I have this breathing problem for abt one week now, and had see doctor twice but still having the problem. I always feel that not enough oxygen and yawn to swallow as much air as i can. I have read through some of the topics here and suggest to my doctor abt VCD and GERD. He said is not VCD coz VCD will cause the changing of voice. And he suspect is GERD. I was taking the medicine and it seems like doesn't help much. I was working in an office with very cold air-conditioning and this make my breathing problem worst. I just can't concentrate on my work!!!! I don't want to suffer this for months and years. Could anyone help me? What should I do besides seek doctor advice? Shall I aware on my daily life and meal? Please, I don't want to lose my job!!!

Hello:

Sorry to hear about your problems. I too suffer from GERD and have these kinds of problems.

What medicine did your doctor prescribe? At present I am on Rantidine but my next physical is on 04/17 and am going to ask if it can be changed.

Keep us posted. I really hope you feel better.



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Kimi

i have vcd and i'm not sure that a change in your voice is always a symptom, although i guess it could be. if you have done some reading on vcd and think that it describes the trouble you're having with your breathing, maybe it's worth getting another opinion?

e.

Ya, my doctor gave me Ranitidine as well. Besides, he also gave some gas, flem and cold medicine for me. I feel better when I was lying on the bed. If this problem continue after finish the medicine, I think I should go for specialist.

Is the VCD or GERD is a long term disease? Normally how long a patient take to fully recover? Will it cause death? Don't tell me is life long!!!! I am just 26 http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/frown.gif

first of all, vcd is not deadly! i am only 20 so i can relate to your worries about it being life long. i feel like it's a condition. and by that i mean it's something that you have, but can learn to control and deal with, hopefully to the point where you don't think too much about it. i was only diagnosed last fall, so i'm still really struggling with it, especially as a soccer player.
interesting that you said you feel better lying down; i'm the same. do you have trouble breathing in or out or both?
also, getting any relief from any of the medicines?

e.

I also have the problem where after every meal, small or big, I felt very full, hiccough and wanted to vomit. I think the Ranitidine does help me on this as I this problem getting better already. But not the breathing problem!!!!

The only thing I can do now is trying to concentrate on other things like work and family as I felt that too worry will make myself getting worst.

Hope everyone here stay healthy always and enjoy life!

Well, hiatal hernia is a major cause of GERD and WILL cause shortness of breath. I also am experiencing severe shortness of breath (can't get a fullfilling breath... and the urge is constant except for about 20-30 seconds after I FINALLY catch a fullfilling breath). I went to the ER and everything checked out fine (O2, Heart, Lungs, etc.). He speculated a hiatal hernia. If your condition gets worse after meals, you have acid reflux (especially when lying down), and have shortness of breath... then it's the primary symptoms of hiatal hernia. Although he couldn't let me know for sure without a scope (no thank you... I'll go by his hunch and diagnose it that way). Sorry, but I'm not lettin' them stick a scope down me unless they knock my ass out... and if you don't have medical insurance (as I don't), you damn sure don't want them doing more than they have to.

hi everyone, i just posted a note on emilyryan's topic of vcd... what is GERD? I have been haveing problems breathing and also feel better when I lay down. I am 25, not overweight, exercise, eat right, etc, and am not a really high-stress person. This has started about 6 months ago and is getting worse. It is worse when I eat or sit down or exercise. I do not have any acid reflux, etc, so it is not a hiatal hernia. This happens all of the time and is not triggered by anything I can pinpoint. Any ideas would be great. Thanks.

GERD is gastro-esophageal reflux disease.

More commonly known as 'heartburn'. Known colloquially as reflux.

Reflux tends to be worse when laying down -- it's easier for the acids to leak back into your esophagus.

I would be checked out thoroughly -- not just for lung problems but for heart problems -- and tell your doctor what meds you're taking (even just ones you have that are over-the-counter or herbals you're taking.) This isn't something to play with.

I went to a chiropractor, then to a medical doctor, both who have no idea what is wrong with me. I am currently taking no medications, just a multi-vitamin occasionally. I have a tightness in my throat similar to a "frog" in your throat, and can't take a deep breath ever unless I lay down on my side or pull my rib cage way up and kind of hunch over and really work at it. It really gets worse when I sit down, especially when I eat. I have to stand up half way thru a meal to get a few deep breaths. The doctor does not think it is my heart or lungs. This is a constant feeling, not "attacks." It is rather frustrating!

