Is it safe to fly with (mystery) reflux?
November 25, 2009 3:20 PM Subscribe
Safe to fly with (mystery) reflux?
I'm not sure that's what I have, but I'm definitely not ill (cold/flu) wise. I don't have (the feeling of) heartburn and have rarely had it. I've been checked out by a ton of doctors over the last year, including a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for a slowly worsening stomach condition that feels like it just keeps getting bigger - all they've found so far via endoscopy a couple months ago is "it's red and irritated, but we can't see anything else". It's like this 24/7 regardless of what I eat or do not eat. Or even if I eat nothing (maybe 24+ hours of no food from the capsule study wasn't enough time for it to quiet down, if it can). And I've been scoped and scanned and xrayed all over and every which way. Pleasant, eh?
This past weekend, it seemed to have worsened, making breathing more difficult than it was previously, and now I feel like I'm clearing my throat all the time, feel like my throat is perpetually full of gunk, which is typically a symptom of some kind of stomach/gerd/throat thing. I've already done trials of prilosec, nexium, and prescription zantac, and none of them did anything, and have been attempting cpap but have not been successful (strangely, my doc decided on this last visit to take away the machine, and wants me to try to sleep better on 'safe' non-benzo sleep meds before trying the machine again). I've also been working with a psychiatrist on getting a new anti-depressant to help ( i was on Zoloft a few years ago) , but haven't found a good new one yet.
I have been treated for allergies/asthma/Hashimoto's/IBS for years, and drainage out the wazoo - I'm pretty sure this is not those. My nose feels pretty darn clear and I think my chest is ok... it really feels like the throat. I also have a list of all the things this thing might be (and I was going to post it as a 'mysterious-diagnosis-me, mefites' in the next couple of days) - I even wrote a letter to this guy a couple days ago, but the thing right now is, after seeing 4 different docs in the last few days, none of whom said "we must get into an er right now to look at you again", but instead "ok, we'll scope you again in a few weeks as soon as you can get in there", I am supposed to get on a plane tomorrow morning and fly my ass to New York to visit the family.
The answer is probably the obvious one "if you don't feel up to it, don't get on a plane, dumbass". Still, outside of possibly catching something from somebody out there with flu or a cold, which I feel would end up with me needing serious help, is there any reason why just going on the plane, change in pressure, etc, should make any difference? I mean, there could be heat, change in humidity, etc... or perhaps me perceiving that I'm having more difficulty breathing just from making myself do this, rather than an actual problem.
So while I'm not asking for a diagnosis here, unless you feel like it, I'm just wondering if this is a really stupid idea. I have already flown twice in the past year feeling the big stomach pressure, but was not having as much trouble breathing then as I've had the last couple of days. Normally I fly with my little pillbox of tricks in case of whatever might happen, but for this, nothing seems to be making a difference.
I'm not sure that's what I have, but I'm definitely not ill (cold/flu) wise. I don't have (the feeling of) heartburn and have rarely had it. I've been checked out by a ton of doctors over the last year, including a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona for a slowly worsening stomach condition that feels like it just keeps getting bigger - all they've found so far via endoscopy a couple months ago is "it's red and irritated, but we can't see anything else". It's like this 24/7 regardless of what I eat or do not eat. Or even if I eat nothing (maybe 24+ hours of no food from the capsule study wasn't enough time for it to quiet down, if it can). And I've been scoped and scanned and xrayed all over and every which way. Pleasant, eh?
This past weekend, it seemed to have worsened, making breathing more difficult than it was previously, and now I feel like I'm clearing my throat all the time, feel like my throat is perpetually full of gunk, which is typically a symptom of some kind of stomach/gerd/throat thing. I've already done trials of prilosec, nexium, and prescription zantac, and none of them did anything, and have been attempting cpap but have not been successful (strangely, my doc decided on this last visit to take away the machine, and wants me to try to sleep better on 'safe' non-benzo sleep meds before trying the machine again). I've also been working with a psychiatrist on getting a new anti-depressant to help ( i was on Zoloft a few years ago) , but haven't found a good new one yet.
