Reflux related cough anyone?

[Mariekt]

Knitty Kitty, what you posted about thiamine is so interesting! I am definitely going to get tested for deficiencies, including thiamine.

17 hours ago, cristiana said:

Knitty Kitty.... this is so so interesting.

Some of my blood tests are suggestive of deficiencies.  Pre-coeliac diagnosis I was eating bread and breakfast cereals with lots of added vitamins and sometimes iron.  Now those same gluten-free foods that I eat have nothing added.   

There is a Spanish study that shows women with chronic coughs improved when their iron levels were improved.  My iron is on the floor but I'm not allowed to supplement because I have high hemoglobin, but at least I can improve my thiamine.  Thank you so much!  

 

[Mariekt]

17 hours ago, cristiana said:

Thank you so much ... will do.  I've had the X-ray but because it was construed as non-urgent I'll have a couple of weeks to wait.  But it is a relief to have just got it out of the way, I've been thinking about having one for many weeks but kept hoping the symptoms would go.   

It sounds as if you have been on a massive journey with your health.  My friend who has ulcerative collitus has also had a pleural effusion and it took a good while to ascertain it wasn't caused by cancer.   She would have massive vitamin deficiencies in my view as she has had a very restrictive diet in years.   I have so many weird symptoms that now I think may be due to malnutrition.  I need to improve my diet but I think in the short term I'm going to have to look at some really good supplementation.

So glad you got the x-ray. Believe me, if it shows anything abnormal your doctor will call you pretty quickly. I had my first x-ray done in the morning and got a call from my doctor by the end of the day. 

Interesting about your friend with UC had a pleural effusion. 

I do believe a lot of our health issues could be caused by malnutrition. My acupuncturist has always told me that I'm malnourished, even though I eat a lot of food. Now I'm starting to understand that I most likely am malnourished. Nice that we can share our stories here and help each other?

[knitty kitty]

On 1/8/2020 at 3:12 AM, cristiana said:

Knitty Kitty.... this is so so interesting.

Some of my blood tests are suggestive of deficiencies.  Pre-coeliac diagnosis I was eating bread and breakfast cereals with lots of added vitamins and sometimes iron.  Now those same gluten-free foods that I eat have nothing added.   

There is a Spanish study that shows women with chronic coughs improved when their iron levels were improved.  My iron is on the floor but I'm not allowed to supplement because I have high hemoglobin, but at least I can improve my thiamine.  Thank you so much!  

I'm so glad the information was helpful to you!  ?. Remember the eight essential B vitamins all work together and we need minerals, too. Copper deficiency is often overlooked in anemia. If you're low in Vitamin D, you may be low in the other fat soluble vitamins, too, like vitamin A, which helps in iron absorption.   And, as Ennis said, Vitamin C helps with iron absorption, too.  

Best wishes!

 

 

[Mariekt]

On 1/8/2020 at 1:08 AM, cristiana said:

Thank you so much ... will do.  I've had the X-ray but because it was construed as non-urgent I'll have a couple of weeks to wait.  But it is a relief to have just got it out of the way, I've been thinking about having one for many weeks but kept hoping the symptoms would go.   

It sounds as if you have been on a massive journey with your health.  My friend who has ulcerative collitus has also had a pleural effusion and it took a good while to ascertain it wasn't caused by cancer.   She would have massive vitamin deficiencies in my view as she has had a very restrictive diet in years.   I have so many weird symptoms that now I think may be due to malnutrition.  I need to improve my diet but I think in the short term I'm going to have to look at some really good supplementation.

Christina, I responded to your last post a couple days ago but don't see it here. So glad you got an x-ray. If it shows anything abnormal, your doctor will call right away.

 

Interesting about your friend with UC getting pleural effusions.

 

I do believe I suffer from malnutrition even though I eat a lot of food. You should definitely look into it and take some supplements. I just stocked up on zinc and B vitamins, including B-1 (thiamine) because of Posterboys post on it. Good luck!

[cristiana]

Yes... and oddly I did see your response and pretty sure I "liked" it - how bizarre.  I wonder where it went.

I think I need to really up the nutrition and supplements.  I've now got a really bad sore throat caused by a virus (it's doing the rounds here) which has added pain to the mix.  I have an endoscopy next week but it can't come soon enough!

I've also been trying to have some extra B vitamins too, but too soon to tell yet...

Do keep us posted.

