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mike-2005 · 07-04-2005, 04:48 PM

hey guys

Does anybody know if having a white coating on your tongue is one of the signs of reflux. I have LPR and I have this white coating on my tongue which I thought might be thrush and I went to the doctor and he did a swab but I think it came back negative because he said that he will call me if it is anything, but he hasn't called yet. Also with mine, it changes color when I eat, it becomes the same color of the food that I am eating and then goes back to white. But if anyone else has this and knows why this happens please let me know. Thank you.

ginger65 · 07-09-2005, 05:37 AM

Hi Mike-2005,

I too have a constant tongue coating. I also have LPR and await results of PH monitoring next week. For me the tongue coating and the other symptoms of the reflux are inter connected. The coating, bad taste and breath appeared at the same time as the excess mucous and globus. I too believed it could be a fungal / candidal infection as yeast is known to thrive in an acidic environment. I have been taken Nyastin for a few days with no change.
On the few occasions when I have been reflux symptom free for a few days I have had no coating.

My own take on it is that long standing exposure to low level LPR affects the microbial balance of the tongue and throat. After some time the good bacteria are replaced by the anaerobic bacteria. These are VSC or volatile sulphur compounds and one indicator of their over population outwith taste and breath is a tongue coating. I have been checking my saliva PH for some time now and it has always been 6 -6.25. Saliva should be neutral or slightly alkaline. The continued exposure to the acid will not allow this rebalance to take place. Furthermore the LPR causes throat mucous /PND which provides a protein enriched food source for the bacteria. My ENT consultant felt exposure to the reflux caused cryptic tonsils which the bacteria entered and produced foul tonsil stones. Bad taste and breath are one of the symptoms of LPR so the tongue coating is part of that. Whether or not the coating would clear when the reflux is under control is debateable as the micro balance and oxygen enriched saliva has to be re-established first. What I will say is that so long as the reflux continues this cannot happen.

Sorry so long. Hope helps.

karen7 · 07-10-2005, 06:36 AM

Are either of you on medication? I have a grainy, coated feeling on my tongue since I switched from Prevacid to Prilosec and wondering if this is why.

ginger65 · 07-12-2005, 04:15 AM

Note to Karen7,

I have not been on PPI's or any medication since last autumn apart from a week long anti-biotic treatment. You may have had a dry mouth reaction to the meds or you could have a candidal infection but this is usually after anti-biotic use only. A grainy type coating towards the last third is what I get and thought it could be a candidal/ fungal infection but no improvement through the Nyastin as yet. If you suffer reflux it could have affected your oral bacterial balance and certainly a whitish tongue coating would be evidence of that. If you have LPR you should really be on daily double dose PPI's to try and correct it. Anything else will simply not be strong enough. Hope helps.

WOlfman67 · 07-30-2005, 12:33 PM

I have it too, practically every day. In all honesty, I think we all have a Gluten Intolerance. Do some research on this. Tons of info out there. I think much of it has to do with the way our foods are being processed today. The breads....the meats. It's all perservatives! I mean...just look how many people are all writing on these healthboards trying to get information and self-diagnosing each other!
Noone has the money for doctors and the ones that do go are told there's nothing wrong with them, but they give them a script for PPI's !
PPI's actually make you sicker!
Exercise and eat more fruits and veggies. Lay off the damn bread. Cut back or stop alltogether the junk food. Think Subway is healthier? If you're Gluten-intolerant..all their rolls are full of it!

I think the government and all these Pharma companies are all tied together. They are the ones making us sick. It's BIG BUSINESS! As long as Americans are sick..they will go to a doctor and the doctor's are the middle-stooge in all of this.
Gone are the days of doctors "helping you". Now their main mission is to give you free samples Look at the article just published in Rolling Stone about the mercury levels in vacinnes giving children autism. Read what we did to all those poor chinese children.
Sorry...off toipc.......

Gerdie · 08-05-2005, 06:36 PM

Hi,

Out of curiousity, does anyone else with reflux and coated tongue ALSO have fungus tonails? I have all three and wonder if there is any connection to all of this.
Thanks!
Gerdie

WOlfman67 · 08-05-2005, 07:06 PM

I tend to have small white "specks" through my toe nails and my fingernails at times. I was told that this is a vitamin deficiency, nothing more. If you find any more info on this subject, pls let me know!

