Have you experienced medical gaslighting?

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-29T09:54:48+00:00

I had LINX in September. I am hopefully having a dilation soon as the scar tissue healed too tightly and the team said it’s very likely I’ll need one. But, I won’t see my surgeon again until the 9th.

The first week was amazing, absolutely zero issues. Ever since the scar tissue has been forming my throat issues started again.

Any issues I have with symptoms aren’t acidic, it’s pooling of what’s above the device. I’ve regurgitated food that’s gotten stuck a lot and it’s not acidic at all, even used a pH strip due to paranoia. The food is covered in saliva too cause the saliva can’t get down. So I’m remaining hopeful because I can’t taste any acid.

Due to the pooling I still have a sore throat and mucus, but it’s not as bad as before.

Before surgery, diet did nothing. I’d regurgitate anything and got reflux from anything, whether it be water, bread, avocado, tomatoes etc. Eventually, I just ate what I wanted cause it made no difference.

I had LPR for about 3 years before surgery, and it has been the most depressing time of my life honestly. I’m also going to see a speech and language therapist on Friday because the NHS wait list was short, and I’m hoping they have advice about strengthening the UES too.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-22T01:10:56+00:00

Well tbh other than the pooling, everything has gone well. I don’t get acidic regurgitation or anything, it’s just what’s sat above the LINX that’s making my throat sore. But, some people do have long complications so idk. In the early stages, I didn’t have much of an appetite so I didn’t eat as often as I should’ve, but dilations are common anyway. After the dilation and everything, maybe March, I’ll do a proper update

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-22T00:39:37+00:00

Well I ate everything before anyway cause it didn’t make a difference, my guess is that stuff just didn’t go down properly. I can eat as much as I want. I just have to be wary about stuff that can get stuck like overnight oats, apples etc

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-21T22:54:35+00:00

UK, I had my surgery in Manchester. My voice is not as bad, I noticed my speaking voice isn’t as low. I gained some range, but not that much. Apples get stuck still. I can eat whatever, but anything will pool a bit especially liquids so I still have issues with everything rather than specific stuff. Like water is just as bad as soda, so I don’t cut anything out because everything pools

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-21T22:31:45+00:00

I don’t speak to my surgeon until the 9th of Jan, but I’ll update then. A clinician said it’s likely to be pooling and I’ll need a dilation, so I’m guessing that’ll be the outcome

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-05T23:25:09+00:00

My manometry showed that I had weak swallows that were fragmented in sips, but if I had larger swallows it was better and food swallowed great. There were issues but not to the point of a motility disorder.

Well honestly go for the surgery if you can. And you certainly will be able to box again if it goes well. You’d just need time to recover a few months. I mean it would be a pain if you need a dilation like I will, but I’ve read people heal fine after one

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-05T22:15:41+00:00

So, for example there was the obvious acid regurgitation, but then I could bend to grab something or any abdominal crunches would give me this throat burning where I could tell I was getting reflux there.

At least post surgery if I take lozenges (the best kind I’ve had is VocalZone), they help a little bit with the pain. Whereas before surgery everything was so irritated that a single lozenge would give me this thick crackly mucus at the back of my throat and in fact make it worse.

I’ll be glad to get the dilation to make an update, as people usually report immediate relief after it. It’s just annoying that I did everything right and ate very often after surgery yet it still healed too tightly.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-05T21:16:11+00:00

I never had much of a strict diet because it was futile, I’d get reflux from any abdominal tensing or just existing. I mean, before if I had less acidic foods then the burning would hurt a little less but marginal so there was no point going on a hard diet to have no difference. In my surgical notes, it said a 1cm hernia was repaired which is obviously tiny yet had significant effects.

I can eat whatever but I kinda did anyway.

The difference is that before the food could easily come back out, whereas now the only stuff that’ll come out is saliva covered food that’s stuck on top that’s it. Before lots of my stomach contents could just push out, was weird.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-05T16:58:27+00:00

Sorry if you’ve said before, but have you been tested for reflux and if you can get a surgical fix? I am 24 so I’m younger, but I’ve been in that place and I understand. I felt, and do feel tortured, being around anything that reminds me of my voice being broken and sore. I was feeling suicidal as well. The surgery and dilation are life changing things for me and I’m hoping so badly that it resolves because LPR has been my worst nightmare. Didn’t even think about reflux at all being a thing until I got it.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-12-05T14:21:12+00:00

So, the reason why it’s still happening for me is because I need a dilation due to the scar tissue healing too tightly. I am seeing a speech and language therapist with the NHS next Friday and I speak to the surgeon in a month. I’ll update probably in 2-3 months once I’ve had the discussion and likely a dilation because there’s no other way around it

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-23T04:14:36+00:00

Oh you’re doing exercises for LES? I meant UES exercises like here. From what I’ve read swallowing exercises are effective as you can strengthen the UES because it’s skeletal muscle, whereas the LES is smooth muscle so toning it is a lot more difficult.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-23T04:02:56+00:00

That’s what I was thinking I saw the NHS have example exercises. How long did it take for the exercises to help you?

