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Severe shortness of breath with GERD?

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Posted 7/31/2014 7:32 AM (GMT 0)
My general surgeon said that you can develop asthma like symptoms with GERD. It still is scary at times, I hate feeling like I'm suffocating. I'm feeling it right now and I hate it so much.
Posted 9/10/2014 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi,I'm a 22 year old male,I'm from a small town called ladysmith which is located in south africa,I haven't been diagnosed with acid reflux disease,because well let's say the doctors here aren't so great,my symptoms are heart burn everyday,occasional shortness of breathe,pains on the left side,and breastbone,pains on the inside of my ribcage also on the left(prefibly where the spleen whould lie) that seem to spread to the back including shoulder blades,I also get pains on the right in the same area (I assume closer to the liver),I suffered with "inflamed appendix"as well and a urinary track infection,sometimes I get pains in the fingers (left side ofcause)I went to the emergency room and they said its not my heart after screening,I had a blood test which I didn't receive because my hospital miss placed it "epic" I did an endoscopy which showed nothing odd,I refused to take the omeprozole 20 because oddly enough it caused a feeling like my food isn't digesting,I belch a lot,whuch often brings on chest pains,I did a baruim meal/swallow,this came up clear(go figure)I have to beg doctors here for another blood test,they really pathetic,I do weight lifting and I am generally fit,infact I can sprint an intire 500meters without getting tired,I do smoke like 4 cigarettes a day(blocks eyes)as for my sleeping pattern,Its terrible,but when the heartburn gets bad I have terrible wheezing when breathing in,they said its anxiety so they gave me xanax which ofcoz just made me not care that I'm having all these symptoms,nevertheless they are there,so now I'm at a point where I'm not sure what to do,can anyone assist me
Posted 9/16/2014 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
I have suffered with this for several years now. I thought I had lung cancer from smoking. Doctors did many test on lungs, oxg. Level great. Chest Cray good, heart wa checked to be good but still I can't breath in great. I started taking over the counter naxium once a day this is day 6 and to my surprise I forgot how bad it is. My stomach still feels heavy and bloated all day. Dr. Oz had an article, he said in our condition the only thing out of a bottle that we should have is water. I have not learned to do that just yet. My nose seems to be always always congested. I have heard no one mention that. Are you congested? Does anyone smoke through this ordeal? I have just been diagnosed w sleep apnea also. This is a silent here I have. No heart burns. Just acid burning me like crazy. How long to recovery? Is there a doctor reading any of this. Where r the GI docs looking in. Help.
Posted 9/16/2014 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi dimple 101,yes I smoke,and I have congestion with sinus most of the time,I also get migranes and body twitches,chances are I have sleep apnea too,its so difficult to deal with this sickness,keep us updated with any other medications or natural remedies!
Posted 10/3/2014 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
I recently went to the doctor with the same issue of shortness of breath , lump sensation in the throat , constantly clearing my throat and feeling like my throat was closing on me , diagnosed with GERD .... I was sent to the gastroenterology department the doctor said it sounds like I'm experiencing GLOBUS SENSATION ... he prescribed prednisone for 7 days and claritin to take every day after to treat it due to airborne allergies causing infections in the throat , spasms of the throat giving the feeling theres something stuck there , lump sensation , affecting the breathing .... so far it's working for me not 100% but way better than before I was irritated daily with heartburn and acid reflux and severe shortness of breath , the prilosec and pepsid controlled the GERD
Posted 1/12/2015 5:37 AM (GMT 0)
Omg, this forum is like the Holy grail. I almost started crying this evening because of these symptoms. Cant sleep, when I eat it feels like there is something stuck in my throat. Can't breathe when I bend over to get my clothes or to pick up my daughter and I cant talk to my husband that has never had an ailment in his life. Having panic attacks and cant figure out why and at the same time right now I have a cold and so Im congested. Literally a nightmare. I have panic attacks very rarely and I take xanax the lightest dose and it usually knocks me right out but I have in the past 5 days taken 5 pills which is unheard of and I still cant sleep. For the first time yesterday in those 5 day I slept I got another pillow and slept on two and I slept really well. So Im going to try that again tonight. I really thought I was alone in this I googled it at first and it can up with heart failure. I was like omg you can't be serious but I thought about it and I have had my heart checked and its still good so I thought it had to be something else. I cannot believe that this is GERD. This answers so much just reading some of these stories I can absolutely relate to almost everything said here Its funny cause I have had this before and could'nt figure out what it was but it went away on its own but it has returned with a vengence. Thanks all for the information
Posted 1/16/2015 6:32 AM (GMT 0)
I've have asthma real bad and for the past 9 years I've suffered, the doctor put me on all the meds and nothing worked all I got was a sore throat and a bad belly. It felt like I had something stuck iny throat,Well I figured out what it is and I hope it helps someone out there so they can stop suffering too. I'm on quvar and for the past few weeks it got real bad and the problem was I wasn't using a spacer I would put the quvar directly in my mouth and it was that simple. I got a spacer that if you suck to hard it makes a noise to alert you. So put quvar into spacer shake put mouth on spacer and blow when your out of air squeeze quvar and breathe slow. The doctor never told me how to do it. It's been two days and not one wheeze. And I'm better. I hope this help anyone not being able to breathe sucks. ITS NOT GURD YOUR JUST NOT USING A SPACER
Posted 3/19/2015 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
http://www.hannasaadah.com/blog/medical/false-shortness-of-breaht-pseudo-dyspnea-december-12/ everyone going through this please read this it described everything related to the Gerd and shortness of breath it's everything I feel as well.
Posted 3/17/2016 5:19 AM (GMT 0)
I'm currently 33 (almost 34) & I've had GERD since I was a teenager. Up until a year ago it was pretty well managed but the heartburn aspect has gotten completely out of control. I was taking 40mg of Omeprazole daily until that stopped helping. The pain is so complete that it takes my breath away, causes nausea & a build up of saliva. It also makes me incredibly dizzy & lightheaded. I'm finding that it's draining all my energy & causing my vision to blur at times. Over a week ago my doctor took me off the Omeprazole & put me on Protonix (40mg) which seemed to amplify the situation & I had to supplement with Maalox to avoid vomitting. After a week if that, they changed it to 30mg of Prevacid with Gaviscon as needed & I'm getting physically ill constantly & can't even tolerate water (it literally burns!) let alone any food or other drinks. At this point I have no idea what to do. I'm in constant pain. My chest is heavy & on fire, im constantly on the verge of vomitting & can barely get anything into my body. My heart is beating so fast & can hardly catch my breath. I plan on calling my GI doctor tomorrow. Any other suggestions on what I can do in the meantime? I'm at the end of my rope.
Posted 3/17/2016 12:02 PM (GMT 0)
sittinginlimbo:

