is this asthma or related to previous PE's?

dear doctors,

since I was youngh I had episodes with asthma related problems. when I was 12 it was all over. now that I am 34 things start all over again, but so severe that I have real trouble breathing, wheezing etc, my previous lung function showed 1.1 L only ;-( last year it was betterm on a bad day it was 2,4. On my own peakflow meter the max is 3.0 but that is only on good days.

I actually am wondering if this is really asthma, or related to previous episodes with embolisms.

my lung specialist can't think of anyhting but pulmicort, salbutamol, atrovent via nebulizer.

is this the right path for me? what about a related problem with the PE's?

thanks very much

mariette

[National Jewish]

Asthma is a life-long condition but not always clinically apparent. Asthma can go into remission for years or even decades, only to reappear, unexpectedly and without obvious cause. The shortness of breath described could well be caused by a return of your asthma.
Good anti-asthmatic medication has been prescribed. The fact that it has not helped is indirect, but only indirect, evidence against the diagnosis of asthma. It may be severe asthma that will require even stronger medication.
Pulmonary emboli (blood clots to the lung) can be recurrent over long periods of time, with shortness of breath or wheezing as the only signs. The most common source of blood clots is the veins of the legs but the clots can also originate in other veins, including the pelvis and, much less commonly, the arm veins.
There are blood tests and special X-rays to make the diagnosis of pulmonary emboli and, with a history of emboli it would probably be a good idea to proceed with these.

[starion]

Just curious as to whether you've ever had a pulmonary function test (PFT) done, pre & post albuterol.  That's one of the tools frequently used to help diagnose the precise lung condition in many folks.  You never mentioned having one or the results, which  are often useful in distinguishing asthma from other conditions, etc.
Best of luck!
Aloha,
Starion--HI