Getting desperate, breathing difficulties 24/7

[HackmanSlim]

Ok thought i would post in the medical help section.

For the last 3 weeks, i have been suffering with breathing difficulties, i do suffer with ashtma so i thought it was that, just a little info to help fault find

 

1. the inahlers are doing zilch

2.My peak flow readings are extremely good, someitmes ebbing on to 675 !!!

3. my lungs have been checked with a stethoscope, and they have no rattle or wheeze on them!

4. problem only seems to occur on the left lung, near the top of it.

 

so that's about everything, so the actions of my doctor somewhat depressed me, because i have a track record with anxiety and panic attacks, he has decided to pin it on that, and he has decided to do nothing with no further investigation. So that was 2 weeks ago, and a week later, i decided enough was enough, i am demanding a second opinion, but my community matron has insisted that i speak to him in person before i make that choice. well i really wanted to go ahead with second opinion, but meh, ok i will talk to him.

 

Anyway so that's going to happen, but i feel a little isolated and alone on this, have you , or anyone you know, had similar problems to this ? I am kinda thinking i might be allergic to something, maybe pollen or something, hence why i think it needs further investigation, i strongly believe that there should be some form of quality of life, i mean come on, breathing should be comfortable, if i am not suffering with ashtma, if there is something seriously wrong, then obviosuly i will accept that i have a long term problem, and no longer whinge or complain. But i have the right to know what it is.

 

But yea, just reaching out to see if anyone else has these kinda breathing problems

Sorry for the rant, look forward to your replies

 

Slim

[Diddy]

Ok thought i would post in the medical help section.
For the last 3 weeks, i have been suffering with breathing difficulties, i do suffer with ashtma so i thought it was that, just a little info to help fault find
 
1. the inahlers are doing zilch
2.My peak flow readings are extremely good, someitmes ebbing on to 675 !!!
3. my lungs have been checked with a stethoscope, and they have no rattle or wheeze on them!
4. problem only seems to occur on the left lung, near the top of it.
 
so that's about everything, so the actions of my doctor somewhat depressed me, because i have a track record with anxiety and panic attacks, he has decided to pin it on that, and he has decided to do nothing with no further investigation. So that was 2 weeks ago, and a week later, i decided enough was enough, i am demanding a second opinion, but my community matron has insisted that i speak to him in person before i make that choice. well i really wanted to go ahead with second opinion, but meh, ok i will talk to him.
 
Anyway so that's going to happen, but i feel a little isolated and alone on this, have you , or anyone you know, had similar problems to this ? I am kinda thinking i might be allergic to something, maybe pollen or something, hence why i think it needs further investigation, i strongly believe that there should be some form of quality of life, i mean come on, breathing should be comfortable, if i am not suffering with ashtma, if there is something seriously wrong, then obviosuly i will accept that i have a long term problem, and no longer whinge or complain. But i have the right to know what it is.
 
But yea, just reaching out to see if anyone else has these kinda breathing problems [emoji4]

Sorry for the rant, look forward to your replies
 
Slim [emoji4]

My brother had fairly bad asthma as a kid. Fresh air in the countryside actually helped his (which is not normal apparently) but he went from having to stay indoors to being asthma free by the time he was in his late teens. I know its a long shot but might be worth a try.
As for second opinions I was under the impression that anyone could ask for a second opinion but I think it's courtesy to let the origional doctor know that you are doing so. But I don't think it's law/mandatory.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk

[daz2905]

You have my sympathies for your situation mate. My dad has serious lung problems and has been diagnosed as terminally ill. He has Fibrosis of the lungs, COPD, asbestos's and lung cancer.

He has been seeking treatment or at least a diagnosis for over a year until i finally got him to go private at the end of last year. We got the diagnosis but there's not too much they can do for him now, just pisses me off that they messed about for a year dragging him here and there for tests when they could have been treating him.

The NHS is a joke, your doing the right thing in fighting for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Fight it all the way and kick up a fuss, if you don't they'll doing nothing and you'll be left to suffer.

My Dad's situation is different to yours, he's 72 and having spoken to other people it seems that they really don't give a shit for people of that age and will just treat the cheapest symptom. 

