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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Are Steroids Sufficient To Treat Chest Infection, Pneumonia And Asthma With Disorientation?

Hi. I ve come to a dead end with my doctor and would really appreciate some help. Let me give you some background: I am asthmatic, but please don t let that occupy your thoughts too much. In 2006 I had Pneumonia and was admitted to Leeds GI for a week. In 2008 I seperated from my wife and moved into a small flat. I wasn t aware for 12 months that there was a wall of mould behind the chest of draws! I had and continue to have a Chest Infection every 2 months since! My main symptoms are the obvious taste and colour of the infection when it comes up. Also a tightness of my chest, making breathing hard, and leading to coughing and choking, now until dizzy, getting a buzzing sentation and disorientation. My doctor goes in circles unsure what the problem is and why the reoccurance of the chest infections. I have had chest xrays (usually by the time they are booked, the infection is gone and xray clear), and have seen a specialist who jumped to the same conclusion of mismanaging my inhalers. This is not the case. The nurse is happy with my meds and how I use them, and how I up the dosage when I have a chest infection. But because the doctor is at a loss, I only get amoxicillen and steroids (the latter are bad for me long term). All I do is go in circles, The chest infections take two courses of antibiotics, and still they do not make me completely better. The infections remain underlying, and the next cold I catch ultimately turns into the next chest infection. This has been my life for over 6 years now, and only since the initial Phenmonia. As a child I had a very weak chest. My mother would walk me to nursery only for me to get there and need to go home as my chest was so tight. I grew out of this with the help of inhalers, and my asthma wasn t much of a problem growing up. These chest infections have only become so frequent since the Phemonia in 2006. I am now at a stage where I feel desperate for someone with fresh eyes and an open mind to look into this, and not just make the wrong assumptions that I don t eat well enough, or know how to take my inhalers... I am 33 (DOB 25/07/80) and know in my heart that if this is allowed to continue without adequate treatment, I face an early death when my chest is older and even weaker. I don t think I can add much more; only that I do take my inhalers correctly, and to make you aware that ALWAYS when I have a chest infection and my chest is tight and breathing difficult, the inhalers DO NOT relieve my chest in any way, but it does feel like it is Asthma - but clearly it isn t. Also when I take a test and breathe into the measure thing to see my lung capacity, it is always remarkably high, which also throws the doctor. With a chest infection I will still score 600 plus. Your help is desperately appreciated. Kind regards, Jamie M Hinton, Reading, Berks.
Mon, 3 Mar 2014
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Pathologist and Microbiologist 's  Response
It looks like you have pulmonary aspergillosis.
you need to get following tests done:

Bronchoscopy and transbronchial biopsy
CBC with peripheral eosinophil count
Chest x-ray
CT scan - chest
Serum aspergillus antibodies
Serum IgG and IgE antibodies
Sputum stain and culture for fungus
Back to TopTreatment
Allergic aspergillosis is treated with steroids such as prednisone. The antifungal antibiotic itraconazole can also be helpful.
Continue with ur usual treatment for asthma.
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Are Steroids Sufficient To Treat Chest Infection, Pneumonia And Asthma With Disorientation?

It looks like you have pulmonary aspergillosis. you need to get following tests done: Bronchoscopy and transbronchial biopsy CBC with peripheral eosinophil count Chest x-ray CT scan - chest Serum aspergillus antibodies Serum IgG and IgE antibodies Sputum stain and culture for fungus Back to TopTreatment Allergic aspergillosis is treated with steroids such as prednisone. The antifungal antibiotic itraconazole can also be helpful. Continue with ur usual treatment for asthma.