Reflux As a Default Diagnosis

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Steven L. - 08 Apr 2007 23:08 GMT

Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.

I'm not a fan of having default "trash" diagnoses, ones the doctors pull
out of their butts when they can't make a definitive diagnosis: "We
don't think it's sinusitis, and we don't think it's allergy, so it is
*probably* reflux."

If anyone ever goes to a doctor and gets a diagnosis of "reflux" as the
postulated cause of their throat or sinus problems, they should insist
on specific tests for reflux that can confirm or rule out its frequency,
severity, and correlation with their symptoms.

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Steven D. Litvintchouk
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judy - 08 Apr 2007 23:37 GMT

> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
> them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> Email: sdlit...@earthlinkNOSPAM.net
> Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.

i couldn't agree more! I was disagnosed with silent reflux after 23
years of sinus and nasal suffering and I know in my "gut" that reflux
is not the problem (also doesn't improve with those medications). I
felt even more frustrated after being handled in this way. I think
some Dr/s are trying to make their name by insisting on and publishing
these kinds of findings.

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Steven L. - 14 Apr 2007 19:44 GMT

>> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
>> them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> some Dr/s are trying to make their name by insisting on and publishing
> these kinds of findings.

It's also the case that in the history of medicine, certain diagnoses
have been "sexy" in that they seem to show up more frequently than the
medical textbooks predicted. And then it becomes a fad, with more and
more doctors (and even some patients!) wanting to claim that's the cause
of most of their cases.

Over the years, the "sexy default" has included:

"The vapors"/"Bad air" (that's where the word "malaria" comes from)
Neurosis
Stress
Hypoglycemia
Depression
Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
Reflux

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Steven L. - 14 Apr 2007 19:50 GMT

>>> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
>>> them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)
> Reflux

and last, and certainly least,
Candidiasis

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MZB - 19 Apr 2007 22:23 GMT

yOU forgot irritable bowel syndrome

>>>> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
>>>> them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
> and last, and certainly least,
> Candidiasis

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Murray Grossan - 20 Apr 2007 05:58 GMT

On 4/19/07 2:23 PM, in article f5RVh.60$lq2.47@newsfe04.lga, "MZB"
<moo@noway.prudigy.net> wrote:

> yOU forgot irritable bowel syndrome
>>>>> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>>
>> The ear nose and throat doctor can look at the larynx and see if the area

bordering the esophagus is red, swollen, inflammed and if so can make the
diagnosis of reflux if it fits with other symptoms. This is considered a fairly
opjective test - the area is easily photographed and demonstrated to the
patient. Treatment can be followed by looking at the larynx.

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loxaluck - 09 Apr 2007 17:29 GMT

I agree but reading the variety of symptoms that folks who have been
diagnosed with "sinusitis" have, has led me to believe that this too is
often a default.

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tdonline - 14 Apr 2007 02:43 GMT

> Sure seem to be a whole bunch of folks whose physicians are diagnosing
> them with "reflux" because they can't think of anything else to do.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> on specific tests for reflux that can confirm or rule out its frequency,
> severity, and correlation with their symptoms.

And sometimes that isn't enough either. I have read so many people
suffering and they went through all the GI tests and still have not
had confirmation of what is really wrong. I had an endoscopy and
colonscopy and 24 hour ph testing done and nothing conclusive came out
of them. The final recommendation from the GI doc was for me to see a
speech therapist to treat my "aerophagia". The ENT who knows this
speech therapist told me that this is the default recommendation when
the GI can't figure what is wrong.

In any case I have had ENT and GI testing done and nothing has really
shown up to pinpoint why I have my problems. So the doctors shrug and
wonder if I can just deal with it. But I know I have symptoms that
have affected my quality of life.

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