I've not seen you post here for a while. Are you still on the oxygen? Did you get the weight under control? I really hope you get your health problems under control, and that when you do you can tackle the other issues and get on with life in a way we all take for granted.

[ktv303]

sorry to here about this mate, 

if you think it might be a reaction to something then have a think about any possible changes youve made recently, have you started eating something new or changed your soaps etc it might just be the tiniest thing thats causing it. plus you can also become allergic to things youve used for years, have a think about when its worse, what did you do eat the day before etc, its all just trial and error mate but thats all the doc will do to find out whats causing it if its not an illness.

also are you still sucking the balls off your vape? i know theyre healthier than ciggies but theyre not healthier than nothing at all. ans=d due to the lack of your throat closing with the heat the amount you suck in is way more than what you would do with a normal smoke, that must have an effect on your lungs surely. 

i was having 3 or 4 chest infections a year, ended up in hospital a few times as they where just getting worse and worse, until i stopped smoking 2 years ago, havent had a single one since (touch wood)

its fookin murder to give up tho mate, im very very lucky im not in prison, i shit you not lol

hope you find out the cause soon mate and get yourself back to normal

[HackmanSlim]

Thanks for all your replies, it really means so much to me

 

Ok @Diddy

Yes ashtma i do suffer with , but not sure if i mentioned in my post, but according to the community matron that gave me the assesment, ashtma is not the problem, and another problem is, i am also housebound with agoraphobia  so getting outside to the country is a big problem for me, but it's a good suggestion, and i think it would work, if only i could get over this bloody agoraphobia!

 

Also about the second opinion, sorry my post made it look like  i wasnt entitled to one, sorry about that, yes by law you are always going to be entitled to a second opinion, i was just trying to say i wanted to avoid my primary doctor , coz i was fed up with being stereotyped with anxiety hehe.

Thanks for the input pal, i will hold on to the country air idea, i think that could work out when i get over my other problems  thanks

 

and @daz2905

 

Thankyou for the sympathies dude, posts like these are very uplifting, i've just woke up and feel pretty good , the problem with me , the breathing seems to manifest as the day goes by, might be a clue, not sure. Sorry to hear about your dad daz  those are some serious things to be dealing with, and if you ever want to talk , i am always gonna be here, i know how you feel buddy ,when my dad became terminally ill, it's not a nice situation to be in  but i vouch for everyone here at datashack, we are here for ya <3  Right ok i dont think my probelm is lung cancer, you kinda feel that when you contract it (or i might be wrong) you know, when you can feel somekinda foreign object there, yoy know something aint right, for me it's like a biistery feeling (very hard to describe) and my lung feels very shallow on the left side. Weak would be best to describe it,and makes it very uncomfortable to breathe. As for going private, i will do that if i am not happy with the second opinion, what my case was with the matron, Ok so if it was stress and anxiety, why does it always occur with my left lung ? Ok so anxiety  is wise and now picks an area to focus at ? I think not.  Also, where i am trapped in the stereo typical bracjet of anxiety and mental health. my doctor seems to brush everything else off, and not pursue a solution for my problems, he never has. No offence to the dude, but i think that is pathetic and lazy, I will tell you one thing, i went through a bad bout of panic attacks once (which i still suffer with, but not as regular as they were) and i spoke to my dr, told him everything, i was in a really bad state, even when i was speaking with him, and you know what he did ? FOOK ALL !!! i laugh now, coz that's pretty funny, but i wasn't at the time lol 

So feeling very lost and desperate, i rang the surgery back , and asked for anothter doctor to speak too, and that one actually prescribed me some very effective medicine. which was short term, which i understand, coz it gave me enough time to get back into the right frame of mind and deal with it, whilst not suffering. So you can see where i am going with this doctor of mine  So when when the matron relayed what what he said about my case to me, i was like, so what's he goign to do ? And she went silent, and said well he didn't say anything, and i thought HERE WE BLOODY GO AGAIN !!!