I'm sorry you're feeling so terrible, how were you originally diagnosed with GERD? When was your last endoscopy? I know you said that you couldn't tolerate food, maybe your doctor can prescribe some anti-nauseau medication (Zofran), because you need to get some food down. I've also used something called Seaband, which is a wristband that applies pressure that helps being nauseous. People wear them on cruise ships, it might be worth a try, you can get them at drug stores of Target. Some of the symptoms that you have may be made worse by being dehydrated, since you said water burns. I would try and drink some gatorade-type drinks in small amounts. I was successful with Protonix, but everyone is different. I think at this point you need to have an endoscopy and see what's going on.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Posted 4/10/2016 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
So interesting (and somewhat comforting) to learn that there are so many people who suffer from GERD. I think I have finally figured out that I have SILENT GERD, but it certainly hasn't been because of a doctor has considered it because I made a simple mistake - I admitted that I have been a smoker for 60 years. Every doctor I've seen automatically put me in that little "box" in their brain that says if you smoke and have ANY problem, it is related to smoking. Okay, I freely admit that smoking is not the best thing in the world for your body, but I have been active for years, my oxygen saturation is great and I can out-do many people in their 40's - until about 2 years ago. The first "diagnosis" was a possible heart condition - after echocardiogram, stress test and checking my carotids, the doctor could find nothing wrong. Despite that fact that several x-rays mentioned that my stomach was more in my thorax rather than in the abdomen, the next doctor then decided that my shortness of breath was COPD, although I did not meet the criteria for COPD (other than being a smoker). No doctor I visited suggested that the very large hiatal hernia might be the source of my problem, and nobody suggested GERD. After I challenged the COPD diagnosis, the doc then decided it must be asthma. After two years of nebulized levylbuterol and inhaled steroids along with an oral asthma medication (with slow but steady decline in my ability to breathe and function), I had a severe episode of being nauseated, unable to eat, bloating, pain in my ribs (I thought) that radiated from the stomach area all the way around to my spine. Reaching to pick up something caused an excruciating pain that felt like someone was sticking an ice pick in my back. I decided that perhaps it was a spinal issue since it felt like my thoracic vertebras needed to be adjusted. After 7 trips to the chiropractor, he gave up and said I was holding so much tension between the shoulder blades that he couldn't adjust that area. Really? After 7 trips? What was I thinking???? If I hadn't been so desperate I could have figured that out after the first two failed attempts. So........in desperation, I started a Google search and came across several websites and diagnosed myself - SILENT GERD. In retrospect, I've probably had it since a childhood accident where I was hit in the stomach so hard that for 30 - 45 seconds, I couldn't inhale and came very close to passing out completely. But since I rarely had "indigestion" or digestive issues, even when eating jalapeños and other spicy foods - and on the rare occasions when I over-ate, a simple over-the-counter antacid (Tums) seemed to take care of the problem. Well, after doing the Google thing, I decided that I'd try Zantac (trying to avoid PPI's which are now suspected of causing Alzheimer's (at 70+, I don't have it and certainly don't want it!) This is the 4th day since I tried self-diagnosis and I feel SO MUCH BETTER! I have some pain behind my shoulder blades still, but it is improving daily. I also do the exercises recommended on one of the sites I visited and that has seemed to help. Medicine today is not the medicine it used to be - and some doctors just don't have the curiosity or motivation to consider any other options once they've put you in the little "box" laughingly called a diagnosis. This is NOT a recommendation to avoid seeking medical help, but please remember that you MUST be pro-active and willing to question any diagnosis. If you visit a surgeon, please remember that the primary way he makes money is to do surgery - duh! Do your research, follow your gut and understand that doctors are just educated people who make educated guesses - and sometimes, they guess wrongly. Whew! I feel better now!
Posted 4/10/2016 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
Dear gerdruinedmylife: Thank you so much for this post - what an eye-opener! I absolutely have pseudo-dyspnea and have never heard of it before! It seems so counter-intuitive to get up and exercise when I am having trouble breathing, but you can bet that I tried this before responding to your posting and sure enough, the shortness of breath went away about three minutes into the exercise on my Gazelle. Thank You!
Posted 11/7/2016 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Nobody has commented on this since April, but maybe some of the people that have posted still check this...I have been suffering from shortness of breath for over two years now. Just woke up one morning with it. Feels like I can't get air into my lungs. After doing my own research, and this lasting over a few months, I tried a gluten free diet (I also have Hashimoto's). That helped for about 5 months, then shortness of breath came back even though I was still on diet. Every med I try only helps for a few months then all symptoms come back even though I'm still taking meds. Chest x-ray, lung function test, echo and lab ok. I have not had an EGD done, I don't get insurance until january 2017. Oh and all breathing problems go away after I have been lying down for about 30 minutes. Any ideas??
Posted 11/25/2016 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hope this helps someone else. I have dealt with the shortness of breath, deep breathing issue off and on for a couple of years. The first bout was the worst bout - because I didn't understand it at all. I didn't know I had GERD, didn't know I had a hiatal hernia. None of my first doctor visits or ER visit diagnosed any of this - they all got it wrong. Actually my sister in Florida had a friend with a similar situation and she said you may have a hiatal hernia and or GERD. I started researching everything I could on both subjects, and made a list of all books, diets, websites and other resources and I went to battle. By that time my acid reflux had made my stomach and throat a war zone. I found a new doctor who was both a regular MD with a ton of experience and also an alternative/holistic doctor as well (a rare find), but they are out there. He put me on the 40 mg or omeprezone, mastic gum and marshmallow tea. It took a couple of weeks to get it under a little control and a couple of months to bring it under full control. Over time I've learned a lot and like all of us, I've had my ups and downs.
1) I received regular massage therapy and took herbs to relax me from the trauma of the burning stomach, inability to breath deep breaths and the feeling of not being able to take the breath I need.
2) The worst of the problem was the hiatal hernia. I found some resources for pulling the herniated part of the upper stomach back down (that had traveled up through the LES and into the esophagus). There is more than one method and I tried them all. Some chiopractors, osteopaths and bodyworkers (Therapeutic Massage Therapist) know how to put the stomach down. My wife now does it for me. She learned as I learned and with gental regular practice she was able to learn how to get it down and keep it down via a five minute process.
3) Once the stomach is down then the LES and stomach liner need to heal up. Marshmallow Tea is the best thing I found for this. I use DGL too, and mastic gum, but the Marshmallow Tea has a thick mucus-like property that coats all the traumatized tissue. I drink it though out the day and parts of the night, first thing in them morning and last thing at night. It is a miracle herb, and when used with other conservative techniques can heal the problem completely. It has been used for thousands of years all over the world and has no side effects, cost very little. I don't mix mine with anything. I keep it in the fridge, warm it just a little on the stove and sip it down. It is immediately effective.

