Asthma § Shortness of Breath problems

[sdg1964]

My name is Steve . I have had asthma all my life . Usally my asthma only bothered me when i got sick with a cold or the flu . june 2001 i went and seen a dr about my neck hurting me . The dr gave me vioxx to take . I took this vioxx for 5 days friday-tuesday . On tuesday the shortness of breath spells started on wednesday i could not get a deep breath  i had to go to the er where i was treated with a breathing treatment and given prednizone and sent home . the next day i had to to be carried by ambulance back to the er  i was given a steroid shot , prednizone and a breathing treatment due to not being able to breath . The dr in the er said the vioxx had caused my lungs to go into bronical spasams. saurday night  once again had to be carried to the er . Tuesday i was put in the hospital stayed in there for 6 days they did a breathing test on me and a lung scan looking for a blood clot in my lung nothing was found my oxygen was low I was out of work a month prescribed a nebulizer and i was placed on abuterol, singular and 60 mg of prednizone twice a day which caused my weight to shoot up . Since this ordeal happen to me my whole life has changed i never had to take medicine daily for my asthma . I now take anxiety medicine ,
singular,advair,aerobid,abuterol, daily for my asthma. Also i use my nebulizer 2 or 3 times a day . i now have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and sleep on a CPAP  machine and take medication for a low thyroid also. I have these smothering spells and my flow meter reading is like 350 to 400 i have been dealing with this for over a year can u help ?

[National Jewish]

There is evidence that Vioxx® can be taken safely by people with asthma.  However, an asthma attack can be brought on by a single dose of aspirin or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as Vioxx®.  Asthma can change at any time.  It is possible that the worsening of your asthma was unrelated to the Vioxx®.  This seems especially true since your asthma did not worsen on the first or second day that you took it.  Vioxx® could have caused your initial episode, but there is no way to know for sure.  It is unlikely that a single course of Vioxx® would cause your asthma to be persistently worse for the past year.

While your symptoms seem to be those of asthma, it is possible that there might be another cause.  Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a condition that can mimic asthma.  However, VCD is not helped by asthma medicines.  While inhaling the vocal cords should open to let air into the lungs.  With VCD the vocal cords close together during inhalation.  Testing for VCD needs to be done while you are having symptoms.  If VCD is the problem, breathing tests may be normal, but the “breathing in” or inspiratory part, also called a flow volume loop, will show little airflow while you are inhaling.  A laryngoscopy is a procedure done by a specialized doctor using a camera at the end of a flexible tube to see how your vocal cords open and close.

It is unusual for people with asthma to use “smothering spells” to describe their breathing difficulty.  People with anxiety or panic attacks are more likely to describe what they feel as “smothering spells”.  Untreated sleep apnea can worsen asthma.  Since your sleep apnea is being treated it is unlikely to be related to your present symptoms.

The first step is to establish with certainty that the problem is asthma.  I suggest that you have complete pulmonary function tests that include inspiratory flow volume loops performed by a pulmonologist.  If asthma truly is the problem, it should be controllable with the use of your present medicines.  You and your doctors should try very hard to avoid the use of oral steroids.

[Concerned lady]

On Friday, call the LUNG LINE, at 1-800-222-LUNG(5864), and then press "5", to speak with a LUNG LINE nurse about your problems. You will get good advice! :-)

Concerned lady
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com