GERD and COPD
I have had GERD for at least 20 years (I am 85 ) and have had COPD for 5 years. I had no idea they could be connected until the recent article on here. I would like to hear other people that have the same problem.
Do you remember the name of the article and/or it's author?
, I'm not sure which article Nancy was referring to but this is a great article that you might find interesting! https://copd.net/living/having-gerd. All the best, Sam S. (COPD.net, team member).
A lot of this came from a very informative reply from Janet (one of your moderators)
they do have some awesome writing
in here.
Hi Sandy, and thank you for your kind words. We appreciate you letting us know this - it means so much to our COPD.net team members.
Based on your request (above), we have any number of articles, published right here on COPD.net, which focus on COPD and GERD. For your convenience, here is a link to several of them: https://copd.net/search?s=GERD%20COPD.
Perhaps you and, will be able to identify the article to which she referred.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
@Janet Plank deserves so much praise for the good work she does here. I'm sure she'll be glad to see this and respond if she can. 😀 -Melissa, copd.net team
Years back my Pulm. Doctor suggested I might be coughing because I have acid reflux. But I knew he'd be wrong so I ignored it. I had no acid coming up and no problem other than the cough that I thought was part of COPD or Asthma. And since then the cough went away. Normally I don't cough unless an exacerbation (until this year following a bad exacerbation requiring oxygen at home). He said asthmatics CAN cough because of acid reflux or Gerd. So for years and years I ignored it and have had no problems. Three years ago I had endoscopy - I can't recall the reason - and I asked the doctor if there was signs of acid reflux and she said no. Which is what I anticipated. Well now comes a problem I have and I'm hoping someone who reads this can tell me if they have or had the same problem.
I started having bad heartburn in June of this year. I had no current acid pills so tried outdated ones to no avail. Even drove to ER and sat outside not wanting to pay my large deductible (I thought I'd have to for an ER visit but that's not correct). Another episode a week later and I got new pills and they did work but sometimes it took 2. I called Gastroenterologist and they scheduled an endoscopy. Well it didn't happen because she could not get into my esophagus. It was closed up and spasming I think she said. So barium x-ray later, and I find out my esophagus is so narrow at the top and also at the bottom at the stomach. She asked me if I can eat and I said I have no trouble with that. But her endoscopy will not penetrate so she cannot stretch the esophagus. I want to now if anybody has experienced anything like that. I do have trouble swallowing pills and capsules - I have to do each in a different way and I go thru mental fits doings it. The doctor said we can't do another procedure as she can't get in so she gave me script for Pepcid anti acid pills 20 mg. Then I go back in 3 mos supposedly to try the endoscopy again. She says the acid can cause scar tissue and she hopes the pills will what? destroy the scar tissue? how can that happen? I don't know, but that's what we're trying. I asked her if this is common and she said she has never seen a case like this and she doesn't know what to do. She thought about sending me to a different kind of specialist probably at a teaching hospital or something but we're trying this first. My big fear is what happens if it gets worse and food cannot get down.
SO please, if anyone experiences anything similar due to acid or possibly something else!!!! please let me know by responding to this. I do have asthma and COPD and bronchiectasis and I am coughing more this year as I stated earlier - I just started Montelukast along with my inhalers and now this Pepcid.
I know some responses may recommend getting another opinion or two but it would need to be an opinion of WHY THE ENDOSCOPE WON'T FIT INTO THE ESOPHAGUS. They'd just say they don't know. Anyway that's the way I'm thinking.
