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Hello, I'm A 21 Year Old Male With Asthma And
Question: Hello,
I'm a 21 year old male with asthma and what I believe to be GERD. I generally take nexium and natural body supplements to help me out with heartburn and indigestion. The OTC medications work very well overall for my indigestion and heartburn... I rarely have a bad episode of heartburn and my indigestion isn't much of an issue.
There is one symptom I've had though that's been bothering me. It feels like there may've been some damage to my esophagus(Perhaps due to GERD). It becomes a bit harder to breathe and I have a tight feeling in my throat whenever I breathe. This sometimes leads to weezing. It comes and goes and it seems like there are certain trigger foods such as chocolate or high fat foods that cause my esophagus to feel this way. I was wondering what I should do about this.
I take Advair, Singulair, and Proair HFA for asthma. I'd say my asthma is usually under full control as I take my medication on an as needed basis. Sometimes I go a few months before taking any medications.
I took one 14 day course of nexium and waited about a month or two before attempting to get back onto it in order to try and treat this symptom. As I said before, certain foods really tend to bother it, therefore I'm linking this symptom with GERD.
I'm a 21 year old male with asthma and what I believe to be GERD. I generally take nexium and natural body supplements to help me out with heartburn and indigestion. The OTC medications work very well overall for my indigestion and heartburn... I rarely have a bad episode of heartburn and my indigestion isn't much of an issue.
There is one symptom I've had though that's been bothering me. It feels like there may've been some damage to my esophagus(Perhaps due to GERD). It becomes a bit harder to breathe and I have a tight feeling in my throat whenever I breathe. This sometimes leads to weezing. It comes and goes and it seems like there are certain trigger foods such as chocolate or high fat foods that cause my esophagus to feel this way. I was wondering what I should do about this.
I take Advair, Singulair, and Proair HFA for asthma. I'd say my asthma is usually under full control as I take my medication on an as needed basis. Sometimes I go a few months before taking any medications.
I took one 14 day course of nexium and waited about a month or two before attempting to get back onto it in order to try and treat this symptom. As I said before, certain foods really tend to bother it, therefore I'm linking this symptom with GERD.
Brief Answer:
Testing for H.Pylori infection&allergy screening test.
Detailed Answer:
Hi Smcinnism,
Thanks for the query.I understand your concern.
From the detailed information given , I would advise following for your health management.
- The main symptom bothering is GERD&the concern about damaging esophagus.&yes...GERD is known to cause bronchospasm.You are already using salbutamol & montelukast to manage difficulty in breathing & Nexium for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
I feel your GERD needs to be studied in details &treated more specifically both medically &self care point of view.
*I would suggest investigation for H. pilori infection, which needs suitable antibiotic course.Treating for such infection(if present) would be treating the root of your problem.
*Endoscopic examination(if needful) would define extent of esophageal damage (for sufficient management &psychological assurance)
*From self care point of view..avoiding spicy,oily food or food that triggers reflux /avoiding alcohol./avoid smoking .
maintaining ideal weight/avoid sleeping immediately after food/raise head end of bed.
* About the feeling of bronchospasm-Though seems to be secondary to GERD,detailed asessment for allergy by Allaergy screening test is important.
Management of specific allergies by avoiding
-exposure to allergen/ medication /desensitisation treatment would be possible .
..This will ease your breathing difficulty.
** In this scenario you would need consultation of -Gastroenterologist & Allergy specialist.
I hope that answers your query.Any follow up query is welcome.
Thanks.
Testing for H.Pylori infection&allergy screening test.
Detailed Answer:
Hi Smcinnism,
Thanks for the query.I understand your concern.
From the detailed information given , I would advise following for your health management.
- The main symptom bothering is GERD&the concern about damaging esophagus.&yes...GERD is known to cause bronchospasm.You are already using salbutamol & montelukast to manage difficulty in breathing & Nexium for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
I feel your GERD needs to be studied in details &treated more specifically both medically &self care point of view.
*I would suggest investigation for H. pilori infection, which needs suitable antibiotic course.Treating for such infection(if present) would be treating the root of your problem.
*Endoscopic examination(if needful) would define extent of esophageal damage (for sufficient management &psychological assurance)
*From self care point of view..avoiding spicy,oily food or food that triggers reflux /avoiding alcohol./avoid smoking .
maintaining ideal weight/avoid sleeping immediately after food/raise head end of bed.
* About the feeling of bronchospasm-Though seems to be secondary to GERD,detailed asessment for allergy by Allaergy screening test is important.
Management of specific allergies by avoiding
-exposure to allergen/ medication /desensitisation treatment would be possible .
..This will ease your breathing difficulty.
** In this scenario you would need consultation of -Gastroenterologist & Allergy specialist.
I hope that answers your query.Any follow up query is welcome.
Thanks.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Answered by
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