I realize that there has been some discussions around this in the past, but I have a situation that seems slightly different and was wondering if it could in fact be the same. I have been having difficulty breathing on and off for the last few months. I have the feeling like tightness in the chest, short of breath, yawning all the time to try and breathe and it all seems to be concentrated in the top part of my lungs, not the bottom at all. I know I have GERD and a Hiatal Hernia, but do not take meds for the GERD. I have been stress tested and Pulmoary as well, with everything checking out fine. The strange part is that I get worse when sitting in certain positions or standing (especially). This seems to be the opposite of most other people where it gets worse when they lie down. Mine actually gets better when I lie down! I do burp a lot and have stomach pains, and as I said, I have been told by the docs that I do have GERD, but I don't like taking meds. Does this sound like GERD related breathing? Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks!

[This message has been edited by wild_0ne (edited 09-02-2003).]

I have not been diagnosesed GERD but the doctor told me that the stomach acid could be going up into my lungs and burning them causing an asthma attack type feeling. I too yawn a lot trying to get oxygen into my lungs and body. Sometimes I feel as if I will pass out. What I do is drink milk and the acid seems to almost quickly stop. Please try drinking very cold milk and see what happens. I hope that will help your breathing. IT has helped me.

Yes it can be related to GERD. I have posted a few times during the past few weeks in reference to this. If you look further down at prior posts you may get some information. Anyway I was having more & more hard time breathing the past few months. I too have been given prescription after prescription of Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix, would take a few days and than stop. I hated taking it because who was to say for sure if GERD is what I had. After reading a post on the board of a woman's husband in the similar situation, all tests normal, started taking the medication and was able to breathe again. Right away I took my meds and noticed a big difference and was able to breathe. I hadnt felt that way in months. I do see a 75% difference right now. I would strongly suggest to try your meds for a week or two and see if you notice a difference. I also asked my Gastro about this. He said there have been proven studies of people with GERD will go on to develop Asthma or an inflammation of the lining of the lungs, so this definitely does effect it. Hope this puts your mind at ease.

There's a doctor at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center named Dr. Koufman who's done a lot of research on the kind of reflux that causes lung or throat symptoms. Go to www.thevoicecenter.com (http://www.thevoicecenter.com) to read about Laryngopharyngeal Reflux. This doctor says it takes longer for the medication to work than on regular GERD. You should also know that even just a few episodes of reflux to the trachea can cause serious damage. Better see an ENT rather than self-medicate.

Hi Wild one, I run a support group for families dealing with reflux and have done lots of research into the condition as my grandaughter has it.

I must urge you to take your medications as the acid those medications are trying to control will actually help you not to develop a condition called, Barrett's Oesophagus. This means that cell changes take place in the oesophagus, 10% of Barrett's oesophagus sufferers will go on to develop cancer.

Plus, as said before me there is a very close link when it comes to asthma and reflux. My grandaughter is affected this way. When acid travels back up the oesophagus there is always a risk that it could travel into the lungs, this is called aspirating. Then you could end up with terrible problems. Pneumonia is another common complaint with people suffering with GERD.


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Jan

Thank you to all that have replied to my post. I tried drinking milk as suggested and that didn't help, so I have been taking Nexium for the last 4 days and so far it hasn't helped at all. Is this something that will take a week or two (as suggested by Ginger9708 and KJM) before noticing the effects or should it be noticeable by now? I suspect it may take some time after reading these posts. I will persist for a month or two and see how it goes.

I would think that having GERD affecting your lungs would produce some type of gurgling or wheezing that would be noticeable by a doctor, is it normal for that not to happen and just have asthma like symptoms? I tried playing hockey last night (a pretty stressful game on the lungs), and I felt like I was breathing through a straw the whole time! It was very frustrating!! I was talking to a guy after the game and he said that he has asthma and that’s how he feels. I didn’t understand how I could feel like an asthmatic and not be able to have it detected by testing. It's all really starting to get to me! Sorry for the venting, but I’m not sure what else to do!

Hi Wild one,

My grandaughter has coughed since the day she was born. She has coughed till the point of throwing up, yet not one sound has been heard in her chest by a dr.

One classic sign for asthma, is to wake in the early hours of the morning coughing... my daughter it was about 2am... a dry cough that goes in the morning.

Coughing after running is a common symptom of asthma, as is going from a warm atmosphere to a cold one. The sudden sharp intake of breath can bring on an attack.

Try inhaling steam as this works well with my daughter.

Jan

Go see an ENT. There are a lot of things that could be going on. If it is reflux, you have to be medicated under the supervision of a doctor. Reflux is a chronic disease, it is not just heartburn. Don't try medicating yourself. This kind of reflux that damages the trachea and lungs can take months and months to see an improvement or you might even need a higher dosage. Go the www.thevoicecenter.com (http://www.thevoicecenter.com) and read what you can on laryngopharyngeal reflux.

i just got a cough for the last 6 weeks. its dry, and when i lie down it gets better it seems. it doesnt wake me at night just bothers me during the day. i have had bad reflux lately so started taking protonix 2x/day and it helped the reflux but i still have this cough. doctor listens to lungs and just says it sounds clear. cough syrup helps supress it a little but im not sure what else to do, or if its even related to gerd.