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Confused about lung function tests
I'll try to make this short. About 10 years ago I started wheezing while playing tennis and having trouble breathing with extreme exertion and dr started me on bronchial dilator and steroid inhaler, which helped. . My chest X-rays have shown hyperinflation for about 20 years-- I am 62. Former smoker but stopped around age 27. Smoked about 10 years. Three years ago I saw my pulmonologist and my 02 was at 87 walking around his office. Went through pulmonary function tests, stress test with echocardiogram , overnight pulse oximentary test and all showed normal. So nothing new was added but still used inhalers daily. I continued playing tennis but with breathing difficulties. Last November I decided to stop tennis because breathing was getting too difficult. Rescue inhalers never seemed to help. Xrays have continued to show hyperinflation. Fast forward to January '19 and saw new pulmonologist due breathing problems with exercise. Again, in her office my 02 was at 87. After being put on 02, it came back up to 98. She prescribed home 02 and a number of tests, high resolution ct scan, overnight pulse ox, echocardiogram and pulmonary function tests. So far, all have come back normal including the ct scan which showed no air trapping or small airway disease, everything normal except coronary and aortic calcifications. Basically normal which surprised me since I've been told for years I have mild copd. Will wait to see what overnight pulse ox shows. My 02 is still dropping to the high 80s upon exertion but not always and it goes back up pretty fast when I sit down, within 5-10 minutes. Currently I'm not using the oxygen until I find out what's going on. So I am wondering why the xrays and ct scan show different info and now wondering if I gave copd at all. And clueless about why 02 is dropping and why I heave upon more than usual exertion. Maybe it's exercise induced asthma but again, the rescue inhalers don't help me when I can't breath well.
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My current doctors have just been concerned that any improvement in my condition will be used as part of a legal argument saying that my condition was never as bad as I claimed; which is what they have done right from the time my health collapsed. With liver issues, such as I have suffered from, you can get hepatic encephalopathy. In my case the symptoms of that were misdiagnosed as an unrelated psychiatric disorder, with medical investigations refused. Medical associations tend to take away the licence to practice medicine of any doctor who criticises psychiatry so the only comment I have received from a doctor about all of the psychiatric screw ups in my case has been that 'psychiatrists are difficult'. After all of the research I've had to do to prove what's really wrong with me, finding evidence dating back years, I know how little factual science underlies psychiatry and yet it has massive industry and public support despite the garbage science. When that much money and backing protects an industry it's likely to be pretty hard for people like me to beat them in court and I just need every advantage I can get at the moment.
PFT can be fun. Lungs can blow but nit always suck. I was like this. Doc says all ok. I say no. Easy to blow while sitting. Long story but I have vocal cord disfunction. There is a technical term but too long. My vocal cords close up and I can't suck so I can't breathe. Really fooled pulmonologist. PT from ent vocal cord doc did the trick. I would be in low 80's. Now low 90's most of the time. Ask doc about possibility of vocal cord problems. Mine can still close up if I don't relax and breathe properly.