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Vocal cord dysfunction

I am at the end of my rope!!!  For the past year or so I have been treated for asthma, diagnosed in 1998.  No problems with that and on no meds until this year.  By June I had been tried on just about all asthma medicines, my doctor tried everything.  In June I was no longer able to work (my job is very strenuous).  Finally after being maintained on theophylline, Zopenex 2 puffs twice a day, Pulmicort, Intal and cough medicines my doctor had me see a pulmonologist, he only spent a few minutes with me and said my chest x-ray was clear, my chest sounded clear and he saw no obstructions and that was it.  I left there furious.  I have been worked up from CT of sinuses, neck, chest, chest x-ray, full PFT, and all are normal.  This pulmonologist concurs that I have asthma according to one of the PFT's.  No improvement so I saw another pulmonologist and he walked in the room, didn't touch me, and the first words out of his mouth were "I think I know what's going on with you... Paradoxycal dysfunctional vocal cords."  OK I thought, because the asthma thing wasn't consistent with my symptoms.  We discussed it and he wanted me to bring in something that would trigger my symptoms but I couldn't.  My symptoms being; sob on exertion, CONSTANT feeling of air hunger, being around cig smoke or someone who had been smoking takes my breath away and burns my throat, constant feeling of fatigue, only a few attacks whereby I almost passed out, at times I would get sob just watching tv, my voice has been hoarse for 7 months, chronic cough; dry, raspy at times, sounds like a smoker's cough.  Clearing my throat a lot.  Not really wheezing, but when lying down I notice a whistling noise when breathing through my mouth, not all the time.  The more I talk, the worse my voice gets and the more my throat burns and hurts, then I start coughing.  Sometimes I would be so sob just walking across the room.  This whole time I have felt like I was breathing from the top of my lungs, that air was only exchanging in my upper chest.  When this pulmonologist discussed this with me I asked him if, in his opinion, does he think I actually have asthma and he said maybe but that could be an underlying issue.  So I asked him about taking all those meds and he told me to stop all of them.  Three days after stopping the meds I started going downhill feeling extreme fatigue (I assumed my body was reacting to not being on the bronchodilators anymore) and some sob.  This lasted two weeks and I just started feeling better this past week and felt like my breathing was more normal than it had been in a long time.  The pulmonologist had me see an ENT.  Upon his exam he stated my vocal cords were "thick" and he told me to stop clearing my throat which is extremely difficult if I feel I have phlegm there, but I try.  He gave me Tessalon for cough and had me take Mucinex DM, which seems to help with the mucous.  When I told him I felt better he and my primary doctor decided I had to go back to work.  I worked one day and had to call in the next two.  The day after I went back to work, after I woke up, I started coughing and was feeling extremely poor again.  I will probably lose my job over this because the doctors seem to think that just because the tests are all normal, there is nothing wrong with me.  The ENT put me on a waiting list to see a speech pathologist.  The stress is getting to me and I am still not getting any answers.  I need some answers now, I can't wait until they finally get me in to see a speech pathologist probably next year sometime, to start feeling better.  These doctors really have no clue how I am truly feeling and what I can tolerate.  I have spent hours on the internet researching vocal cord dysfunctions and believe me, I am convinced this is my problem, my symptoms are consistent with all I have read.  I have to question how experienced any doctors are in Indiana with VCD.  The ENT just kinda shrugged his shoulders and never gave me a straight answer if that was the problem or not.  Words can't describe my frustration.  I really don't know where to turn to next. I just need some advise on what to do next, I am spinning my wheels, but I am limited with doctors because of my HMO insurance.  The doctors I have seen so far ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME when I tell them about my limitations.  I live alone and can't afford to lose my job.
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Avatar universal
No exposure to mold, the apts that I live in are new and very dry.  I have tried to think of things that I am allergic to (one of them being molds) and still can't figure it out.  I even wear a mask when dusting.
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Avatar universal
any exposure to mold?
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