Question: I have had a cough, semi dry, some clear to white mucus, and persistent for 5 months. This just kicked in one Sunday morning and wouldn't stop. After about 6 weeks, I went to the doctor, he heard wheezing got a steroid burst, albuterol, and antibiotics, worked for the, length of the prescription, but cough came back (thought it was acute bronchitis, It was a pretty relentless cough, little mucus production. Went back to the doctor at 8 weeks, had a chest X-ray, came back negative, lungs, heart, and diagram looked normal. Started to consider allergies or asthma, started to take Claritin also and albuterol when needed.

Went back at 16 weeks, it was better fewer exercerbations, still wheezing, but not bad, Albuterol helped. I finally moved 2 weeks ago out of the fabrication area at work, and my day time symptoms became better, coughing outbursts during the day stopped, think I was breathing in a lot of welding fumes for 8hrs/day for a year

The last couple weeks, since the move my, my symptoms are worse at night, but again abuterol does the job when I get bad attack in the middle of the night, better during the day. I saw the doctor a couple days ago, she listen to my lungs she said they sound "really bad", ordered a lung function test, really displaying symptoms of asthma, coughing, wheezing, congestion, hard to breath, get a full breath.

Took the lung function test today, everything came out normal, for my age, weight, gender, etc., both before and after the administration of the abuterol during the test. She did ask me about GERD and acid reflux, said she saw some blip that she said might be GERD? The doctor gave me another burst prescription of prednisone. Started it today after my test, I had about 6 good hours where I felt good, then it started to get hard to breath again, so depressing, had to take a shot of abuterol to feel good again.

about me: male, 42, 6'2, 259lbs. Took only 25mg of atenolol daily before and after this for hypertension. Now I take, atenolol, Claritin, 2 fish oil, 2 magnesium pills, 2 multi-vitimans before bed. I have had acid reflux problems in the past. I haven't smoked cigarettes in 20 years. I have smoked pot from a bong and vaporizer at low twempartures ( no longer partake in either). I have a dog, he now sleeps downstairs, but I seem to have issues when he is in the room with me, but it has been so long since I have been normal, I don't know if he has a contributor. My next appointment is with an allergist in 2 weeks, to see if I have any triggers. Oh yes, I just moved from XXXXXXX Arizona, to Kalamazoo Michigan 2 years ago, after growing up and living is Southern California and Arizona my whole life. My next appointment is with allergist going down that route, however my doctor has not received the lung function test results yet.

Thanks in advance, XXXXXXX V.

I am kind if at a loss here, I know it is a really good thing that there is nothing wrong with my lung function, but it still leaves a lot of unanswered questions? Any thoughts would be appreciated, because it is difficult go be like this...

Does it sound right that I had to take a abuterol shot 6-8 hours after taking my first dose of pregnisone?

What the heck might be going on?

The GERD has never been officially diagnosed, but I do know I have had bouts with heartburn in the past, And I have experienced espophigal spasms in the the past, kind of a rapid muscle spasms in center of the chest area, but I haven't experienced those in about 2-3 years.

Not sure what you mean by #2. The PFT was only about 30 minutes of testing:

Two baseline breathing readings
Two readings to see how oxygen is absorbed.
Then two breathing pattern readings
Then abuterol through the a nebulizer
Then the two breathing pattern tests.

The test, as far as I understood it, was to test for pulmonary fibrosis, asthma and COPD.

They all came back normal, which according to her, meant that I didn't have pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, or COPD. How does this still mean I have adult onset asthma then?

I certainly have the symptoms, and I was expecting to have an adult onset asthma diagnosis, but doesn't the PFT tell you if you have asthma, or not, isn't that it's purpose?

Now she did say something interesting in that I tested in a ideal environment without allergens (possible triggers present).

About the prednisone, so I shouldn't be expecting any immediate short term improvement?

