Help getting a diagnosis

[chopsterz]

I’m currently undergoing testing and have been prescribed a reliever inhaler only.

Because I was experiencing chest pain my gp is investigating potential heart problems and although he has prescribed an inhaler, won’t diagnose asthma or prescribe a preventer inhaler at this time.

I’ve been experiencing tightness, shortness of breath, lightheadedness a dry cough and chest pain. I’m getting to grips with the reliever now and the chest pain has gone and the cough is much reduced. I’m using it between 3-5 times a day. My symptoms are aggravated by pollution, cigarette smoke, aerosols and exercise.

I am certain the chest pain was caused by a tight chest but have heart tests coming up to rule out any issues with my heart. I’ve had a clear ecg. The dr listened to my chest, and couldn’t hear any wheezing and didn’t check my peak flow.

I believe I asthma. I had issues with severe wheezing with exercise as a child and a poor peak flow output but it was dismissed as panic attacks. I was not an anxious child! There is also family history of late dx asthma .

I’m extremely active (play tennis, and triathlete) and have a low heart resting rate and a good lung capacity I’m concerned that my symptoms will be dismissed because of these reasons. I’m now getting on top of my symptoms but without my reliever I feel awful - my chest feels like it’s in a vice, I’ve had coughing fits where I can’t breathe and I’ve felt light headed and absolutely exhausted which I suspect is lack of oxygen I’ve noticed no changes in my heart rate - which I do monitor regularly and during exercise.

So my question is, what tests do I need to request to assess my chest issues and get the help I need with my breathing?

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi. Sorry to hear what you’re going through atm.

In a way it’s a good thing for you doc to be checking out your heart, however I’m surprised he hasn’t sent you for a lung function test (LFT) at the same time, if he prescribed ventolin and it seems to be helping... it’s probably because you used the red flag words ‘chest pain’ 😅 - I’m glad your ECG was good tho (mine usually show tachycardia due to my drugs/asthma attack situation - it drops to normal when I’m well 😅)

Is your GP aware of how much better you’re feeling on the ventolin, or how much your using? If not it’ll be worth letting them know!

With those triggers and the fact everything’s helped by ventolin does suggest there’s a respiratory element... and other than the currently missing wheeze (which you don’t have to have anyway) it does sound like asthma.

D’oh - dodgy diagnosis there... anxiety rarely causes a wheeze and never in the lungs if they heard it there (can be produced from the throat in anxiety/VCD).

If it helps I have a big lung capacity and great best PF for my age/height (I was a national level gymnast as a kid/teen). I can have had false negative LFTs too, cause I was asymptomatic at the time (I am a severe asthmatic, yet when I’m well I’m brilliant!). My advice if you do get a LFT is either make sure your feeling bad, or ask for a repeat if you don’t have symptoms and it shows a negative result.

If you ever get to the point where your reliever doesn’t help the SoB, or you can’t talk/walk/sleep head to a&e - whatever that cause they’ll be happy to check you out.

Work to the wise, too much salbutamol (blue pump) can elevate your HR, and may give you tremors/tachycardia/palpitations. Keep a record of how much you take, esp when you’re having your heart tests so you can let them know.

Good luck and I hope things calm down for you soon (sorry for the essay 😉)

[chopsterz in reply to EmmaF91]

Thank you for the reply! Lots of useful advice. Heart test tomorrow so will avoid using the ventolin tomorrow morning. My heart rate doesn’t seem to be elevating with it but at the least they can see my coughing and gasping for breath while excercising without it!

The gp said that even if the ventolin did help, it didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t my heart. Doesn’t make sense to me - never heard of a heart condition causing a chronic dry cough, and as far as I know ventolin only helps if symptoms are caused by constricted airways!