I am a 52 year old female and I am for the last 2 years have been experiencing breathing problems. On Advair and not helping at all. HELP?

As a GI doctor I frequently see people with breathing problems. One test that can be done is 24 hour pH monitoring in your esophagus. If this is done while off of reflux medication, it can quantify how severe your reflux is.

I usually do the test while the patient is on reflux medication to see if they are adequately treated. If your pH level is normal, then your reflux is not causing your breathing problems. The type of pH monitoring I prefer to do is called a Bravo pH probe.

There are many other conditions aside from asthma which can cause breathing problems, you didn't mention what symtoms you are having, so here is a little advice, I am an internal medicine physician. If the symtom is coughing, this can also be caused by reflux or allergies, or can be the side effect of medications, in particular a type of blood pressure medication. If your symptom is shortness of breath, this can be caused by anemia, heart problems or even being overweight.It sounds like you need to go back to your primary doctor.

What you need is a second opinion. Although doctors are very knowledgeable, because he/she is a specialist should not make it the final verdict. My son suffers from asthma and I took him to several doctors before I found the right one.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think I know it all but healthcare is my major and I work at the hospital. Do you take any type of medications for your acid reflux? Speak with your regular doctor about this, if acid reflux is the problem then controlling this may help with your breathing problems.

If you feel your physician isn't addressing your concerns, please consider checking with another doctor. Good luck and I hope this helps.

See another doctor if you can. Asthma is a serious problem. I have had it.

Was related to allergies due to cat and dog hair. I still have it some, but do not need to take medicine. I have no pets now.

For me, it worked also to do some conscious relaxation methods using chi gung (qigong) methods and meditations. These relaxed the passageways and relaxed the diaphragm. If this is of interest to you, I am sure you can find someone who can help you with that.

See if you can somehow reduce things that cause you stress, that always helps.

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