Scared and trouble breathing

[Tokyoma]

First off I'm having trouble swallowing, saliva only swallowing water and food seem to go down fine but saliva seems to travel slowly or get stuck or something. It feels like the bones in my throat are all wrong, I really don't like this feeling, it's extremely uncomfortable. But my biggest problem is just recently as I was lying down to sleep, I realized I wasn't breathing and that breathing had become difficult, well not really difficult.. I could take full breaths, but they required much effort, like trying to gasp nearly. And breathing full breaths would make me dizzy because of this, but I can't establish a simple breathing pattern to sleep by. Whenever I just try to let my body take over and breathe natural, I don't breathe at all! I have to will myself to take breaths. And they're generally very short since I don't like the light headedness associated with the full breathing. There's a slight dry wheeze whenever I exhale with strain, and making myself belch seems to be an easier way to breathe than breathing. There's also a pain in my left ear. I've been told by my doctor before that I have some acid problems, but I've been taking Protonix for more than two months now with my acid still strong. But this breathing problem I haven't had since I went to see the doctor in the first place. And it was only once then. It just happened so suddenly, I was breathing find and then I lie down and immediately begin experiencing problems. I also have terriible posture and spend 5+ hours a day using the computer, sitting not up straight in a chair, not sure if that has anything to do with it either.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
For controlling acid there are many medications available. Ask your doctor to try out various combinations of these and something will suit you.
“GERD symptoms are often relieved by over-the-counter, acid-reducing agents called antacids. Common antacids include

    * Alka-Seltzer
    * Maalox
    * Mylanta
    * Pepto-Bismol
    * Riopan
    * Rolaids

Other drugs used to relieve GERD symptoms are anti-secretory drugs such as H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors. Common H2 blockers are

    * cimetidine (Tagamet HB)
    * famotidine (Pepcid AC)
    * nizatidine (Axid AR)
    * ranitidine (Zantac 75)

Common proton pump inhibitors are

    * esomeprazole (Nexium)
    * lansoprazole (Prevacid)
    * omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid)
    * pantoprazole (Protonix)
    * rabeprazole (Aciphex)”
Refer: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/barretts/index.ht
I am making one such suggestion which you can follow and see. Omeprazole is a good drug to combat this. Along with it you can try over the counter antacids. Avoid heavy meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed or raise pillows to 30 degrees. Go to bed at least 2 hours after food. This will also help you breathe better as acid coming up also hampers breathing.
If symptoms persist then the next thing is to consult a sleep specialist.
You can also consult an allergy specialist. You will be surprised to know the bacteria responsible for GERD, heart burn, acid reflux etc called Helocobacter Pylori or H pylori can cause hives. Antibiotics given to clear up the bacteria also take care of the hives. I would strongly recommend you to see a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system). A number of times autoimmune components are associated like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Hence you must get your thyroid function too tested along with the thyroid antibody test. Hashimotos thyroiditis is associated with skin issues such as dryness, itching and rash.
You can read more about this bacteria on this link: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hpylori/
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[Tokyoma]

Also there are odd red spots that I just noticed on my hand and arm, they're not raised at all, just small full red circles on my palm and underside of my arm.