[Wheatwacked]

On 1/10/2020 at 5:02 PM, cristiana said:

really bad sore throat caused by a virus

Try Cold-Eze. 13.3 mg per lozenge. The zinc coats your mucus membranes and protects them from attack of the virus. You might be zinc deficient.  RDA upper limit is 40 mg and the minimum daily requirement is 8 mg for women and the NIH puts Celiac Disease as a high risk factor. I started using it in 2004 and have not had more than a slight sniffle since. Also if you are deficient in zinc you are likely deficient in 10 others. There is evidence that synthetic A, synthetic E, and synthetic folate (folic acid) cause cancer and other side effects.

[cyclinglady]

I read that zinc does not reduce colds by much.....☹️

https://www.consumerreports.org/vitamins-supplements/6-reasons-not-to-take-zinc-for-your-cold/

 However, my retired doctor was a firm believer in dispensing old-fashioned cures.  He said that the placebo effect is strong.    If you think zinc works, consider taking it.  Just be aware of the possible side effects (which are kind of similar to a gluten exposure).  

I have a cold now.  OTC, prescription drugs and supplements are processed “foods”.  I try to avoid them as much as possible.  (Did you know that most raw materials for drugs and supplements come from China where the FDA does not have any authority?)  

https://nypost.com/2019/09/03/the-hidden-perils-of-drugs-imported-from-china/

My cold solution?  Plenty of rest, soup and fluids.  

 

[NNowak]

Responding to the topic about cough with Reflux......I don’t have Reflux, but a severe case of esophagitis (that I’ve had since 2007).  My pulmonologist told me this week that the cough was from acid in the esophagus, not allergies as I had thought for years. Incidentally, I had to go off my nighttime Benadryl recently in order to start a different med to address my autoimmune flare. Cyclinglady mentioned her pillow wedge for another issue, so I’ve been sleeping elevated for over a month - no cough. Docs will also recommend a PPI for this cough, but it wasn’t helpful in my case. Simply sleeping on my back propped up did the trick. 

[cristiana]

6 hours ago, NNowak said:

Responding to the topic about cough with Reflux......I don’t have Reflux, but a severe case of esophagitis (that I’ve had since 2007).  My pulmonologist told me this week that the cough was from acid in the esophagus, not allergies as I had thought for years. Incidentally, I had to go off my nighttime Benadryl recently in order to start a different med to address my autoimmune flare. Cyclinglady mentioned her pillow wedge for another issue, so I’ve been sleeping elevated for over a month - no cough. Docs will also recommend a PPI for this cough, but it wasn’t helpful in my case. Simply sleeping on my back propped up did the trick. 

Thank you for posting this, but I'm so sorry you have had this problem for so long.

Out of interest, did they say what caused your esophagitis?   I've been googling causes and healthline direct (https://www.healthline.com/health/esophagitis#types) states that apart from reflux, it can be caused by eosinophils (what my gastro thinks I have) triggered by allergens, or it can be caused by medications or viral/bacterial infections.

I've thought hard and long about this and in my own case I feel that things started to unravel a couple of weeks after I had a bad cold, but also after I'd swallowed some meds late one night.  I often have to crunch certain pills before I swallow them with water which is probably not a good thing to do, but it's either that or not take them at all (fortunately I can swallow my ppi whole otherwise it wouldn't work!)  Anyway, I wondered if some came back up the esophagus and burned/irritated an area.   The feeling of irritation seems to be neck and chest level, rather than tonsil level, if that makes sense.   

I am so looking forward to my endoscopy! (Never thought I'd say that!)

 

[cristiana]

9 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

I read that zinc does not reduce colds by much.....☹️

https://www.consumerreports.org/vitamins-supplements/6-reasons-not-to-take-zinc-for-your-cold/

 However, my retired doctor was a firm believer in dispensing old-fashioned cures.  He said that the placebo effect is strong.    If you think zinc works, consider taking it.  Just be aware of the possible side effects (which are kind of similar to a gluten exposure).  

I have a cold now.  OTC, prescription drugs and supplements are processed “foods”.  I try to avoid them as much as possible.  (Did you know that most raw materials for drugs and supplements come from China where the FDA does not have any authority?)  

https://nypost.com/2019/09/03/the-hidden-perils-of-drugs-imported-from-china/

My cold solution?  Plenty of rest, soup and fluids.  

 

Cyclinglady... that's rather alarming about the OTC, prescription drugs and supplements, I didn't realise.  Thank you so much for the heads up on that.   We have a system in the UK where you can look for a product licence number on a pharmaceutical product and if there is one, it guarantees that the medication is gluten free.  But now I am wondering? 

