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Sleep apnea or vagus nerve?

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 8/1/2014 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
I'm writing to see if anybody else has experienced similar symptoms as me. Shortly before I was diagnosed with gerd i was experiencing terrible shallow breathing and almost similar to panic attack everytime I nodded off to sleep would jolt and awaken This would happen every few minutes despite being exhausted and desperate to sleep. Would last all night long with no sleep whatsoever. This happened very frequently. I've had nissen fundoplication for lpr and respiratory reasons this hasn't helped and I'm still very congested after eating , waking with reflux in my throat and coughing and choking. The "apnea/vagus nerve/panic attack" happened straight after my operation and whilst in recovery my sats kept dropping to oxygen 85 just as I was nodding off. Nobody even came to check. It's happening about 3/4 times a week. I'm at my wits end, I'm currently on a lovely holiday with my family and all I feel us desperate, worried scared and feeling so so low due to lack of sleep and worry. Gas anybody else experienced this with gerd?
Posted 8/1/2014 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
I suffered something similar to you, i would awaken every few minutes when ever i tried to sleep. Mine was anxiety base and over worry from the sever side effects i was having from PPI meds. I was severely stressed was loosing hope, depressed, anxiety you name it it was happening to me all because of PPI side effects, even sever breathlessness. In No way am i saying that yours is stressed based or it could be physical underlying for your condition. But unless you reduce your stress somehow it will only compound your problem. ayaou must try and relax and calm down, over stressing like i did was not helping and i had to pull myself together because loosing it was not the solution. Ands i am mentally very tough but found myself in a situation neither could i or the doctors ever imagined.

talk to your doctors and discuss such issues with them, damage to the vague nerve could certainly be a possible explanation for your symptoms.

I hope you find a solution soon, i can sympathise with you.
Posted 8/6/2014 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
Trotters, I was searching this site for information about Sleep Apnea since I have just been diagnosed and your post popped up with all the other great information on the subject. I had no idea sleep apnea could be related to so many other issues. Perhaps if you also search and read the symptoms it will help you.

I'm normally on the Chronic Pain forum where White Beard is the local sleep apnea expert. He would be able to advise you.

My PCP found an irregular heart beat and referred me to a cardiologist who sent me for a sleep study. I just got the results and have not started treatment yet.

Best wishes in finding your own solution.
Posted 8/6/2014 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
I have LPR and trouble breathing but not while sleeping, it is shortness of breath. I tried for 3 days now going off of zantac to see if that is the cause and I'm not sure, since going off I do not have so much shortness of breath but NOW when I inhale deeply it hurts my esoph, this is crazy, these illnesses send us all around in circles with no answers! I agree with James that we have to tell ourselves to stay calm, is very difficult to do with all these crazy symptoms!
Posted 8/6/2014 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
and my breathing also feels like panic attack, yes, exactly! But I can have this feeling just sitting down and it can last all day, horrible stuff
Posted 8/19/2014 1:10 PM (GMT 0)
I can very much relate to the original post. I have suffered with GERD/LPR for about four years now. about a year ago chronic air hunger started. I ended up having all the testing for surgery and went ahead with the Linx procedure almost four month ago now. I had a lot of symptoms but the air hunger was by far the worst. I also developed the exact same sleep apnea thing you are talking about. I went through a period where when falling asleep my whole body would jerk and I would wake up. This would go non-stop all night long and there were nights I didn't get any sleep at all. A lot of my reflux symptoms improved after surgery, but the air hunger remained about the same along with the sleep apnea stuff. I started taking some sleeping pills to help knock me out which helped. I now take a low dose of Elavil 10 mg to 20 mg which helps greatly with sleep. I continue to try and figure out what is causing my almost chronic air hunger. I have seen all kinds of doctors. My surgeon still thinks I just need to give the surgery time and that the air hunger will resolve itself. I have many times wondered if reflux had somehow screwed with my vagus nerve. I have had a very hard time finding anyone else that has had this weird sleep apnea symptom. Please keep me updated on how you are doing and I will do that same.
Posted 8/19/2014 6:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of your replies, as much as I don't wish for anyone to suffer, sometimes it's a relief to know I'm not on my own with this horrific "disease"



Gondore it's good to hear that a lot of your symptoms have eased. I wished mine had Mine are still there and went for anther manometry last week and my motility has Gone from being fine prior to surgery to pretty horrific and my les pressure has only raised from 4-7 so not good. Have you ever seen a respiratory specialist for your air hunger? I have had a spirometery performed back in jan when my symptoms first started and it was normal I had one done about 3 weeks ago and my lung function had decreased. I believe constant refluxing and aspirating has caused my lungs a lot of damage and this causes my air hunger. I know for a good few weeks following surgery I experienced it 24/7 think the swelling in diaphragm can also make it difficult for lungs to expand. I'm sure that it will settle down for you.
Think the vagus nerve can impact on more ways than we ever imagine. It seems to me that when my gerd is playing up even more than usual (and it's horrific at the best if times) this is when I notice the sleep jumping/apnea symptoms. I also suffer with laryngospasm in my sleep diagnosed by ENT which is completely different sensation. All horrible and it has got to the stage where I dread going to sleep.

I'm sure like everyone who suffers LPR I'd give my right arm to be free of this nasty disease.

Wish everybody lots of luck in finding resolutions.
Posted 8/22/2014 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Trotters I would highly suggest you try Elavil. Start with 10 mg and work up to 20 if needed. It helped my sleep a Lot, it also helps to dull nerve pain. I have done a spiremerty test several times. One time was like 89, the other like 90, and the most recent like 92. One thing they always note though is my exhale curve... It flattens out. They said this is typically a sign of inflammation in the upper airways.
Posted 8/22/2014 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Trotters I would highly suggest you try Elavil. Start with 10 mg and work up to 20 if needed. It helped my sleep a Lot, it also helps to dull nerve pain. I have done a spiremerty test several times. One time was like 89, the other like 90, and the most recent like 92. One thing they always note though is my exhale curve... It flattens out. They said this is typically a sign of inflammation in the upper airways.
Posted 8/22/2014 11:57 PM (GMT 0)
Trotters I would highly suggest you try Elavil. Start with 10 mg and work up to 20 if needed. It helped my sleep a Lot, it also helps to dull nerve pain. I have done a spiremerty test several times. One time was like 89, the other like 90, and the most recent like 92. One thing they always note though is my exhale curve... It flattens out. They said this is typically a sign of inflammation in the upper airways.
Posted 8/23/2014 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear your having such a tough time, I think the more you get stressed about this the worst it will get, and I would definitely go and see your GP for some help with this, it must be awful wanting to sleep and not being able to.
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