Red Maple · 08-06-2005, 10:50 AM

Gerdie-check into candidia. The symptoms you are describing are also common to an overgrowth of candidia.

WOlfman67 · 08-06-2005, 03:37 PM

Can Candidia effect your digestive system too?

Red Maple · 08-06-2005, 08:45 PM

Wolfman--yes, candidia can have an affect on the digestive system. Candidia overgrowth is a "yeast infection". It is common in the mouth and throat in babies and is called "thrush". Other than a vaginal yeast infection that affects women, many doctors do not believe it is a serious problem for adults as candidia is present in everyone. When it is in the digestive system it can cause what is called "leaky gut syndrome". Candidia is usually kept in check by the "good bacteria" in our systems. I have heard however that it grows particularly in an acidic enviroment, but have no medical information to back that up, so I really don't know if that's true of not. Often there will be an overgrowth of candidia when a person has been on antibiotics which kills the "good" bacteria along with the "bad". When the "good" bacteria do not balance out the candidia multiplies and becomes an "overgrowth". There is much info about candidia on the web. Also on the alternative health board, as many people are frustrated by the doctors who do not believe in it and thus are trying natural remedies to get rid of it.

WOlfman67 · 08-07-2005, 06:04 AM

But can Candidia make you lose weight dramatically and prevent you from gaining it back?
I have many posts on here describing a stressful job I went through where I started to lose weight and have bad allergies. I was having severe GERD and bloating and I was popping PPI's too. The acid reflux pills only made me dizzy and my eyes all blood shot and glazey. So I quit my job, moved back home and stopped taking the PPI's constantly.
I went to the doc, had tests...all normal. I was 145 lbs when I left PA for TX and came home at 120lbs!
I have been home about 5 months now and weigh only 125 lbs. and I have been eating good meals everyday. I'm talking fruits, veggies, meat. I try to eat every two hours at least something. I take a multi-vitamin and enzymes to help my digestion. I exercise too.
Now my doc has me on Clidinium/CDP caps which help with IBS and anxiety.
I was on Librax but it was a bit $$$$. since I have no Med.Ins.
That's it in a nutshell.
I think I need therapy, which I'm probably gonna do next. I can't even begin to go back to school at night if I'm all screwed up like this. Maybe with Fall/winter coming up soon, I will be able to gain some weight back. I pray.

thomas3000 · 08-07-2005, 07:40 AM

Wolfman,

You're gluten intolerant, period..enough said!!

Red Maple · 08-07-2005, 07:51 AM

Wolfman- to my knowledge (and I readily admit that it is limited) Thomas3000 is also correct that the symptoms you are describing may be a gluten intolerance. There is information on "celiac" disease on the digestive disorder board as well as the alternative board. Gluten intolerance and celiac disease is not too unusual (I have several friends with it) so your doc may have already checked for this. Therapy is also probably a good idea. If nothing else you could receive professional support emotionally while you are going through this trying time of medical issues. Good luck and keep us posted.

WOlfman67 · 08-07-2005, 04:41 PM

Ok...so If I am gluten intolerant T3000...why is it I can go a whole day without even touching bread...I'll eat a banana and drink some water and I have horrible belching after that? Gluten is in bananas and water?

I just look so thin in my face and body anymore. I never looked this way before. I think that somehow my stomach or intestines are not breaking down my food properly. I used to be a size 34 waist, now I'm a 30. My legs are real skinney too. I know I'm not crazy. I see old friends and the first thing that comes out of their mouth is "boy, you got skinney". I just want some answers. If I'm gluten intolerant..fine..I will accept that...but no one has yet to explain to me how that can stop you from putting on weight. I still get severe chills in my hands and feet at times. I was never sensitive to tempreture changes. Now I am. The one time I had it so bad I had to take a steaming hot shower to warm up. Even at my old job, I had to go to the men's room and run my hands under hot water for 5 minutes to get the feeling back into them. To me, that has NOTHING to do with gluten intolernace.

thomas3000 · 08-07-2005, 09:23 PM

Check out Losec20mg. Talk to him...He has celiac and almost died. You have malabsorption. You're reacting to more foods and that's common with gluten intolerance...50 percent of the U.S. population is intolerant to a certain degree, especially of your family comes from Northeastern Europe. I have loads of info on this and it sounds like your adrenals and/or thyroid might be involved, but you have to give it 6 mos for your gut to heal..Most people don't want to accept this cuz you can't eat your favorite foods anymore..I really don't care anymore, i'm eating from the earth and they're the only healing foods...Please listen to me!!!