It's funny you should mention soup as the only thing I really feel comfortable eating now is chicken soup, and very well cooked veg! 

 

[cristiana]

11 hours ago, Wheatwacked said:

Try Cold-Eze. 13.3 mg per lozenge. The zinc coats your mucus membranes and protects them from attack of the virus. You might be zinc deficient.  RDA upper limit is 40 mg and the minimum daily requirement is 8 mg for women and the NIH puts Celiac Disease as a high risk factor. I started using it in 2004 and have not had more than a slight sniffle since. Also if you are deficient in zinc you are likely deficient in 10 others. There is evidence that synthetic A, synthetic E, and synthetic folate (folic acid) cause cancer and other side effects.

Thank you for the tip on zinc.  Funnily enough, I was wondering if anything might coat the mucus membranes to help against viruses and infections - you've answered this question.

It's also good to know that synthetic A, E and folate can cause cancer.  I really need to put some research into decent supplements, and improved nutrition.

[cristiana]

Next question...

Still on this thread, assuming that my problems are caused by GERD, when all the websites say avoid chocolate, tomatoes, onion, garlic etc... is this because said ingredients actually irritate an alread irritated esophagus when you swallow them, or is it because they cause extra acid after you have swallowed them?

I'm a bit confused about this, because I am not aware of having an acid reflux problem but as the weeks go by I'm finding swallowing these things (i.e. the act of actually swallowing them) more painful.  

 

[Mariekt]

On 1/10/2020 at 2:02 PM, cristiana said:

Yes... and oddly I did see your response and pretty sure I "liked" it - how bizarre.  I wonder where it went.

I think I need to really up the nutrition and supplements.  I've now got a really bad sore throat caused by a virus (it's doing the rounds here) which has added pain to the mix.  I have an endoscopy next week but it can't come soon enough!

I've also been trying to have some extra B vitamins too, but too soon to tell yet...

Do keep us posted.

Glad you saw my post, Cristiana! Actually when I went back I did see it.

So, I got a very interesting piece to my health puzzle on Friday. Had an Epstein-Barr virus test done over a week ago and the results showed 2 of my marker numbers are really, really high. Haven't talked to my doctor yet about them but have been doing some online research. Between 90-95% of people worldwide have the virus but many of them never get sick from it. It can be reactivated in times of stress, trauma, and illness. From what I understand, there is a link between celiac and Epstein-Barr. All the issues I've had, from swollen lymph nodes, cough, pleural effusions, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, can all be caused by EBV.

There is no cure for it but through diet you can manage it. It might be a good idea to get a blood test for EBV. Now that I know that my EBV numbers are so high, at least there is a place to start healing from.

Good luck!

[cristiana]

2 hours ago, Mariekt said:

Glad you saw my post, Cristiana! Actually when I went back I did see it.

So, I got a very interesting piece to my health puzzle on Friday. Had an Epstein-Barr virus test done over a week ago and the results showed 2 of my marker numbers are really, really high. Haven't talked to my doctor yet about them but have been doing some online research. Between 90-95% of people worldwide have the virus but many of them never get sick from it. It can be reactivated in times of stress, trauma, and illness. From what I understand, there is a link between celiac and Epstein-Barr. All the issues I've had, from swollen lymph nodes, cough, pleural effusions, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, can all be caused by EBV.

There is no cure for it but through diet you can manage it. It might be a good idea to get a blood test for EBV. Now that I know that my EBV numbers are so high, at least there is a place to start healing from.

Good luck!

Wow... it sounds like you are getting somewhere!  I had to google the condition as I wasn't sure what it was, then I realised that in the UK we call it Glandular Fever.   It would explain so much of what you are going through.   You must be so relieved to be getting some answers.  Thank you so much for your update.

I will certainly discuss this with my doctor if nothing obvious is found in my forthcoming tests.   Are your swollen lymph nodes body-wide, or in a restricted area?

[Posterboy]

7 hours ago, Mariekt said:

Glad you saw my post, Cristiana! Actually when I went back I did see it.

So, I got a very interesting piece to my health puzzle on Friday. Had an Epstein-Barr virus test done over a week ago and the results showed 2 of my marker numbers are really, really high. Haven't talked to my doctor yet about them but have been doing some online research. Between 90-95% of people worldwide have the virus but many of them never get sick from it. It can be reactivated in times of stress, trauma, and illness. From what I understand, there is a link between celiac and Epstein-Barr. All the issues I've had, from swollen lymph nodes, cough, pleural effusions, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, can all be caused by EBV.

