posted
Recently I had posted that my boyfriend has had some horrible swallow/choking/gagging throat issues due to Lyme--he had been suffering for several months. The cause was a mystery--an endoscopy had found very minimal esophogeal damage, and our first visit to an ENT found nothing (doing that tube-thing down the throat). We were confused and scared.
This week we went to another ENT who found something that neither the endoscopy nor the tube thing had found--he has laryngopharangeal reflux--which is different than usual GERD, as it centers on the voicebox (interestingly, my boyfriend did NOT have trouble talking). Lyme can cause this by damaging the esophageal sphincter (neurological), which allows the damage to occur. I am not writing this to diagnose anyone, however, i noticed that people are posting these throat-related lyme problems like I did, and have been through endoscopies with no luck. Maybe for some, my note here on laryngopharangeal reflux will help to unravel their swallowing mysteries--or at least provide another path to evaluate. Although my boyfriend's road ahead will be long and tough, this condition is reversible!
Posts: 6 | From New York | Registered: Aug 2004
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I can relate to his symptoms! Not fun...could not eat bread at all because I could not swallow it! If I tried I choked and could not breathe. Other foods caused the problem, too.
At that point I had not been diagnosed with lyme so underwent an endoscopy and was scared to death I had throat cancer. The ENT said he could find nothing wrong and suggested that I might have reflux. These sx gradually got worse and went away after 6 months of abx.
I was told that the spirochetes like to reside in the cranial nerves. There is a cranial nerve which involves swallowing and I am sure that is why I had the symptoms. LLMD agreed.
Here's a technical explanation:
Swallowing is a complex neuromuscular act. Trauma and disease may result in dysphagia and at times aspiration of food and fluid into the airway. In considering the diseases which involve the pharynx and larynx, it is important to have a basic understanding of swallowing and the functions of the larynx. Swallowing consists of three stages: oral, pharyngeal and esophageal.
Swallowing is mediated via efferent fibres passing to the medulla oblongata through the second division of the Trigem-inal (V), Glossopharyngeal (IX) and Vagus nerves (X). The afferent pathway is from the nucleus ambiguous, and is mediated via the glossopharyngeal (IX), vagus (X) and Hypoglossal (XII) nerves.
Damage to these major cranial nerves at any point along their pathway, by trauma or disease, may cause dysphagia with or without aspiration.
Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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Yes, this problem is reverseable. I had the problem, coughing and gagging and it just kept getting worse. Went to at ear/nose/throat specialist and he could not find anything wrong. I have found using a rife machine and the Lyme frequencies controls this very well.
Good luck with this, You can beat it!!
Posts: 546 | From Cascadia subduction zone | Registered: Mar 2002
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I am having terrible throat problems myself. I have trouble swallowing, and my throat clicks a lot, and my throat muscles are tensed up. I am also struggling with burning throat pain, slightly below the chin, and running down the front of my throat to where my neck meets the breast bone. I also have burning chest pain as well. Talking a lot makes my symptoms worse (but does not affect my voice). I was wondering if your boyfriend has these similiar symptoms, and are these symptoms of laryngopharangeal reflux? Like your boyfriend, I too have been to 3 ENT specialists, even went to one at the Mayo Clinic; but they could not pin anything down. Only speculations in my opinion.
I am wondering if it might be lymph node swelling/pain, but nobody has been able to give me any clues as to what my problem is.
Thank you so much for the info.
DMC
Posts: 221 | From fort smith, arkansas, usa | Registered: Feb 2004
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Yes, the symptoms you described sound similar to what my boyfriend goes through. Especially the thing where the neck meets the throat. What we found was that the ENT has to make sure to go all the way down to the larynx (often they do not) when doing that nose-tube thing exam in the office. also make sure that the ENT is using a computer screen to look at what's going on (as opposed to looking directly into an eyepiece) this is supposedly the more medically sophisticated thing to do. Also a note on endoscopies (which, as it seems, we've both found, show nothing)--don't let this discourage you--we were out of our minds for months trying to figure why my boyfriend was in so much discomfort when an endoscopy showed nothing much. Evidently endoscopies can miss the laryngopharangeal reflux--i still can't understand why. you can email me if you want to chat more (i can tell you who has helped us in New York, but he won't want to see a patient unless you're being closely monitored by a Lyme doctor).
quote:Originally posted by dmcbrayer: NYC,
I am having terrible throat problems myself. I have trouble swallowing, and my throat clicks a lot, and my throat muscles are tensed up. I am also struggling with burning throat pain, slightly below the chin, and running down the front of my throat to where my neck meets the breast bone. I also have burning chest pain as well. Talking a lot makes my symptoms worse (but does not affect my voice). I was wondering if your boyfriend has these similiar symptoms, and are these symptoms of laryngopharangeal reflux? Like your boyfriend, I too have been to 3 ENT specialists, even went to one at the Mayo Clinic; but they could not pin anything down. Only speculations in my opinion.
I am wondering if it might be lymph node swelling/pain, but nobody has been able to give me any clues as to what my problem is.
Thank you so much for the info.
DMC
Posts: 6 | From New York | Registered: Aug 2004
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quote:Originally posted by NYCLyme: you can email me if you want to chat more (i can tell you who has helped us in New York, but he won't want to see a patient unless you're being closely monitored by a Lyme doctor).
Thanks NYC,
I just E-mailed you.
DMC
Posts: 221 | From fort smith, arkansas, usa | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
I just went to see my GP on Friday for the very same symptoms you described. I had no idea it could be associated with the Lyme. Hmmm. She wanted to have me go for a barium swallow at the hospital but I am not going to because enough is enough. I have to go get an MRI of my spine on Thursday because they think I may have dammage in my spine from all of this. I have had that wierd throat thing since the beginning off and on but never such pain as I did on Friday. I had no idea other people have the same thing! Wow!
Posts: 89 | From CT | Registered: Nov 2003
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quote:Originally posted by ELymeNancy: I just went to see my GP on Friday for the very same symptoms you described. I had no idea it could be associated with the Lyme. Hmmm. She wanted to have me go for a barium swallow at the hospital but I am not going to because enough is enough.
I'm with you! I'm tired of paying for useless tests; tired of the speculations. I'm already paying enough as it is with the lyme treatments.
DMC
Posts: 221 | From fort smith, arkansas, usa | Registered: Feb 2004
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