YES IT CAN..........I have recently been diagnosed with Gerd myself. About 3 days after i had my first symptom i had the feeling of bloating (it fells like i am just full of gas) and i have been short of breath since then (as well as a few other symptoms). it has been over a month since this started and for the first few days i couldnt eat or drink anything, for the next 3 weeks a could eat nothing. i have been on ranitidine for 3 weeks and it is working..... slowly. i am not always short of breath and i can eat some selected things as long as it isnt too much. i still have good and bad days. today being a bad one. but before my medication started working i went to so many doctors and the emergancy room heaps before i found someone who would listern to me and help me sort this out.  i still have to have a camera down my throat to have a look. but the amount of times i had a doc tell me it was depression or anxity was ridiculous. but i have read online that it can be controlled and the symptoms only re-apear occasionally. good luck ann hope you can get it sorted out soon