My doctor was giving me prednisone to help me get sleep, because my symptoms are worse at night, and after the abuterol wears off, I wake up, and have to take another 2 puffs. she also said that I should see relief in a hour or so, which happened, but after about 6 hours I started to feel like I was hard to breath again, but the coughing is much less, almost like my attacks were lessened tonight in severity, which is good.... and that bubbling sound while breathing laying down has lessened. I am taking prednisone for 4 more days, so I shouldn't see any improvement over the next 4 days?

My doctor was planning on putting me on the combo ICS and broniodialator, what can I except in the way of improvement of my symptoms, and time frames once on that medication? And you you are saying to continue taking over the counter Claritin also, once my allergy testing is complete?

Also, running seems to help me, I try to run/walk 2.5 miles a day 3-5 days a week. It seems lessen the the symptoms after a nice run, is that normal? Seems contradictory to a asthma diagnosis?

Sorry for so many question, as you can imagine having breathing problems for 5 months is rough, and I am worried, and tired...

Just wanted to follow up, day two of the prednisone burst was much better, I could tell a huge difference in my breathing and lung congestion. Still had to take my rescue inhaler, but mush less. By day 3 I didn't need it at all. I am on one pill a day now for the next 4 days.

I was also given symbicort, the asthmatic version, I believe 80/4.5. Started this yesterday and the result have been outstanding. Haven't felt the need for a rescue inhaler at all except this morning, but it was after a full nights sleep, which has been rare for a while.

I honestly haven't felt this good in 10+ years, it seems like I might have had this problem, but milder version for many years, but just didn't think about it because of slow onset progression. Is that possible? For a very long time, I have felt like something was wrong, and now that I can breath freely, that feeling has left me, probably sounds weird, but that is what things feel like now.

Two more question, how long would you recommend, as a lung specialist, that I stay on the symbicort until I try a straight corticosteroid inhaler?
-I know sybicort is a dual medicine, but I believe my problem if more from inflammation, and I know it is for people who can't control their asthma with a corticosteroid. I would like to not have my first medication as a last line of defense...

Should I ask my doctor to refer me to a lung specialist local to my area?

I am currently 6'2m 257 lbs, 42 years old. I have been fluctuating between 250-280 pounds for many years, it is a struggle, but for the last year been around the 260 mark. I am committed to losing weight and getting back down to 220....

I am taking 2 puffs of symbicort in the morning, 2 at night (7am, 7pm).

So it is hard to tell how long this has been going on. When I was a kid, I lived in Southren California, when the smog was really bad, summertime mostly... I used to get the same feeling a lot, irritated lungs, lower lung capacity, shortness of breath, pain for a couple days after a long time outside. My parents chalked it up to smog when I complained.

It seemed to subside when I got older and so did the air quality, so I never thought about it much.

I moved to Arizona to go to college, started smoking cigarettes, and some pot, but more cigarettes. I quit cigarettes when I was 30, 12 years ago, after about 8-10 years of smoking. Any breathing issues I had then I chalked up to poor life decisions. Up until about a year ago I still smoked pot, but not all that much, and it was out of a bong or vaporizer (low temps).

So that is my poor history and choices in my life...

I started running and exercising more about 8 years ago after the onset of hypertension. Lately it has been off and on, due to kids and time constraints... I always felt like I was never able to catch my breath, I could still run pretty longest distances and times, but never felt like I could go longer and build over 3-4 miles, not because of strength, just lack of oxygen/breath. Currently I am able to go about 2.5-3.0 miles, even during the past 5 months when I was at my worse.

The symptoms have always been more mild, I always had the cough, but it was more of a throat/lung clearing cough, that I did on purpose, not body driven reflex, uncontrollable cough I had. I figured it was due to smoking effects back in the day.

I have never in my life had episodes like the last 5 months. With all that said, I am living in a new environment, heavily wooded with a lot more rain/snow that I have ever experienced, a lot more growth than the desert environment I lived in most of my life...

I should also mention that I was always a sweater, and had issues with sweating, not just when working out, just doing normal activities. I have noticed a huge difference in the amount I sweated this weekend, I ran around with my daughter all weekend and just prespired like a normal person. Not sure this is re later but thought I would mentioned it. I still am drinking 64-100 ounces of water a day....

Any thoughts on this?