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Medical Forum / General / General / July 2006vocal chord damage?
Sorry if I seem persistent. My news server seems to drop messages occasionally. I saw a reply to a reply to my post about damaged vocal chords, but never saw the original reply. Can you elaborate on how GERD can damage the vocal chords? If it's left for a few years, as mine has, is it reparable by surgery or anything? Is it worth taking something like Nexium for a few months? It's bothering me more as time goes by because I have to strain alot to speak. - Sharon "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" Sorry if I seem persistent. My news server seems to drop messages occasionally. I saw a reply to a reply to my post about damaged vocal chords, but never saw the original reply. Can you elaborate on how GERD can damage the vocal chords? If it's left for a few years, as mine has, is it reparable by surgery or anything? Is it worth taking something like Nexium for a few months? It's bothering me more as time goes by because I have to strain alot to speak. - Sharon "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharon, I suggest that you request a referral to a pulmonalogist. They have special computer controlled diagnostic machines and conduct other special tests to determine whether or not you have GERD or any other breathing problems. The pulmonalogist could also answer the questions that you asked in your post. I am not a doctor. Jason ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Sorry if I seem persistent. My news server seems to drop messages > occasionally. I saw a reply to a reply to my post about damaged vocal [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > alot to > speak. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Jason > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jason, you can't even spell it correctly. Please sit down and be quiet. A pulmonologist would be a waste of time, his and yours. GERD is not a pulmonary disease, and pulmonologists have nothing to do with the vocal cords, nor with the gastrointestinal tract. Nor do they, generally as a specialty, have "computer controlled diagnostic machines" and "other special tests to detemine whether or not you have GERD". Diagnosis of GERD is most often the province of gastroenterologists. Sadly, I find that there are a lot of gastroenterlogists that don't know much about GERD either - at least anything more recent than the last 10 years. In GERD, gastric reflux can get all the way up the esophagus and hit the vocal cords, resulting in reflux laryngitis. This can occur with either acid or alkaline reflux, so treatment with anti-acid medication such as Nexium may have no effect. Surgery for the vocal cords is not necessary, they will heal once the reflux condition is stopped. Stopping the reflux may require surgery. HMc "Jason Johnson" <jason@nospam.com> wrote in message news:jason-1007060858290001@66-52-22-49.lsan.pw-dia.impulse.net... > In article <QfDzNCcU3v1h@eisner.encompasserve.org>, frey@encompasserve.org > (Sharon) wrote: [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > alot to > speak. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Jason > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jason, you can't even spell it correctly. Please sit down and be quiet. A pulmonologist would be a waste of time, his and yours. GERD is not a pulmonary disease, and pulmonologists have nothing to do with the vocal cords, nor with the gastrointestinal tract. Nor do they, generally as a specialty, have "computer controlled diagnostic machines" and "other special tests to detemine whether or not you have GERD". Diagnosis of GERD is most often the province of gastroenterologists. Sadly, I find that there are a lot of gastroenterlogists that don't know much about GERD either - at least anything more recent than the last 10 years. In GERD, gastric reflux can get all the way up the esophagus and hit the vocal cords, resulting in reflux laryngitis. This can occur with either acid or alkaline reflux, so treatment with anti-acid medication such as Nexium may have no effect. Surgery for the vocal cords is not necessary, they will heal once the reflux condition is stopped. Stopping the reflux may require surgery. HMc ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HMc, Thanks for your post. I am glad that you are a member of this newsgroup. You are correct--I should have not provided this person any advice. Thanks also for letting me know that I was wrong without any name calling. You are a true professional. Keep up the great work. Jason ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Jason, you can't even spell it correctly. Please sit down and be quiet. Ha, it's ok, that reply sounded odd to me, so I discounted it anyway. > In GERD, gastric reflux can get all the way up the esophagus and hit the > vocal cords, resulting in reflux laryngitis. This can occur with either acid > or alkaline reflux, so treatment with anti-acid medication such as Nexium > may have no effect. Surgery for the vocal cords is not necessary, they will > heal once the reflux condition is stopped. Stopping the reflux may require > surgery. Ah, do you think the alkaline reflux is perhaps when you don't have the sour taste? That would explain it. I have a problem with doctors when they say "you'll feel X, Y, and Z" and when I say I don't they say "Oh, you might not feel X, Y, and Z". It sounds like they're making sh.t up, but probably they're just not explaining themselves very well. As an IT worker, I know it's sometimes very difficult to translate technical stuff into layman's terms, and I know doctors have the same problem. Anyway, after reading your replies and a very good website from a doctor with a head and neck specialty (I forget the name of it now), I understand better what may be happening to me. I have juvenile reumatoid arthritis, and although it's been in remission since my mid-twenties, the disease isn't well-researched in adults yet. I've been wondering if it would morph into "regular" reumatoid arthritis, or just make me more prone to having arthritic problems. Although I don't see any sign of that yet, I've learned that there are tiny joints in the throat that sometimes are affected by arthritis. I could have a touch of that. I've also been taking NSAIDS on a daily basis for many years and aspirin for years before that. Although my stomach wasn't apparently bothered by them until recent years, I should probably start taking some stomach protection on a regular basis. I have been burping like a fiend for the last couple of years and I know that's one symptom of GERD. Can you elaborate a little on the surgery for GERD? I'm going to ask my doctor if I can try a course of stomach medications, but if that doesn't work I'd like to know what the alternative involves. - Sharon "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" >> Jason, you can't even spell it correctly. Please sit down and be >> quiet. [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > stomach > protection on a regular basis. Hi Sharon...first of all