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You are right to be concerned. You should try to wean yourself off the nicotine gum. It is not damaging to your lungs but is not good for your circulatory system. You are rather young to have emphysema, having quit smoking in your mid-thirties. This early onset raises the question of an inherited form of emphysema called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. ...
It is unlikely that your chest pain is due to the Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW), but that is possible. However, the intensity of the pain and the discomfort in your throat must not be so quickly dismissed, as being a muscle pain. Whatever is the cause, it must be determined. We have consulted 2 cardiologists, one of whom is the head of cardiac electrophysiol...
Jul 25, 2008 04:57PM in the Asthma and Allergy Expert Forum
You might want to try a simple decongestant such as pseudoephedrine. If this is effective, the ear fluid should drain into your throat. If that doesn't work, you should have an ear examination, to rule out infection.
Jul 25, 2008 04:56PM in the Asthma and Allergy Expert Forum
The onset of snoring following an intense dust exposure suggests an inflammatory reaction in your nose and maybe in the back of your throat resulting in narrowing of your upper airway passages. The other possibility is that this was an allergic reaction and, with such reactions, people sometimes develop what are called nasal polyps. These are benign growths...
Jul 25, 2008 04:55PM in the Asthma and Allergy Expert Forum
Allergy testing starts with a thorough history to uncover what things may be causing your allergy symptoms. These are called allergens. When it is not clear what allergens are causing your symptoms blood testing is often the next step. This will help to focus the list of possible allergens. With blood testing it is possible to have false positives. So bl...
Jul 25, 2008 04:54PM in the Respiratory Disorders Expert Forum
Lung cancer in a 32 year old non-smoker, presenting as multiple tiny nodules would be extremely unlikely. These are tiny nodules of a type usually demonstrated to be inflammatory and benign. Indeterminate is a radiology term that means that the nodules do not contain calcium and thus are not definitively benign. The recommendation to repeat a CT scan in 3 ...