I went to my doctor yesterday who was supposed to test me for asthma. The nurse who administered the test had be blow into a spirometer hooked up to a computer. The nurse who did the test kept having me blow over and over into this meter and said I wasnt doing it right. She got an attitude with me and acted like I was purposely messing the test up. I was blowing as hard as I could and doing exactly as she said! I started to hyperventilate about 10 times and she would have to let me rest. Finally the nurse just said they would use the recordings I had done even though the computer wouldnt accept them.
The doctor came in a few minutes later, looked at the computer for like 10 seconds and said I dont have asthma. Does this sound like an accurate test to anyone? How can I be sure I really dont have asthma?
This nurse made me hyperventilate so much that I feel like I can't remember things really quickly. It's taking me a few seconds to remember names of some people. Is this normal after hyperventilation? How long should this "memory loss" last?
Last edited by FrontierDriver2; 11-06-2004 at 07:32 PM.
I can't really answer all of your questions, but you usually blow three times. They want 3 readings. Did you have to blow more than that? If you were hyperventilating, I would think the nurse would stop the test!?? I might go get a second opinion if I were you.
Cindy
For sure get a second opinion. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience. I'll tell ya,,,I have a very short wick with people like that. I am always polite,,,but put them in their place. I remind them that I respect them as a medical professional,,,I expect them to respect myself as a patient trying to find answers. If that is not possible,,,I'm happy to leave. That usually does the trick.
~~Lorrie
No, I ended up having to blow 20 times not just 3. And the nurse forced the computer to accept my test anyway even though it said they werent right.
I really dont trust the nurse. When taking my blood pressure, she blew the cuff up really tight, let a little air out, blew up even tighter, let air out, blew up again even tighter! I thought I have was gonna have to start screaming. Obviously she doesnt know how to take blood pressure either!
I agree with the other posters about getting a second oppinion. Also ask for a methacholine challenge test, that will tell you how twitchy your airways are if you have asthma you will react to the methacholine and if you don't have asthma then you won't react.
A methacholine or histamine challenge may or may not be necessary. Technique on the part of yourself and the individual administering the pulmonary function test are very very important, so it's worthwhile to have the test repeated, at a different lab.
i just had these tests done last week. It wasn't fun! Sounds like your nurse didn't know what shew as doing. My nurse was great. You have to take the test correctly so the computer will tell them that the information was provded correctly. You have to blow long enough....if you can so the computer can computate the info. I also had the test where they put the liquid stuff (bottle after bottle) in the breathing machine and if you don't react, you don't have asthma. There were 12 bottles, 12 breathing tests...I didn't react until about the 10th one. Then I felt my lung closing up. I also took a stress test. Go in next week for the doc to go over all tests and tell me what the results are.........
Sorry to here about the bad experince , but a good thing to remeber is YOU are paying (one way or another )to have that nurse there doing those test and feel free to treat here as an employee if she's doing a crappy job and has a bad attitude that makes you feel bad tell her or the doctoror her supervisor , just treat it the way you would if you where at a resturant and the waitress treated you like that ...........you wouldn't put up with it there so don't let her (or any other heathcare proffesional ) make you feel bad . It's not too late to still complain to her supervisor or the doctor in charge !!Just because they work with sick people doesn't mean they deserve to get away with bad treatment of them .....it's our bodied that are ill not our minds.....! Ok i've ranted enought now ...........
She got an attitude with me and acted like I was purposely messing the test up. I was blowing as hard as I could and doing exactly as she said! I started to hyperventilate about 10 times and she would have to let me rest. Finally the nurse just said they would use the recordings I had done even though the computer wouldnt accept them. 
