What if the pulmonolgist tells you that you have asthma?
I'd be inclined to believe it, I guess. It just seems kind of weird that I would go 34 years of my life without asthma and then suddenly get it.
I think intrinsic asthma occurs later in life, but I also think it's partly due to a chronic respiratory infection - so I would go see a pulmonologist. In any case, don't they have to do pulmonary function studies to know with 100% certainty?
I had a weird throat/coughing thing while pg and I wrote it off as my esophagus being pushed around by baby since I had bad acid reflux anyway. Not as bad today but I still get weird coughing fits if i'm sitting weird.
My anecdote may be worth shit, but this board would die without anecdotes. I had a huge respiratory go-round last year because I had a chronic and very uncomfortable cough that had started 18m prior and suddenly got worse last February. I went from supposedly having reflux to supposedly having asthma and all of my symptoms fit according to the Googles. Like you, I couldn't figure out how I'd made it to my 30s without ever having been diagnosed as asthmatic.
After a boatload of tests, including an upper endoscopy that showed nothing, I saw a pulmonogist who said he didn't think I had asthma. I gave up all meds and finally decided that I had allergies from hell. I saw an ENT, who gave me a good combination of meds for my bad days.
I did far too much research while trying to sort out what was wrong and discovered that the problem with asthma/allergies/reflux is that the symptoms are so similar that doctors can't necessarily identify one over the other, at least not definitively, and often experiment with various drug combinations, hoping that one works.
All of this is not to say that you have allergies, asthma, or reflux, but that IME, doctors can't necessarily tell you what a cough means, which is frustrating as hell, but not unusual.
My aunt developed asthma in her 40s. But her husband was also a heavy smoker. Like, serious asthma with a nebulizer and medication and all sorts of things. Still not saying you have it, though.
I think intrinsic asthma occurs later in life, but I also think it's partly due to a chronic respiratory infection - so I would go see a pulmonologist. In any case, don't they have to do pulmonary function studies to know with 100% certainty?
Is that one of those things where you blow into the puffer and try to push the dial up as far as it would go. Because I did one of those today and my score was 475. 350 and BELOW is diagnostic of asthma and my doctor said, "Well, that's pretty good, but I still think it's asthma."
I have asthma w/the coughing. I always do well on the peak flows. The PFT's are more indepth computerized breathing tests.
I think that was about the age I was diagnosed with a mild case of asthma. I think it was adult-onset caused by allergies. My doctor put me on Singulair. I now use Zyrtec OTC.
Come to think of it age 35 was when I started to fall apart, so yeah SBP, I believe it.
ETA; I am now remembering how this all started for me. I started to have trouble breathing one very humid, summer day. My chest felt extremely heavy and tight. Ended up going to the ER and one of the tests was a breathing/nebulizer test....cleared it right up for me.
Post by One Girl In All The World on Jul 10, 2012 14:28:01 GMT -5
Sorry if you already said this, but have you been evaluated for allergies? That's a huge trigger for my asthma. And as 2V noted, allergies can crop up anytime as I understand it.
I spent the last 2 days trying to figure out whereTF I'm supossed to do my web designing on the stupid CMS. We finally decide on a place and they all came running to my cube like 30 mins ago making me move my work around when they noticed other pages were being effected. Hellooo!
Every time we talk to our boss (which is 3+ times a day) he gives us a different timeframe for when things are going to change.
Good thing I'm used to bullshit cause they got mountains of it up in here.
I have asthma w/the coughing. I always do well on the peak flows. The PFT's are more indepth computerized breathing tests.
Is this where they make you run or bike while breathing into a machine? They also draw blood.
I had that done with my heart issues after having ZB. Apparently I'm not getting enough oxygen in my blood, which makes me feel like I can't breathe. At least I know I'm not crazy when I start gasping while exercising.
I have asthma w/the coughing. I always do well on the peak flows. The PFT's are more indepth computerized breathing tests.
Is this where they make you run or bike while breathing into a machine? They also draw blood.
I had that done with my heart issues after having ZB. Apparently I'm not getting enough oxygen in my blood, which makes me feel like I can't breathe. At least I know I'm not crazy when I start gasping while exercising.
I never had to do a bike. I just sat in front of a computer and breathed out for a loooooooong time until I thought I would die. It's like a computerized version of the little peak flow things and it suuuucks. I'm pretty sure if I had to do that while on a bike I really would die.
But yeah, I had to do the first little test you described earlier and did okay but they wanted the second one. In the second one, they hook your face up to some stupid machine and and repeat the actions of the little test. Except instead of being done, they give you stuff to inhale and start over. Then they up the dosage.
If you react at some point, congrats, you have asthma. Which I did. I hit level three and suddenly, I was coughing like a mofo and couldn't catch a proper breath. They gave me a breathing treatment and sent me back to the doc.
If it helps, my asthma is hardly an issue at all. I'm supposed to take singular and use a maintenance inhaler once a day but as I rarely have issues, I just keep my emergency inhaler within reach. If I need it more than one or twice every other month or so, I go back to the singular and maintenence inhaler.
I think intrinsic asthma occurs later in life, but I also think it's partly due to a chronic respiratory infection - so I would go see a pulmonologist. In any case, don't they have to do pulmonary function studies to know with 100% certainty?
Is that one of those things where you blow into the puffer and try to push the dial up as far as it would go. Because I did one of those today and my score was 475. 350 and BELOW is diagnostic of asthma and my doctor said, "Well, that's pretty good, but I still think it's asthma."
That's one basic test - incentive spirometry, but usually for ongoing issues they do a series of tests that measure a whole range of things to diagnose it - lung volume, CO2 exchange, etc. I think going to a pulmonologist is the smart thing to do. How long have you had it?
I have nothing nice to say about anyone or anything, really. I feel like shit for letting Jackson play Wii and watch TV most of the day - days like this make me feel like a failure mom. I HATE MYSELF AND WHOEVER MISHANDLED MY FOOD YESTERDAY.
OH! And fuck the UPS driver right in his eye. Why can he not get here before my husband gets home? He won't be home until 5:30, but since he hasn't been here yet, he probably won't be dropping off my package until like 6:30. Which means my husband will be all "what did you buy?" And then when I show it to him, he'll be like "!!!!! $40 on a belt! THAT IS CRAZY!"
We have this whole system worked out where I spend my budget as I please and he doesn't ask what I bought, mostly b/c he is the cheapest bastard on the planet, and it keeps us from arguing as long as my purchase is under my budget - that way he has no idea that I spent say $200 at Nordstrom on a pair of shoes vs. 10 $20 items. But without fail, he is curious about packages and then he's all "ZOMG! YOU SPENT THAT MUCH ON WHAT?!?!"
And then I punch him in the nuts b/c he thinks it's funny to needle me about stupid shit.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
What if the pulmonolgist tells you that you have asthma?
I'd be inclined to believe it, I guess. It just seems kind of weird that I would go 34 years of my life without asthma and then suddenly get it.
I developed asthma suddenly and spontaneously at 28. Never had a problem in my life; went to the doctor for what I assumed was bronchitis, and she dx'ed asthma and I've been on medicine ever since. They are miracle drugs now, btw.
And omg, yes, sometimes I have to control my laughter or I'll start wheezing. Cold, stress, exercise, allergies ... they all set it off.