31 with hyperinflted lungs

Hello all! I find myself here as a former smoker who quit and used electronic cigarettes for a few years I started to find myself getting really out of breath gasping for air at times thinking it was just anxiety and panic attacks, I put it off seeing a doctor thinking it would be something sinister, but find myself there. So Dr orders x ray and the report says hyperinflation and that's all , I'm worried and don't know what to do I've lost a lot of weight and have no appetite I'm fearing I'm late stage copd or emphysema. The Dr I saw is an internist and not a lung Dr so I am at my witts end! Someone shed some insight or experience as I am lost I feel the end is near.

[Beemerflymaker]

Hi

In brief

I got out out of breath 16 months ago

But it wasn't diagnosed properly

I was told I had copd and Asma

Was given 3 different inhalers

Steroids

Nothing worked

Finally X-ray & MRI found trivial emphysema

Was told by specialist I don't have copd & I don't have asthma

I am not on any medication now

Please get an x ray as this will put you on the correct road to a proper diagnosis or speak to a different GP

Good luck

Gary

[Hidden in reply to Beemerflymaker]

Thanks for the response, I guess the x ray I took is not going to be enough , I believe the Dr will send me along my way to another gp she thought I had pneumonia that's when the x ray came back no pneumonia, but tested positive for walking pneumonia And I'm just on an antiobiotic . How are you coping with no medicine working and the out of breath?

[Beemerflymaker in reply to Hidden]

Hi there

Ye! Walking pneumonia was what I had

As for the breathlessness it has got slightly worse but then it's all down to smoking But I like it too much to give up

I was supposed to have an annual check up but nothing heard ?

Please don't give up with the doctors if you keep going back you'll eventually get the help you deserve

Good luck

Gary

[flo1]

You need to be referred to a Specialist immediately! I have no idea why the Doc is not referring you?? If you are not getting a referral off him, her ask for another Doctor..he is not doing his job correctly. Hyperinflation is associated with emphysema its serious and you are describing a lot of symptoms associated with severe lung disease please get that referral. Can I ask how old you are?

[Hidden in reply to flo1]

Hi flo1! I make 31 end of this month. I was seeing an internist because of the weight loss and lack of appetite. I was thinking it was thyroid or not bouncing back after a bad bout of diverticulitis of the colon,I didn't mention much of breathing thinking it was anxiety, she drew labs to check every absolutely everything , when she got the results my HGB was elevated slightly and mentioned because of my smoking, I went for follow up to draw more labs at this time I mentioned more about being out of breath and immediately sent for x ray , I got the results of the x ray she mentioned folks with asthma have the finding of hyperinflation but I tested positive for walking pneumonia which I'm on antibiotics for. I immediately looked up hyperinflation and know now its not good , I believe when I have the appt beginning of October she will refer me to pulmonologist, I guess fear has paralyzed me

[tamariki]

I was told there are two types of effects COPD has on my chest.

pathlabmed.typepad.com/surg...

[2greys in reply to tamariki]

A pretty clear explanation of why, more noticeably my arms, often have a lobster colour or look like I have sunburn. Thank you.

[2greys]

As flo1 has posted, "You need to be referred to a Specialist immediately!".

If you smoke, quit NOW, quitting is THE single most effective way to slow the progression of COPD, if you have it. A diagnosis of COPD cannot be made from a simple Xray. There is an underlying reason for developing hyperinflation and it needs to be investigated, it COULD be Emphysema, or something else, only a specialist will be able to tell.

31 is very young to develop COPD/Emphysema, but there is a genetic cause for this, you need to be tested for "Alpha-1- Antitrypsen deficiency", if you have children, so do they.

If you are diagnosed then do not panic about it. With the correct management you can still live a reasonably normal life for many years to come. If you do get a diagnosis of COPD/Emphysema do come back here for all the best advice on how best to manage this disease. I have severe emphysema and I am still working full-time and still do most of the normal things in life albeit a little slower than I used to, but then I will shortly be 67, so I am not complaining.

[Hidden]

Thanks for the replies , I know until I get to a lung Dr that I won't be in the right place I have a lot of worries ! Sometimes I feel like laying down and not getting up ,to see how frail and weak i look, I don't recognize myself. I've used the excuse of having GI issues which I have and antibiotics for my weight loss until I researched copd and what it does to you,