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Post by emelle64 on Feb 5, 2016 12:44:53 GMT
My DD (21 yrs old) is a runner. She runs on the varsity cross-country team for her university which is 1000 miles from home. She trains daily all year long. She ran all through high school and sometime during high school was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. This diagnosis came without any testing and as a result of her telling our family doctor that she felt she was short of breath while running. She was given an inhaler to use. Last summer when she was home and running often with my husband, he felt her breathing was very labored (even with the inhaler) and we tried to encourage her to go back to the doctor but she didn't.
September comes and she's back at university and racing every other weekend or so. We hear from her that her breathing is very bad and she feels like she cannot get enough air in when she's racing. Because our daughter goes to university so far from home we had never been to a university race until October when she raced about six hours from our home. We went to watch her and she was so excited we were there so I expect she pushed herself very hard. The course was very hilly and it was quite windy out but it was circular in nature so we saw her go by a couple of times and by the third time around we could hear her breathing and it seemed like she was gasping for air. Unfortunately 300 m before the finish line she actually collapsed. She was dizzy and disoriented and it was a terrifying experience for her. I saw this and it was awful and it was very different than runners collapsing from exhaustion. We were very concerned and were convinced that this was linked to the breathing issues. After that we insisted that she visit a doctor on campus to figure out what was going on because clearly her inhaler was not helping.
She saw the doctor on campus who gave her a steroid inhaler to take on a regular basis. She only had one more race after that, and although she didn't collapse her breathing was still bad. When she was home at Christmas and running with my husband her breathing was still awful in that she seems to be gasping for air. In January she went back to the doctor at the University who truly doesn't seem to understand the issue. She says things like "well you're not short of breath when you walk up the stairs" and seems to find it hard to believe that an athlete like my daughter is having breathing issues. After much back-and-forth she finally agreed to send my daughter for what we thought was an exercise test. Unfortunately, when my daughter went for the test all it did was measure her lungs capacity which is fine. She's frustrated with the situation and feels like the university doctor there doesn't really get it, but she's only home for a week in February and then not again till July so I'm not sure how much we can do while she's home.
i'm sorry this is so long but I was really hoping the Peas might have some ideas. her breathing issues only come when she's trying to run fast and seem to be primarily on the inhale part of the breath. She describes it like she feels her windpipe is closing and she can't get enough air in. We've been told that asthma is usually on the exhale not on the inhale and at this point we're not even convinced it is asthma. Does anyone have any ideas?
Emelle
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Feb 5, 2016 12:49:01 GMT
I have no idea, but I would find a specialist, perhaps a sports practice in the area where she goes to college. In my experience doctors at University are gp's who probably don't have experience with anything like this. I hope she finds some relief it must be scary to see your daughter in that state.
Good luck.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Feb 5, 2016 13:04:28 GMT
If at all possible, I'd have her come home and get checked there. Doesn't sound like the campus dr has extensive knowledge past general diagnosis.
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Post by mrsscrapdiva on Feb 5, 2016 13:05:59 GMT
Agree with the above poster. Don't waste her time with the doctor at the infirmary or college hospital. She needs to go to a specialist and have a full battery of tests etc. I hope she gets an answer soon. She is so young and it seems in shape/athletic to be dealing with this.
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Post by ExpatBackHome on Feb 5, 2016 13:08:17 GMT
I would make an appointment with a pulmonologist either for when she's home in February or for one near her school. Good luck!!
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,151
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Feb 5, 2016 13:18:11 GMT
I wouldn't think a campus doctor would have the expertise you need. She needs to see a specialist!
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Post by emelle64 on Feb 5, 2016 13:31:34 GMT
I agree she needs to see a specialist but in this country everything has to go through the primary care doctor. So she somehow must've convinced her doctor that she needs to see a specialist. Ironically the city where she goes to university is significantly bigger than our home city and probably has more specialized services if she could only get to them to them.
This is such a frustrating situation and frankly would be way easier if she was seven and living at home!!
