Constant swallowing - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

tdonline · 05-08-2006, 04:02 PM

Hi my GI doc has suggested that I suffer from aerophagia which has led
to repetitive belching. That's not really a big deal unfortunately, the
belching brings up acid into my throat and I have had a sore throat for
over 9 months. I'm doing a number of things to lessen the aerophagia
but can't figure out how to stop swallowing all the time. And I think
this is where most the air is coming from. I swallow all the time
because of the sore throat and post nasal drip. But even when there's
no post nasal drip, I'll still swallow. It's become second nature.

I've tried putting a pen between my teeth as I hear this prevents
swallowing. But I must be doing it wrong because I can swallow. Plus,
I can't do it for long because my saliva starts to pool in my mouth. I have noticed my mouth has tons of saliva lately too.

Any tips?

aswander · 05-11-2006, 06:43 AM

I think you are reversing the symptoms and the cause. I think you have an acid reflux condition and are belching and swallowing as a result of it.

You probably associate acid reflux with heartburn already - well that's just one form of it called GERD (when the acid goes into the esophogous). There is a 2nd form called LPR (laryngeal reflux). With LPR, the acid rises all the way into your throat where the larynx is and irritates the throat and larynx. This can cause chronic low-high level sore throat, constanct throat clearing, swallowing and coughing. Some people get a sensation of "lump in the throat".

This disease is typically yours for life, but usually treatable with 2 DOSES OF A PPI per day. A PPI is a proton-pump-inhibitor which works by lowering the amount of acid that your stomach and larynx produce, and alllows the erosions to clear up. Be clear - GERD patients get 1 dose, LPR patients get 2 doses.

There are 4 Prescription PPIs available: Nexium, Prevacid, Aciphex and Protonix. Start with Nexium, as it is usually the most effective for LPR. If it doesn't work after 1 week, try the others. Some people, myself included experienced relief 1 hour after beginning a 2x dosage.

They are expensive, hopefully you have good insurance. Sometimes insurance will require that the doctor sign off on a special form to qualify for the 2 doses a day. In the meantime, get free samples from your doctor - they have a supply closet full of them.

And also, visit the "GERD" message board. That's where all teh LPR posters have to go, because we don't have our own board. There are a lot of people there with this problem.