at a loss

[jeffster]

Hello,
A little over a year ago (while living in Haiti) I woke up with a horrible burning sensation in my lungs.  I was short of breath, but I went to work anyway (teacher).  I thought that maybe I breathed in too much BBQ smoke the day before (local, homemade charcoal)and irritated my lungs.  The burning (like fire) lasted for a few days and slowly moved up into my bronchi and throat.  The local dr thought it was a virus.  I then went home in the summer and consulted my dr.  At this time I had horrible sharp pains in my vocal cords.  He put me on prednisone, but didn't work.  I went to ENT and he thought GERD.  I wasn't convinced.  LAter went back and had a scope (camera with computer) that showed lots of inflamed blood vessels.  No real sign of GERD though (whitish area).  Told me to possible stop my asthma inhalers (vanceril and ventolin).  Tried that but didn't work.  Needless to say I have been to two ENT's, a gastro, and two family doc's.  It has been over a year and I still have lung and bronchi irritation, chronic sore throats, and pain or hoarsness when I speak.  I took last year off of teaching because I couldn't have a conversation without losing my voice.  I started my new teaching job this week and I find my self afraid to speak.  The thing is, I wake up feeling fine.  I feel good every other way, but when I start talking, my voice gets hoarse or hurts, my throat gets sore, and my lungs are irritated (almost itchy like they have a rash).  But when I go to bed, I wake up feeling okay.  I do not get heartburn but a few times a year. Gastro said no gerd. anybody?

[National Jewish]

This probably is GERD. You need to have a two level pH probe.  A pH probe measures the acid in your esophagus to see if digestive juices are coming up from your stomach.  This could also be a chronic sinus infection with aspiration of sinus drainage during the night.  The third possibility is that it could be some type of inflammatory process in your lungs with secondary involvement of your larynx.
You should get a second GI opinion and if GERD is truly ruled-out, you should see a pulmonologist for a bronchoscopy.  A bronchoscopy is a procedure where a tube called a bronchoscope is passed through your nose into you windpipe to look into your lungs.  With the bronchoscope tiny pieces of lung tissue can be taken for further testing.  This is called lung biopsy

[Jane1]

Hi

I can't explain your cough, according to this webpage there have been some problems with Vanceril in the past:

http://www.adrugrecall.com/vanceril/vanceril.html

However I don't know if this would bring about the symptoms you have, I know I was a constant cougher - I used to cough from October until January most years, especially if I was moving from a cold environment into a warmer one, the dry throat could be the medication? - there could be an allergen - you are not aware of, recently got a pet, changed jobs or started drinking or eating something you never had before??
Could you have got whooping cough? I know this can go on for a long time.  

Hope you can find an answer to what I know is a very disturbing problem.

Regards
J.

[Jane1]

Sorry this was aimed mostly as ugly Monsters Query Above
( That's what I get for looking at two pages at once!!)
But the link on the Inhaler is for you.
( maybe a moderator will delete it!!)

As to your problem  Vocal Chord problems can be linked to Asthma
and in my case the inhaler I used to take Becotide - left me with a very hoarse throat - not sure if your inhaler could be doing the same, I work were I use my voice constantly, and I sometimes sound Like I have laryngitis all the time - in fact people are always sorry about my cold - when I don't even have one!!
As  a teacher you must have to talk more than most professionals and raise your voice an octave higher sometimes - So you could be putting pressure on a problem - it could be a polyp - but judging by the tests - that probably would've shown up,
I would look at the inhalers again - read up about it, rinse after you inhale, in fact rinse every morning anyway

Hope you can find a solution soon
Regards
J