A) If you are having a bout of acid reflux - and you know it, you can feel the stomach or LES burning (usually both) then don't mess around - STOP THE BURNING. Use an over the counter acid reducer to get that under control immediately. If you allow it to go on the problem will get worst quickly and spiral out of control.
B) Modify your habits: Eat small meals only, NO SUGAR, NO Alcohol, ver low sodium, absolutely no spices in your food. A very strict diet is absolutely required. Pay attention this could ruin your health and lead to serious other complications and disease - even cancer. Eat small meals and at first nothing past 5 PM in the evening. One large meal, of the wrong food will set a reaction in motion and you're in hell again.
C) Always sleep and rest elevated. Buy a wedge pillow and learn how to do it. If you lay flat acid will come up into your esophagus, and the digestive process will back up in general.
D) Consult with your doctor on all things. If your doctor tells you "its all in your head, you may likely want another opinion. Some regular MDs understand that the holistic remedies can help a lot. Depending on how severe the problem is. My first MD though that anti-anxiety meds were the answer. The second doc thought only prescription acid blockers were the answer etc... There is no one answer. It is a complicated dis-order and it takes a concise strategy to bring it under control.
E) It often takes a few weeks or even a month or two to get in to a GI doctor for an endoscopy ... to confirm the Hiatal hernia, acid reflux and rule out any other issues.

