Spirometry test

[sebinkent]

So I had a spirometry test done today with a very nice nurse who told me I had massive lungs! Apparently she has never seen anyone blow out so much air in one puff - I guess thats good news. When I did my peak flow however, the value wasn't as high as she expected although all the results were consistent (I did it six times) and the asthma medication it took half way through hardly made any difference at all. She said I shouldn't worry about asthma but of course being a HA sufferer and being paranoid about my health, I can't help but worry about the slightly low reading on the peak flow. Am I just being paranoid? She hasn't asked me to come back and do the test again. Has anyone else been through this?
Thanks..

[pearl79]

my mum had it done a few months ago and she got way below average with hers, when shed finished doing the test she was exhausted!!!! . so she had a ct scan and she just has alot of scarring in her lungs from years of chest infections and severe asthma x she fine tho :) so i wouldnt worry about yours...

[nomorepanic]

Yup I don't blow especially well on the peak flow but my lungs are excellent - like an athlete's she told me lol

[sebinkent]

Thanks for the replies. :)

[Danii]

I actually was told I had asthma my entire life (I'm 24) and recently had a methacholine challenge test. In short they basically have you inhale more and more amounts of a chemical that will cause a drop in your lung function if you have asthma. It ended up I do not have asthma, my lung function was 120% of what it should be the entire test, so I, like you, have great lungs.

This is the part that might put your mind at ease more. At the end of the test they give you an albuterol treatment (its mandatory, even if you dont have asthma) then they test your lungs one last time to make sure they're okay, and mine improved after the albuterol. My DR said its super common, albuterol would make most people breathe better because thats just the kind of medication it is. So if you didnt even have a difference after the albuterol I'd say you should be smiling from ear to ear.

[sebinkent]

Thanks Danii,

I guess I'm worrying too much as usual. The asthma med that I inhaled really only made a tiny improvement, like 1.5% and the nurse said if I had asthma the improvement would be more like 15 %. My doctor will go through the results with me on Tuesday..

Thanks again.

[Gcholer]

Hi,
I too had a lung volume of 125% of the expected, having been a runner and a fitness freak nearly all my life. I recently began training for a race outside in Calgary in the late winter (pretty cold and dry and i'm from Wales). During the weeks that I was training, I started to notice that I was having the occasional day where I had some difficulty breathing normally. However, soon afterwards it would subside (maybe two instances where this happened). Then on the 25th of February 2012 (i'll remember this because it was the day my daughter was born), it came back and stayed with me. It feels like my right lung is not working properly, or at least that's how i'm perceiving it.

Spirometry was a bit worrying....

My FEV-1 was 68%... (normal is at least 85% for my age and height) and non-reversible with asthma medication - which points to an obstructive problem. I'm 29 and was in the best shape of my life when this began. I have never smoked, or spent time in heavy industry, or around harmful chemicals.

Obviously i'm hoping it is temporary, and related to the stress of my daughter being born, but I thought i'd just post here and let you know i'm dealing with something similar. I'm taking Advair at the moment twice a day - since Friday.
X-Ray and Specialist are to be booked ASAP. :nonono:

---------- Post added at 14:27 ---------- Previous post was at 14:25 ----------

Also Sebikent what was your 'lower than normal' result? What were your symptoms going into this? What has happened since?