laboured breathing and food

[premsimon]

Hi Everyone...this is my first posting and gives me the chance to describe my difficulty.

I first had asthma on holiday in Guernsey when I was 6, and I was hospitalised. Not much of a holiday!

I had a few incidents when I was young, of gasping for breath and not being able to get it back to normal....but this has not happened for decades. I just take Fobumix 100/6 three of four times a day which, I imagine, eases the inflammation in my bronchi.

What I do notice is a shortening of breath after eating, especially after a heavy meal, as if my diaphragm is pressing up against my stomach and generally I feel easier breathing several hours after a meal. I love jogging, which I do in the morning before eating anything...so much easier!

I would love to know if anyone else shares a similar problem to this.

[Poobah]

Snap! I've lost 4 stone in order to improve my asthma, however, my breathing is worse after I eat. In my case, I need to lose more weight and I know things will improve. I think my hiatus hernia plays a part as the stomach will impact the chest cavity if not prevented by a fully functioning diaphragm. And being overweight just means less room for the lungs and heart etc.

As a child I couldn't tolerate our family trips to Jersey, I would always have an attack within 24 Hours of arrival. We travelled elsewhere but for some reason Jersey was my achilles heal. But I'm OK with it now, thank goodness!

I do my activities in the morning, I'm always best before meals. I avoid processed food, carbs and omega 6 rich foods, preservatives and sulphites.

I'm on Fostair 200/6 & Montelukast.

[Helloeveryone_]

Hi I have this too after a big meal I have lost a bit of weight but am trying to lose more as I know it affects me.

[Homely2 Administrator]

Sounds like Gerd.

I have had full asthma attacks triggered by eating at a restaurant and going out into the cold air.

Obvious solutions I am trying is being more careful with what I eat, plus using rennies and gaviscon more readily.

The gp can also dispense medicines again Gerd, which is my next fall back.

After diagnosing asthma and before sending me to a consultant my gp made me take Gerd medicines for a month to see the effect.

[Popplemoggy]

Hi Premsimon, this def sounds like GERD to me. I have had GERD since my 20's. I to am unable to eat a moderate sized meal. For me the key is eating little and often throughout the day and spacing my meals out. It takes some adjustment and was a lifestyle change for me, but it is well worth it. I can now eat small amounts and breathe without pain, shortness of breath and discomfort. I also take easomeperazole when I have a flare up of my GERD and this keeps any inflammation under control. I take Peptac liquid after meals and these things combined work really well for me. I now feel like I have control rather than the reflux and breathing related issues overshadowing my life. I have been underweight most of my life but with these changes I have finally been able to enjoy a healthier and stable weight . I also have Asthma and Bronchiectasis which had improved enormously since my lifestyle changes. No more laboured breathing for me anymore.It may be helpful to speak with your GP if you haven't already, they will be able to do some tests to identify what is going on.

I hope you are able to resolve your issues and you can get back to feeling well again.

[ChrissieMons]

I'm not much overweight - I have ambitions to lose maybe half a stone, but no more - but I get to struggle towards the end of a meal. My husband and I have agreed that as soon as I hit the struggle zone I stop eating, regardless of my upbringing which says I should eat up. I think the omeprazole helps. However, you might find that a chat with your GP brings you better solutions, as Popplemoggy suggests.

[premsimon in reply to ChrissieMons]

A big thank you to everyone who commented...so much to take in and routes maybe to follow for the future. I am sure I have reflux issues and get your point eating little and often would help in not feeling overfull with less room to breathe, but at the moment, I am valuing having at least 12 hours without eating to give my stomach a rest. When I get home from work (a postman), the first thing I think about, is food. I find it difficult to satisfy this craving and to "stop eating at the struggle zone". Then it is too late and I feel overfull and breathing slightly laboured. Going running the next day is such a great way for me to settle stomach and breathe more deeply.

I am careful with reading labels for sugar content and would like to get into the habit of searching also for "carbs, omega rich foods and sulphites" Could the absence of these make a difference? I avoid caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods, but not so easy with chocolate.

Generally, I am trying to avoid medication as a solution, and have aspirations of one day being free of the Fobumix inhaler.

I am curious about the role being overweight plays in exacerbating asthma...I am fairly slim (6 foot, 10 stone) and think there is no room in my body for excessive food intake!

[Gwalltarian]

it sounds as though you are so hungry when you have your meal that you eat more than your stomach can cope with - it takes 10 or 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it’s full when you eat so it’s easy to eat too much. Try taking some healthy snacks with you on your rounds so that you feel more relaxed, can take more time over your meal and eat a smaller portion. Remember to chew each mouthful 30 times - that might help.