Hello, I am a 26 year old female who never smoked and has no history of asthma in the family.
For the past 9 months, I've been experiencing a mild shortness of breath, sometimes accompanied by a sharp (and sometimes dull) pain on the left side of my chest just above the breast. I've noticed the sharp pains from time to time when I inhale deeply or when I exhale fast and hard. I don't wheeze or cough like many asthmatics do.
My pulmonary function test results were:
"Baseline FEV1 is 2.71 or 80% predicted, FVC is 3.71, 94% predicted, giving a ratio of 73%. However she does have a pronounced bronchodilator response and FEV1 of 16%. She has no diffusion abnormalities; however, she does have an increased residual volume of 187%".
They said that I likely have asthma and prescribed me with Advair 100/50 for a year. During the one month that I took Advair I was concerned about drug dependency, side effects, high costs of the drug ($180 per month), and the necessity for it since I have NEVER had an asthma attack. During the month of using Advair, I noticed my shortness of breath a little less than before, but the difference was so mild that I couldn't really tell if Advair was making a difference or not. I informed my pulmonologist who then prescribed me Advair 250/50. However, pharmacists were saying that Advair didn't seem necessary. Instead they recommended a scheduled dose of albuterol everyday. I have stopped Advair after the first month and my breathing or rather, shortness of breath neither improved or worsened for the two weeks. However, another two weeks later, I feel that my breathing is worsenening a little.
Do I sound like I indeed do have asthma? Are there other tests I should take to rule other possibilites out? Shall I start taking Advair again? If so, shall I start right away with the 250/50?
Thank you so much again for your time!