WOlfman67 · 08-07-2005, 10:00 PM

Ok..I know you were nice enough to post that List. That was you, right? Things to eat and not to eat. But how am I going to get the proper nutrients, proteins and carbs to sustain a healthy body? How much do you weigh? How old are you and what is your height? I am very, very grateful that you want to help me. I did cut my bread intale back considerably. I get a loaf of yeast-free bread at the health store. It's kinda funny, because it only comes in little slices...barely big enough for a sandwich.
I am drinking milk again. 2% milk. I was making Soy milk shakes with a protein mix, fresh fruit all in a blender. The protein egg powder I got at GNC and I make shakes in the morning for breakfast. For awhile there I was writing down every thing I ate but I felt I was obsessing over it. I do plan to go to a gastrologist and a counselor within the next month. Just trying to scrape some cash together first.
Thanks again 3000.

thomas3000 · 08-08-2005, 04:45 AM

Wolfman,

Give me a complete list of your sypmtoms along with your genetic heritage. Watching what you eat it not obsessing,(Tiger Woods does it). I'm 34 yrs old 5'10" 170lbs and people have been complimenting me on how good I look lately. That hasn't happened in years. My weight hasn't really changed much, but since I have been gluten free, I'm looking younger. Someone just asked me If I was about 27. I must be doing something right. Trust me on this, Gluten is the death of life for people that have this heritage I'm referring to. I will tell you what to do. Stop eating, in the beginning, Gluten, dairy, and soy. I'll explain later why..I had severe anxiety with OCD, not anymore though..My aunt and uncle suffer from this and they decided to go symptom chasing, as anyone in desperation will do. My stubborness took me in the direction of finding the underlying cause of my anxiety, depression, among other things..

WOlfman67 · 08-08-2005, 07:35 AM

Ok...I just woke up and read your post. My father is 100% german-born(immigrant) and my mother is a mix of Welsh and English (American-born)
I'll start with the symptoms. I've had head/nasal congestion almost every day but even as I write this it is always the worst when I wake up. Eyes dry. Summer is always bad for me. I have the AC running right now in my bedroom. I have been in far away places where I just clog-up instantly. My bedroom is in a basement of our house. I was actually thinking I am allergic to mold.
Finger and toe nails are white-specked, brittle and sometimes a layer of dead skin will seem to grow under the nail almost like a second nail. This was mainly in the Winter. Right now, they look the best they have looked in quite some time!

Hands-almost ALWAYS DRY. I use lotion. They tend to have a yellow-tint to them but I was told that may be a side-effect of the medication I am on as perscribed from my doc. He had me on Librax (a bit $) now he switched me to Clidinium/CDP caplets to be taken before each meal. Supposedly they are an anti anxiety/IBS pill. My breathing is sometimes short and my chest is tight. Possible side-effects from the meds.

Fatigue...comes and goes. When I wake in the morning, my arms are stiff and they "pop" back into position when I stretch. Same with my neck.
I know we were first chatting way back when I had that job change and I listed some symptoms during that time. That's when it seemed this all started. I know I was eating too many damn hot pockets for lunch or dinner and too much bread back then. Also beer, Subway/Quiznos, chips,coffee, cookies and those morning breakfast granola bars. My dinners were healthy because my friend's wife was cooking for me...but the stress and anxiety of the job (I couldn't concentrate and learn )and my guilt and paranoia (because of my friend cheating on his wife, and the instability of his company) consumed me. I basically had a nervous breakdown and packed it in.

Well, I also seem to be temperature-sensitive. I explained that already. That was happening and I asked if the vent above my cubicle sould be replaced. Sheesh, did that cause a ruckus with my boss. Can you tell this guy was an ***? My eyes would water and I was sitting there literary FREEZING my *** off. Trembling. I was also having mini black-outs. Felt like my head was bobbing up and down.Thought I would hit the monitor, heheee. When my hands and feet would freeze they looked like all the blood was sucked out of them. All wrinkled over. "Deflated", I would call them.

I do think I have OCD and ADD, somehwhat. I do tend to "drift" in conversations especially listening, unless I am just losing interest. If I drop something on the floor, I can never pick it up right on the first try. Sometimes 2-3 tries. Weird. When I clean something it's like I'm on a deadline. Fast with purpose. I'm not afraid of germs like wearing gloves or stuff like that.
I do have scattered thoughts too. Sometimes negative. I find it hard to think of stuff that will make me happy. I'm not suicidal, but sometimes I'll think things like :"well, when it's my time to go" , or "maybe I have cancer". I am definitley a "glass is half empty" guy.

