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CBS / excess phlegm & throat-clearing after eating, link?

Symptomatic

Senior Member
Messages
197
One of the things that started me on my medical journey (nearly 15 years ago now) was that I started having issues with excess phlegm/throat-clearing after eating.

My GP thought I had reflux so I was put a proton-pump inhibitor. It didn't work, so we tried another. That didn't work either. Thinking it was sinus drainage (I told them it wasn't!), I was sent for a nose scope - all clear. Then esophageal motility was called into question, so I did a barium swallowing study, which looked fine. I got lab orders for an Upper GI, but decided not to do it. On two occasions, I've been tested for food allergies - nothing there per se. I think GP finally gave up, thinking I was a hypochondriac. Others have also suggested it's "psychological". I can assure you, it's not!

It's also not a gluten thing, one of the items that I don't have this reaction to are pretzel crisps, which have only wheat flour and water as the ingredients, go figure.

I have tried to find some correlation between the foods I eat and when this occurs. In the past, I haven't been successful with this. However, due to my CBS mutation, I'm considering a low-thiol diet, and have realized I'm in love with some of the foods on the list (esp cheese, chocolate, asparagus, garlic and onions).

After consuming an organic chocolate bar (super-dark, 73% cacao) the other day (ingredients: organic dark chocolate (organic cocoa mass, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), dry cocoa solids 73% minimum), I had the phlegm/throat-clearing thing. Suddenly, I wondered if what's causing my reaction is actually the thiols?

Anybody else with CBS have this kind of thing going on? Does anyone have thoughts on whether this could be the cause of my issue?