Also I think it's terrible that when people reach a certain age, they get written off  Now i do believe in euthanasia, but if you want to talk about that maybe we should start another thread. But when something can be done, and they don't do it, then that is unforgivable, i feel ya daz

 

Yea haven't posted in a while,and as a moderator, i feel that is not good, and i apologise for that, but rest assured, i check in every day multiple times, and if i do see anything anything wrong, or against datashack TOS , then i will correct, no probs, there's been a couple of times hehe

Am off the oxygen now pal, have been for maybe 1 year, maybe more, it's been  a while, and i have a terrible memory, yea so how that turned that out, they came back to me 6 months later and measured my oxygen levels. and they were a lot more better then before .but still needed some work, after a whole year when i was admitted to hospital, my oxygen levels were spot on. so they thought it would be best to take me off the oxygen machine, as too much oxygen can be quite deadly. so i agreed, and they took the oxygen machine away.however my oxygen levels at night were still dropping. probably to 92 percent ,which while sounds good, is still pretty low.  They actually  never got the levels right when it came to the sleeping side of things, and eventually we gave up with the levels being about 94. They really wanted them to be spot on , but when it came to my case, it just wasn't possible. So the team that were dealing with me, agreed with me, we both agreed that , that was good as it was gonna get, it seems i can live with that. so no probs. btw my cpap machine is on 17 percent, or whatever measurement it is, which is high, but not dangerous, the nurse on the phone said," if you feel any chest pains, whilst on this setting,then you are to get hold of us" i was like WTF, are you serious lol, so i challenged her, i was like, wwell do i contact you straight away. or wait the next day, and she re assured me that it wouldn't happen ....I was like well, why mention it then lol. 

 

Currently my weight is 23 stone down from 28, but sadly i have hit a plateu, and my health specialist who used t come out and see me, can't come out no more, due to being really busy in the office. that's a bummer that is, coz that really helped, i am thinking if i dont put any more on, i should be ok. but i really need to shed some more pounds. See the weight could be the problem, but the weird thing is, i was great for ages whilst i was losing the weight, hmmm odd. 

 

Yes a lot of people take health for granted,but thankfully the people that do, still have concern and care for the people that suffer (well some of em lol) Also I am sure things will get sorted out, i think me wanting this second opinion and expressing my disgust at my doctor, could be the key for things changing

 

@ktv303

Hey buddy , thanks for the reply, good to hear from you again

Hmmm possible changes, nah can't think of anything m8, still eating my slimming world meals, i drink water where i can, to help me detox, but i do enjoy a nice bottle of fizzy drink (pepsi max cherry to be precise) and maybe some fanta (love that stuff0 but i drink more water then i do fizzy drink. Also thinking of getting some kinda filtration system, so eventually i will drink nothing but water, coz i hear those filtration systems make the water taste lovely. Also i take some plant based remedies for well being and stuff, but was taking that well before any of this happened. I do think it might be some kinda allergic reaction though, i am thinking maybe something like pollen,which might enquire about,when i speak to the other doctor, it's funny someone else actually mentioned that i should try something like benodryl ? not heard of it tbh, but they said it's good for ailmetns like mine, will probably give it a try, i have nothing to lose. Also i don't know if i mentioned this in my previous post, but i i actually bought a HEPA based air purifier, i thought why not, it might work, initially things were good and my breathing felt good, the second day, and BAM, breathless and all fooked up again, was a major blow for me  Haven't vaped in ages m8, i am too scared too.it's probably been a good year since i vaped, i probably wont ever again either, it's just not for me. I heard that if you buy low quality e liquid, it can cause something called popcorn lung, never heard of it myself, and i dont know if it has permanent effects, maybe something i can mention when i speak to the doctor next.

Glad you have stopped smoking ktv  i do worry about people that smoke, but i will never interfere in something of what they do. but stopping is great, well done  Thanks for the input buddy, it means so much to me

 

Ok so that about somes it up. but whilst i was typing all that out, i did have a phone call from community matron, she has let me know that they will become out to do a spirometry test, they told me it's a test that monitors for certain lung conditions. for example , COPD.

I personally believe i will pass this test, but you never know, there might be a problem, but this is a good place to start, fingers crossed

 

Will post back as soon as i know what the hell is going on!
 

