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Unexplained Breathing Problems

In December of 2010, I got a bad cough.  A couple of weeks later, I was in the emergency room with breathing problems, and I have been having breathing problems ever since.  I have had asthma since I was very young, but it has been very well controlled for the past 12 years (no trips to the emergency room & only used a rescue inhaler a few times per year).  My peak flow readings have been good (550+) throughout this entire process, even when I am feeling my worst.  Prednisone seems to have no positive effect, and nebulizer treatments and my rescue inhaler will sometimes seem to help and other times will not.  I am on Advair 250 twice per day (and have been for years).  Adding Symbicort did not help.

I have been to multiple specialists, including a pulmonologist, cardiologist, infectious disease specialist, tthree doctors of internal medicine, an allergist, and an ear/nose/throat doctor.  I have had almost every medical test in the book - pulmonary function testing, C/T scans, x-rays, blood gases test, allergy testing (food & environmental - only allergies were dust mites & ragweed, which I knew I had and take Claritan for), EKG, echocardiogram, stress test, echo stress test, bronchoscopy, & a multitude of blood tests, including tests for thyroid problems, Lymes, vitamin deficiencies, and more.  The only abnormality found was that my Vitamin D count was slightly low (I take a supplement now) and that my iron was low (I have been on a supplement for several months, and my iron counts are slowly going up).  The pulmonologist who did the bronchoscopy said that my bronchial tube looked more transparent than most and possibly irritated but said that could be normal - the bronchial wash showed nothing.

I have been tracking this for months trying to find a pattern of when I feel better and worse (it never really goes away, but there are times when I feel better than others).  I tracked my food intake, locations, activities, etc.  Nothing is standing out.  The only thing I know for sure that not getting enough sleep (especially for a few nights in a row) can trigger a bad spell.  Getting sick (like a cold) doesn't seem to affect it one way or another, which I find odd.

My doctor keeps saying "anxiety" and has had me on Celexa for months.  I don't believe that anxiety is the problem - nothing about my personality or circumstances suggests that anxiety might be at fault.  I also have a difficult time believing that someone who has never had anxiety issues in the past could get a bad cough and suddenly develop anxiety issues so severe that they cause daily, persistent breathing problems.  Not to mention that I have been on Celexa for months and am still having significant problems.

Does anyone have any idea what could be going on here?  I am seeing a hematologist in a couple of weeks and will have an endoscopy done in early March.  I'm not really sure what to do next.  If anyone has suggestions, I would love some help.  In the meantime, I will continue to trust in God's control and provision.  Thank you!
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Avatar universal
Other tests include:
Free T4, Free T3, thyroid antibodies. I know you said you have vitamin levels tested get those results as well my doctor likes my vit D in the 50-60 range. Most ranges start at 32 and that is TOO low.

A good book on thyroid is "The Thyroid Solution."
http://www.amazon.com/Thyroid-Solution-Revolutionary-Mind-Body-Regaining/dp/0345496620

Check out this document.
http://nahypothyroidism.org/files/wdmekt.pdf
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks...I'm glad you mentioned the nebulizer because I checked, and I already have some of the ipratropium bromide.  I've been using it at night before bed.  It seems to help some.

I don't remember what the doctor told me about my thyroid - I could go back and check the paperwork.  I do know that they only did the one test because my doctor said it came back "normal" so the other test wasn't necessary.  Thoughts?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You can get atrovent for your nebulizer-- it is called ipratrotium bromide.

As far as anxiety-- when doctors cannot figure it out they run to one of two things stress or anxiety. That makes me so mad. Also when you had your thyroid tested did they give you the results or did they say "it is in range" the ranges are wrong. Did they do more than test your TSH?

achilles2
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you - I'll ask my doctor about atrovent.  I think I may have some reflux going on, but I have tried four or five different acid reflex meds with no effect.  I'm going to have an endoscopy done at the beginning of March, so maybe that will reveal something.  I appreciate your response!
Helpful - 0
746512 tn?1388807580
This is similar to what happened with my "Asthma".  Started bad and was diagnosed and given advair - worked like a charm and was awesome.  Then had a bad asthma spell because of my work (a pet store) moving and we had 25 years of dirt, fur and dust moving around the store as the shelvings were been moved plus a lot of cleaner fumes.  

Sent me for a spiral downwards that involved over maximum dose for advair (500/50 MDI 3 puffs twice a day and I'm only 5 feet and 88 pounds), atrovent, ventolin and singulair daily.  Then it got bad and needed nebs at my doctors office twice in two days and got a 14 day taper of prednisone and an emergency visit in day medicine with a pulmonlogist.  

Did some other tests and it seems most of the breathing problems which have the exact symptoms of asthma (wheezing, peak flow drop, chronic cough, extreme fatigue, constant white mucus coughed up and occurs in flares) seems to be more reflux related than asthma.  

Prednisone, ventolin and advair are all very bad at increasing reflux which explains why the increase in medication didn't make my breathing better, sure it controlled the lung inflammation but it made the reflux worse which increased the inflammation and tightness too!  I am better lung wise using only atrovent as a reliever and no advair.  Not perfect and there has been a week or two I had to go back to advair (have to talk to the pulmonlogist again) but at least the same.  

Obsiouvly I don't recommend dropping your meds!!  I had a negative methacholine challenge for asthma so any lung inflammation isn't that bad.  However, atrovent would be worthwhile trying because it acts on the large ariways which are more effected with reflux while ventolin acts on the small airways (but also relaxes the splincters in your stomach allowing for increased reflux).

Another med that helped me greatly for all the mucus and congestion in the lungs was N-acetyl cysteine.  You can get it in health food stores like GNC and it helps thin the mucus.  My respiratologist had me using this (1500mg daily, 2000 IU of vitamin D - great for immune system, 2000mg of vitamin C and 2000mg of omega 3 - allow I can't tolerate any with the reflux ;(

Good luck and hope you feel better soon!!
Helpful - 0
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