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!