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Help needed for severe coughing due to gerd

Posted By Robert (Manila, Luzon, Philippines) on 01/10/2012

Greetings: I have severe case of Gerds. I have severe coughing due to the reflux. I have been on Omper, now the doctor has put me on three other meds.

He thinks that the sphincter is damaged and has gave me a medication that is supposed to help strengthen it. Is this possible? He suggested that the sphincter could be scarred with the endoscopic procedure. I am not sure of any of this- any information you can share will be appreciated.

I just came from the market with acv and sodium bicarbonate I mixed the two and had an eight ounce glass. My wife was worried but I told her I could not go on like this- it's time to die or time to start living. If Ted's formulation kills me I will at least have some relief.

My body is racked with pain from the coughing. I have had an x ray- lung is clear, have light case of asthma from time to time. Has anyone else experienced severe coughing? I cannot sleep at night due to this.

The taste is not bad can I expect instant results? Can this make my Gerd worse? I am on a terrible diet. Is there any juice or soft drink I can drink without making my situation worse. Thanks

Replied by Mollie (Riverside, Ca.) on 01/10/2012

Robert, Is your doctor sure this is GERD? I don't recall GERD causing me to cough like you are coughing? But having acid come up on your throat probably can cause coughing!

I have sufferered from GERD before and GERD would cause panic attacks with me. The acid burns like heck!

I stopped eating spicy foods and got on a bland diet and this helped. Also placing blocks on the front legs of my bed helped keep acid down as it will rise up to your throat. The blocks keep the upper part of your body higher than the lower part of your body. Helps loads. Do not allow yourself to lie flat!

My doctor told me that sometimes GERD is so severe that surgery is needed to correct this problem. I hope this is not in your case.

By the way I no longer have GERD unless I eat the wrong foods. Have you thought of taking a strong sedative to calm that coughing down? You need to calm down somehow or the coughing will get worse. Don't use alcohol if possible as alcohol causes more acid.

Hope you improve and God Bless!

Replied by Anon (Anon) on 01/11/2012

Clean the diet up. When I slept I raised the area near my head or used lots of pillows until the body got better on a good diet. You have to eat some fruits, much vegetables (in juice, as a salad, as soup) for the most part. Use the ones that aren't known to trigger reflux. I prefer local and organic. If you must eat meats and grains eat very little (2 ounce serving per person) and chew very slowly. Use meat as an extra, not as the main dish. It's hard to digest.

My physician said the same, it might be reflux and also some possible asthma. The silent reflux (except bad coughing) also made me sensitive and cough bad to cold air and strong scents so I can see why the asthma link (something like cough-variant asthma). I did fine on asthma test at hospital and reflux medicine helped but since I don't want to be on medicine that temporarily helps somewhat... When I changed the diet and ate real food reasonably, the coughing magically went away and stayed away unless I binge on bad food for a week or more. The only time I get the typcial burning sensation instead of the silent reflux with bad cough is with tap water on an empty stomach.

When I had a virus bug tap water made me throw up more too. My brother told me its too hard on the stomach and recommended diluted gatorade and it worked to keep liquids down. I think its kind of weird that tap water does that. Maybe RO and carbon filtered water would be ok.

Replied by Anon (Anon) on 01/11/2012

Hi dear, yes silent GERD doesn't have to burn and can cause violent coughing fits. I had them for a few months straight again. I can get rid of it by switching my diet. The typical things that cause reflux should be avoided, for me heavy meals of carb and meat, acidic foods, colas, chocolates, plain tap water (and having an empty stomach too long) aggravate it. When I eat light fruits, lots of vegetables and small amount of egg , cheese and rye bread it goes away within 24-48 hours. If I start those foods bad again, the cough comes back in a few days. Sometimes taking a little apple cider vinegar in water helps so its probably the body not making enough digestive enzymes (maybe from all the overuse before). You don't want this to happen because cancer cells are in all of us. It only becomes a symptom when it gets out of hand. We don't want to use our digestive enzymes up on long-term bad diet because that's what works in our body digesting protein walls of virus and tumors to keep us healthy. Look at GERD as your body's alarm saying pay attention and help.

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