I have had asmtha for about 25 years. Controlled most of the time but the last 2 years have been bad. I take theodur and volmax and use azmacort and in October the doctor added serevent. I use my rescue inhaler as needed, and in the last few months I was needing it frequently and even when I didn't I really didn't feel good. Before going to the asmtha doctor or see what new meds he could put me on I went to an E.N.T. doctor for my allergies and he gave me refills on my nose spray (used during allergy season) and my allegra D. During the exam he told me I had acid reflux disease and prescribed nexium. I knew I had it but just lived with it. Within 1 day my asmtha symptons improved 90%. It was like a miracle. He said he it can make you asmtha worse. Of course I am still on the meds, but my hope is that I can cut the amounts down eventually. The terrible difficulty in breathing is gone and I feel like a new person. I am going to see a GI doctor about the reflux just to check it out further, before I make any changes in my asmtha meds. Just wanted anyone to know who might be having difficulty and knows they are getting heartburn frequently. I can't believe it, I was beginning to think I had emphysema. Thanks for listening

[quote]Originally posted by theogirl:
I have had asmtha for about 25 years. Controlled most of the time but the last 2 years have been bad. I take theodur and volmax and use azmacort and in October the doctor added serevent. I use my rescue inhaler as needed, and in the last few months I was needing it frequently and even when I didn't I really didn't feel good. Before going to the asmtha doctor or see what new meds he could put me on I went to an E.N.T. doctor for my allergies and he gave me refills on my nose spray (used during allergy season) and my allegra D. During the exam he told me I had acid reflux disease and prescribed nexium. I knew I had it but just lived with it. Within 1 day my asmtha symptons improved 90%. It was like a miracle. He said he it can make you asmtha worse. Of course I am still on the meds, but my hope is that I can cut the amounts down eventually. The terrible difficulty in breathing is gone and I feel like a new person. I am going to see a GI doctor about the reflux just to check it out further, before I make any changes in my asmtha meds. Just wanted anyone to know who might be having difficulty and knows they are getting heartburn frequently. I can't believe it, I was beginning to think I had emphysema. Thanks for listening

You've discovered a very common exacerbation in asthma that is difficult to tie to environmental factors -- many people have no idea how bad their reflux is until they have it tested by a dr.

The way it works is that the acids from your stomach make their way into your esophagus where they gasify and leach into your airway. It's VERY hard on your lungs. Some people with severe asthma are found to have some form of GERD.

I'm glad the treatment you've found is working for you! I worked with a young girl (2-3 yrs old) in the hospital this summer who had to have surgery because her reflux and aspirating was that bad.