For quite a long time now, I've been experiencing soreness in the base of my throat, feelings of having some kind of "lump" down there, and random coughing. Sometimes it would even wake me up at night and affect my breathing, which scared me. Then two weeks ago I was watching an old rerun of House, and there was a girl who came into the ER with a basic cough, and ended up being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. That freaked me out enough to call my doctor and not give up until I found out what was going on down there.
*On a side note, NEVER self-diagnose while watching House. It will inevitably lead you to the conclusion that you have something really rare and hard to find that will kill you, or at best, leave you disabled.*
Yesterday, I had a physical exam, with focus on the neck and throat. Nothing was out of place or growing new things, so she recommended I go to a specialist. So I went to an ear nose and throat doctor today to find out what was causing the symptoms I've been having on and off for two years. "Two years and you just went to the doctor yesterday?" Well, no. I mentioned these symptoms at my first physical with my new doctor down here last year. At the time, she thought I might have allergies and recommended that I take some over-the-counter meds. I'll be honest, I didn't. I know my body, and I didn't have allergies. After the appointment last year, I decided perhaps I was just experiencing anxiety from the move and being separated from friends and family and having to re-adjust my life. I brushed them off and hoped they would go away. They didn't.
So today, after talking to me for only a couple minutes, the specialist said, "I know what you have. And I'm going to put a scope down your throat through your nose to prove it." My first reaction? COOL! No, really. I love anything having to do with medicine and the body. Especially seeing inside the body. Blood and guts? Bring it on. I really am that girl.
I admit, the process of inhaling and swallowing the numbing agent almost made me barf, but once we got past that, she put the scope in and I got to see the inside of my nose, throat, larynx, and entrance to the esophagus. It was awesome.
Once she got down to the base of the throat, the problem became pretty clear, even to my untrained eye. There was all sorts of burns and bubbly irritated skin from stomach acid just hanging out up there without my permission. And I had no clue this was happening, because I don't have heartburn. Ever. The doc said most people with my form of acid reflux, called laryngopharyngeal reflux, or LPR for short, can have symptoms for years (like me) and not have any idea what's causing them because of the lack of heartburn. And the symptoms are really varied and come and go. Because that's fair. Stupid acid.
At any rate, I have specific instructions to follow to help prevent and eventually heal the damage in my throat. I have to take one Prilosec every day for two to three months, and I can't eat 3-5 hours before bed. That one will be tough. The biggest challenge, though, is that I have to give up caffeine, and all soda. I've gone off caffeine in the past, so I know I can do that, but I might be a zombie for a few days getting there. Perhaps I will try to wean myself slowly. Going cold turkey might kill me.
More than anything, I am just SO thankful to God for finally knowing what was wrong with me! I really felt at times like I was just going crazy. But now I know that every one of my symptoms has been explained. Even a couple I didn't mention, like hoarseness in the morning and my occasional random runny nose, the doctor said are common symptoms as well.
The best part about today's visit was that my doctor gave me a print out of the pics she took of my throat. I am really looking forward to grossing Jim out with them when he gets home from work.
[fiendish grin]