I have been treated for allergies/asthma/Hashimoto's/IBS for years, and drainage out the wazoo - I'm pretty sure this is not those. My nose feels pretty darn clear and I think my chest is ok... it really feels like the throat. I also have a list of all the things this thing might be (and I was going to post it as a 'mysterious-diagnosis-me, mefites' in the next couple of days) - I even wrote a letter to this guy a couple days ago, but the thing right now is, after seeing 4 different docs in the last few days, none of whom said "we must get into an er right now to look at you again", but instead "ok, we'll scope you again in a few weeks as soon as you can get in there", I am supposed to get on a plane tomorrow morning and fly my ass to New York to visit the family.
The answer is probably the obvious one "if you don't feel up to it, don't get on a plane, dumbass". Still, outside of possibly catching something from somebody out there with flu or a cold, which I feel would end up with me needing serious help, is there any reason why just going on the plane, change in pressure, etc, should make any difference? I mean, there could be heat, change in humidity, etc... or perhaps me perceiving that I'm having more difficulty breathing just from making myself do this, rather than an actual problem.
So while I'm not asking for a diagnosis here, unless you feel like it, I'm just wondering if this is a really stupid idea. I have already flown twice in the past year feeling the big stomach pressure, but was not having as much trouble breathing then as I've had the last couple of days. Normally I fly with my little pillbox of tricks in case of whatever might happen, but for this, nothing seems to be making a difference.
Response by poster: Yeah I told this same thing to the multiple docs. None of them seemed particularly perturbed, but i have also discovered that unless you cry in peoples' offices, or fall down with your lips turning blue, aka 'bleeding your eyes out', often I get nothing but a shrug since I have no other notable systemic illnesses that ought to prevent me from flying. This didn't stop me from trying to impart the breathing-sucks problem, though.
Thx tho.
posted by bitterkitten at 4:55 PM on November 25, 2009
Thx tho.
posted by bitterkitten at 4:55 PM on November 25, 2009
I went through the full round of meds for my upper GI problem too and they didn't do anything. Some hippy guy suggested that I take some acidophilus and it changed my life.
Since that won't help for your trip, I just suggest keeping some salty snacks or hardy candy handy to keep your throat from congesting.
Good luck!
posted by snsranch at 6:17 PM on November 25, 2009
Since that won't help for your trip, I just suggest keeping some salty snacks or hardy candy handy to keep your throat from congesting.
Good luck!
posted by snsranch at 6:17 PM on November 25, 2009
IANAD. But is it possible you have acid reflux in your larynx (called reflux laryngopharyngitis)? You don't have to have heartburn. But clearing your throat often is one symptom. You say you've been to multiple doctors but have any of them been ENTs? If not, I'd make an appointment to see one. Are you taking any medication for reflux?
As for flying, having this probably doesn't make you any more susceptible to disease than if you didn't have this condition. And it's certainly not contagious. If you feel concerned wear a face mask during the flight (actually, to be honest, that might be a good idea for anyone flying these days).
While it may feel uncomfortable, apparently your doctors haven't thought you're in any immediate danger. Again, I'm just surmising that based on your description. BTW, if it is a reflux problem, stress can really add to this. I've had this problem and before it was diagnosed I would often say my chest feels "tight." There was no congestion. Turns out that reflux can give you this feeling.
Not to dismiss your concerns at all but try to relax and enjoy. It may help.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 6:11 AM on November 26, 2009
As for flying, having this probably doesn't make you any more susceptible to disease than if you didn't have this condition. And it's certainly not contagious. If you feel concerned wear a face mask during the flight (actually, to be honest, that might be a good idea for anyone flying these days).
While it may feel uncomfortable, apparently your doctors haven't thought you're in any immediate danger. Again, I'm just surmising that based on your description. BTW, if it is a reflux problem, stress can really add to this. I've had this problem and before it was diagnosed I would often say my chest feels "tight." There was no congestion. Turns out that reflux can give you this feeling.
Not to dismiss your concerns at all but try to relax and enjoy. It may help.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 6:11 AM on November 26, 2009
my family has a history of bad reflux. When my mom first started getting it, she called an ambulance and went to the ER - she thought she was having a heart attack!
