asthma - reflux

This is interesting so I thought I'd share in case it can help any of you or your loved ones.

My husband has allergies and asthma. His asthma is basically allergy induced. His asthma had all but disappeared because he takes medicine for his allergies. So, if he isn't allergic, he doesn't have asthma.

Anyway, he has an inhaler in case he has problems with his asthma.

Lately he has been using his inhaler every night and again in the morning.

He went to the doctor expecting to get a nebulizer or more meds for his asthma, but this is what happened.

The doctor listened to what he had to say; when he had to use his ihnaler and the exact difficulties he was having.

He decided Ross has acid reflux and that is causing the asthma. All he has to do is take a Nexium type medicine and the asthma symptoms will disappear. Pretty cool huh?

Hope this helps someone!

[ March 05, 2006, 09:49 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]

I went to an allergist and received 3 shots a week for 2 years. Finally I started having allergic reactions to the allergy shots so they stopped giving them to me.

I suffered terribly (and everyone around me) for another year with a chronic cough and other allergy symptoms. I would get short of breath doing nothing but sitting -- just like an asthma attack -- without the asthma.

Then a few months back I went to a different allergist who said I was indeed allergic to the world but the chronic cough and constant red throat was silent acid reflux. He sent me to a gastro doc and sure enough - that was 95% of the cause of the cough that had caused me so much misery for years.

I am on protonix 2x a day and then 300 mg of zantac at night. When I feel an "allergy" attack coming on and there's no obvious reason for it (someone walking past with perfume, being outside as I'm allergic to most of the trees in Florida and all of the grasses,weeds, etc) then I pop a rolaids and viola' - within 2 minutes everything is fine.

My throat is healing and hopefully the damage to the esophagus will heal completely as well.

Amazing isn't it -- just goes to show you that you have to watch over yourself and not totally depend on a doctor !!

Lion, glad to hear you've got it all figured out.

We thought for sure it was allergies/asthma.

Ross takes 40 mg of Protonix 2 times a day. I just checked.

His dad also suffers from asthma at night and in the morning. He has for years. Now we're wondering if he has the same dang thing.

Who woulda' guessed? I'll have to bring this up to my asthmatic brother....tho I don't think he has it so much anymore...Now I wonder if my Mother didn't have the same thing as she also suffered from ulcers.... Well, I'm glad you guys are having better days now.

Not meaning to be a downer, but one of the biggest indications of Nichole's brain tumor was that she was drinking so much water. Makes complete sense now, but at the time....who would connect drinking water with a brain tumor? Only medical people, certainly not Mothers and Fathers. You just never know.......

Very cool Dotsie.
Thanks for sharing this information. I know someone that it might help.

I certainly wouldnt have put the water/tumor connection together -- I would have contributed it to diabetes though.

Dotsie -- I'm taking the 40mg Protonix also -- hope it helps Ross and I wouldnt be at all surprised if his dad has the same thing -- especially when you mention night and morning !!

Lionspaaw,

Diabetes was our first thought, but turned out that because her pituitary was not functioning (which is where our thirst originates and because the tumor was on the pituitary ), she would drink tons of water, but never be satiated. This is a hormone which we all have to tell us that we have had enough liquid and to stop peeing. Before we had the synthetic replacement, this was something to behold. She would drink bathtub water - she felt like someone on a desert without access to water. And she would urinate gallons of perfectly clear water. Night and day. She would wet the bed at least 10 times during the night, soaking everything around her. We would end up putting layers and layers of rubber sheets, blankets, anything under her til morning. When she would sit on a little plastic potty to play, with a mug of water in one hand. Whew!!! In the car too. She sat on a potty chair in the car!! Thank Harietta for modern research, they finally came up with a synthetic that worked reasonably well, but even to the day she died, if was time to take this hormone, she'd be trotting to the bathroom every 10 minutes..... This condition is called diabetes insipidus, tho' it is not diabetes as we think of it. She never had to be concerned about sugars and such.

Well, I went off, there. Sorry.

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Nothing to be sorry for searcher -- very interesting info for us -- and a needed vent for you