Mis-diagnosed?

[byrdwoman]

I have had this nagging cold or flu. Its been over 4 weeks and i am still feeling periodic short of breath and tightness of chest. Its so hard to find a doctor to understand that eventhough im not wheezing im short of breath. Which in my 30+years with severe asthma being short of breath is the worst. At least to me. I have been able to manage my asthma for years. Im just not sure if this is asthma. I get heavy, tight in my chest, then i get really short of breath. Nothing asthma related calms it down not my inhalers, theodur, advair. I am totally stumped. I haven't had to use all these drugs constantly, but if i got in a little trouble all the meds and breathing treatments would instantly get me out of trouble.

What does it mean when all my vitals seem to be fine, except my heart rate is fast. My peak flows are fine and in range, but i am having alot of difficulty breathing and my chest gets so tight. I went on 3 different antibotics in the past 4 weeks, and predinosone. I thought i would have been doing better. I really didn't cough up much, so im taking robitussin tablets 2 x's aday. Please help me if you have any advice. I tried everything to loosen the phlem up.
Thanks,
Jane

[jp3892]

Nothing asthma related calms it down not my inhalers, theodur, advair. I am totally stumped. I haven't had to use all these drugs constantly, but if i got in a little trouble all the meds and breathing treatments would instantly get me out of trouble.

I don't understand this bit here. First u say your inhalers don't work then u say they instantly get u out of trouble. The most important thing I noticed is that u don't take them constantly. Thats what they're there for. Advair must be taken everyday or years. U won't notice it if u use it intermittantly.

[monacks]

DO you take your maintenance meds every day?? Do you see a specialist? Maybe you need to go and see if they want to switch up your meds. Or maybe you should try to go see another doctor, someone who will get a fresh look at you and not have a bias and not know your entire history. As far as related conditions, GERD can give asthma-like symptoms.

Back in September I caught a virus that I had for 3 months. I just kept getting sick and I lost my voice for a month. The dr told me that he had seen several of his asthmatics get this virus and not be able to shake it. I was miserable for months. Maybe you caught something like that. And I took 3 different antibiotics and none of them helped.

[wrin]

qayfixx you might want to remove your contact info before you get banned

what you are saying about anxiety makes some sense -- as for byrd it might be worth it to have your pulmonary function looked at. Your airways have to be pretty constricted to cause a wheeze (at least 80% occluded) and a pulmonary function test can tell what your peak flow meter can't.

It's possible that you're experiencing an allergic bronchitis or something and the inflammation makes your chest feel icky but you're not at the point of wheezing. Another thing is that you need airflow to create a wheeze -- so if the sickest part of your lung isn't moving any air at all then you won't wheeze.

Your advair and your theodur are maintenance drugs that are meant to be taken constantly. If you do end up getting on antibiotics or anything I'm sure you know enough to tell your doc that you're on theophylline and that you should have your levels watched... some antibiotics can make them go up and down in unpredictable ways.

[byrdwoman]

I went to another asthma dr. today. She's sending me to a Pulmonary specialist to possibly scope my lungs and get the stubborn mucus out. The Dr. has heard of several people that had to have this done. They look over all the treatment i have had done in the 4-5 wks. When i wrote earlier about using my inhalers periodically is because before this cold i got i have been in somewhat remission. Sometimes during allergy season or mold season i need to take the flovent or now the advair daily. Usually that has been enough.
I understand what your saying about anxiety. I get it bad when i get short of breath. How both the doctor and i can rule out anxiety is because when i am able to cough up any mucus its extremely thick and yellow,green and specks of brown. I was a ex-smoker years ago. But they said the brown speck color is from the virus and bronchitis. I have been on ativan for anxiety attacks and still get so short of breath like its a stubborn plug.
I just hope this Pulmonary Dr. can rotor rooter my lungs, because i feel like for weeks i have had a ton of junk. Im jealous because my husband and i both had the same virus and he is able to cough his out. During the worse time of our sickness he was short of breath and tightness of the chest. He also had to got on breathing treatments and inhalers and he's not asthmatic. Its just a terrible cold that is staying around much to long.
Has anyone ever been to a pulmonary dr? Has anyone ever had there lungs scoped?
Thanks for all your replies.