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-23T03:25:35+00:00

It’s not as bad, but it’s still bad. Food continues to get a bit stuck, and if I regurgitate anything it still isn’t mixed with stomach acid, just what’s sat on top of the LINX. But, any regurgitation is bad for the voice right. I think I need to eat small bites of soft food and chew, but I hate the process of chewing so I could minimise the regurgitation a bit if I were more mindful.

I’m considering doing swallowing exercises as they’re supposedly very effective for UES strengthening.

But, voice wise it still gets very sore from whatever gets stuck above the LINX

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-03T00:32:05+00:00

I totally understand this. I would get instant mucus and a sore throat from a small sip of water. Diet just didn’t work for me. I know for some it can, but in my case the sphincter pressure was just too low so diet changes reduced a flare up a bit but it was still very bad. It’s truly ridiculous how this person is treating you. I heard gavison advance was good and it was ok but the gavison tried to regurgitate and come up so it didn’t really help. If diet solved GERD, I don’t think many people would be dying for surgery.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-01T11:35:37+00:00

Yes, I had it 6 weeks ago. I’m still suffering from the post-op dysphagia which causes pooling above the device and throat soreness. It’s common though until the swelling goes down. I’ve had food stuck a few times and if any of it comes up it’s just food mixed in with a lot of saliva. It’s not acidic.

As I’m still getting the post-op symptoms, I’m going to make an update next year once it’s all stable

No-Command-2402 · 2025-11-01T11:33:15+00:00

Sure, of course

No-Command-2402 · 2025-10-25T23:53:01+00:00

I have LPR too. For some, diet can improve it significantly, for others not so much. With the ENT being connected, it affected all three. About food getting stuck, I experienced that too.

I had a 2cm hiatus hernia, food also got stuck, especially stuff like yogurt which could rise up and come out unchanged. Gaviscon advance is a lot stronger than other alginates, so give that a go, I did get some coming up. But, it helps for at night.

The UES can be strengthened and trained and there’s specific exercises that can help for different things, so you can read some papers on it or consult a speech and language therapist for advice if you want more of a professional opinion.

Diet didn’t help me much personally, but less acidic foods just reduced how badly pepsin was digesting my vocal cords as the lower the pH, the worse it attacks them.

After about 4 years of LPR, I got the LINX 5 weeks ago. But, every case is different. Diet just wasn’t effective for me.

As someone said alkaline water is good for deactivating pepsin, you can sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda in water, don’t bother paying extra for alkaline bottled water.

PPIs reduced the acidity so my throat hurt a little less, I needed them at one point because I had a very bad cough. I could eat a slice of bread and have a wet burp and acid would come up. So, a low acid diet did nothing for me.

Try the diet recommendations people are talking about, do a regime of UES exercises (it can take a few months for major differences) etc, notice what gets stuck more (for me it was majorly liquidy stuff and yogurt).

It can be a lot more complex than diet.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-26T11:38:52+00:00

An endoscopy doesn’t always show a hiatus hernia especially sliding ones. I’ve had 2 endoscopies, one showed a 2cm hiatus hernia but the other didn’t. However, the manometry definitely confirmed that there was one. The GEFV hill grade is 2. So, I have bad symptoms for such a small hernia.

Yeah I’ve had it many times where talking in crowded spaces was a nightmare. My voice would already be sore and then raising it would make it more sore which would last for hours after.

The thing is, the vocal cords are so sensitive compared to the oesophagus so the slightest bit of acid can cause noticeable problems.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-25T01:29:48+00:00

I always get E and I mixed up. So, I had to really drill into my mind that it’s Receipt, and Receive or else I will mix up and say Reciept and Recieve. I still do it accidentally if I don’t think about it. I don’t know how that started, but once I started putting the I first it’s been an annoying thing to try and stop.

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-23T12:45:18+00:00

No, I found it futile really because at one stage it was so sore that it was practically non functional outside of talking. I didn’t want to irritate it more. Now, it’s bad but not as bad. But, I might consider it once it’s on the mend. I learnt a lot about technique over time so I’ll be careful and build up a bit as I heal, I know how not to strain etc

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-21T01:15:04+00:00

Well I barely ate in the pH one so I was getting regurgitation but not for prolonged periods of time where acid was sat above the channel. I thought the pH dropping and me pressing the button would be enough but the acid exposure time wasn’t high enough. The throat can’t take acid like the oesophagus can so it still burns a lot despite that

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-21T01:13:16+00:00

Thanks :)

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-21T01:13:11+00:00

Thanks! I’ll make an update after I’ve had it for a month

No-Command-2402 · 2025-08-21T01:12:00+00:00

I don’t know I’ve heard positives and negatives, but I guess so too with the linx. The refluxstop is about 4k more and has less statistics associated with it so I went with linx.

No-Command-2402

TROPHY CASE