shortness of breath

[meg321]

I have been so busy and have not been on much, mostly I read and don't post too much.  I think I am still trying to figure out this MS thing.

I am now on copaxone, started a couple weeks ago or maybe less.  I was doing really well for a few days, trying to pace myself and just learning to live with the dizzy's and fatigue.

I was doing so much better and yesterday I was so tired and couldn't breathe well so I didnt do too much. The breathing issue is something I need to check out.  I am waiting for my insurance, when i changed to medicare they stopped our coverage and I dont want to do anything until we are covered again.  It should be soon

I know we have talked about this before but you know how the memory is, i forgot.  Could the breathing be a part of MS?

thanks & hugs, meg

[Guitar_grrrl]

Hi, Meg,

See a Pulmonologist if you can, if all the Cardiology stuff checks out.  I'm glad you're checking all this out - You're being proactive, and that's so good for you!  

Thinking good thoughts,
Namaste,
Guitar_grrrl

[meg321]

Thanks to both of you.I have had all the heart tests a few times and my heart is fine.  I have also had chest x-rays and a MRI, They thought they saw a spot so I was sent to a Dr. to read the MRI, nothing was found.

I have had this for a very long time and it has just got worse.  But this year i am going to make a real effort to find the problem. I don't neccessarily have to over-excert to become short of breath but it does happen. It just knocks me out along with the dizzines and fatigue.

I was talking to a nurse from shared solutions also and i am now convinced it is not part of the MS.  So am still puzzled.  Is there a DR who specializes in respiratory problems ?

Let me know what you find out and i will do the same.

hugs,.meg

[jensequitur]

Errm...  Do as I say, not as I do.  Go see your doctor about the shortness of breath.

The ONLY reason I haven't gone is because my shortness doesn't seem to be related to exertion.  I'll wake up one day feeling more symptomatic, and I'll be short of breath.  Sometimes it'll feel like I have to take several deep breaths to eliminate the feeling of low oxygen in my lower lungs.  This happens mostly at night, when I'm on the couch and watching TV.

I have asked the PCP about it, and she gave me a sample of an inhaler - but it doesn't do anything.  I take that back - it seems to help my lungs get more oxygen, but it doesn't eliminate the feeling of not getting enough air at the bottom.

[essdipity]

Sort of a PS:

Now have the treadmill test arranged for next Weds. It lasts 3 hours all told! Yikes. No food for 4 hours, no caffeine for 24 hours, including supposedly decaffeinated drinks. Boo.

I forgot to mention that I had an EKG at my PCP's, and that was normal. Also forgot to say what the CT is like. They used iodine as a contrast agent. Weird! Made me feel all warm and as if I was wetting myself. Luckily not true!

Meg, please do the best thing and see your doctor.

ess

[essdipity]

Hi, Meg.

This is a big issue with me right now. It's really hard to know what's causing what. I've felt like cr@p for weeks, part of which is from trying to come off Lyrica. Long story there, but the upshot is I had to go back to 100mg twice a day, and get my neuro to prescribe 25mg capsules so I can do a very gradual taper.

Well, after 3 days back on the normal dose I've felt only marginally better. Some of the nausea and agitation is gone, but I still feel woozy headed (but I also have vertigo), slightly nauseated, very tired, which feels not quite the same as MS-tired, and I long to lie down and rest my head constantly. But the worrisome part is that for the past couple of weeks I've had growing shortness of breath. Sometimes I find myself sort of panting for little reason. If I really exert, I get really out of breath. I sometimes drag myself up the stairs.

Today I saw my PCP about all this. Not surprisingly, he was most concerned and wanted to rule out serious stuff right away. He did blood work, and sent me for an immediate CT angiogram of the chest. That was to see if I'm throwing small embolisms in my lungs. I had to sit there a long time while the radiologist finished and I got the all clear. If it hadn't been clear, I'd be in the ER now.

My PCP also ordered a nuclear stress test, which I'm now arranging. This is the treadmill thing, I believe. He said what we've been hearing a lot about lately, that women present differently from men when it comes to heart problems. So this is to see if I have coronary artery disease. That stays on my radar screen permanently, as my father died of a heart attack at 64, and one of my brothers died at 53. Both grandfathers died of strokes, one at 37, and another of my brothers had a mild stroke in his late 60s. So cardiovascular stuff is huge in my family. Thus far it's all been male, but that's no guarantee in terms of me.

So Meg, you don't mess with shortness of breath! For me it's really complicated because of my other symptoms, and my PCP is just getting the serious possibilities out of the way. I don't know what he'll conclude if everything is okay. And of course the blood results, which will come in tomorrow, could show something.

There are a lot of MS symptoms, as we all know, but to the best of my knowledge shortness of breath isn't one of them.

Sorry to go on so long, but I had to explain why this is complicated for me. For you, I urge you to see your PCP asap. If you begin to feel really bad, go to the ER, and worry about insurance later.

ess