Shortness of breath but no wheezing

[JustDave4now]

Hey all,
I need someone to help me out, because basicly I just don't know enough to figure this out.

Earlier this week I came down with a bad cold, Sneezing, coughing the usual. But on Thursday Morning I awoke with a very unusual symptom, I couldn't raise my voice and I couldn't speak for a longer than a second or two without drawing a breathe. it felt like I was breathing with bricks and the muscles around the lungs hurt.

I thought this due to the cold and went to work, but it got worse and I could feel a block (that was the best I could describe it as I tried to breath in.) I started to take deep labored breathes, as little ones weren't cutting it.
obviously I couldn't work so I left to see my doc.

As you can imagine I figured I had an infection of some sort from the cold
and it has caused the problem

Well the Doc does the usual gambit, but he tells me that my oxygen is good 99% and there is no wheezing anywhere in the lung and I shouldn't be breathing like this. He asks me if it can be stress.

I wanted to hit him, Though I know what he meant too, it sounded like I was hyperventalating myself. I told him I thought the good oxygen has to be because I am breathing so forcefuly. I explained that over the summer I had wheezed a bit on occasion and felt my lungs tight but it went away if I waited it out. He thought alergies

He sent me for an X-Ray and some bloodwork, but before I left he did a nebulizer (spelling?) treatment on me. Wow what a differnce, everything opened up and I could breathe again. It was like someone took the block away in the middle of me.

I started breathing and talking normally. I went for the bloodwork and xray, nothing. He gave me a script for liquid abueterol and shrugged and said maybe that will help.

That night my chest starting getting all stuck again, so I took the abueterol and it helped. This morning I awoke and felt all winded. I took the medicine again and it helped. I am not as good as I was with the neb thingy, but at least I can talk and function.

Okay my question?


Can you have asthma, feel a blockage, feel like your breathing with bricks, can't catch your breath but have perfect O2 and no wheezing what so ever?

It sounds impossible, and I swear I am not making this up or causing myself to do this. Though I think the Doc thinks so.

My brother and mother have asthma, but I have been asthma free for 42 years. I do not smoke, or drink or anything.

He only gave me a month's supply of medicine, what happens when I run out?
I suppose it could be just a cold, but I have never had a cold that gave me trouble breathing without a really bad congested cough. I cough allot but its always a dry one.

HMMM

[Titchou]

Why does everyone think that you have to wheeze in order to have asthma? I have no idea where such came from. So, yes, it can be asthma if you don't wheeze. I never wheeze unless I try to do cardio without my albuterol first. Go see a pulmonologist and get tested for asthma.

[jdw38]

Hi
I read your message and i got to tell you iwas diagonosed with asthma at 47 two yrs ago.i had a bit of wheezing two months before i developed a shortness of breath like you described. I am on all the meds and i feel much better. Do yourself a favor and see a dr that specializes in lung function. It sounds like asthama to me. By the way asthama is genetic and so if your mother and sister have it you probably have it your dr sounds like he needs to go back for more training

Good luck

[suzcgrove]

I've had asthma all my life. If the nebulizer is helping you ... sounds like asthma to me. You need to see a specialist and get on some long lasting drugs instead of just taking a rescue inhaler.

[P2007]

I've just been told I might have a form of atypical asthma which does not involve wheezing. If I have this all correct, it's called cough-equivalent asthma. People with it usually just produce a lot of mucous and cough, which is what I've been doing since around the fourth month of my pregnancy about three years ago. I took the standard tests for asthma and was told I did not have it, and have been treated for reflux, which I do have. But, I have had horrible coughing and vomiting attacks for a couple of years now. Finally, when I went to a different GP for a sinus infection over a week ago he gave me a steroid shot just "to get me started" and I could breathe so well for almost three days. So, I went back and told him the whole story. He said he thought this is what I have and started me on oral prednisone and the Asmanex twisthaler and is referring me to an allergist. In any case, I looked this up and there is a test for it involving "inhalation methacholine challenge test" which is not what is normally administered when testing for asthma. So, that's my layperson's knowledge of how you can have asthma without the wheezing, for what it's worth. Hope that helps and you can take it from there and search around to then speak with your doctor again. I'll be looking for any good advice, as well. I'd really like to be able to breathe again!