A lot of people are affected by acid reflux like GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) but is it more uncommon for the acid to reflux all the way up and into the throat though it is possible. For someone who is predominantly affected by throat problems that are caused by acid reflux this problem is more accurately deemed as LPR (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux). Also, it is sometimes called silent reflux because typically someone who suffers from it doesn’t have the typical reflux symptoms like heartburn.
The main reason I want to highlight this is because someone who has lump in their throat feeling could be suffering from acid reflux (GERD) or more precisely speaking LPR (silent acid reflux).
Understanding –
Acid Reflux Throat Lump Feeling
As you might have imagined if you have acid coming up into your throat this can lead to inflammation and will make the throat irritated. This inflammation can lead to your throat feeling like it has a lump. Though in the vast majority of situations this “lump” isn’t really a lump at all – it is just a feeling that has been caused by the inflammation in the throat due to the acid or most importantly a thing contained within the acid called pepsin.
If you didn’t know pepsin is a digestive enzyme that is produced in the stomach to help break down proteins. The problem with this pepsin is that when it refluxes up along with the acid it basically tries to digest the throat – this is what causes this inflammation or any other sore throat feelings etc.
Acid Reflux Lump in Throat Remedy
How to Get Relief
The best way to get relief from a lump in throat feeling is from diet changes. You must avoid foods that can induce acid reflux and ones that can further irritate your throat when it is already damaged.
If you are being affected by this lump in the throat feeling this could be a sign of LPR and those following the same advice that would help LPR would also help stop and heal your lump in the throat – in that case I would recommend you check out my complete LPR guide where I talk about the causes, symptoms and treatment. Also for more information on acid reflux and GERD check out my complete guide on acid reflux & GERD.
Also, for starting diet suggestions check out my LPR Diet article or for a complete Diet Plan check out the Wipeout Diet Plan (created for people with LPR/acid reflux). Also for more support and treatment advice consider a Private Acid Reflux Consultation with me here.
In terms of medicine the only choice I would recommend is taking Gaviscon advance the UK version. The reason why I suggest the UK version is because it has a much higher amount of the important active ingredient that is called alginate. Alginate is an extract from seaweed – when you take it, it helps create a barrier on top of the stomach contents which greatly helps prevent reflux and thus should lower the chance of acid refluxing and any throat irritation. For more information on Gaviscon advance I recommend you check out my article on Gaviscon advance.
On a final note I want to mention that for some people they may only need to make a few diet changes to get back to normal whereas for others they may need to be stricter with the diet to get the best effect. Also, for people taking the Gaviscon advance it is more there to be used until things have settled and once your throat is back to normal you should stop it and rely more on your diet changes to prevent it from happening again.
Luckily for the vast majority of people that do these changes the throat will heal and the lump in the throat feeling will fade away!
My son has had the feeling of mucus stuck in this throat for 2 years now and he is very proned to sore throats. He constantly clears his throat and seem to have inflammation in his eyes. Right now he has been nauseas for over a week and doesn’t want to eat as his throat always feels worse after eating, it causes more mucus flow. He is dairy free and has had every procedure done and now the doctors think he need to see a counselor since they have no solution. Can you get nauseas from LPR? I bought the Gaviscon but it’s super thick and hard to swallow, how do people get it down?
Yeah you can be nauseas from LPR or really it’s another possible symptoms that people can have yes. Yeah the doctors are definitely wrong and simply don’t understand the problem well enough is my feeling on that. It sound like your son has LPR to me.
If your son isn’t doing a low acid diet like my wipeout diet plan I definitely recommend that. Yeah for some people it is thick but sometimes it just needs to be well shaken and this can make the solution easier to swallow.
Check him for post nasal drip. I had the same issues.
I’ve been having some issues with waking up with an acid taste in my mouth/burning in my throat. I’d been okay this week, then it went from 0 to 100, and it hurts all the way down. Feels like mucus or like there’s something there/hurts to swallow/can’t clear my throat. I used to get more burning in my stomach/sometimes my chest, which then led to nausea, then the acid in my mouth came later, and now the sore throat. Does that sound like GERD? Thanks!!
To be honest from what you mentioned it sounds more like LPR to me than GERD. But it’s possible it could be a combination of the 2 especially if you are still have the burning in the chest sensation.
I’m pretty sure I have LPR. I get this intense discomfort in my throat and I force swallow air to try and relieve it and then I burp or belch. It’s incredibly embarrassing and uncomfortable. I’m highly sensitive and developed somatic anxiety because of this.
Would your wipe out reflux diet plan help with these symptoms?
Hi Lindsay,
Ah yeah it’s very difficult to deal with, but do know with the right changes you will almsot definitely see some relief at a minimum. Yeah the diet will be very likely to help. The diet was first created to help people with LPR so I created it with that in mind not only for people with more typical acid reflux.