Brent,

I hope you respond to the Aciphex.

It is difficult for me to make a diagnosis with such little information. I am just going by your first post: "I have never had heartburn, just the inability to catch a full breath after eating, along with the feeling of trapped air right between my ribcage at the very bottom".

If you do not respond to the G.I treatment then I would suggest that you talk to your M.D about your risks of having cardiovascular disease. I can not tell you how many patients I have seen who think they have a G. I. problems when in fact they have a cardiac problem. Just my two bits.

David

David, thanks for your replies.

I had the symptoms for a few weeks until I went to see my family doctor back in the spring. She did several tests including lung capacity, H-Pylori, chest x-ray's, blood work, etc. She then put me on Prilosec and it started working within 3-4 days. It worked for about 3 months. During that time I had no symptoms.

When it quit working, I told her, and she suggested that I go see a gastro specialist. He scheduled an EGD just for precaution and then put me on Aciphex. It started working within a few days and is still doing good.

Along with the full breath symptom, I also was experiencing a little indigestion, burping a lot, etc.

The gastro doc admitted that the symptoms were atypical, but it seems to respond to the medication.

Do you think I need a stress test?

find a naturopathic doctor. i did, best thing i ever did.

Can you expound vector?

I'm otherwise very healthy, 31 years old, 5'6", 140 lbs, hardly any fat on me. BP is normal, heart rate is normal, cholesterols are good.

I think my diet had been a major contributor to all of this. During my college days, I ate nothing but fast food, and up until about 6-7 months ago, I probably drank 5-6 soft drinks per day. I hate the taste of water, but I've grown to tolerate it. I have probably one soft drink per month now.

Brent,

If you are 31, then you probably do not need a stress test. Unless you tell me that your father died at a young age from a heart attack.

well, i could attack this from quite a few different angles

i had bad lower gi problems on and off for quite a few years and pretty soon the prescribed meds were not working, and was looking at surgery to remove the offending parts. i was pretty miserable and lost about 30 lbs. and there comes a time when Divine intervention is sought.

anyway, depends on how you look at it, i ended up at a nd office, and he told me my condition was no problem. told me what to eat and gave me a few things, acupuncture which helps a lot, and in a couple weeks i was able to go back to work.

you have to keep in mind, whoever you see will treat you in their mode of training. sounds like you are taking meds that are eliminating the symptons, but you haven't discovered the cause. so if you are happy with this, carry on. it has been my experience that people in general would rather suffer than try something different, which might not be acceptable to mainstream america or the insurance companies.

at 31 you're in the prime of your life and have enough energy to heal yourself if you find the cause.

some background on my doctor to give you an idea. he started at a well known medical school, ku, and decided the curriculum wasn't for him and enrolled at bastyr college of naturopathic medicine and studied 6 mos. acupuncture in japan. as a side, the change in the human condition or lack of is nothing new, treatments that are ages old are available that are effective and correct the root of the problem. just because there are not instruments to measure some of the treatments doesn't indicate lack effectiveness.

mainstream medical establishments do have their place, you have to decide which type of treatment you prefer.

there are 5 different pulses in the human body i've read. my doctor can take my pulse and tell me my condition. he doesn't wear a stethoscope or a lab coat, and has only used a stethoscope once when i had a bad virus to listen to my lungs. if you ever research acupuncture, homeopathic medicine, or some of the other methods employed it is fascinating.

i hesitate to post this, because i'm sure it will upset a few egos, but that is the nature of the human race.

enough?

David, parents are healthy too.