Now some gross stuff. My stool has been very pale yellow in color the last few days. I believe that this is a good indication when I've had too much bread or gluten. This does change though,too. When I was taking all that Prilosec or Pepcid pills months ago, my stool was almost black and it looked all stringy and had no real form to it. This has stopped completely now. So that to me shows that there has been some progress. I even had that sample tested at my doc's for parasites and H-pilori. All negative.

Tongue: white and sometimes looks like a brillo pad.

The belching I still have. Hell, even my father does it. So I do see where the gluten thing will be hereditary. But he is very "old-school" and doesn't know or "CARES to know" about anything about it. I've tried explaining it. I will wake up in the morning and have GERD. Possibly because I have been laying flat all night. I try not to eat anything past 8:00 pm. Swallowing sometimes difficult, scratchy throat. Sometimes I can "hear" the acid coming up my throat and then back down, even before I ate anything.
Hm-mmmm...I don't get headaches very much. I think I sleep pretty good but on some nights I do pull my sheets out from being tucked.
My hair seems to fall out a lot too. It was much worse months ago. I attributed this to the stress and malnutrition.
My eye lids or finger-nerves sometimes twitches. Little muscle spasms. Probably strain just from being on the computer. Need to wear my glasses more.
Depression? I guess I do have this. Not to the point where it keeps me locked up in a room all day, but I do look at things a bit cloudy. Mental-fog maybe? Most of my friends are married and I get asked "when am I getting a girlfriend or wife" but that's a normal thing...only then I think, "I'll never meet anyone" "I'm too self-absorbed" "I'm too different" Very low self-esteem thoughts. I think my whole outlook on that would change if I had a better job and didn't live with my parents at 38 yrs. old. It's humiliating. I know I am not the only guy going through this in the world....but it does effect my attitude when I meet new women..well, if at all. (See..I did it again! LOL)

On the bright side, though I love to make people laugh and I am very giving. I am quite creative when I paint or draw. I also am pretty good at photography. These things I focus on, no probem. Only thing is I lack the sel-confidence to actually "go anywhere" with it. I have no business sense or the self-discipline to make a career out of it.

Now, for what I eat: I get hungry almost every two hours. I still eat eggs in the morning and cereal (I know...bad, right?) and I limit my bread to maybe two slices a day. I try to stay away from fast food as much as possible, but it's hard when I'm at work and there isn't much time to get something or choices for that matter. I am eating more veggies & fruits. I was eating apples, but I think the skins were bothering my stomach. I make protein shakes, but I guess I need to stop that too because of the milk or ice cream I was adding to it? Maybe every two weeks a pizza. Love potatoes and brocolli.
I make burgers at home and chicken every now and then. Just had pork chops last night.

I drink PLENTY of water. I go through 3-4 bottles a day. I take a B+C complex vitamin, a Multi-Oil formula of 3,6, and 9 fatty acids, and a multi-enzyme supplement which seems to really help break down whatever I ate. These were recommended by a freind of mine at GNC. He seemed to really know hat he was talking about when I explained to him my digestive problems way back.
Well, that's it I think. Quite a bit for one post-I apologise. I appreciate your advice. Maybe we are both similar?

thomas3000 · 08-08-2005, 06:04 PM

Look up Dr. William Timmins..He has done major research on this subject. Gluten can cause autoimmune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression, and many other ills..He says it's the number one underlying cause he sees clinically...It was hard to believe for me until I researched it myself..I read your symptoms and what you eat..You're not even near gluten free. It's not hard to do..Your heritage says you are 100 percent intolerant to it..Are there any alcoholics in your family? Smokers?? These addictions also suggest gluten intolerance...Feel free to ask me anything!!!

WOlfman67 · 08-08-2005, 06:59 PM

My mother's father was pretty much a drunk..and my dad drank a lot when I was young. My mother never drank. No smoker's. My father dabbled a little bit into that in his younger years and I was smoking socially when I would go out to a bar, but I'm talking like one cigarette or one of those swisher cigars, maybe once every 3 months. Never addicted.
Tonight I was researching about Crohn's disease. That can be caused by malabsorption.

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