Long story short, I got a KOMBUCHA 'mushroom' from a woman who worked at a hippie health food store ... changed my life.
Buying the stuff is ~ $5-6 a bottle; brewing it at home, after the initial investment, requires a few tea bags, a cup of sugar, and a gallon of distilled water.
My mom has started drinking it too, and is much better. If she drank more, she'd be off her meds totally.
also, are you overweight? losing weight helped both of us. acidophilus helped us too. I went to an allergist, and discovered I was allergic to some foods - avoidance of those foods helped me a lot too.
try drinking kombucha. it tastes like apple cider vinegar. it may take a few weeks to see results, and you may feel like crap at first as it flushes toxins from your system.
good luck.
posted by saragoodman3 at 8:17 AM on November 26, 2009
Long story short, I got a KOMBUCHA 'mushroom' from a woman who worked at a hippie health food store ... changed my life.
Buying the stuff is ~ $5-6 a bottle; brewing it at home, after the initial investment, requires a few tea bags, a cup of sugar, and a gallon of distilled water.
My mom has started drinking it too, and is much better. If she drank more, she'd be off her meds totally.
also, are you overweight? losing weight helped both of us. acidophilus helped us too. I went to an allergist, and discovered I was allergic to some foods - avoidance of those foods helped me a lot too.
try drinking kombucha. it tastes like apple cider vinegar. it may take a few weeks to see results, and you may feel like crap at first as it flushes toxins from your system.
good luck.
posted by saragoodman3 at 8:17 AM on November 26, 2009
Wow! You are me. I went through exactly the same thing last year - the breathing problems, GI misery, and throat gunk. It started out after I trialed high-dose niacin for cholesterol, which irritated my stomach, and then started a new, stressful, long-distance job. I got worse and worse for a long time, saw all kinds of specialists, had the endoscopy, ultrasound, HIDA, and breathing tests, and then ran out of my prescription PPI one weekend. The problem ramped down about 80% over the following week. It took about a year but eventually it mostly just "went away". Go figure.
Went and saw a specialist a while later, and he said it was intense travel/job stress (exacerbated by longstanding mental health issues), combined with an adverse reaction to PPIs. I still get it sometimes when I'm stressed out (particularly the breathing thing) and the following three things help: 1) not eating for at least 4 hours before bedtime; 2) switching to lactose-free milk (helps with the throat gunk); and 3) digestive enzymes. And I am not one of those health food hippy types either -- I tend to be pro-science and pro-medicine.
It's very frustrating to be told something like "it might be stress", which seems like such a copout. But don't underestimate the power anxiety can have over your body - and how it can compound, so that feeling bad stresses you out, which makes it worse, which stresses you out, blah blah blah. Particularly if you already have anxiety/depression problems, you can end up very ill purely from worrying about being ill. And feeling like you can't breathe properly is incredibly frightening. I'm not saying this is your problem - but maybe you could try some strategies to distract yourself/make you feel more comfortable in your own skin, and see if anything works.
posted by media_itoku at 1:43 PM on November 26, 2009
Went and saw a specialist a while later, and he said it was intense travel/job stress (exacerbated by longstanding mental health issues), combined with an adverse reaction to PPIs. I still get it sometimes when I'm stressed out (particularly the breathing thing) and the following three things help: 1) not eating for at least 4 hours before bedtime; 2) switching to lactose-free milk (helps with the throat gunk); and 3) digestive enzymes. And I am not one of those health food hippy types either -- I tend to be pro-science and pro-medicine.
It's very frustrating to be told something like "it might be stress", which seems like such a copout. But don't underestimate the power anxiety can have over your body - and how it can compound, so that feeling bad stresses you out, which makes it worse, which stresses you out, blah blah blah. Particularly if you already have anxiety/depression problems, you can end up very ill purely from worrying about being ill. And feeling like you can't breathe properly is incredibly frightening. I'm not saying this is your problem - but maybe you could try some strategies to distract yourself/make you feel more comfortable in your own skin, and see if anything works.
posted by media_itoku at 1:43 PM on November 26, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nadawi at 4:44 PM on November 25, 2009