Shortness if breath

[Blueyz76]

I have been dealing with shortness of breath for a few months now. So far i have had a chest x-ray, blood work and spirometry test. The x-rays and blood work came back good, just waiting on the last test. Anyone have these same tests and have normal results or get any other answers from your doctor?

[Kristicats]

You are very lucky to get a spirometry test at the moment hope the result of that are ok. It usually shows whether everything is ok or either Asthma or COPD.🤞

[Blueyz76 in reply to Kristicats]

We have fewer cases here and some restrictions have been lifted. Thank you for your response, I hope to here back soon and hopefully get some answers

[Bunny_Ears]

I have been having shortness of breath for just over a year, on and off. My latest spell has been going on for nearly a month. I have had an X-ray, ECG and blood test done, apparently, all normal. I was putting my hopes on the consultant appointment in May to get some answers (was due to have a CT scan to compare with an older one), but that was cancelled due to the pandemic. I am also waiting for an ENT appointment to see if it might be reflux (but that will probably be a long wait thanks to the current situation). Taking salbutamol seems to have little effect, and I know my anxiety and stress levels are partly to blame, but it might be a mix of several factors, and maybe my bronchiectasis is acting up, too. I do hope you get your answers, and if you don't mind me asking - how did you manage to get a spirometry test done? I thought that sort of procedures were cancelled for safety reasons due to coronavirus?

[Blueyz76 in reply to Bunny_Ears]

Wow so sorry you have been going through this for almost a year. Im at the beginning of the process trying to rule other diagnoses out. I am in Maine and they have loosened some of the restrictions here not to mention our cases are low compared to some states. I believe that is why I was able to get the test done. I hope you get some answers too

[NYNY in reply to Blueyz76]

Sorry to hear about your SOB issues. I too suffer from this and have done a lot of testing prior to COVID. First got with cardiology and had a heart scan done. showed I had some calcification in the arteries and they of course recommended statins which I have had started and stopped so many times due to side effects, so went the Vegan way since January 2018. Then needed to take B12 supplements cause started having a lot of burning pain issues in upper legs. Found I was low in June 2018. Also found out my thyroid was off as well (subclinical hypothyroidism) so they started me on meds for that and had to stop 6 months later due to extreme bone pain from Synthroid medication. Basically I keep going from normal to subclinical since. I think it's because I do not use table salt at all on my food now for nearly 8 years. Told BP was elevated and to limit using salt. So I don't use any and whatever packaged or canned product have is what I get. I am now adding some iodinized to my food. Anyhow getting off the subject. My LDL has come down but not as far as heart doc wants. He wants me under 100 and I am at 146. So around December 2018 started battling with SOB. Thought it was allergies as we have Mountain Cedar here and it is horrible. So the season ends in February. In January 2019 ER visit as my heart started racing while sitting in my chair after taking some Mucinex to clear my lungs. Was told I had a reaction to medication used this stuff for over 10 years and never had any issues, so now I do not use. Then 3 months later couldn't get air in but O2 oximeter showed 95. Was told by ER that my years of smoking were the cause. Sent home with steroids and a nebulizer and it helped but still had SOB. Off to PCM and referred back to cardiology and they did a stress test and echocardiogram. Passed the latter and flunked the former. Sent off to have heart catherizations. No intervention's as blockage was less 50%. Told I had diastolic dysfunction and it was mild and was causing the SOB. Went back to PCM and he started me on a Diuretic. Didn't help with SOB. Was also told to take a high intensity statin but still have a lot of muscle pain from that and haven't been able to tolerate and not taking the statin. So started diuretic in October and November 2019 went into RVR AFIB. That was scary. Now taking Beta blocker, blood thinner, and diuretic and PPI cause my gut is a wreck from the medication. This year hasn't been better. Met with allergist and supposely no allergies. Met with Pulmonologist and did Spiro test and lung capacity FEV1 88%. Did a sleep study test and no Obstructive Apnea. Do have shallow breathing and cause could be Beta Blocker or subclinical hypothyroidism causing Bradycardia. Still have SOB, and had chest CT Scans and no issues there. So truly hope they can determine what is causing your SOB as I still have mine and the Diastolic Dysfunction I had in September 2019 diagnosed from Heart Cath's shows it is gone per the latest Echocardiogram done in November 2019. Somehow it corrected itself. Probably when I went into AFIB???

[Blueyz76 in reply to NYNY]

Wow!! I see you wrote this 3 months ago but I'm just reading this now. You have been through a lot. I hope you are feeling better. Im still having the same issues. As written in my previous message I had chest x-rays, blood work done, spirometry test and just recently stress test. Still no concrete answers. My most recent visit with my doctor she thinks I have anxiety but I'm not convinced. I may have anxiety because I can breath half the time but I still think there is some underlying issue. She did put me on prednisone for 5 days and prescribed an anxiety med as well. I can say it was.the best I felt since it all started. After stopping the prednisone and continuing the anxiety medication the shortness of breath is continuing but not as severe and less frequent. Although my stress test results were good I had to stop because I couldn't breath. We had our first small snow storm yesterday and I went out to shovel this morning and didn't last 5 minutes. It was about 5 inches of light fluffy snow and I barely had to lift the shovel. After going back in and sitting it got better but then I had a little bit of a cough for about 20 minutes off and on. I cant seen to even exercise anymore. Im not that out of shape I used to be able to run on my treadmill and do my normal exercise routines with no problem but not anymore. I will again go back to the doctor and ask for more tests

[NYNY in reply to Blueyz76]

Thanks for the reply and hoping you get better. One doctor thought it might be anxiety as well and I guess we all get a little anxious when we can't breathe as well as we feel we should. I am exhausted over trying to figures this out. I have increased my exercise and do daily 1 1/2 mile walks even in the very cold weather. I was diagnosed last year with AFIB and the beta blocker I am on doesn't help with the breathing but I figure just take one day at a time and not try to worry about anything. When it gets tough I just try to relax. Merry Christmas!

[Ergendl]

Can't help with your question, but wishing you all the best with your tests and diagnosis.

[Guy_Incognito]

Hello Blueyz,

I had quite severe shortness of breath a few weeks ago for the first time in my life. It came on really suddenly, almost overnight. My lung function was as low as 22%.

I went onto my rescue pack of antibiotics but it didn't help.

I had an xray, CT scan, bloods, urine and lung function but there was nothing obvious. My consultant suspected a build up of mucus at the bottom of my lungs.

I was given DNAs to break up the mucus, steroids, some different antibiotics and new breathing exercises to do.

The improvement in just a few days was staggering. I'm feeling a LOT better now.

I hope they get to the bottom of it soon, and you feel better.

Good luck