Any Ideas? | Arthritis Information

Thought I'd see what my RA friends think...

I've been having wheezing, breathing issues for about 6 months. PCP and Pulm doctor a few months back think it's just asthma...(never have had asthma)

Its gotten worse. I try to walk up a hill , steady incline, and breathing is very hard, near the bottom of my throat area starts to feel like somethings in it, or squeezing it, hard to get air in and out. It's squeeky. Lips get tingly. It happens worse when I'm doing something like walking, or get stressed out. But will happen when I'm just doing nothing, sitting etc. My eyes also get blurry during those stressful times or walking fast, then clear up within 15 minutes. (heart issue????)

I am on Methotrexate, and treating Latent TB, so I would think it would be something to worry about but have already seen my PCP and Pulm dr a few months ago. They did an xray in November to check for TB when they found out I had it and said xray looked fine in that regard.

I am having more palpatations than normal. So, should I be assertive in asking for a CT scan to make sure nothings going on and ask for a referral to get a cardiac work up, or am I just over worried?

Thanks,

Klynn,

Were I having the same "trouble" I would be more than assertive. I would already have a diagnosis. But then that's just me. I love living. My opinion, quit messin' around. If pulmonary as ruled out lung function problems, then there is usually only one other organ that causes such problems. Not trying to scare you, but I would be scared until an authority assured me that i shouldn't be.

LEV

levlarry2010-03-10 14:00:07You need to get it checked out. I would ask a cardiologist as well as let the pulmonologist know that your current meds are not working. Hey, Kelly,

Heart palpitations can be the result of a number of things, real and innocuous. Just wondering and worrying about them is enough to worsen them.

I think that far too many doctors call breathing problems "asthma" when they can't find a genuine diagnosis. But as someone who is also latent TB, I have the same problem when walking uphill - I get very short of breath. I used to smoke but quit 25+ years ago. I'm not grossly overweight so that's not the issue either. I have been told I have asthma but it's only reared its ugly head about 4 times in the last 25 years.

I think you have to be prudent and rule out anything life-threatening, such as cardiac issues. See a cardiologist and get an adenosine stress test. Odds are it will be normal, but at least you'll be comfortable knowing one way or another. If you get a negative diagnosis, and there is no other known, plausible cause, then look into anxiety and seek the help of a psychotherapist.

[QUOTE=milly]You need to get it checked out. I would ask a cardiologist as well as let the pulmonologist know that your current meds are not working. [/QUOTE]

Milly, I dont' think it's fair to say Kelly's drugs are not working. Her drugs may be treating her usual problems [RA, LTBI] quite well. This could well be a separate and different issue altogether.

Kelly, you could have checked out a few months ago because whatever the issue is, had just started and now, it has progressed. Go back to PCP for another work up and ask about lung issues as well as cardiac issues. Be persistent, you know your body best, and if they try to pat you on the head and send you on your way, go to another PCP. Sam I was speaking about her asthma meds not all of her meds in general. The tight throat and the blurry vision sound like a drug allergy to me. Sometimes and I am not at all saying that I know what is wrong with klynn but I am speaking from experience with asthma and allergies. Allot of my allergies have started out with blurry vision and breathing problems and a tight feelling in my throat. I do not of course know what is wrong with you but I am willing to share some of my experiences and maybe you can gain something from it or maybe not?

I still think seeing a cardiologist is a good idea. If just to set your mind at ease. Breathing problems are scary and worring does not help when you are having trouble breathing.

If it is just asthma I have treated my asthma best by eliminating milk and nutra sweet from my diet. Elimination takes time to find out what all is iritating you because everyone is different and can be bothered by different things. LOL Eliminating the Serevent did me wonders. They told me the same ingrediant in Serevent is in most all of the newer asthma meds.

Well they make more for meds for asthma then just albuterol. I do not know what you are taking. I had a bad run of allergic reactions for awhile once and it turned out to be my Serevent which is an asthma inhaler. I get bad breathing problems from asprin, diflucan and a few other meds I can not remember at the moment.

Ampacillin allergy started out with blurry vision. Sulfa allergy I remember thinking my throat felt tight a few times while taking it. Then boom about the third time after I broke out in giant hives. If I have trouble breathing I look around for the culprit. Some drug allergies do not give me rashes at all. They just make me unable to breath and may give me blurry vision. Diflucan for example can make me unable to bearly breath for a week after I quit taken it. so I do not take it. Some meds give me heart palpataions also. So does fear of not being able to breath. I never know which starts first the heart palpatations or the fear or the trouble breathing. I have not had that problem for a long time but I remember it is scary.

My opinion is that I would like to see you get checked out by a pulmonologist and a cardiologist. Some people have a harder time treating there asthma then others do. They sometimes test me having me breath in a tube with a ball or something in it. While off my asthma meds and then on my asthma meds. If I can not do it properly then they may add something extra there are many different things these days to treat asthma I am allergic to most of the new ones. Luckily I do fine with the older asthma meds.

