Ongoing breathing problems after plurectomy

[deanl2002]

About 3 years ago I had a plurectomy after my my left lung kept collapsing due to a weak lining.  The surgery went well and I was discharged, at the time I had a minor breathing problem whereby I had to take deep breaths every so often.  I did inform the hospital of this but they informed me it will go away if I keep up the breathing exercises.  Alas three years on the problem as got very slowly worse.  My breathing feels inefficent, whereby I can breath deeply but still feel like I am out of breath.  I have been back to my GP's many times and had many X-rays as well as breathing test, all show normal.  My GP put me on a course of anti-depresents (lustral) to try and curb my anxiety to see if that was the cause, this had a little effect but not much.  I am not coughing or in any pain but this breathing problem is stopping me doing many things I would like to.  It is difficult to describe the actual feeling but it feels like the walls of my throat are constricted and my breathing shallow/in-efficent, this stops me holding lengthy conversations and/or exercising more than a few minutes a day.  Could you offer me any advice?

[National Jewish]

You have stated, "It is difficult to describe the actual feeling but it feels like the walls of my throat are constricted..."  This actually suggests a problem in the upper airway, rather than a problem with the lungs themselves.  An upper airway problem could affect the throat or the windpipe, also called the trachea.  The effect of this would be more prominent when inhaling than when exhaling.

Further testing could identify if there is a problem in the upper airway or lungs.  Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is an upper airway problem where the breathing test will appear normal if you are not having symptoms at the time the testing is done.  When you are having symptoms you should have a specific breathing test called an inspiratory flow loop.  If this test shows little airflow while you are breathing in this is a positive test for VCD.  Normally the vocal cords should be open while you are breathing in.  With VCD the vocal cords are closing together while you are breathing in.  Another test for VCD is called a laryngoscopy.  A camera at the end of a flexible tube called a laryngoscope is used to see how your vocal cords open and close.

If those tests are normal, a ventilatory lung scan could be done to check the relative rate of air filling of your lungs.  The lung on the side of surgery could be partially "trapped" and not ventilating well.

[wheatley]

A related discussion, Collapsed Lung was started.