Silent Reflux Symptoms and Treatment Options

It wasn’t very long ago members of our family went to eat out at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We love the place, the food is good, staff is very friendly, the owners know us, what we order and how we like a little extra of this or that.

Anyway, we were enjoying the barbecue pork when gramps started coughing. He does that and we didn’t think much of it and kept eating the pork. He kept coughing and said he could feel food stuck in his throat and was trying to cough it up.

The coughing was getting loud and the way he was trying to clear his throat was getting a bit noisy so he went into the restroom. This has happened before and he usually clears his throat quickly so we proceeded to order our meal thinking he’d be back out in just a few minutes. Not so.

He was in the restroom for quite some time. Each of us would go check on him every few minutes and he seemed fine and told us he was fine and not to worry that he’d cough it up, that it usually only takes a minute. Mind you he wasn’t choking, he was breathing just fine. We told him we were calling the fire department if he couldn’t get the food out, he complained about that, we ended up calling.

When the paramedics got there, they really couldn’t help so they loaded him in the ambulance and off to the emergency room we went. Gramps wasn’t all to happy with that after all, he and grams are extremely healthy for their age.

The Emergency Room Visit

Once admitted to the emergency room, (and we'll skip all the waiting we did) the doctor performed a procedure called laryngoscopy to examine his throat. For this Laryngoscopy procedure, he was completely sedated and a small flexible telescope was placed into his mouth and down his throat so the doctor could get a good look at what was going on.

Turned out he had quite a bit of barbecue pork stuck in his throat. During the procedure he managed to get the food down and also discovered gramps had quite a bit of scar tissue which overtime has caused the esophagus to narrow (they call this benign esophageal stricture).

The doctor told him he had what is called Silent Reflux.

What is Silent Reflux?

Silent reflux is a condition where stomach acid comes back up in to the esophagus and as you might guess, it’s called silent reflux because the individual that has it isn’t even aware they are experiencing reflux at all. It’s also call Laryngeal Pharyngeal Reflux, I’ll stick to Silent Reflux.

Symptoms of Silent Reflux

What you may experience:

• runny nose
• sore, irritated throat, discomfort and pain
• difficulty swallowing
• coughing and frequently clearing of the throat
• hard time breathing
• possibly becoming hoarse

Notice how I didn’t include heartburn in the list. Most people that have silent reflux do not experience heartburn.

In the case of gramps and the fact that it had gone unnoticed for years, the constant irritation of reflux had created quite a bit of scar tissue to the esophagus, thus the food getting stuck.

What Can you Do if you Have Silent Reflux?

OTC Medication

Your doctor may prescribe medication that can help reduce the symptoms. The doctor recommended gramps takes Prilosec but there’s no way he’ll do that. Over the counter medications may temporarily mask the problem but they won’t make it go away.

Esophageal Dilation

The doctor also said they could do a procedure to stretch the narrowed area of the esophagus which is called Esophageal Dilation where a dilating balloon or plastic dilators are used to stretch the esophagus.

Change Your Eating and Drinking Habits

Lifestyle changes can help and provide relief such as changing your eating habits. Some things to avoid are fatty pieces of meat, high fat and greasy foods, spicy foods, dry foods, acidic drinks, caffeine, alcohol, and citrusy foods.

Pay attention to the foods that trigger a reaction and avoid those. Don’t drink a lot of water or other liquids by gulping them down, take sips, chew your food completely and don’t lay down after eating, it is suggested to wait a couple of hours.

Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe Vera juice is packed with vitamins and minerals and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial anti-viral properties and much more. It can be used in a variety of ways, both internally and externally. In the case of reflux, taking two ounces before or after a meal can help. We buy the Lily of the Desert brand. My dad drinks the Inner Fillet Aloe Vera Juice and I drink the Whole Leaf Aloe Vera Juice, they are basically the same but the Inner Fillet you might find it tastes better?

Drinking Aloe Vera juice can have a laxative effect, some research shows it can help my reducing acid production and inflammation. When purchasing do your research or ask your doctor but you want purified brand that does not have color or additives.

Apple Cider Vinegar?

This is something gramps hasn’t tried yet but not apposed to trying. Although no official studies have done, I read that apple cider vinegar could be a great natural remedy for reflux and should be taken before a meal. To start, use eight ounces of water then add 1 teaspoons raw organic apple cider vinegar and if you want, you can work your way up to 2 tablespoons. Drink it down slowly.

I would check with your doctor first as ACV can possibly interact with some medications. Other things you can do:

• If you smoke, you should consider quitting and avoid alcohol.
• Make sure you sit up or even walk around a little after eating. This can help promote good digestion and help avoid reflux.
• Eat smaller meals and chew food thoroughly.

These are just some of the options the doctor discussed with us or in the case of the ACV said it could possibly help. If you believe you could have silent reflux, make an appointment with your doctor and he should be able to diagnose the issue.