I hope things turn out well for you. In my opinion it is always best to get checked out. It could be any number of things. I would like to see you get checked out by a PCP or preferably the pulmonologist and a cardiologist. Prayers and get well soon.

milly2010-03-10 19:43:16I did want to appologise for my first post. You are new to asthma and I have had it for along time. Still of course I can not tell you what is wrong with you because i am not a doctor. I can share my experiences with asthma and let you know you are not alone.

I know better how to deal with my own as I have had it for awhile. Sometimes besides just an albuterol inhaler they also give me albuterol pills. Sometimes prednisone or alupent to take along with the albuterol inhaler. For those that are not allergic they have Serevent which works very well if you are not allergic to it. When I first started taking it I did not have an allergic reaction and it worked well for many hours during hayfever season.

They have an asthma allergy pill. Several other things.

So when you are having trouble breathing please see someone even if it is just the PCP. I have been to the EROOM many times over the years to use thier nebulizer or to get a shot. I once had to get two quick acting shots and then one long lasting shot to get me threw the night. That was my first asthma attack. I thought I had pneumonia I had no idea what was going on.

So just because someone gave you an inhaler that does not gurantee that it will always work for you. Asthma meds are like anything else you may need to experiment to find what works best for you.

Please let us know what you find out from the doctors. Wishing you the best. I have anxiety disorder and a big heart. Sometimes I get so worried about my RA friends I type before I think. LOL It just means I love you. Feel free to always ask us questions. Health problems can be scary sometimes and talking about it can help set you at ease. New health problems can cause alot of anxiety so keep us in the loop so we can be supportive for you.

Milly: Thanks for all your advice and your experiences. I do appreciate it and yes I think I could take some of what you explained about your experiences and keep that in mind now for possibilites of what I'm feeling. I've never been diagnosed with asthma. Have never had breathing problems so in my mind I'm thinking the last pcp I had just said it's asthma to get me to stop talking to him about it. I may be wrong though, maybe you can get asthma later in life?? I always thought you had to have it when you were little.

Waddie: I saw my dr yesterday and she is going to give me a treadmill stress test. I think that will put my mind at ease to have that done. Do you think that is good enough instead of seeing a cardiologist? If they see something wrong on that test then I'm assuming they'll have me see a cardiologist? I was diagnosed with a mild mitral valve regurgitation years ago and have a murmer, but dont take medications for that so I'm assuming this test will show if there's anything wrong there?

The new PCP I'm seeing is very compassionate and listens well. I did ask her though if I needed and xray of my chest. She said no, she didnt hear anything , crackles etc in my chest and it sounds very clear . Can Methrotrexate pneumonia be there without those sounds? She did say since it's happening more on exertion and she heard my lower throat making these wheezing /squeeking sounds she wants to rule out anything bad from the stress test but doesnt think she will see anything abnormal.

"sigh"... its always something isnt it? I get so tired of seeing doctors and paying all the bills that go with that. It's just so hard to know what to take seriously and what to ignore with RA and the meds we take you know?

I just started seeing a psychiatrist to deal with my anxiety issues, so that will hopefully pull any anxiety related stuff out of the mix.

Kelly, I think a stress test is a good place to start; if she finds anything, she will send you right to a cardiologist. It would probably be a good idea to add a good cardiologist to your team at some point anyway. Whenever I would have my stress test, they would also do an echo cardiogram to look at the blood flow issues and I think this test was important for looking at how the murmur was doing.

Kelly dear, try not to worry too much... I know just how stressful all this can be, ( Hi and welcome.

|You can develop asthma at any age. one of my sibs and my mom both developed it in their 50's and in both cases it was/is quite severe.

asthma is simply constriction and inflamation of the airways. This can be caused by many things including allergies and exercise.. eg walking... even intense cold weather can trigger an attack...

My daughter developed it quite bad with never any wheezing, just a chronic night cough..it comes in all forms. Coughing, wheezing, tightness all can be symptoms of asthma.

asthma should be treated, don't let the dr say "oh you've got asthma," and then do nothing. I am currently on Advair (love that stuff it really settled my case down) also Spiriva and singulair. I also have a rescue inhaler which I use only when I must. maybe once a month?

One of the simplest tools you can use when you have asthma is a peak flow meter. its a simple hand held manual gadget that you breathe a big puff of air into and it tells you how your lungs are functioning right then. I use mine if I'm just not feeling right.

I agree with all the others see your dr again, and ask for a cardiology work up as well.

It sure can't hurt and it may give some more answers.

Thanks for the information Kathy on asthma, I hope that's all it is and nothing more to worry about. (Even though I hear asthma as youve said is not fun to have) I get worried so much about things happening, and seems the doctors just arent quite sure sometimes , just sends me on my way without really doing any further testing so that adds to my worry... it seems to consume my thoughts a lot more than I want it to.

Asthma is curable one, don’t get distress. You can use the drug belongs to a class of medications called bronchodilators. Mostly inhalation medication use to treat respiratory problems. Like Beclomethasone medicine prevents and controls asthma.