Hi... I have a few questions... I began having reflux symptoms within the last say 3 or 4 months. I had my gallbladder out last November and never really had any consistent problems with reflux before that other than the occasional sour taste/heartburn that was easily remedied with OTC Zantac. But now I have been having a lump like feeling in my throat and pain/tenderness when I press on my throat/collarbone area from the outside. The ENT scoped me and said he saw irritation and put me on Prevacid once a day. It didn't seem to provide any relief and after 6 weeks on it, I asked to up me to twice a day. I have now been on the twice a day regimine for about 2 1/2 weeks. The symptoms seemed to be relieved much more on the twice a day dose. However, I am noticing that there are certain days that I feel the symptoms return. Mostly the lump feeling in my throat and tenderness with touching. Is this common when taking Prevacid every day as prescribed? I do notice that when I am feeling fine I tend to push the envelop a bit so to say. In other words enjoy a soda or coffee or chips, etc. When I am symptomatic I tend to avoid any thing that could cause it to be worse but I am more relaxed with my diet when I feel good. Could what you eat that day or a day or two prior cause breakthrough symptoms even on the medication? Will I need to just eliminate certain things like alcohol, soda, etc. for good? I have an appt with my gastroenterologist in 6 days and will ask him but thought I could get some answers here. I don't have any other symptoms like pain in my chest or stomach or sour tast in mouth, etc. Just bothersome symptoms in my throat, when swallowing, etc. Thanks for any comments, advice or empathy.

hi,
your symptoms sound similar to mine; I have LPR; don't have heartburn, just the throat on up stuff, sometimes stomach stuff.
anyway, I was on prevacid, and it didn't work for me, well, it stopped the burning, but the side effects were too bad for me to continue with it.
Everyone is different though, even though our symptoms are the same, and our lifestyles may even be similar, we are going to be able to tolerate certain things differently.
What I found out was, like you, I pushed the envelope when I felt better and would sneak things back into my diet, like ice cream, and carbonated things: my two things I like are La Croix (soda water), and a beer now and then. I can sometimes have ONE beer or one soda water, but that's it. I know not to push it. And if I eat ice cream, I put a little into a cone, and that seems to be ok, but eating a bowl of it will give me chest pains just to think about it even.
So Yes, and No, you have to be careful, and it's tempting to feel a little better and then think you have your life back--WRONG. This condition is pretty much with you always ; it can get better, but not be cured, is what I am thinking is pretty much the case.
A lot of it is trial and error and then your body changes too so its a constant challenge:blob_fire