I figure you guys are smarter than most doctors, so perhaps I can submit my symptoms and see if I can get some opinions. Consider it a sort of a riddle.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve had difficulty breathing and chest pains. Anything more than mild activity causes panting/wheezing. The difficulty breathing is always worst in the morning when I get up; the chest pains creep up later in the day. It rather feels like a continuous bear hug, and sometimes my lungs feel like they’re rumbling or bubbling. Coughing never brings up anything.
-A pulmonary function test says I don’t have asthma. Even though it feels like I’m not getting enough air, my blood oxygen level was at 100% when I spent some time in the ER.
-Chest X-Ray, EKG, and CT scan turned up normal. All blood tests turned up normal, though one was “slightly elevated”, hence the CT which turned up normal.
-I had a previous episode in March, in the middle of Wisconsin. I believe it was triggered then by very, very cold dry air. This time it may have been triggered by very, very hot dry air (mountain climate).
-Other possible triggers include two cats (with which I have had no problems for three years previous), and mold in the basement, which my mother killed with some sort of horrible chemical. I consider the horrible chemical the likliest trigger, though I was having trouble before that.
-I was prescribed an Albuterol inhalor. I rarely use it, because it makes me feel bad, but when I do it doesn’t always make me feel better. I’m not certain if this is because of my lack of a “spacer” (which I believe is really just a way for pharmaceutical companies to part me from my money), though I have been told is “absolutely necessary” in order for me to get the “right proportion of medicine and air” into my lungs.
-Other than my lungs, I am young and healthy, though admittedly sedentary. It’s too damn hot to go outside…
So, anyone got ideas?
Oh, and this is my first post. Hi!