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Wife with a GERD story wrote:My husband had NO symptoms of reflux. He ended up in ICU after his airway closed down due to esophageal spasm caused by stomach acid. Stidor Effect. He was taking Fosomax, Prednison and Aleve (rare and horrible autoimmune disease he was battling. He had no burping, no acid taste in his mouth, no heartburn. Nothing.
At one point he was on Prevacid and Prescription strength Pepsid both, two times a day. Currently, he takes nothing and has beaten the acid reflux.
Saltine crackers are a God send. They calm the stomach and absorb the fluids. We keep them on the bedside table.
Hard candies: they stimulate saliva which is a natural antacid. He carries them still in his pocket. NO PEPPERMINT!! It actually relaxes the gastric muscles which can allow the acid to migrate north. NOT what you want. Stay away from mint flavor of all types. Including toothpaste.
Small meals, low acid foods.
No laying down for 2 hours after meals, not even reclining too far.
Water, water, water. Beeee the water.

Good luck to others.

Wife with GERD story,

Thanks for your post. I think I probably have undiagnosed GERD, too. How did they diagnose the esophageal spasm in the ICU?

I went to the ER in September feeling like I might be having a heart attack because of chest pressure after being awakened by it at 1:30AM. After numerous cardiac tests, they kept me in ICU for a day and released me without any diagnosis but orders for more cardiac tests.

A couple of days later, I realized that I was having asthma symptoms and that was probably what had awakened me. Pulmonary doc concluded the same saying that time of night indicates classic asthma symptoms.
He put me on a preventative inhaler.

Tree pollen is pretty high in my area now and I feel more pressure again. Need to call me doc tomorrow. But this thread has me really considering untreated GERD.

How do I determine this? With OSA, previous cardiac scares, anxiety disorder, and depression my primary doc almost has me pegged as a hypocondriac. Would my pulmonary doc (who is also my sleep doc) be up on this area?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

PH Probe Test.

It is the most definitive test. Measures PH in your throat. Some have dual probes that measure in 2 locations. Not a fun test, but determines how bad the acid problem is.

Link to description and Prep for Test

Your Asthma situation is the same as what I went through. Whatever you do, do NOT TAKE THEOPHYLLINE if you have GERD!! It causes the LES to lose tone and causes MORE GERD!!

You need to treat the problem, not the symptoms. There are a lot of docs that would rather treat you for the rest of your life so you can "Live with your Asthma" I wanted to find out WHY all of the sudden it was so bad, and if I hadn't pushed, I wouldn't have. Definately explore the Gerd situation, in my case it was causing Vocal Cord Dysfunction and then triggering Asthma Attacks. The root cause was SEVERE Gerd. With that under control, I haven't had a severe asthma attack in almost 7 months. (was having attacks every week!!)

Go to http://www.njc.org

They are THE source for good data on Asthma and respiratory problems.

Mike, did fixing the GERD completely address the VCD as well?

[If it's asthma you are referring to, I am an asthmatic. I have only been ''pap--ing'' for 2 mos. But have had NO attacks, and am off that lousy Singulair medicine.

I can only speak for myself, not a dr. imho.

Good luck,feel better, ok?
quote="kilrush"]HI, DOES ANYONE KNOW OF THIS REACTIVE AIRWAYS DISEASE. FOUR YEARS AGO I WAS DX WITH APNEA PRESSURE 14 NOW MY PC HAS ALSO DX MY WITH REACTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE. THANKS MARY[/quote]

-SWS wrote:Mike, did fixing the GERD completely address the VCD as well?

Yes. The acid was causing the VCD. So once the root cause was resolved, the symptoms went away.

While you're at it, could one of you knowledgeable guys or gals please add GERD and VCD to the CPAPopedia? They are not technical terms, but do seem so relevant to OSA.
Thanks
O.

Who knows the first, but has no idea of what the VC (Disease?) stands for...

movement of food, fluids, and digestive juices from the stomach back up into the esophagus; causes irritation of the esophagus with acid, resulting in discomfort. GERD occurs when the muscle between the stomach and the esophagus, known as the lower esophageal sphincter, opens when it should stay closed, or is weak.

Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD), an episodic disorder also referred to as "paradoxical vocal cord motion," can produce a variety of symptoms, including throat tightness (globus), stridor, and laryngeal wheezing (often mistaken for asthma). The hallmark of the condition is the finding on laryngoscopy of inappropriate adduction of the vocal cords (folds) during inspiration. In addition to an oft-cited connection with psychological factors, there is increasing evidence that inflammatory conditions, including both rhinitis/sinusitis with chronic postnasal drip as well as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can initiate or exacerbate this condition.

HI MIKESUS, THANK YOU FOR THE NATIONAL JEWISH WEBSITE ABOUT REACTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE. THAT WAS A GOOD ARTICLE , LOTS OF INFORMATION. JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS MARY