Cyrus
18-10-19, 05:39
Basically here's what's happened. I'm 21 years old, generally quite healthy male (besides mild seasonal allergies) with no family or personal history of asthma. However, I do have significant family history of bad acid reflux - my Mom, sister, and Aunt all have it, and so do I. My reflux generally manifests as a burning feeling in the throat, regurgitation, burping, and a feeling like I can't get a good deep breath in. It's usually worst at night.
A few months ago I had a cough that lingered for over a month with no other symptoms, besides some phlegm. My GP randomly suggested I get a complete PFT to check if I had asthma. Went in, did the test, and apparently it showed that I had (according to my GP) "slight asthma". He gave me albuterol and basically no more information. A few days later (without using the albuterol at all), the cough was completely gone.
So, I saw a pulmonologist, as I'm a bit baffled in regards to the diagnosis, as I've never been remotely asthmatic in my life - my parents couldn't even believe it. I've had shortness of breath from anxiety, but that's about it. Pulmonologist thought I probably just had a case of bronchitis, which would account for the "slight" abnormalities on my PFT. He orders another Complete PFT w/bronchodilator, and this time my results are almost completely normal - the only thing that seemed off to him was my Residual Volume, which was apparently at 156%, whereas the normal "limit" for it is estimated to be around 120% (however, he did say this isn't fully agreed on and suspects it's possible that for me, it's just a normal variant). Pulmonologist says he really doubts I have asthma, but it's not impossible because of the RV reading, so keep my Albuterol around just in case. Didn't think a methacholine test was a great idea, as in his experience it produces a lot of false positives.
Fast forward to about a week later. I notice when I exhale a certain way through my mouth, I can hear a wheeze that seems to come from my throat (don't feel it in chest at all). I'll do my best to explain. Basically, when I open my mouth and exhale a bit forcefully, I can hear a clear whistling noise - usually louder when I'm standing, a bit harder to do when I'm sitting. When I take a deep breath and then exhale, I don't hear it at all. When I breathe normally, I don't hear it at all. Nothing seems to make it worse (even fairly intense exercise, I feel great after) except for when my acid reflux/LPR is flaring up (like after eating hot wings), in that case it's more noticeable/louder when I do it, but still only when I exhale in that weird, awkward way to hear it. Here's the thing though - if I take a puff of Albuterol, I can barely make the sound at all, no matter how hard I try. I usually can still hear it a bit though. Does this sound like an asthma symptom? Also, if it was an asthma wheeze, wouldn't I also hear it through my nose? I can't make the noise at all no matter how I breathe through my nose. I'm assuming it is something to due with the combination of the awkward way I exhale through my mouth as well as the acid reflux/LPR. But if that's the case, would albuterol really diminish it so much? Also, does anyone know if bad LPR can lower your Peak Flow?
Like I said, I can make myself do this stupid wheeze just about constantly, and I've started to worry it means that not only do I really have asthma, but it's severely out of control or something. I just don't know much about asthma. Does this sound like a symptom of it? Thanks so much.
A few months ago I had a cough that lingered for over a month with no other symptoms, besides some phlegm. My GP randomly suggested I get a complete PFT to check if I had asthma. Went in, did the test, and apparently it showed that I had (according to my GP) "slight asthma". He gave me albuterol and basically no more information. A few days later (without using the albuterol at all), the cough was completely gone.
So, I saw a pulmonologist, as I'm a bit baffled in regards to the diagnosis, as I've never been remotely asthmatic in my life - my parents couldn't even believe it. I've had shortness of breath from anxiety, but that's about it. Pulmonologist thought I probably just had a case of bronchitis, which would account for the "slight" abnormalities on my PFT. He orders another Complete PFT w/bronchodilator, and this time my results are almost completely normal - the only thing that seemed off to him was my Residual Volume, which was apparently at 156%, whereas the normal "limit" for it is estimated to be around 120% (however, he did say this isn't fully agreed on and suspects it's possible that for me, it's just a normal variant). Pulmonologist says he really doubts I have asthma, but it's not impossible because of the RV reading, so keep my Albuterol around just in case. Didn't think a methacholine test was a great idea, as in his experience it produces a lot of false positives.
Fast forward to about a week later. I notice when I exhale a certain way through my mouth, I can hear a wheeze that seems to come from my throat (don't feel it in chest at all). I'll do my best to explain. Basically, when I open my mouth and exhale a bit forcefully, I can hear a clear whistling noise - usually louder when I'm standing, a bit harder to do when I'm sitting. When I take a deep breath and then exhale, I don't hear it at all. When I breathe normally, I don't hear it at all. Nothing seems to make it worse (even fairly intense exercise, I feel great after) except for when my acid reflux/LPR is flaring up (like after eating hot wings), in that case it's more noticeable/louder when I do it, but still only when I exhale in that weird, awkward way to hear it. Here's the thing though - if I take a puff of Albuterol, I can barely make the sound at all, no matter how hard I try. I usually can still hear it a bit though. Does this sound like an asthma symptom? Also, if it was an asthma wheeze, wouldn't I also hear it through my nose? I can't make the noise at all no matter how I breathe through my nose. I'm assuming it is something to due with the combination of the awkward way I exhale through my mouth as well as the acid reflux/LPR. But if that's the case, would albuterol really diminish it so much? Also, does anyone know if bad LPR can lower your Peak Flow?
Like I said, I can make myself do this stupid wheeze just about constantly, and I've started to worry it means that not only do I really have asthma, but it's severely out of control or something. I just don't know much about asthma. Does this sound like a symptom of it? Thanks so much.