Feeling HOPELESS w/ GERD and Shortness of Breath

[flowergirl2day]

Vanessa,

Would you please ask about the Vagus nerve damage? And share with us what you might learn. I just learned from another poster on this board that calcium channel blockers cause gastroparesis in some people. I checked it out - very true. Some of the medications I take affect the gastrointenstinal tract - though details are often not provided and one must dig deep to find more detailed information.
I would not be surprised at all to learn some of my problems are just side effects of my medications.

FG

[CHALUPA]

Hi everyone,
Just like all of you I have had the shortness of breath now for 2 years. No ppi's have helped except to give me horrible side effects. Since being on the ppi's my symptoms hav gotten worse. I now every day feel like i am floainf=g like i am not in my body like i am always going down whether i am sitting or standing, and i have a constant banging noise in my left ear. I was on toprol for blood pressure when tis first started and was then witched to lotrel to see if it will help. No it did nothing. Now my docter afte a year of being on the lotrel said to go back on the toprol because maybe the lotrel is giving me the floating feeling. They are just playnig a guessing game. I was very over weight when this all started but i am not any longer i lost 110 pounds. I REMEMER THAT someody tryed ginger to anybody no any thing alse that might help i am at a loss.
I only now take pepcid complete. But i just saw they came out with pepcid maimium strength chewables what do you think???

[Vanessa74]

Although I do believe that our breathing problems are related to our stomachs - I am starting to think that the medicines for GERD really do not help us (well most us, there are exceptions of course) - OTC or Prescription.

Chalupa - I feel that your floating feeling is caused by the PPI's - I had HORRIBLE side effects on them and cannot take them.

My breathing did improve a little after going off Toprol - so that was making things worse.

After trying MANY medications, modifying my diet, trying ALL those little tips that I have read - I am now suspecting 'interior physical damage'. By this I mean either Vagus Nerve Damage, Diaphragm Paralysis, or my Hiatal Hernia is getting worse - none of this at this point would medication help - which is why we are not feeling better. I suspect this for you as well as many others here.

I will discuss this with my Dr. and let you all know what he says. Hopefully it will be GOOD NEWS...

Hang in there - we are in this together.

Vanessa

[CHALUPA]

I have been of toprol for 1 year and my breathing did not get any better. They now put me back on it as of yesturday only 50 mg 1 per day. I have read that all bp meds can cause shortness of breath but i have been on them for years and never felt like this.

[flowergirl2day]

Hi,

I find this rather strange. I am studying for an exam and have managed to stay awake and study (as opposed to falling asleep with the book in my lap).

I was asked to stop my beta blocker two days before my cardio test. I have done that. While sitting down and studying, I found it difficult to breathe normally (I mean, the way I normally breathe - which is not completely normal to begin with).

I don't understand why not taking the beta blocker would worsen my breathing. It just doesn't make any sense. I went through a terrible beta blocker withdrawal from a huge dose in the past. My breathing did not get WORSE then. This is what I find so puzzling. My current beta blocker dose is not even a big one.
I am confident everything will return to "normal" once I take the beta blocker again on Tuesday. Have any of you had a similar experience?

flowergirl