Excessive burping and difficulty in breathing

Hi! I am a healthy 33 year old male. For the past 2 weeks I have had some difficulty breathing, excessive yawning and burping. I feel like I can't get enough air in with each breath. I am yawning approx- 15-10 times an hour but I am not tired. I am also burping a lot or feeling the need to burp and like I have a lump in my throat. Once in a while, I get a really good breath in. It doesn't seem to be exacerbated with exercise. Actually, it is worst when I am sitting down working or reading. If I am distracted, it seems to not bother me as much. I have had this problem before but it only lasted a day or 2 and not to this severity. My nurse practitioner thought it was GERD or an asthma exacerbation. I have been taking Prilosec for a week but I can't tell a difference. My oxygen sat was 99%.
I have found many forums of people with this same problem, they describe exactly the same symptoms I am having but none seems to know what it is. They have so many expensive labs and tests done to no avail. Do you have any suggestions

I have found this to be a hiatal hernia:

http://gicare.com/diseases/hiatus-hernia/

http://modernherbalmedicine.com/articles/hiatal-hernia-hidden-cause-of-chronic-illness-2.html

When the stomach is pushed up through the esophagus is prevents the diaphragm from being able to fully expand and thus limits your breathing. Hiatal hernias & GERD usually go hand-in-hand, but the hiatal hernia is a mechanical issue and can't be fully resolved by taking antacids and PPIs.

Western medicine does try to treat hiatal hernias with PPIs first, and if that doesn't work, they go in for surgery. Eastern medicines (chiropractic, massage therapy, etc) suggest other options for relieving the hernia and they seem to work well for many people.

Thank you for the replies. I agree that dietary changes and lifestyle do help in reducing the symptoms. I look up hiatal hernia like you said. Again thank you all for your help.

Hi AnneB,
Welcome to the forum. Good that your test were all normal. I have similar experience as yours way back June. I thought eating healthy would help my situation. Yes it will but will take sometime. You have to be careful as to what food you are eating. Sometimes the brown rice is hard to digest while recovering. Look back if your GERD was triggered with the meds you were taking or the food your were eating. A lot of reasons why GERD would take sometime to heal. Mine was triggered due to the NSAID(advil) and antibiotics. I also had nasal congestion most of the time. My doctor had me on PPI meds for 6 weeks. The PPI was not helping me, but took it per doctor's advice. Wrong... My gut flora was so damaged that when I was taking PPI this become worst. I developed low acid stomach. So I wean myself from meds and did a very strict diet. White rice (small portion) and wild fish, bitter melons and soft boiled egg were the only food I can eat. The rest I had developed food sensitivities. I kept my food journal and monitor myself. I was drinking food supplements (Boost) as my body became so weak and took good probiotics. It took 3 months when I see the better results.

It's personal but I prayed so hard to heal and Praise God I'm healed now. I prayed and did my part too which is eating the right food and keeping tract of what I put into my body.

All the best. God bless.

Just one thing to add, I had pretty bad burping and breathlessness for three decades, finally got diagnosed with dumping syndrome, so cut out sugar (this includes fruit sugars etc - all 'sugars' kept below 4 grams in three hours) - and got almost instantly better, which lasted several years. But now having similar issue again, though kept the sugar out. I'm getting a bit older, and wondered if these things get worse with age. Or because I reintroduced some dairy.

Post Edited (Stevietoo) : 12/9/2021 6:51:21 AM (GMT-7)

I have esophagitis and have had the excessive yawning. Every time I mentioned it to doctors they were baffled. I hardly get the yawning anymore and I attribute it to successful self treatment. I'll paste my story below. I want to add that my oxygen levels were generally high enough. But sometimes I noticed a lump on the side of my throat/jaw after eating -- just one side. This also baffled the doctors. Based on pretty recent Internet research, I think that lump has to do with a blocked salivary gland. I'll look into that with the appropriate specialist. I mention it because whenever the yawns have happened, that lump is there. Maybe certain food triggers affect the gland and it flares up (?) Here goes what I posted in another forum...

<< I was diagnosed with esophagitis some time ago. And things got SO rough that I could not swallow ANY of my safe foods even. All sorts of problems. I've been on omeprazole, famotidine, you name it. HERE is what has changed the game for me: GAVISCON ADVANCE. NOT the other Gaviscons but the ADVANCE one. It is a special British formulation. You can buy it on Amazon. There is a syrup and tablets. Both are GREAT. The syrup is slightly better and the chewable tablets are good for on the run. The tablets have a distinctive texture. It's best to ALWAYS take little bites of a tablet vs. chewing one outright at a time. They will be kind of sticky on the teeth. It's OKAY. You can scrape that with your tongue or fingers and swallow. You can take up to 8 tablets a day: 1-2 after each meal and up to 2 before bed. The first tablet will have a different kind of sensation when you swallow -- but it's FINE. You should ride with it and give the first dose (1-2 pills as a dose) 15-20 minutes to start working. The second dose (next 1-2 pills whenever you take them after the next meal) will REALLY confirm you're on the right track. These took me from eating NOTHING to be able to eat (liquids only) to safe foods the NEXT DAY and building up from there. Now I don't really take them. And if I have the slightest symptoms, I take an ACV gummy after eating a meal (2 gummies per day ideal -- 3 max). Then I'm GOOD. And I find myself needing the gummies less and less. But trust me, the Gaviscon ADVANCE is a BLESSING. You'll read the Amazon reviews and understand that this is the ANSWER. For those who get the mucus after eating -- and you nearly choke on it while sleeping... Oil of Oregano pills SOLVED that for me within one course (2 - 4 weeks, twice daily then at least a 5-day break // fewer doses need for future courses). I've used Best Naturals in the green bottle from Amazon and it works fab. But I prefer Gaia Herbs which is also on Amazon and in Whole Foods. It's richer. I really hope this HELPS! And I send my LOVE to all of you! * One more thing -- check out an app called Fig. It will help with grocery shopping re: what you can eat on an esophagitis diet. You make that diet selection in the app. And you can scan bar codes of items to get a thumbs up or down as you move through the aisles (or what's already in your fridge). Fig also makes grocery recommendations. I've found that the esophagitis AND FODMAP diet settings help when I feel a flare coming on. (You usually don't have to do FODMAP for more than a few weeks to rebalance.) You'll be really surprised by what you can eat. It's random but cool. XOXO!!! >>