Understand something. If you have a hiatal hernia, part of your stomach is now living in your esophagus. This is not normal. That part of the stomach is now allowing these powerful acids that digest foods into your esophagus. It also makes your main stomach smaller so it can't handle much food at at time. This "HH" also knocks all your other digestive processes of balance. So to my thinking, after much research, I knew I had to get the HH thing figured out. I did. And in the meanwhile I had to protect my stomach and esophagus from more damage and continuous damage. I did that too, and I still do.

Surgery is not always successful and is risky due to scar tissues, infection etc and if you don't fix the underlying problems then it will just happen again, and then there will be another surgery - that is my opinion from much I have read in books and on line. I opted to not have the surgery, but that is something that has to be determined by you and your own doctor or doctors. Only you and your medical team can determine if you truly have a hiatal hernia, how prominent it is etc ...

Last but least. If you can't change your eating and drinking habits then you are in for a very, very, very long and rough ride. I talked to one guy, who said flat out he is not going to stop drinking alcohol .... he changed his mind after a couple of trips to the ER.

I was so bad at the worst point all I could eat was goat yogurt. Goat yogurt saved my life. I eat it every morning now with a little fresh strawberry blended in. Its a great way to start the morning off with a gentle food source full of probiotics. I mix in another general probiotic with that. I don't eat anything for an hour or more after that (once I can see how my stomach is doing) Then I have some oatmeal with no sugar, maybe a little yogurt, banana or strawberry ... no sugar ... no sugar ... no sugar. I stayed on a very conservative diet regiment and prescribed acid blockers, took the mastic gum and marshmallow tea ... for four months and I healed my stomach up. I continued to do the therapy to massage my stomach and keep the HH down below the LES and that healed up too. I go over all the symptoms with no surgery and got off the acid blockers a little at at time by carefully cutting back on them while drinking marshmallow tea all the while. I was very careful to not eat after 5 PM ... not anything but occasionally a little yogurt and tea to kill off the hunger pains. I lost a lot of weight - too much, but I gained some back when I healed up.

Everyone is a bit different. I'm just sharing my "success" journey. I read a book called "Killing Me Softly from the Inside" and that was a huge eye opener. I read ALL the other Acid Reflux books and tons of online stuff. I learned from it all ... and I got a grip on what was happening to ME. I started a daily food and activity log to log my eating, drinking, blood pressure, blood sugar, exercises, thoughts and more. It helped a lot.

I went for over a year with no breathing problems and no acid reflux problems ... then I went on a big vacation and at the end I went to Las Vegas. I had a few drinks and within a week I had the acid reflux and my stomach (HH) was back up again. This time I didn't get so bent out of shape ... I Knew what to do and had it fully in control within a couple of days. I have back-slid on special occasions and paid the price. Maybe .. just maybe I am learning I have a lifelong problem that requires even stricter discipline. I don't drink any alcohol at all now. I monitor my weight every day first thing in the morning. I see my chiropractor once or twice a month (because my back gets out of whack an this tightens up my diaphram ... which tightens my stomach and causes the HH to act up again) and I have a strict diet because this can cause the acid reflux again.

