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Asthma Inflamed By Reflux for 3 Months Straight

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GERD & Acid Reflux
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Posted 6/2/2015 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hello All,
Glad I found forums like this because I was starting to think I was a lone wolf. I've had asthma my whole life been on control medications since I was a young teen. I even went off them as an adult because they weren't needed. I am now 30. All of a sudden over night I have shortness of breath, a burning in my chest, and my inhalers are rendered useless. Doctors don't know why my O2 is always 99-100 sat and my BP, Xrays, and EKG are all fine, but I continue to feel short of breath. They give me valium and send me on my way which does not help whatsoever. I scheduled with an ENT and gastro to get to the bottom of this. I know now this is absolutely reflux related. It is my belief that the esophogeal sphincter can sometimes become weak from the asthma medication? I know that I DO NOT want to ever start on PPIs, so I want to hear from those of you who had mostly shortness of breath and asthma symptoms from your reflux and if you did surgery to remedy it. I'd rather hear the success stories if you don't mind:) Thank you all for your support. It's given me a huge dose of information that I needed.
Posted 6/3/2015 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the forum, mz.

There aren't any doctors here, but there are lots of patients who care.

I'm glad your asthma was controlled so long. I wouldn't be surprised if you are correct that you are having a reflux problem. If you check the archives, put some keywords in the search box at the top of the page, you'll rind loads of threads agreeing with you.

I wouldn't worry about getting on meds to control acid. I took them for many, many years before an accident caused me to need surgery, which is the last thing you want, even over meds. You can try starting with some of the lesser types like Pepcid or Zantac. There are nice lists on reliable places like drugs.com.

A scope won't show a weak LES, but a barium swallow might. The scope will show if there's an ulcer or irritation in the esophagus, which would be caused by acid leaking.

Valium is a great muscle relaxant, but it makes most people sleepy. I don't know what asthma meds do to the LES, but someone else may come along with that answer.

Make sure you tell your doc anything you can about what happened around the time the reflux started, since it was sudden onset.
Posted 6/3/2015 12:43 PM (GMT 0)
I've had shortness of breath ever since I developed GERD over 6 years ago. I've had all the tests and have a June 23rd surgery date to have Laprascopic Nissen Fundoplication surgery/ repair of hiatal hernia.

Perhaps after surgery, I can eat, sleep, and BREATHE like a normal person. The shortness of breath is scary.
Posted 6/3/2015 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
My asthma was made worse by reflux but the doctors were not sure of not . Now after my Nissen Fundoplication surgery I breath a lot better and I was able to reduce my medication. I guess the proof is in the results.
Posted 6/3/2015 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
Actually, it was my pulmonary doctor who ordered further testing because he felt that I needed to have Nissen surgery to alleviate my recurring asthma and bronchitis. After my surgery, I haven't had bronchitis and no longer use an inhaler and I did have repair for a large hiatal hernia. I've suffered with GERD for most of my adult life (I'm 53). Actually, PPIs did help me for an extended period of time and I never suffered rebound acid reflux.

Sharon
Posted 6/3/2015 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Elke55-
Wow that's incredible news. Yes I am very weary of surgery but thinking back on my asthma history I'm wondering if this has been my main problem for a long time. I remain hopeful that the docs can put this 2 and 2 together to offer real relief. At this point I am reliant on my nebulizer and cannot function normally at all. Even a laughing fit can send me into an attack. This is not living:/
Posted 6/3/2015 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
SharonZ-
Wow that gives me so much hope! I developed my symptoms really fast and furious. For a little over 2 months my asthma went from a little nuisance to full blown coughing, tightness, phlegm and sleeping issues. For about a month I couldn't figure it out. Prednisone and antibiotics seemed to make it worse then all of a sudden the burning in chest, the acidic feeling in the back of the throat started. Now it's constant. My asthma is in direct relation to when I eat, what I eat, how much I eat. I am convinced it's the reflux. I am so glad you've found relief. Trying to stay positive here.
Posted 6/3/2015 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
LInda Sue-
It absolutely is the worst side effect of all this. I have an asthma issue anyways and add this to the mix I haven't slept a full night in months. I've read that when pulmonary issues like that are involved there is almost a 100% chance they will recommend surgery. At this point I welcome any sort of relief from this horrible sensation.
Posted 6/4/2015 12:18 PM (GMT 0)
mztree:

My asthma issues were secondary to the GERD issues that I was suffering from. I went through all of the testing, multiple endoscopy testing, manometry, barium swallow, 23-hour Bravo. In addition to the GERD, I had a large hiatal hernia that needed to be repaired. I don't think that my pulmonary issues alone would have necessitated the surgery. There are a lot of doctors that don't believe that GERD can be a cause of pulmonary issues. You need to continue to have testing for GERD and proceed from there. Since your GERD seems to be sudden onset, there's no way that I would have surgery without exploring other remedies first. I managed my symptoms on PPIs for many years. I also suggest that you start a food diary to see if there is any relationship to certain foods and your GERD symptoms. When is your gastro appointment?

Sharon
Posted 6/5/2015 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
Sharonz-
My gastro appt is on Monday. ENT on Wednesday. I have read that with chronic asthma patients the GERD is actually not so suddenly onset. It can be silent for a long time. I think maybe sickness or a virus can cause it to rear its ugly head. I'm not going to decline medication if its offered I guess but it just further perpetuates the problem from what others have said. I do take pepcid as a precaution and it helps the acid feeling in my throat but does nothing for my lungs. I'm miserable. Being reliant on my nebulizer for about 25% relief. And it lasts only about an hour.
Posted 6/5/2015 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
SharonZ-
According to Jamie Koufman suddenly worsening of asthma is almost always a sign of reflux that's bad enough to attribute to LPR or AR. I'm just worried about the damage that's being done even in this short amount of time. :(
Posted 6/5/2015 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Although I respect Dr. Koufman, not everyone agrees with his beliefs. I still think that you need to explore all available options with your doctors before you even consider surgery. At this point, it's not known if you are a candidate for surgery. Follow Dr. Koufman's diet suggestions, keep a food diary and take your doctor's advice regarding medication. I'm not trying to discourage you, but as great as internet research is - self diagnosis can sometimes be your worst enemy.

Good Luck
Sharon
Posted 6/5/2015 8:46 PM (GMT 0)
SharonZ-
Agreed. Believe me if this is something that can be handled in any other way I'll be absolutely thrilled! Surgery is not what I consider a Small thing. However I'm preparing myself for anything at this point and I believe in preserving our gut flora as much as possible. I'm super sensitive to medications as it is so more so I'm just trying to educate myself as much as I can. Having had experience with multiple specialists here in my state I really don't take what they say as gospel. I'm open to all possibilities.
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