There is no cure for it but through diet you can manage it. It might be a good idea to get a blood test for EBV. Now that I know that my EBV numbers are so high, at least there is a place to start healing from.

Good luck!

Mariekt,

I don't know if you know who Justin Bieber is or  not being "down under" or not...but it was recently reported that he had a cause of Chronic Active EBV...here is the quickest google link I could find about it...https://www.businessinsider.com/justin-bieber-has-lyme-disease-and-chronic-mono-2020-1?amp%3Butm_medium=referral try taking some Magnesium as Magnesium Glycinate (anytime) or Magnesium Citrate with meals...I think your energy will improve more than you can imagine...the EBV connection to CFS fatigue has been studied.....http://simmaronresearch.com/2015/08/epstein-barr-virus-the-magnesium-connection/ but most doctor's are not aware of it (yet) at least...I don't have time to explain it any more at this time....but I think the link will explain it well....without Magnesium (or Thiamine) we can't make energy and since the EBV competes for the same site in the body...it displaces Magnesium and we get low in energy...taking Magnesium bumps the EBV back off the (same) site....and we begin to make (cellular) energy again....

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

[Mariekt]

5 hours ago, cristiana said:

Wow... it sounds like you are getting somewhere!  I had to google the condition as I wasn't sure what it was, then I realised that in the UK we call it Glandular Fever.   It would explain so much of what you are going through.   You must be so relieved to be getting some answers.  Thank you so much for your update.

I will certainly discuss this with my doctor if nothing obvious is found in my forthcoming tests.   Are your swollen lymph nodes body-wide, or in a restricted area?

For the most part I just had one really swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck above my collar bone. It was so big that it was blocking blood flow in my jugular vein on that side. Because it was so big, my pulmonologist thought I had lymphoma but biopsy showed no cancer. After I had my teeth cleaned last May, the lymphs on my whole right side swelled up. Then when I had my teeth cleaned again in August the one in my neck got huge. I was in the emergency room 8 days later. I originally thought my issues were due to a dental filling on my right side but now think it's due to the Esptein-Barr virus. Since I gave up all grains a month ago the lymph in my neck has returned to normal size. I used to eat steel cut gluten free oats every morning for breakfast but read that they can cause the same problems as gluten so stopped eating them and feel so much better.

[Mariekt]

1 hour ago, Posterboy said:

Mariekt,

I don't know if you know who Justin Bieber is or  not being "down under" or not...but it was recently reported that he had a cause of Chronic Active EBV...here is the quickest google link I could find about it...https://www.businessinsider.com/justin-bieber-has-lyme-disease-and-chronic-mono-2020-1?amp%3Butm_medium=referral try taking some Magnesium as Magnesium Glycinate (anytime) or Magnesium Citrate with meals...I think your energy will improve more than you can imagine...the EBV connection to CFS fatigue has been studied.....http://simmaronresearch.com/2015/08/epstein-barr-virus-the-magnesium-connection/ but most doctor's are not aware of it (yet) at least...I don't have time to explain it any more at this time....but I think the link will explain it well....without Magnesium (or Thiamine) we can't make energy and since the EBV competes for the same site in the body...it displaces Magnesium and we get low in energy...taking Magnesium bumps the EBV back off the (same) site....and we begin to make (cellular) energy again....

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

Posterboy,

Thank you! I had heard that Justin Bieber had Lyme but had not heard he also had chronic mono (EBV). I live in the U.S.

I got thiamine the other day and I know we have magnesium but not sure it's the kind you mentioned. I sure appreciate your input and know it's not medical advice so don't worry.

I think we get more help and valuable info on these message boards than we do from doctors!

Thanks again!

 

[cristiana]

9 hours ago, Mariekt said:

I think we get more help and valuable info on these message boards than we do from doctors!

I remember being told once that, words to the effect, celiac disease is a lot more complicated than people realise, and about the "intricacies of a gluten free diet". Now, seven years down the line, I cannot believe how complicated a journey it has been. I don't think the doctors could afford to spend the time explaining the half of it to us!  Thank goodness for this forum!

[Mariekt]

On 1/13/2020 at 3:13 AM, cristiana said:

I remember being told once that, words to the effect, celiac disease is a lot more complicated than people realise, and about the "intricacies of a gluten free diet". Now, seven years down the line, I cannot believe how complicated a journey it has been. I don't think the doctors could afford to spend the time explaining the half of it to us!  Thank goodness for this forum!