As a fellow "air hunger" sufferer, I have spent much time trying to diagnose the problem. My doctor has concluded that it is a hiatal hernia. I do not have the reflux that is typical, but I have many of the other symptoms. If you have air hunger, and burp a lot, have an exacerbated problem after meals, and especially after exercising after meals, this is likely the cause. There isn't much to do unfortuntaly for a hiatal hernia. Surgery is an option, but behavior modifications work well too.
A) Don't eat big meals - eat smaller meals more often
B) Don't eat late at night, and don't lie down after meals
C) Don't exercize for 2 hours after eating a meal.

These have helped me considerably.

-Alan

i was wondering if you guys could help me understand something...i have SUPER SEVERE GERD/ reflux, whatever you wanna call it...i understand (cause i have a moderate case of asthma) that gerd can cause breathing problems, but i have one friend who claimed to have what i term "silent" gerd, she was put on 20mg prilosec (btw, i'm on 80mg nexium), and said that was the reason she was having trouble with her voice (she likes to sing), so her doc gave her that...

now, even when my reflux started back in eighth grade, it was VERY painful, nauseating, and uncomfortable, i can understand how gerd can complicate breathing, but i don't understand how someone can have gerd-induced breathing problems and not even feel the pain of gerd...how can this be??? please answer! thanks!

rach

I have questions for anyone else who has been diagnosed with VCD. For emilyryan, how long have you had it? Can it really lst for years? Do you usually "outgrow" or do you just learn to cope with it? My daughter has been diagnosed with VCD. She has severe laryngospasms that completely close off her airway. They last from 1 to 2 minutes. That is a long time to not breathe!! She has seen all the doctors and has GERD and other factors that we are working to control. But no one has told us how long we might be facing this problem. Please reply if you can help. This is a really strange disorder.

first of all, i completely agree that this is a really stange disorder.
to answer your questions: i wasn't diagnosed with vcd until last fall, but i think that i have had it or the beginnings of it since about 8th grade. i was misdiagnosed with asthma by my parents (older brother is asthmatic and both parents are in the medical field) and told that that i was out of shape and needed to run more. i play goalie in soccer so i didn't run much, so in 11th and 12th grade, when i played lacrosse and was still having trouble and the inhaler didn't work, something seemed odd. coming back to the US after a year abroad in japan and a college freshman, i'll admit i was stressed and suffered increased anxiety which i think contributed to my breathing problems. finally when it got so bad that i couldn't jog around an indoor track, i made my parents let me see someone - a specialist. he could tell right away that i had vcd. i have been struggling to control my breathing for months now. i started by learning the breathing exercises, but i think that i had been breathing "wrong" for so long and only making my vcd worse that it was too much. i started therapy and after a few months also started taking paxil for anxiety and depression. hoping it'll help, but still too early to tell. while vcd is a "real" disorder, i believe there are usually underlying issues involved. with me, anxiety and depression. so, through therapy and medication, i'm working through some stuff and hopefully that that will lessen and my breathing difficulties will too. even if you think your daughter is a happy, confident girl, let her know that if she wants to start counseling, for whatever reason she may have, that you support her in that, no questions asked. my mom still thinks that i am going through counseling and taking medication only for my breathing. truth be told, i should have been seeing a counselor years ago. dealing with all the other "stuff" will hopefully inprove my breathing, but the road is slow. good luck!

e.

Thank you e. for your information. The more I can learn from others, the better I can help my daughter.
She too has had problems for about 3 years before her real 'attacks' began. It was not gradual, once she started having the real laryngospasms, they were severe. She was in 8th grade and a cheerleader, nd there was some great stress at the time she finally got really, really sick. Everyone we took her to was clueless about what was wrong so we kept going from one docotr to another until one pulmonologist finally got it right! I WILL take your advice about counseling. Actually, the speech pathologist she has worked with has become her friend/therapist so that's working out.
Has a doctor ever told you what you could expect....like how long you this can go on? I guess that depends on getting rid of the factors that have caused it, though. I am considering taking her back to the doctor who finally diagnosed it, but it will be a very long and very expensive trip. I just don't know what to do. I wish you luck!