Asthma like symptoms after engine fume inhalation

Posted by acid2come @acid2come, Jan 13, 2020

Hello everyone, I can’t get any help or information! I’ve been to primary doc, pulmonologist, ERS, and Gastroenterologist..So I’m sorry in advance for the long story..but this is how it’s went so far.. in August I helped my husband work on a high performance motor in our shop.. It was over heating so it was a lot of starting it and letting it run until over heating (work on it) then start it up again and let it run until it over heated again.. thus went on for about 7-8 hrs.. shop doors were open..it was about 100 degrees we also had fans going..but the fumes were bad..I started coughing that night and felt bad the next week. Thought it was the flu...the nx wkend it was still over heating so we wrapped the headers with fiberglass. I still didn't fell good.. but I helped anyway.. it was a 7-8 hr job also..my cough got worse, had muscle fatigue..but now I cldnt talk or drink anything with out coughing..I couldn’t Stand the taste of soft drinks it burned my mouth..or if it was cold it made me cough..with coughing come no air.. I cld breath in but couldn’t breathe out... my oxygen level is good so I get no help from doctors..had s lung function test it showed restricted air way..plus my GURD started back up.. had a EGD doc said from throat down to stomach is not bleeding but very red and inflamed..I’ve had a Nissan fundo surgery about 10yrs ago wasn’t hvin any trouble with acid.. until all of this...never had any breathing trouble..until all of this.. I hv a nebulizer but it doesn’t seem to help..
Any suggestions or help I would appreciate it very much..
My life has been put on hold
My profile is (Acid2come)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Just Want to Talk Support Group.

Hello @acid2come, I have no medical background or training but from your description it sounds like it could be some particulates in the fumes you breathed that started the symptoms. Here is an article I found describing the condition.

PubMed -- Health effects of subchronic inhalation exposure to gasoline engine exhaust.
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800271

Have you considered getting a second opinion at a major teaching hospital or the Mayo Clinic? If you would like get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic, you can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

REPLY
@johnbishop

Hello @acid2come, I have no medical background or training but from your description it sounds like it could be some particulates in the fumes you breathed that started the symptoms. Here is an article I found describing the condition.

PubMed -- Health effects of subchronic inhalation exposure to gasoline engine exhaust.
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800271

Have you considered getting a second opinion at a major teaching hospital or the Mayo Clinic? If you would like get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic, you can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Jump to this post

Hello, first I would like to say thank you very much.. Sometimes I feel like I’m crazy.. so I try to ignore everything that’s going on.. But then my air shouts off and I know I can’t give up..but the medical professionals that I have seen some of them think(well I’m not sure what they think)One pulmonologist that I seen turned and ask my husband how does she usually act.. my husband said just fine when she can breath... this incident has even impacted my throat down into the esophagus..
My vocal cords, my voice, I’ve even got pain under right breast (but I’ve had gallbladder surgery a long time ago) so it can’t be gallbladder hurting) The biggest question I usually get is.. are you under a lot of stress..yes I am, but know more than usual..
I had a EGD last week with biopsy but no results yet.. I think my GI focus leaning towards (barrettes esophagus)(eosinophils asthma) but so far all asthma meds I’ve tried either makes it worse..or just makes me feel sick.. some have even caused blisters on tung.. But if I talk or drink something cold it makes me cough..coughing makes it feel like something swells up and that makes my breathing worse..my oxygen is good... but it’s so hard to push my air out...my cough sounds awful.. but they say my lungs are clear..but I’ve started coughing up some whit stuff..
I called to make appointment with pulmonologist but they can’t get me in until March 27... I saw my primary doctor and they are going to see if maybe they can get me in sooner.. primary doc said she would like them to do lung biopsy and flush lungs.. I definitely don’t know anything about that...
Sorry I didn’t mean to go on for ever...
I would love to go to Mayo but I live in Oklahoma... plus I’m afraid they will tell me the same thing.. which is nothing...I don’t want my life to end like this!! But at times I can’t hardly get myself to bed it simply takes to much air..
Then I wonder if I will wake back up or not.
I really do appreciate your time and I’m reading the information you sent..
Thank you very much

REPLY

Hello @acid2come, Thank you for the private message. I thought I would try to answer it here in the discussion to give you some context for my answer and so that other members may be able to help you also.

You mentioned that you thought you were getting somewhere with the last link I posted earlier in this discussion but it keeps knocking you off or locks you out? I'm wondering if you mean that it wants you to pay for the full article? The link just is an abstract and when you click the link in the article for full access they want you to pay for it. A lot of research type articles are setup that way unfortunately. Here is a list of 96 articles that are similar in nature - all having to do with respiratory and environmental.

Publications for Center: National Environmental Respiratory Center (NERC)
-- https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.publications/Center/142

You mentioned in your previous post that you lived in Oklahoma so not able to travel to a Mayo Clinic Campus. Have you thought about a teaching hospital in Oklahoma? I did see that US News & World Report rankings have OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City ranked #1 in adult specialty.
https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ok Hopefully other members may be able to share other suggestions with you.

REPLY
@johnbishop

Hello @acid2come, Thank you for the private message. I thought I would try to answer it here in the discussion to give you some context for my answer and so that other members may be able to help you also.