Funny thing along the way. I found out ... the more I eat or drink a certain thing ... the more I want that thing. And the less I partake ... the less I want it. My taste changed completely. Now I look forward to goat yogurt and berries in the morning. I like oatmeal ( just a half cup) with a little banana and a teaspoon of yogurt. I have lost my taste for spicy foods. I don't like alcoholic beverages ... though I do miss the red wine. I still drink a little but I spit it out ... I wouldn't drink hard liquor even if you put a gun up to my head or spicy foods. I make most of my meals myself or by my wife. To many unknowns in eating out (sugars, salts and spices that are over the top). Every thing is a choice. I got out of it - out of the pain - out of the danger of more complications. I decided I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in doc offices, taking medical test and in a lot of pain. My regular MD is very proud of me .... and says I have taught him things too ... and he is a bit amazed a the degree of healing and relief from the imbalances I was experiencing. If something is out of balance, we must bring it back into balance. There are few short cuts.
These are my opinions and my experiences ... as mentioned above ... find a good medical "team", start a food and activity log and stick with the regiment. Marshmallow tea, marshmallow tea, marshmallow tea. Bring the HH down, bring the HH Down, marshmallow tea, marshmallow tea ...
My your life be rich and full of Blessings .... my your GERD end, HH go down and stay down ... may your balance be enduring
Bomon blush
Posted 11/25/2016 10:32 PM (GMT 0)
I deal with the same "feeling I need a breath" even though I'm breathing, and difficulty drawing full deep breaths too. I got rid of it for over a year, but it came back. It seems to be "brought on" by more than one thing but over all I would say (after many docs weighed in, reading ten books and many other articles etc ... that it is pressure on the diaphragm ... from: 1) spinal misalignment issues, tight muscles .. causing a hiatal hernia (stomach up through the LES within the diaphragm. This causes the stomach to come up and ride tighter on the top side (and it is smaller, out of balance and hypersensitive because part of it is living up in the esophagus. The LES is inflamed, the esophagus and HH are inflamed ... the stomach is inflamed. I used both traditional and holistic medicine techniques to heal it ... and it was good for over a year. Then I started eating more, and things I shouldn't and having an occasional cocktail. It kicked back up.

If everything is very upset and inflamed with stomach pain etc etc etc ... like mine was ... I was advised to take the prescription drug to cut the acid off and use marshMALLOW root, mastic gum and DGL to heal it up. I did as advised ... and had my HH manipulated back down with follow ups ... it took a few months but I got there .. then I slowly weined off the prescription med ... and just used the DGL and Marshmallow root tea. Had I stayed on the marshmallow tea ... always each week I probably would have never gotten it again ... lesson learned .. back on the marshmallow and DGL ... and stomach tea .. and its working as long as I modify my sleep position and eat as I should with NO ALCOHOL OR SUGAR at alllllllll. This time it is not taking long to tame/heal it and no meds.
Posted 11/25/2016 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
and ... of course ... ALL my original doctors (ER, MD etc...) all diagnosed it as anxiety ... and as others have commented ... of course when there are bloating with difficulty breathing there will be anxiety. I have learned to control mine and use herbal teas to calm and relax the muscles ... which makes things better rather than worst. I take warm baths ... stretch ... eat only goat yogurt strawberries, a little oatmeal with no sweetening at all. I eat the goat yogurt with strawberries in the morning ... blended in my bullet, just a two or three ozs to get something in my stomach and see how I do ... later in the day I mix the goat yogurt with slightly cooked spinach and blend it in the bullet. The idea is to NOT IRRITATE THE LES and stomach. All those super sensitive liners need to heal ... and of course if there is a HH (and there usually is in GERD cases I understand) then find someone who knows how to manipulate it down and do the follow ups to keep it down. Its a process but very do-able I have found ... with discipline. It only takes a little back sliding to get it all going to hell in a hand basket again. It takes a few months to a year to get the stomach and all connected tissues ... back in shape .... Try to beat it and it will likely beat you and quite quickly ... is my findings. I surrendered ... glad I did ... I get to live and don't have a ton of doc visits, test and medical bills. I did get an endoscopy early on (too over a month to get into a GI) and they confirmed a small hiatal hernia ... but could do nothing to get rid of it... just gave me pills. But at least I confirmed it and and I knew what I was dealing with .... and what I wasn't dealing with. Its a process. If you let it go and try to live, eat ... drink normally it puts many in the hospital ER and quite quickly .... some more than once ... as you will read above. I am fortunate ...I kept looking for a better doctor and I found one. He is both an MD ...tons of ER experience and a Holistic doctor too. Made all the difference in the world because he "didn't tell me it was just anxiety and all in my head" ... he knew what it was and how to deal with it. I trusted this doc ... and it made all the difference. BUT ... had I not done my own research to gain the knowledge I needed ... I don't think I would have gotten well nearly as quickly.
Posted Today 10:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,
I am also facing shortness of breath during whole day with acidic bubbles in my mouth. I just wanted to check did you guys find any relief or it still persist?
Posted Today 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
I had it about 2 years ago. I got rid of mine. Took some time, maybe 4-5 months. I ate nothing but clean food, no fast food, lots of vegetables, 5-6 small meals a day instead of 2-3 large ones, took a daily probiotic. Lots of water, no soda or alcohol. I lost weight, which helped a lot too. And I popped a Tums the second I felt it coming on. Occasionally an anti-gas chewable if I felt bloated, which usually came right along with the breathing thing and the acid in my throat. Mine got better.
Posted Today 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
Great information: REMEMBER .. NO ONE ... NO ONE ... NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING UNLESS IT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM. No one will understand FULLY ... possibly including you the extent you are suffering, the seriousness of it all or the level of drastic dietary and lifestyle changes required to overcome it. Popping a few over the over the counter pills isn't going to fix it in the majority of cases I've heard of ... and my own experience. You have to go to war with this thing ... it is serious business. As you'll read above most doctors either don't get it or don't want to deal with the realities.

