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Went to my doctor today because my cough hasn't gone away since the urgent care diagnosed (and treated me for) Bronchitis at the end of last month. Also, my acid reflux has flared up really badly.
Actually, I didn't see my normal doctor because she was out of town, but I saw her partner. I actually think I like the partner better... they're both really nice women though.
Anyway, what the doctor thinks is happening is that the acid reflux is weakening my esophagus and getting worse, and that's pushing the acid & bile into my lungs, which is causing the chest pain and triggering asthma. So I now have to get treated for both.
Walked out of there with a couple of samples, prescriptions for 3 other medications, and orders to call when my albuterol inhaler runs out (urgent care prescribed it) so they can call in a new one.
So... the medications that I'm currently on now are:
Methylprednisolone (a corticosteroid) for the asthma for 6 days: 6 pills today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the next, 3 the next, 2 the next, and then the last pill on the 6th day.
Protonix (a proton pump inhibitor) for the acid reflux - 1 pill/day for the next 2 months - this will decrease the production of acid made so hopefully my esophagus will heal. (Doctor gave me 2 months worth of samples for this!)
Singulair (a leukotriene receptor antagonist) for the asthma - 1 pill/day for the next three weeks. (Have samples as well.)
Robitussin w/codeine for the cough
Albuterol inhaler (as needed)
Pulmicort Flexhaler (twice a day is the normal dose so I assume that's what I'll be on as well?) - I pick this up tomorrow since the pharmacy didn't have the strength in that I need.
I'm also on a calcium supplement (since PPIs decrease bone density with long use) and a kelp supplement (since I have an iodine deficiency.)
Follow up appointment 4 weeks from today. If no improvement, they're going to have to scope me.
Oh yeah, and I probably never had bronchitis at all... it was most likely this same issue the entire time. And the same when I went into the ER a few months ago with extreme chest pain and difficulty breathing, and they couldn't figure out a cause then.
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EDIT: I've been having problems with Acid Reflux for a while. My doctor (not the one I saw today, but my normal doctor) put me on a PrevPac earlier this year thinking that it was H. Pylori causing the acid. Now, a PrevPac is 14 days with 8 pills per day. So 112 pills today. You take 4 pills in the morning (1 Prevacid, 1 Biaxin, 2 Amoxicillin) and then repeat at night. I was fine for about 2 months after that, but then the acid starting flaring back up again. I'm really afraid that they're going to have to scope me, and that they'll find something bad. But at the same time, I'd rather that they FIX IT than continue to feel horrible all of the time.
Actually, I didn't see my normal doctor because she was out of town, but I saw her partner. I actually think I like the partner better... they're both really nice women though.
Anyway, what the doctor thinks is happening is that the acid reflux is weakening my esophagus and getting worse, and that's pushing the acid & bile into my lungs, which is causing the chest pain and triggering asthma. So I now have to get treated for both.
Walked out of there with a couple of samples, prescriptions for 3 other medications, and orders to call when my albuterol inhaler runs out (urgent care prescribed it) so they can call in a new one.
So... the medications that I'm currently on now are:
Methylprednisolone (a corticosteroid) for the asthma for 6 days: 6 pills today, 5 tomorrow, 4 the next, 3 the next, 2 the next, and then the last pill on the 6th day.
Protonix (a proton pump inhibitor) for the acid reflux - 1 pill/day for the next 2 months - this will decrease the production of acid made so hopefully my esophagus will heal. (Doctor gave me 2 months worth of samples for this!)
Singulair (a leukotriene receptor antagonist) for the asthma - 1 pill/day for the next three weeks. (Have samples as well.)
Robitussin w/codeine for the cough
Albuterol inhaler (as needed)
Pulmicort Flexhaler (twice a day is the normal dose so I assume that's what I'll be on as well?) - I pick this up tomorrow since the pharmacy didn't have the strength in that I need.
I'm also on a calcium supplement (since PPIs decrease bone density with long use) and a kelp supplement (since I have an iodine deficiency.)
Follow up appointment 4 weeks from today. If no improvement, they're going to have to scope me.
Oh yeah, and I probably never had bronchitis at all... it was most likely this same issue the entire time. And the same when I went into the ER a few months ago with extreme chest pain and difficulty breathing, and they couldn't figure out a cause then.
---------------------------------------
EDIT: I've been having problems with Acid Reflux for a while. My doctor (not the one I saw today, but my normal doctor) put me on a PrevPac earlier this year thinking that it was H. Pylori causing the acid. Now, a PrevPac is 14 days with 8 pills per day. So 112 pills today. You take 4 pills in the morning (1 Prevacid, 1 Biaxin, 2 Amoxicillin) and then repeat at night. I was fine for about 2 months after that, but then the acid starting flaring back up again. I'm really afraid that they're going to have to scope me, and that they'll find something bad.
But at the same time, I'd rather that they FIX IT than continue to feel horrible all of the time.
. It gave me the munchies every time 
.
Are the meds starting to work now? I think mine are a little bit--like it's making my head hurt and my nose run and stuff, but that also wasn't really happening before, so I THINK it's a good sign! 
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