LPR shortness of breath has me confused and hopeless

Posted by LPRSOB @jdbarr1, Feb 22 2:18am

I don’t understand any of this. I am laying here at 1 in the morning and I can’t catch a breath.

I don’t know what asthma or vocal cord dysfunction or role allergies play. It’s all just so confusing and I wanna know what’s wrong with me. I know anxiety is a big portion, but I can’t even solve it knowing that.

I’m going to try to start drinking alkaline water more often and I have ordered some things that might help me distract myself when I’m feeling symptoms but I really don’t feel like I have a whole lot of hope. It’s ruining good times I’m having when I’m out and about , it’s making it harder for me to consider reentering the workforce.

I’ve been through a lot during the pandemic and after- job issues, family issues, and moving several times. I believe a lot of that has contributed to my problem. I also smoked for quite a while and I blame myself for what’s happened to me. I don’t think that’s helped so much but I can’t help but feel I did myself such a disservice no matter how hard I tried to quit . I have been smoke free for several years now.

It’s all just so confusing how to plan my meals, how to plan eating five times a day instead of three, not knowing what’s going to trigger me or when, and then the fact that once I’m triggered it feels like it just doesn’t go away. Is that even normal for LPR? I can’t tell and I can’t get my answers to my questions from anyone because it’s a bunch of different specialists and nobody can describe everything. Ear nose and throat doctor knows one thing and then the gastroenterologist knows another thing etc. and I’m getting confused because I’m bouncing between specialists. I just want my life back I don’t know how much my obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety is fueling this but at this point the symptoms are completely real even if they’re mostly fueled by anxiety. I feel like the more doctors I’ve seen the more confused I am. Nobody seems to be able to pin this down and allow me to have real relief.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.

t98 | @t98 | Feb 22 5:49am

Do you take any medications for LPR? Do you know that it's not asthma or allergies?
Have you tried to take Gaviscon Advance before bedtime, or Tums when you feel the symptoms?
You can also try taking melatonin before bedtime, that sometimes reduces night symptoms. Otherwise famotidine or another H2 blocker before bedtime if the other things don't work.

cmdw2600 | @cmdw2600 | Feb 22 7:03am

I don’t know how to paste links here, but Dr. Jamie Koufmann just posted an article on her site regarding LPR and shortness of breath.

Best wishes to you, Cindy

crazykbl | @crazykbl | Feb 23 6:41pm

I don't know if you would like to go to doctor but if you haven't gone to a doctor maybe you should get your iron check that can cause your breathless an I'm short of breath so you should see. You should see if you're anemic and get your vitamin B12 check and your vitamin D checked too. If you are low on those it can make you have a lot of symptoms . Prayers for you and hope you get better. 🙏🙏🤞🤞🤞😇😇

baguette | @baguette | Feb 24 9:05am

You can get a lot of good, free information here: https://jamiekoufman.com/

If I were you I would stick to the low acid, whole food diet for a few months. Dr. Koufman and Dr. Aviv have versions of the diet. Pick one. There is a FB group with lots of recipes based on Aviv's version: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199013402360712.

I would also keep a food diary and see if any food triggers an attack (the attack doesn't have to happen immediately, which makes the diary more important so you can track .

Other things you can do is sleep with your head elevated; if you are a side sleeper, do it only on your left side to decrease the odds of an acid/pepsin attack. Eat three meals with snacks in between, with the meals being smaller than you may be used to. Try an alginate to create a plug in your stomach to keep acid in place; good to use before bedtime. Other people have found that manukah honey and aloe vera helps them. There are some videos online touting breathing exercises for mitigating GERD. Some people buy OTC h2 blockers like Pepcid to help them (short-term). And follow the adage of chew your food very well. Digestion begins in the mouth.

In short, you have a lot of tools at your disposal that you can experiment with on your own and track what works for you. Don't expect immediate results. It took time for the condition to develop to its current state and it will take time to heal. And yes, some people have to stick with these changes for the rest of their life.

If you go to a doctor, you will probably be prescribed medications for GERD. These are higher doses than the OTC versions. You have to decide whether you want to go that route. Sometimes it's good to do meds short-term to quiet down the GI tract. Be aware that some doctors will tell you to stay on the drugs forever. My neighbor has been doing that for 15 years no problem. I did that for 4 years and developed kidney disease and daily diarrhea and B12 deficiency. If you opt for long-term meds, my two cents is to make sure your doctor regularly monitors you for side effects via blood tests. And care for your bones, because there are some studies suggesting an increase in bone fractures with long-term use.

They may also prescribe a drug for your stress. You are correct that anxiety can worsen reflux.

This is a difficult condition to manage. It is overwhelming and a PITA that GERD/LPR is split between two specialties. I find eating the more frequent, smaller meals difficult because I am exercising sometimes two or three times a day, and exercise can spur an attack. The type of food and timing becomes a puzzle those days that I am slowly putting together. I chew sugarless gum a lot to manage exercise reflux, or take an alginate before exercising.

One more thing: Holistic doctors will tell you to drink filtered water. I have finally switched to that and found that it does help. Be aware that some filtering systems leave the water acidic, in which case you have to add a pH balancer. Or you can buy a system that both filters and makes the water alkaline. It is the only water I drink.

Be kind to yourself. Literally take a deep breath. Lots of people have this condition and are confused and overwhelmed until they find their footing. I wish you well.