I would like to add. Nothing more disturbing than the tightness of breathing and inability to draw a deep breath as normal ... just seems to "stop" just before the full breath comes left lung only. This is same as many describe. It goes away ... the calmer we are and the less we eat the faster it goes away. It doesn't happen often anymore, but when it did ... I would take a very warm shower, take a prescribed muscle relaxer or herbal like black coash and do some like stretches. The diaphragm is tight at that point so I also do gentle stomach massage. I stay upright ... elevated and I empty my stomach. Then I eat next to nothing .. mostly goat yogurt and berries as mentioned above. In other-words address the deep breathing and acid reflux at same time and take if very, very, very seriously. It causes the nerves to get rattled so we have to calm that down to get the diaphragm and LES to relax. Once this is all in gear ... then start addressing the short term, mid term and long term management strategies. Therapy, self-directed or med professional ... all goes in stages. Stage One is the most critical and the most limiting as far as diet .. that will last about a month ... then stage two where you can introduce a few foods very carefully. Try reading KILLING ME SOFTLY FROM THE INSIDE ... lots of good info there and there are several other good books on GERD ... nothing much on the breathing.
Posted 12/1/2016 5:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi
My Mom is 69 years old and she got sever stomach bloating with belching a lot and since she got that stomach bloating she got shortness of breath and lots of throat mucus because of this shortness of breath she does not get much sleep and since she got this shortness of breath it affect her walk so she is not able to walk much any help is appreciated
Posted 12/3/2016 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear about your mother. I've been though this, but I'm not a doctor so always consult a physician. That being said ... I had to go through a hand full of docs to get one who pretty much understood what was going on. The ER said ... "Its just anxiety" ... I know now this is common (see other's comments of same above in this forum). My anxiety came from the hard breathing not the other way around.

Another doc prescribed "the purple pill" but did not tell me the ups and downs and especially that if you start on them and stop your stomach acid will go nuts in over activity. Many people take them for a few days or a couple of weeks and just stop those pills cold turkey ... this causes the acid producing processes to go into overtime and dump loads of acid into the stomach. So here is what I did that worked and it worked again, and then again. I'm ok now but I have a process for staying ok (mostly) and getting back on track quickly if it happens again. Reasoning: Once the digestive system is knocked off balance this way ... everything in the GI track is hyper/super - sensitive. And the LES is sore and staying open. On top of that she "may" now have a small hiatal hernia. No need to freak out about all that. It happens and the main thing is to REMAIN CALM.

1) I took something to calm the nerves and muscles. I use Black Coash as do a lot of people. Its a herb that has been used for thousands of years. Docs can prescribe something as well. I found it very helpful to get any anxiety over the problem under control as quickly as possible. Warm soothing baths and showers helped too.

