AIR HUNGER NON STOP

[leigh244]

Hi everyone I have posted in a couple of different forums but I think I might be on to something in the food allergy forum. I have got out all my paperwork from when I first got sick and I will give you a short version if possible of what has forever changed my life in July of 2011. First a little about me, I’m a 31yr old female 125lbs and smoked for 15 years but was in good health. I never had any heart or breathing problems. The only drug I have a bad reaction to is sulfa. I moved into a new apartment on 4/10/11. I am caregiver and my client was in the hospital for about two weeks so I was spending a lot of time there with him. On July 27 I woke feeling very sick with flu like symptoms. I also had developed a very large bump on my butt which I knew was a cyst. It grossed me out of course and I squeezed it and a little bit of puss came out not much. I was embarrassed of course of this big bump on my butt and did not say anything to anybody and was just hoping it would go away. Still sick on 7/29/11 with a temp over 101 was laying on my couch and out of nowhere my heart started racing very fast and hard. It did not stop and being home by myself with my son I called 911. When the ambulance arrived my heart rate was 170 and they took me the ER. I obviously told the Dr. about my cyst and she told me my body was going sepsis. The Dr. told me those can appear from an ingrown hair. She did an incision and drainage and because it was so large she had to pack it. She told me to wait two days and remove the packing and have somebody I know to repack it for me. I was surprised by that because of infections but my mom said she would help me. When the two days were up my mom came over to my house and started to repack my wound but it was so sore still that I was in tears. We went back to the hospital and the doctor told me it wasn't necessary to repack it and just sent me home. The wound slowly started healing and I thought that was the end of all the mess.  On 8/2/11 I was watching TV and just finished smoking a cigarette. All of a sudden I could not get a breath in my lungs. It felt like I was breathing through a straw filled with cotton. I immediately started to panic and called a friend to come over. I calmed down but still never could breath very good. I eventually went back to the hospital on 8/4/11 and they told me to get a general practioner (I did not have one) and gave me prednisone, 5 day zpack and albutarol inhaler. I did not have any insurance so I went and found me a Dr. and was paying cash for my visits until I could apply for assistance. On 8/9/11 I started having extreme chest pain and for the next two months my symptoms consisted of Air hunger, Chest pains, anxiety from the chest pains, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, yawning trying to get air in my lungs, coughing and tonsil stones would come up if I coughed a lot during the day. I couldn't even walk upstairs at my client’s house without my heart racing to 130. My client’s wife eventually told me to take time off from work because I was too sick to care for my client. She told me my job would be waiting for me but to just go get better. I did take time off and during that time my car had a very funky smell coming from the air conditioner. I took it in on 9/26/11 and the mechanic told me I had mold in my cars air conditioner. I immediately stopped using it and on 10/1/11 felt better than I ever had in months but still had hard time breathing.  I had a heart monitor, stress test and echocardiogram and tested my thyroid all of which came back just fine. My air hunger was getting so bad that I moved out of my apartment thinking there was something in there that was making me sick. I moved in with my mom for 7 weeks but no difference. I moved back to my apartment but moved to a different building because I just could take going back to the same apartment. My doctor did breathing tests and it showed my airway was blocked but no inhalers would ever work. He gave me a referral to a pulmonologist and an asthma/allergist.  I did not like the pulmonologist because he never seemed to be doing anything for me so I left there and went to another who is my pulmonologist now. He says there is defiantly something going on with my airways but he's just not sure what and is and is baffled as to why no inhalers ever seem to work. He had me do chest x-ray (the other pulmonologist never did) and he had me go get an ENT doctor for a scope and results comeback with nothing wrong. I just recently went in for CAT scan of chest and he wanted a scan of my throat but my insurance (yes I have insurance now finally) did not approve the throat scan.  The reason I have decided to post on the food allergy forum is because about 4 weeks ago I got sick with stomach flu with diarrhea and vomiting and for three days did not have an appetite and only could get water down. However, my air hunger subsided substantially it was wonderful. So I went back to the allergist/asthma doctor who did scratch test which again came back negative but still wants me to keep a food journal which I was already doing and I will be going today to get blood drawn for celiac disease.  I’m also going to start my elimination diet today. I tried last week but didn’t realize some of the things in my diet still had traces of wheat and gluten so I’m starting over today.  I would also like to say that there are some good doctors but there are some really bad doctors. I have worked my entire life and was going to school for nursing. I pay my taxes and contribute to society and  just because I don’t have health insurance is no reason to believe all I want is drugs or attention some people are truly sick and truly sick and tired of being treated like I don’t know what I feel. It’s my life right now and I will not give up until I feel better again. If anyone has gone through this or has any information It would be greatly appreciated. I just need to know I’m not all alone because this will be a year for me in two months and it just needs to stop.

[PutterGirl]

Have you stopped smoking?  One that is not going to help anything, my Grandma died horribly from smoking and it started similar to what you are describing and two you could have developed an allergy to something in the cigarretes.....

Also you are doing the right thing, even with health insurance ine has to reseach and push to get help until you find that great doctor

[leigh244]

Thanks for your suggestions I will tell my doctor about testing for those. Thank you.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

As the lung function tests are not normal and as it is not responding to bronchodilators, oxygen therapy may sometimes help. Certain systemic disorders like anemia, diabetes, vitamin deficiencies and thyroid disorders can cause these symptoms. Blood tests can help detect this. Please discuss this with your doctor am sure he will provide further assistance.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.