Hi guys,
So I think my health situation is finally getting clearer. It's taken a long time though! I was in the ER on Tuesday (I'm in the States), and was diagnosed with a sinus infection and bronchitis. I was really lucky in that the ER doctor took time to talk to my new pulmonologist.
Anyways, this is kind of crazy, but I've finally been properly diagnosed. I have this congenital heart defect called a vascular ring. Basically it is a differential diagnosis to asthma. Doctors who have heard of it say ""Oh yes....rings, slings, and other things."" Or other things that are really rare that aren't asthma. Anyways...both my esophagus and trachea are compressed by major blood vessels going around my heart.
So they said that the compressed esophagus is causing me to breathe food and other foreign material into my airway and causing bronchitis (and that I was working on pneumonia). And then my trachea is narrower than it should be, so it makes it harder for me to cough up stuff and also makes me wheeze.
So I spoke to the cardiologist on Wednesday and I will be having heart surgery sometime in January to correct the vascular ring so that my trachea and esophagus have more room, and so I can eat and breathe easier.
Which leads me to one question....reading up on bronchitis (I don't know I always thought I had an asthma flare), but I have the symptoms for bronchitis. And then I realized that I actually have the symptoms for chronic bronchitis....I have had a productive cough for forever.
Does anyone else here have chronic bronchitis or know much about if it is treated differently than asthma?
They did tell me on Wed. that my rescue inhaler should help because the infection was causing my airways to constrict, but it is highly unlikely that I have asthma (or if I do that it's as bad as it seems).
Bee