2) I backed off the eating. Skipped at least one meal to give the stomach a rest and very, very, very small meals the next two.
3) I prepared to loose a little weight .... but didn't want to loose weight too fast so keep track of it. The first time this happened I lost a lot of weight and too fast. Its important to try to eat … but only small amounts letting it digest and moving on. I started a daily food intake and activity log. What food, what drink, what pills etc ... do this asap.
4) I limited foods I ate: because foods that didn't used to upset my stomach ... now did and in a big way. (I started with organic goat yogurt full of natural probiotics) to sooth the stomach and get protein and other nutrients into the body. (only about three ozs) This is my main and staple food. I would say of full day or two on mostly this staple food. It has very little taste so I mix in a strawberry at first because I know strawberries work for me, but tried it without the fruit at first) No additives at all, until I knew it would work. It did. Most stores don't carry it so I have to get it from one of the healthy oriented groceries. I called around and found it at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It is popular because they are often out of low on stock.
5) From there I tested each new food from there one food at a time. I started with oatmeal (two ozs) eaten over fifteen mins. It worked but the stomach still swelled up (reaction) and I too a semethicone right way. That worked so I started taking them about fifty to thirty mins after my two main meals each day. Next I tried boiled egg white. That worked. Next I tried a sliver of avacado (the next day) and that worked. Next I blended the egg white with the avacado. That worked. So now I had some foods I could eat to stay healthy and not loose too much weight too fast as I worked on healing the digestive system. I continued this process. Some foods worked. Most didn't. I had to cut out all spices … even salt and pepper. I cut out all caffeine. I cut out all alchohol period … even my small amounts of red wine. I read a book called Killing Me Softly from the Inside and it really woke me up … helped me a lot, but even that good book did not have all the answers I eventually uncovered. But I did learn there about STAGES OF HEALING THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. I learned I couldn't eat many foods in stage one. But stage two was better and stage three was just fine.

6) I met a guy who had had this for years. He refused to change his eating, sleeping or drinking. Now he has a bunch of other health problems. I'm glad I made the changes.

7) Other supplemental healing aids I used: Probiotics (double dose) DGL, mastic gum, marshmallow root made into a tea, slippery elm made into a tea, stomach tea from health food store.

I take these every day even now that I don't have the crisis to further heal the digestive system

8) I didn't lie down very much, even when sleeping, I wedged up my pillows and put other pillows around the wedge so I could be reasonably comfortable. It was difficult at first, but I got used to it. I found out my LES was open and malfunctioning so very powerful stomach acid is traveling from the stomach to the esophagus. I found that I needed to do everything I could to help heal the LES.

9) I found a very good massage therapist and chiropractor who had experience with acid reflex, hiatal hernia etc .. because my diaphragm was tight and my whole body had tightened up from the trauma and difficulty breathing. I took warm baths and showers and did light stretching to ease things up.

10) I got in to see a GI doctor (specialist) and the hiatal hernia was confirmed. My regular doc had already put me on prescription acid blockers and he confirmed I should take them until things heal up. I took their advice and then when things healed up I weined (very slowly) off the prescription meds. The next time it happened about a year later I didn't have to take the prescription meds to get things under control and back to normal … just over the counter stuff for a couple of weeks as needed. My colonoscopy also showed I had a couple of pre-cancerous polups in my colon … and those were removed. They were not the cause of all this in but they weren't helping and could turn to cancer.

11) I found someone who was skilled at "pulling my stomach down" and this was a key to much quicker and complete healing. I found a chiropractor to realign my spine to lossen up my diaphragm was another key factor. I went though three of four to find one who was tuned-in to my situation and had enough experience to deal with it. I read up on Hiatal Hernias and suspected that was what I had. It turned out to be true for me so I knew that as one of the main issues I head to deal with. A KEY issue. I did and it really, really helped.

12) I went though four docs until I found one who helped guide me though this using both traditional medicine and natural healing. They call that "integrative medicine" these days.

13) I learned that lots of people get really ill from this and some even die. I took it very serious and put all my energies into understanding it and beating it. Millions of people never get off powerful acid blockers too, because they don't do do the deeper healing and lifestyle changes required to address the problems a the root causes.

Above are the basics that I used… I went online to Amazon books and elsewhere and typed in GERD and ACID REFLUX BOOKS … I got three or four books and read them. I went online to places like this forum. I learned all I could and keep the activity log and figured it out. I also found a very useful article by Chris Kressler on the subject and incorporated much of his suggestions, which pretty much aligned with my docs stuff.

My "new" integrative medicine doc worked with and for me and we beat the illness. I was fortunate to find a fine doctor who did not think I was crazy and just put me on meds and that was it. Each of us has to find our own choice of medical professionals to find a way to "healing" and balance again.

