it. And if that fixes you then you can either get a script, or buy OTC. Some of the non-PPI ones like prevacid may work as well, but I would start out with the big guns to see if that is what your problem is.
Silent reflux is very common, and can lead to coughing, sore throat, tight throat, hoarseness, heartburn, etc.
My friend had an annoying cough for years, and after spending gobs of $$ with pulmonologist and allergists finally saw a gastro and it was silent reflux.
I really would not get involved with the sleep study stuff yet. JMHO. Also make sure you get a throat swab that is sent off to a laboratory, for testing.
Not sure if you were referring to my post, but I have seen an ENT who diagnosed me from the start. I have seen an Allergist and found many things I have an allergy to. I don't know if the testing really is accurate because I had to go back to have it done again and the opposite reading came up. Even been to a Gastro.
Try lifting your head higher than your stomach when laying down. If laying on the side, lay down on your left side. It may be gerd but best to talk to a doctor to get the diagnosis. I have gerd and when it flares up even with ppi med, I have to go back to using special pillow to keep my head elevated when laying down. Lately my trigger appears to be drinking more alcohol than I should (2 glasses of wine daily is too much for me now)plus eating things like chips and dips which I normally don’t eat.
For the past 5-6 months, I've been waking up with a sore throat that lasts the entire day. It's not painful like strep throat but I mainly notice it when I swallow. I tested negative for Covid a few months ago so I ruled that out first. Antihistamines didn't help either.
I finally decided to go to an ENT doctor who did a laryngoscopy and said my throat had a few bumps and was a little red. He prescribed me a nasal spray which I started using but stopped after I got this throbbing headache a few weeks ago - I NEVER get headaches so I was worried that the spray may have caused it.
Last week, he brought me back for a CT Scan of my sinus and the scan came back normal. He said it could either be acid reflux or sleep apnea and offered me a prescription medication for reflux and a home sleep study. I haven't tried either yet.
A week ago, I found an old suitcase in my closet that grew some yellow mold looking stuff on it and immediately threw it out. I also had my vents professionally cleaned. Yet, I still have my sore throat.
I'm lost on what my next step should be. See an allergist for possible exposure? Do the sleep study? Get checked for throat cancer?
I agree with the ENT and Parnassia on sticking with a logical progression of elimination of diagnostic possibilities that your ENT initiated. It is based on symptoms and the most common causes for such symptoms. Seriously how many times do you think an ENT has been presented with a person with a persistent sore throat? That is their bread and butter.
I think your insistence that the mold has something to do with it is based on fear rather than on probabilities. Most molds present no harm in the environment and when they do cause problems they are generally allergic in nature such as hay fever with a runny nose. There's no mention of post nasal drip. It is rare for fungi to become invasive and cause disease and when they do it isn't a sore throat.
One goes through all the diagnostic possibilities in a logical order from highest probability to the least. Do not skip steps. Acid reflux is a very common cause for sore throat while molds causing sore throats is nonexistent. Fungi are not mold in the human body. Molds are filamentous fungi that exist in nature with all the oxygen content and food nutrients needed for that form to be able to flourish. That expression is very limited within the human body with the lungs being one exception and the symptoms there are not sore throat. Molds are noninvasive to host defense tissues and spores are inhaled as a mode of entry into the human body. Other fungi require a skin puncture site for entry. Some fungi are dedicated to the skin causing athletes food. Some of the dangers of mold ie filamentous form of fungi is the formation of toxins and growth in food sources. The ingestion of that food causes the ingestion of the toxins that can harm the body. They do not produce such toxins in the human body because the food sources are different and the environment is different.
I'm considering an ozone machine (it can be rented since they are very expensive). There is suspected black mold in the old house I'm living in (1962). The owner was a DIY person who let's just say they weren't very professional in how they did things. I'm told an ozone machine gets rid of a lot of things that can be causing allergies and unexplained illnesses. Places like servpro rent them.
I'm considering an ozone machine (it can be rented since they are very expensive). There is suspected black mold in the old house I'm living in (1962). The owner was a DIY person who let's just say they weren't very professional in how they did things. I'm told an ozone machine gets rid of a lot of things that can be causing allergies and unexplained illnesses. Places like servpro rent them.
Prior to 1995, I was the sore throat queen and then I found Grape Seed Extract and not a sore throat in over 25 yrs, KNOCK WOOD and don't knock the seeds.....I've discussed Grape Seed Ex here and Alt Med a lot.
Prior to 1995, I was the sore throat queen and then I found Grape Seed Extract and not a sore throat in over 25 yrs, KNOCK WOOD and don't knock the seeds.....I've discussed Grape Seed Ex here and Alt Med a lot.
Agreed buddy!
Grape seed extract helps me a lot to cure my sore throat. It works as a natural antibiotic with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It has become my must have during cold and flu season.
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