aspirin is also an NSAID, and probably the oldest of them all. NSAIDs are basically prostaglandin blockers (which is the vehicle by which they stop inflammation), and thus continued use of them can result in damage to your stomach mucosa (since one of the prostaglandin's is needed for a healthy stomach mucosa). With long term use at high dosages, you may end up with erosions, or ulcers, or possibly hemorrhagic gastritis. I am surprised you have not had any serious stomach problems if you have been taking them for many years on a daily basis (may I ask what dosages you are taking). NSAIDs can also be caustic by direct contact with the stomach mucosa, but I believe the main vehicle for the mucosa damage is the systemic effect they have by blocking the prostaglandin that is needed for a healthy mucosa. Have you ever had an EGD to examine your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. I would recommend one if you have been taking NSAIDs all those years (and especially since you have concerns about reflux disease). You said your stomach wasn't bothered by the NSAIDs until recent years. What kind of symptoms are you having (in the recent years) that make you think they are affecting your stomach in recent years. You may want to ask your doctor about the more selective Cox-2 inhibitors (by prescription - but be aware of the warnings). I am not quite sure exactly why you have been taking the NSAIDs for many years (based on your discussion about juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which you said is in remission). Do you have daily arthritis type pain, or what. Hope some of this helps. Write back if you can...Pete I have been burping like a fiend for > the last > couple of years and I know that's one symptom of GERD. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > - Sharon > "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" > Hi Sharon...first of all aspirin is also an NSAID, and probably the oldest > of them all. NSAIDs are basically prostaglandin blockers (which is the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > been taking them for many years on a daily basis (may I ask what dosages you > are taking). Oh, god, I have a long and varied history! Took high doses of aspirin all through childhood. Overdosed (by doctor's rx) when I was about 4 or 5 - that was 12 baby aspirin twice a day. Mom fixed that when I started hallucinating! I don't remember the dose for a few years after that, but it was manageable. In my teens I got tuned out bitter on doctors, and just limited myself to no more than 9 aspirin twice a day. 3 or 4 was more typical. In my early twenties I started noticing that although the aspirin helped my arthitis pain, when I stopped it for any reason, I would have bad headaches and dizziness. I KNEW that was bad, so i stopped taking aspirin for any reason, went to doctors again and got rx's for newer NSAIDS. I've tried them all by now: Daypro, Naproxen, relafen, Lodine, others. They all worked fairly well. I don't know why, but DMARDs don't seem to work for me, nor do simple painkillers like ultracet. (Actually, there's something in ultracet and Ultram that I seem to be allergic to because it makes me sick.) For the past year I've been taking 1 750mg Relafen tablet twice a day, and 4 Methotrexate pills once a week. My doc wants me to take the Relafen only as needed, and take pain killers instead, but that simply doesn't work for me. I take the Relafen regularly. I can't tell if the Methotrexate is doing anything at all (even when I stop the relafen). > Have you ever had an EGD to examine your esophagus, stomach and duodenum. I > would recommend one if you have been taking NSAIDs all those years (and > especially since you have concerns about reflux disease). You said your > stomach wasn't bothered by the NSAIDs until recent years. What kind of > symptoms are you having (in the recent years) that make you think they are > affecting your stomach in recent years. I used to brag that I had an iron stomach. All that acid and even spicy food never bothered me. Last year (age 41), I finally started getting stomachaches after being on the Lodine for a year. My doc switched me to Relafen and gave me a temporary rx for nexium, which helped. I don't have stomach aches any more, but I do still burp alot. Empty stomach, after eating, almost constantly. So I know there is damage even though there's no pain. > You may want to ask your doctor about the more selective Cox-2 inhibitors > (by prescription - but be aware of the warnings). I am not quite sure > exactly why you have been taking the NSAIDs for many years (based on your > discussion about juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which you said is in > remission). Do you have daily arthritis type pain, or what. I tried the Cox-2's and except for Bextra they didn't do anything for me. Bextra worked and I liked it... before it was taken off the market. On the other hand, a tummy ache is easier to deal with than a cardiac event... I haven't had joint flareups in about 15 years, but I do have seasonal and morning stiffness and aching. It's totally non-specific, the best way to describe it is "my skeleton hurts". My doc speculates that it's pain from the damage I accumulated in childhood. I can't figure out why, despite the fact that I have no inflammation and my sed rate is good on blood tests, I respond so well to NSAIDS. And as I said, mild painkillers which should help, don't. It's a quirk of my body chemistry, I guess. - Sharon "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" > > Hi Sharon...first of all aspirin is also an NSAID, and probably the oldest > > of them all. NSAIDs are basically prostaglandin blockers (which is the [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] > > - Sharon Haven't really followed to closely here but RA can have an impact on the esophagus and on voice as there is some similarities to other collagen diseases. http://www1.wfubmc.edu/voice/disease_larynx/allergic.htm > "Gravity... is a harsh mistress!" >> Jason, you can't even spell it correctly. Please sit down and be quiet. > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > doesn't > work I'd like to know what the alternative involves. It's very unlikely that your use of NSAIDS have anything to do with GERD, if that's indeed what you have. Information on surgery for GERD (Laparscopic Nissen Fundoplication and Stretta Procedure) is all over the web. I'd suggest Google. HMc > Sorry if I seem persistent. My news server seems to drop > messages occasionally. I saw a reply to a reply to my post about [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > Jason > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jason...you are one sick son of a bitch, like I have told you before. We have told you (in here and in the kidney group) to stop giving people bad medical advice - over and over. Now you are telling people to go to a pulmonologist for GERD, and you have no idea what the f.ck you are talking about. Will you please get the f.ck out of this newsgroup, before you hurt someone. |
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