Good Luck,
And Blessings
Posted 12/4/2016 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Bomon,
How did you find the right doctor? I am also interested in an open-minded integrative doctor.
Posted 12/5/2016 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
I got lucky my wife found this one, but I found another one who is very good too on my own, maybe even better. They are out there. You just have to check on line under doctors in your area and then call and ask questions ... then go meet and greet and ask more questions. It won't take long before you know what kind of doctor you have. I did a lot of reading about how doctors get trained and groomed for their trade. They get a lot of their training from institutions and pharmaceutical companies besides the med schools so there is a LOT of bias. They must keep up their continuous education as well, and there is more "choice" of paths therein. Just like everyone else in every trade. From what I have read it is hard for them to buck the system and integrate with natural healing practitioners, but more and more of them are finding ways to do just that. Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, surgeons etc ... are all applying their bias and mindset upon the doctors .... It takes a very strong minded and ethical doctor/person to forge this new path of integrated medicine. But it is coming on strong across the country now and there are quite a few hospitals who are now incorporating integrated medicine as well. Some sincerely others in mostly in name as a marketing ploy .. (my opinion thus far). Each person just has to do research in their area and find that doctor who is right for them ... and then create a respectful relationship/dialog over time. Its like any other relationship - trust is everything. I look for trustworthiness and competence and an integrated medicine approach - and I found it. I can communicate what is happening to my doc online through a specialized portal ... rather than a phone call or doc visit .. it saves him time and me as well - and money. And the communication is much better when we meet up because we are staying in touch. No one has it "al figured out" and "all right" or "all wrong" in my opinion. We are all learning. I learn from my doctor and my doctor learns a few things from me to, my research ... my processes - though feedback of what is working and what is not - and then we make adjustments. Hope that helps. It takes a little time to find the right doc ... but it is worth the effort. I stay away from those who start talking about "surgery" and heavy meds and more meds right way ... and lean towards those who believe in physical therapy, massage therapy, herbs, chiopractic ... and pharmaceuticals - etc ... only when required. Surgery as a very last resort. These are of course my opinions ... we each have to choose our own paths. Some people want to do everything wrong, make a lot of wrong choices, maintain a lot of poor eating and other health habits and go to a doctor and get pills to fix it all. That is to me a ludicrous notion. The human body does not work that way. There is a "natural balance". When that balance is off kilter for whatever reason ... we should seek to restore the natural balance. For example: week muscles in the lower back put too much pressure on the disc, so they compress and don't operate as they should. If it goes to far ... pain from pinched nerves. Some give pills and then later suggest surgery. I, instead, sought to reverse the "compression" to relieve the pressure on the pinched nerves and then restore strength, range of motion to the muscles. This took pressure off the disc relieving the pain. But, for a very short term of a week I took some safe pharmaceutical muscle relaxers to get things going in the right direction: Integrated, with an emphasis on the responsibility of rehab squarely fixed as my responsibility not the doctor's. I took the same approach with my GERD, hiatal hernia, acid reflux and difficult deep breathing issue ... and it worked. It wasn't just one thing wrong ... and it took an integrated approach and lot of proactivity on my part. But now I take no pills and I didn't need a surgery and I"m very functional. I don't take antacids and I changed my diet radically ... and follow the rules of the process. It takes time to heal completely. It is a process - no real short cuts. The right doctor can make all the difference in helping guide one through the process, but don'e expect the doctor to have all the answers. They don't live in your body. Peace
Posted 12/13/2016 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
Does anyone have experience with Iberogast, a proprietary herbal concoction apparently used to great effect in Europe?
Posted 4/2/2017 5:54 AM (GMT 0)
Almost 5 weeks ago out of the blue I started experiencing breathing difficulties. Over the course of a week this went from on & off to being all day every day. 5 trips to the doctor (with different diagnosis each time) the latest being suspected GERD. Have read through this thread, I think the doctors have finally cracked it. Not only do I have shortness of breathe but also at times (a lot of the time) extremely heavy chest pains, that can also include a pulling feeling under my armpits and under breasts (rib cage). Before this all started I didn't have any standard 'reflux' symptoms but a weird 'creamy' feeling, not taste in my throat that made me want to vomit. I have been on Omeprazole for a little over a week and although i'm still having breathing difficulty and the feeling it wouldn't take much for the chest pains to return in full force, I have found the symptoms have slightly eased. And having read through this thread, thank God i'm not alone in this cry
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