Thankyou for the concern everyone 

 

Slim

[Fon]

It's a long shot but try to find some honey that's been made as close to where you live as possible. 

 

Hope you get better soon

 

Fon 

[HackmanSlim]

Ok Fon, am opening to anything at the moment, so the honey will be promptly ordered, but can I ask just one question?

 

Why does it have to be close to me ?

 

Just curious m8, thanks for the tip

Slim

[corskey]

I think it's all about countering pollen allergies from local pollen - local bees collect from local flowers and make local honey - almost acts as a natural antihistamine against the pollen that is close by.

....and I think it's better if it's raw honey = unpasteurised

https://draxe.com/the-many-health-benefits-of-raw-honey/

Edited April 21, 2018 by corskey

[Fon]

Aye, apparently local pollen and all that funky stuff

 

Fon

[ktv303]

Hope you get to the bottom of it eventually slim, it'll just be down to trail and error so you'll get there eventually mate.

 

In typical fashion I took a week off work this week and have been dying with the flu since Thursday. Fuckin unbelievable.

 

 

[HackmanSlim]

Ok guys , i did make a post back a couple of days ago, but it got lost in the server upgrade, nay worries.

 

Anyway, i passed all the tests like i thought i would, and my doctor came to the conclusion that i had "medically unexplainable breathlessness" but he said if you are pushing me for a diagnosis, he said it's probably a mixture of anxiety and stress, coupled with your weight. At this point i felt like clockign him one, so i expressed my dismay , and he ran a couple of more checks on me, he asked me if i ever had a tube put down my throat, i said no, but i did have an endoscopy. He said thats not clinical as i like . well the reason he asked me these questios , was because he said did i have any trouble swallowing. I did say yes, i get that a lot, so he took a look at the back of my throat and i could see the concern raise on his face.

 

Anyway to cut a long story short, he has referred me for a chest x ray, and tube down the throat(not sure what that's called) , I thought nothing of it tbh, but today i received a letter from the hospital i have to go to, it seemed a very desperate and urgent letter saying that i migth have something seriously wrong with me, and that they had to rule out the fact that i didnt have cancer , i was thinking at that point,"oooo you really have a wonderful way with words". Soon as i finished reading the latter, my phone rings, it's the bloody hospital, asking if i can make the appointment, i was like, yea, i have to, it's important i spose. (not too keen on going out after being house bound for many many years) so i got some transport arranged , but i am absolutely dreading it.

 

Anyway i showed my mum the letter, and she wasnt too happy with the cancer reference, but tbh i would rather them be honest with me, and in reality how can they know it's cancer without running a thorough examination, but i kinda prefer a no shit answer to this.

 

So there you go, gotta wait just under 2 weeks, then i go outside, FML

 

Shit Scared, i think i am gonna die lol 

 

Slim

[ktv303]

Fuckin hell mate, they do know how to put the wind right up you right enough but just remember these are standard letters they send out, bed side manner went out the window years ago mate so they don't fuck about these days. I totally understand why you're worrying though but try and keep calm mate, it won't be helping you're anxiety and the way I look at these things is what's going to happen is going to happen wether I worry about it or not. Easier said than done of course.
Hope it works out ok for you mate and mind keep us informed.

[Fon]

Keep ya chin up mate. 

 

Best get it looked at then they can either treat it, or rule it out, 

 

Fon

[daz2905]

Mate, i'm so sorry that you're going through this. But at this stage it's just for tests. You're right when you say that they can't know anything just be the examination you've had.

I can imagine that the next few weeks will be hell for you but try not to let it get you down and try not to over think it. Easier said than done, i know. As a family we know the worry it causes and just how long it seems just waiting for the results. At this stage you have a shortness of breath and trouble swallowing, these are just a couple of things that could indicate cancer but there are a lot of other possibilities and other symptoms you don't have.Your doctor has a responsibility to send you for tests and those tests are to rule out cancer and hopefully get a correct diagnosis. Your weight and anxiety are far more likely to be the issue than getting cancer at your age.

Best of luck with this, if i was religious i'd be praying for you but i will be rooting for you and hoping for the best outcome possible and hopefully you'll get whatever treatment you need to make you better.