Constant Shortness Of Breath-Gerd-Constant Clearing of throat

[zambrotta19]

Hi,im a 22 year old male and i've been dealing with this constant shortness of breath for over 6-7 years now. I written on a forum about this before but just hadd to write one again. Its hard to say but doctors have no idea what's wrong with me.I see so mnay people dealing with this problem and it seems like theres no diagnosis. It just strated outta the blue I went to take a deep breath and i couldnt get that last bit of hair to satisfy the breath and this whole vicious cycle started. After that for about 2 years i was constantly taking deep breaths and not able to get a satisfied breath. I WAS CONSTANTLY YAWNING>SIGNING AND TAKIN UNSATISFIED DEEP BREATH ALL DAY LONG. I had reached the point when i was staying home in my bed just hoping i would die so it would stop.  After 2 years or so it seemed to just go away. It then came back right after i smoked a cigarette . Ever since then its been an ongoing struggle. I feel as if i have no control of my life, and im constantly thinking of my breathing. I feel hopeless and feel as if no one understands what im going through or that i have this disease that doctors cant detect. My doctor has put me on xanax for anxiety and it seemed to cut the edge off a lil but its still there. Its not as bad as when i first got it but it still disrupts my life. I can only work 2 days, i don't go to school  and i don't have much of a happy life .I've gone to cardiologist, ent's, gi's, pulmonary doctors. I've gone through xrays, PFT, EKG, stress tests, endoscopy . Only thing i have is GERD/LPR with sinsation of lump in throat and a very small irregular heart beat. I also am constantly clearing my throat.I heard that can be because of the Gerd/LPR. I just took a new PFT test and my breathing is normal. i did have a deviated septum but got that fixed..My lung specialist says its just all in my head and that i have this because ive become aware of my breathing pattern. i've used advair, singular and breathing pumps for asthma with no results. when im sitting or laying down its seems to be fine but when i stand up or move it kicks in more. I'm losing hope on what's going on with me. Does anyone have this?If so can anyone recommend anything else i should look for? the only thing i really want to do is a MRI or CT scan but doctors say 99 percent sure nothing will show.Has anyone heard of chronic hyperventilation syndrome? or phrenic nerve damage?cant shortness of breath and gerd be related if anyone can be of help please email me or post a message?

[usus]

Have you tried the Buteyko breathing method to cure your asthma and GERD?  It has helped me tremendously and I have some of the symptoms you are describing...please try it out or contact me and I will try to help you by phone.  Robert

[Lizka246]

I have exactly what you have and could relate completely
I've seen cardio, respiratory, gastro and was told the same thing it's gerd atypical and take pills but it doesn't help. I've only been dealing w it however for the last 2 years and it's debilitating. My next step is naturopath, alcat and alternative medicine. I've also decided to go off wheat, gluten for a few months to see if there is relief. Hang in there you are not alone.

[PatPon]

well i also go through the same thing but i was given a remedy for a month and it works. This remedy is to use lemons. You should do this for one month. Day 1 squeeze one lemon and drink it. Day 2 squeeze two lemons and drink it. Day 3 squeeze 3 lemons and drink it, until you reach 30 lemons you squeeze them and drink them.

You find that in most cases you can thin blood vessels and as such you are not suppose to drink cold drinks and cold water. If you can afford drink a glass of red win every day which is good for digestion and your heart.

This has worked for me. Check the fat in your blood aswell. Wish you all the best.

[whakkawhakka]

I have also had very similar experiences, but less severe, I think. I sense that I am not getting enough oxygen no matter how deeply I inhale. The bits I read on here about overbreathing are interesting. That's the first time I've read that and I believe it is true. I also do think it is very mental. I have previously been on anti-depressants for anxiety, and my breathing problems were the worst when I was anxious, although, currently, I am experiencing this again (haven't in a year or two) and I don't think I am particularly anxious, but then again, maybe I am. For me the shortness of breath always begins or is exacerbated when I have my period (and maybe when I don't get a full night's sleep). And of course, being conscious of it only makes it SO much worse. I would not think it is a disease, though, am only speculating. I think it is probably a combination of anxiety (being overly aware of the problem) and fatigue. I would think that meditating is probably the number one best solution, which of course takes lots and lots of practice, and, I think, is extremely difficult at first, especially if you can't stop thinking about you're breathing. We all need to find ways to relax.

[greshamhaley]

Have you tried massage?

[cflan999]

My situation is very similar to many of yours. After 10 months of being out of work, seeing many doctors, having many tests (all normal), and living with a restricted level of activity so not to trigger my symptoms, I was finally sent to an ENT doctor for suspected vocal cord dysfunction (also called paradoxical vocal fold motion). I found many similarities between my situation and what is written in the literature.

I just started working with a Speech-Language Pathologist for respiratory retraining and  she said she sees quite a lot of this, especially in females and young athletes-quite often swimmers.

Anyways, I'm not saying this is what you have but I wanted to add this information just in case. Here are some sites to check out for more information.

http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/PVFM.htm

http://www.nationaljewish.org/healthinfo/conditions/vcd/treatment.aspx

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/137782-overview

I wish you all good health!

[ash_w]

You do not have GERD, GERD is just a name assigned to a set of symtoms you have in order to sell you pills.   If you believe you have a disease, then you also believe you have no power to fix it and are dependent on pills to supress the symptoms and will never be cured.    

Solution:
You are overbreathing and need to reduce your breathing rate.  Inhale slow, and shallow for 3-4 seconds and exhale slowly for 8 seconds. Do not inhale deeply, I know you feel that you are not getting a deep enough breath but it is because you are breathing too much you are having this sensation and actually need to inhale less.   This should be your normal breathing pattern.  No more than 4-5 breaths per minute.  The more you conciously reduce your breathing, your mind will be programmed to maintain that rate unconciously.  When you overbreathe, usually due to stress, you expell CO2 quickly and your Sympathetic Nervous system is activated.  In this state, the smooth muscle(LES) at the GI junction will not function and you will develop GERD like symptoms, bloating, IBS, Chronic Fatigue, and a whole host of problems.  The longer you can hold your breath, the healthier you will be.  Look into the breathing aspects of yoga and you will see that holding your breath is key.  Your doctor will not diagnose you with this as it does not benefit him.