I think it is very complex and could be related to other health issues. I now only eat at home to avoid cross contamination and eliminated all grains. Since doing this it seems as though the fluid has stopped accumulating in my chest. That's progress! How are you feeling?

[cristiana]

It is amazing that your are seeing these results.  Great news! 

I am awaiting biopsy results from my endoscopy to see if there is some sort of allergic reaction going on.  I guess if they don't find anything in my esophagus they will need to look at my respiratory tract.  I'll keep you posted.

[Mariekt]

3 hours ago, cristiana said:

It is amazing that your are seeing these results.  Great news! 

I am awaiting biopsy results from my endoscopy to see if there is some sort of allergic reaction going on.  I guess if they don't find anything in my esophagus they will need to look at my respiratory tract.  I'll keep you posted.

Thanks for the update! I will keep my fingers crossed that the doctors quickly find out what's causing your health problems and can treat it effectively. Have a great weekend!

[Posterboy]

On 1/11/2020 at 11:06 PM, NNowak said:

Responding to the topic about cough with Reflux......I don’t have Reflux, but a severe case of esophagitis (that I’ve had since 2007).  My pulmonologist told me this week that the cough was from acid in the esophagus, not allergies as I had thought for years. Incidentally, I had to go off my nighttime Benadryl recently in order to start a different med to address my autoimmune flare. Cyclinglady mentioned her pillow wedge for another issue, so I’ve been sleeping elevated for over a month - no cough. Docs will also recommend a PPI for this cough, but it wasn’t helpful in my case. Simply sleeping on my back propped up did the trick. 

NNowak,

I had a friend who had a similar issue....a lot that could be acid reflux into your lung cavity or into your esophagus causing it to be irritated...here is a link about it...https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-ppis-have-long-term-side-effects

sleeping on our left side can help your acid reflux...https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/the-benefits-of-left-side-sleeping/

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

[Posterboy]

On 1/12/2020 at 5:47 AM, cristiana said:

I've thought hard and long about this and in my own case I feel that things started to unravel a couple of weeks after I had a bad cold

cristiana,

there is evidence to indicate heartburn/GERD can be triggered by stress...I have had some heartburn recently for the first time in years...been dealing with some bronchitis for  a month now, an ear ache, and other life stresses that seem to have caught up with me all at once...here is the research that show's how stress (maybe sickness etc.) in your life could of caused your heartburn to be triggered by life events in the 4 to 6 months before the heartburn....I  know it has effected mine...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15184707

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

[NNowak]

10 minutes ago, Posterboy said:

NNowak,

I had a friend who had a similar issue....a lot that could be acid reflux into your lung cavity or into your esophagus causing it to be irritated...here is a link about it...https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/do-ppis-have-long-term-side-effects

sleeping on our left side can help your acid reflux...https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/the-benefits-of-left-side-sleeping/

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise.

Posterboy,

Thank you, Posterboy. I remember you posting about left side sleeping before. That is usually how I sleep - propped up on a huge pillow. I addition to the esophagitis, I have had pain in the URQ of my stomach which gets worse on my right side. PPI use since 2007 clearly didn’t help matters, potentially contributing to my deficiencies, too.  
 

I’ve read that esophagitis is sometimes treated with inhaled asthma steroids, or swallowed asthma steroids in granule form. There is some relief for me when I use my inhaler as directed ?. I had not thought about stomach acid in the lungs before. My pulmonologist mentioned surgery to tighten up the bottom of the esophagus and suggested I discuss this with my GI.  
 

I appreciate the information, thank you!!

[cristiana]

1 hour ago, NNowak said:

There is some relief for me when I use my inhaler as directed ?

I'm finding the same - at the beginning I was taking it as and when I needed it which was not what the doctor instructed.  She told me to take it four times a day, two puffs each time, and now I'm finding it is really helping.  

I have bought a wedge which I sleep on but I find I end up slipping off it at night, and sleeping in that position triggers off a bit of nerve pain I get in my right cheek, so halfway through the night I throw the wedge on the floor and sleep on a flatter pillow on my left side.  I think sleeping the first part of the night on that wedge has helped, esp. the nights I don't eat anything three hours before I go to bed.  There was no evidence of reflux in my endoscopy, but I do think I had it at the start of all of this and it probably set it all off (plus a bad cold virus perhaps).

Yes... and stress doesn't help!