You mentioned that you thought you were getting somewhere with the last link I posted earlier in this discussion but it keeps knocking you off or locks you out? I'm wondering if you mean that it wants you to pay for the full article? The link just is an abstract and when you click the link in the article for full access they want you to pay for it. A lot of research type articles are setup that way unfortunately. Here is a list of 96 articles that are similar in nature - all having to do with respiratory and environmental.

Publications for Center: National Environmental Respiratory Center (NERC)
-- https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/display.publications/Center/142

You mentioned in your previous post that you lived in Oklahoma so not able to travel to a Mayo Clinic Campus. Have you thought about a teaching hospital in Oklahoma? I did see that US News & World Report rankings have OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City ranked #1 in adult specialty.
https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ok Hopefully other members may be able to share other suggestions with you.

Jump to this post

Thank you for your fast response, I will call OU medical tomorrow.. any suggestions on what to ask or tell them...because so far when I tell what happened and when it started.. they seem to stop listening to me..

REPLY
@acid2come

Thank you for your fast response, I will call OU medical tomorrow.. any suggestions on what to ask or tell them...because so far when I tell what happened and when it started.. they seem to stop listening to me..

Jump to this post

If it were me, I would try to keep it simple, maybe your worst symptom from all you’ve had when it started and that it started after helping your husband who was working on an engine that was running - mentioning that you breathed in a lot of exhaust.

REPLY
@johnbishop

If it were me, I would try to keep it simple, maybe your worst symptom from all you’ve had when it started and that it started after helping your husband who was working on an engine that was running - mentioning that you breathed in a lot of exhaust.

Jump to this post

Thank you ☺️
Sounds like a plan. It is very overwhelming even to me..

REPLY
@acid2come

Thank you for your fast response, I will call OU medical tomorrow.. any suggestions on what to ask or tell them...because so far when I tell what happened and when it started.. they seem to stop listening to me..

Jump to this post

@acid2come i really agree with @johnbishop about going to a large medical center and writing down what you’ve experienced. Write down when things started and what you were doing. Make a list of types of doctors you’ve seen and what tests you’ve had. When you get an appointment state facts and your feeling, but leave out opinions of local doctors. This is what I had to do. My autoimmune specialist is in Denver but I get my infusion treatment and MRIs locally. The doctors are great at communicating! Do you have a medical center within a 2hr drive so you could try this?

REPLY

Hello, yes I’m about 2hrs from Oklahoma City, OU medical center.. thank you

REPLY
@johnbishop

Hello @acid2come, I have no medical background or training but from your description it sounds like it could be some particulates in the fumes you breathed that started the symptoms. Here is an article I found describing the condition.

PubMed -- Health effects of subchronic inhalation exposure to gasoline engine exhaust.
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800271

Have you considered getting a second opinion at a major teaching hospital or the Mayo Clinic? If you would like get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic, you can find the contact information for the Minnesota, Arizona and Florida campuses here http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

Jump to this post

Hello, I’m feeling down tonight, been having a very hard time breathing.. so I went to OU medical Center yesterday.. we got there about 1:30.. my BP was 167/125 and I was still having a very hard time breathing.. it was 6:30 before I finally got a breathing treatment and the guy from respiratory said he would give it about 30 minutes and we would do another treatment.. but it was shift change he never showed up again..finally the doctor can me in and said I have asthma.. he wrote a script for pro air and steroids..never addressed my BP and not much concern for my breathing...sent us home.. (I can’t stop coughing) and that makes my air way get tighter...making it harder to breathe..
Then today I got results from blood work I had last week..I tested positive for autoimmune disorder.. primary doctor is sending me to McBride bone and joint in Oklahoma City..I’ve done a little research on it.. I feel at a loss wright now... I already had knee replacement both shoulders replaced.. now I don’t know if the autoimmune disorder is affecting my breathing.. My question is is there a medication that will help me??
Is it the autoimmune disorder causing my asthma or asthma symptoms??
Where do I go pulmonologist??
How do I stop this itching in my throat that makes me cough??
Anyone any answers or suggestions??

REPLY
@acid2come

Hello, I’m feeling down tonight, been having a very hard time breathing.. so I went to OU medical Center yesterday.. we got there about 1:30.. my BP was 167/125 and I was still having a very hard time breathing.. it was 6:30 before I finally got a breathing treatment and the guy from respiratory said he would give it about 30 minutes and we would do another treatment.. but it was shift change he never showed up again..finally the doctor can me in and said I have asthma.. he wrote a script for pro air and steroids..never addressed my BP and not much concern for my breathing...sent us home.. (I can’t stop coughing) and that makes my air way get tighter...making it harder to breathe..
Then today I got results from blood work I had last week..I tested positive for autoimmune disorder.. primary doctor is sending me to McBride bone and joint in Oklahoma City..I’ve done a little research on it.. I feel at a loss wright now... I already had knee replacement both shoulders replaced.. now I don’t know if the autoimmune disorder is affecting my breathing.. My question is is there a medication that will help me??
Is it the autoimmune disorder causing my asthma or asthma symptoms??
Where do I go pulmonologist??
How do I stop this itching in my throat that makes me cough??
Anyone any answers or suggestions??

Jump to this post

@acid2come Hi Ive been reading all these post and only have one suggestion have you see a EENT Dr.? He maybe able to suggest something ? DId you say you have seen a gastrologist? Pulmonolgist would have been my guess for the lungs. How bout a cardiologist? I wish you luck

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.