9 month Persistent Shortness of Breath

[Scout33]

I am very concerned.  About nine months ago, I became ill with asthma-related symptoms including very bad rhinitis, shortness of breath and even mild chest pain.  Despite exhaustive testing and various medications, I am still unaware of what the cause is.  I have subjected myself to several PFTs, exercise induced asthma tests, CT and x-ray(normal), methacholine tests, skin testing.  I have been prescribed short doses of Prednisone, Advair, Albuterol, Singulair, and Flonase.  Specifically, I just can't seem to inhale enough air.  What's worse is that the symptoms are persistent.  Oddly enough, I don't cough and/or wheeze.  I caugh up no phlegm ever.  
     Throughout  the Nine month period, there have been no "good" or "bad" days.  I do not respond to Prednisone and the administration of Albuterol results in absolutely no change in my FEV1 values.  My current Pulmonologist makes no real concrete reference to what is wrong other than I have "small airway inflammation" that is caused by allergies and difficult to reverse.  I am absolutely terrified that my body isn't responding to asthma meds because I have an interstitial lung disease.  
     I am desperate to end this and would appreciate any similar stories and /or advice as where to go next.  I hope that someone can provide some insight as I fear that I am being labeled a hypochondriac.  Thank you.

[National Jewish]

Your story is very disconcerting.  It justifies your suspicion that your symptoms may not be due to asthma.  The lack of response to prednisone and albuterol is very unusual for asthma.  It would almost rule out your having an interstitial lung disease.  The normal CT scan and chest-x-ray are reassuring and rule out a number of problems that can mimic asthma.  However there are still some possibilities such as:  an obstruction of a large airway by a tumor or something else, recurrent clots to the lungs called pulmonary emboli, vocal cord disease including vocal cord dysfunction, some types of pulmonary vascular disease, bronchiolitis and, in the realm of non-physical problems, anxiety with panic disorder.

You might ask your pulmonologist, what is the basis for the diagnosis of "small airway inflammation", in the presence of a normal CT scan and the absence of a lung biopsy.  You should consider seeking a second opinion.

[EROS]

I have this too, I also have normal results apart from a mildly reduced small airway result. I have lived with this since 2004. I had asthma and was a smoker, now I have near constalnt air hunger. It may get better I am told. Were you a smoker?

[Cirila]

I have a similar problem, a constant shortness of breath with no wheezing at all for the last 6 months. This time was not like the asthma I used to have, were I wouldn't be able to breath during an asthma attack, but during regular days I would be breathing normally. The way I've been feeling since last july is a constant feeling of gasping for air, some days worse some others a little better but I never feel that I can breath normally.
It is taking me very long to get back to my normal life, Since July I've been taking advir 500, intal and albuterol (and prednisone during severe attacks). Fortunatelly I've been noticing an improvement since the last month, so I'm crossing my fingers that soon I will be able to control my asthma and start excercising again like the way I used to do before july.
The no wheezing can be a problem because some doctors only measure the asthma by the wheezing and if you are not, then they think is anxiety or you are imagining things!

[msamman]

cirila,
I have exactly the same symptoms, but may be less severe, GP thought its only sress, and advised me to relax, stress makes you breath faster, so the key is to try to breath slowly, it may help to cover face loosly with a paper bag for a few minutes(to restore the co2 levels which may be decreased) and in all cases don't breath faster and faster, it makes it even worse.

[missy193]

A related discussion, always short if breath was started.

[kirann82]

A related discussion, asthma attack-breathless for a month now was started.