Emelle
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Feb 5, 2016 14:29:18 GMT
I agree she needs to see a specialist but in this country everything has to go through the primary care doctor. So she somehow must've convinced her doctor that she needs to see a specialist. Ironically the city where she goes to university is significantly bigger than our home city and probably has more specialized services if she could only get to them to them. This is such a frustrating situation and frankly would be way easier if she was seven and living at home!! Emelie Can she see a GP outside of the University? |
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sweetandsour
Full Member
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Jun 30, 2014 17:43:52 GMT
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Post by sweetandsour on Feb 5, 2016 14:34:21 GMT
That sounds like my son. He plays soccer, runs track, plays hockey and runs cross-country. He's good at them so he is not out of shape. A few years ago, he started having problems breathing when exercising outdoors. When we went to the allergist, he passed the lung capacity test (the one where you blow into the meter). However, the allergist figured out the reason why he was passing the lung tests but was having problems exercising: his environmental allergies were getting worse and affecting his breathing. He's badly allergic to grass (he breaks out in hives), all trees, mold, etc. He went into the allergist after running that morning and he failed the lung test. He has to take antihistamines and use his inhaler if he's going to do physical activity outdoors. He also takes some kind of daily allergy med and uses flonase basically before the snow melts until the snow falls. He lives for soccer so quitting soccer to him was not an option. The indoor soccer and track season doesn't bother him because there's no grasses and trees indoors  . Hockey rinks don't bother him unless the building is super old (so there is mold). OP, I hope your DD's situation is as simple as my DS's. |
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Post by pierkiss on Feb 5, 2016 14:34:31 GMT
Stop dicking around with the doctors on campus. I don't think they're qualified enough to diagnose and treat anything beyond minor illnesses and injury. Find a pulmonologist or cardiologist nearby, or even a good sports medicine doctor to get the ball rolling.
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melissa
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by melissa on Feb 5, 2016 14:50:10 GMT
She absolutely needs a pulmonary specialist.
In the mean time, assuming the diagnosis is correct, she needs to be using that steroid inhaler as prescribed, which would not be just once a day. Depending on the medication, it may need to be used as often as 4 times a day. It is not an "as needed" medication, which it sounds like she already understands.
I also have exercise induced asthma and have issues when I have a respiratory infection. I do feel as if I cannot get enough air in, the same as your dd describes. So, I would not rule out asthma based on that description alone.
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by pridemom on Feb 5, 2016 14:51:35 GMT
She needs to see a pulmonologist.
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Deleted
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May 6, 2024 16:32:29 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2016 15:00:55 GMT
It sounds like your DD is having problems with BOTH exercised induced asthma and environmental/allergy induced asthma I would suggest seeing an allergist/immunologist first. A pulmonologist will not be able to help if allergies are part of the equation. (Been there. Done that.) My experience led to the having to be on a regimen that controls my allergies which prevents my asthma from becoming an issue. I also have to take care when I exercise outdoors in really cold weather because that will caused my EIA (exercise induced asthma) to flare up. The fact that they keep giving her inhalers versus meds like Singulair to control the asthmas make my spidey senses go up. An inhaler should only be used for rescue-type situations versus keeping the asthma under control. Your DD needs to advocate for herself so her GP can refer her to the doctor she needs to see ESPECIALLY if she has already passed out once due to lack of oxygen. Something is causing the asthma to flare up and that is where the focus needs to be - prevention. As for asthma being "only on the exhale", I would have DD show the information below to the GP. From the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference):
Asthma is thought to have two primary stages: hyper-reactivity and the inflammatory response. The first stage, hyper-reactivity (also referred to as hyper-responsiveness), occurs when the smooth muscles in the airways constrict and narrow when exposed to inhaled allergens or other irritants. The airways of someone with asthma do not relax, making breathing difficult. The second stage is the inflammatory response. This reaction causes the airways to swell, fill with fluid, and produce thick, sticky mucus. You then experience wheezing and breathlessness, have difficulty exhaling, and have a cough that produces phlegm.Source: www.pdrhealth.com/diseases/asthma |
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Post by gryroagain on Feb 5, 2016 15:03:05 GMT
We are going through something similar with my oldest DD, 17. Since we moved to Korea, she gets very out of breath and wheezes- it actually really scary, she can't talk even. She has never had asthma, and is in good shape- walks everywhere, swims, etc. She had an appt at the respiratory therapist last week so we wait, but I think it may be an allergy to the pollution here (thanks, China). She was given an albuterol inhaler and it helps some, but it's seriously scary when she has an "attack", yet she has never had asthma so how can it be that?!
The next step for her is a pulmonary specialist, which is where it seems your DD should already be. Sometimes you have to push to get appropriate care, if it doesn't seem right then it probably isn't.
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Post by whopea on Feb 5, 2016 15:12:48 GMT
I, too, think she needs to see a specialist. This link has conditions that mimic exercise induced asthma. We went to a specialist for one of my kids and she was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma and given an inhaler. It didn't really change much so we read a lot and a friend sent me an article on vocal cord dysfunction. As you suggest is the case for your dd, vcd primarily happens on inhale. Good luck to you and her. It's scary to watch your child struggle to breathe, I know. |
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Post by Patter on Feb 5, 2016 15:13:57 GMT
She definitely needs a specialist. Heart problems can also cause shortness of breath. I would day a pulminologist and/or cardiologist. Prayers for all of you.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Feb 5, 2016 16:25:00 GMT
Is there a major children's hospital in your city or the university city? We found our pediatric pulmonologist through the children's hospital. They deal almost exclusively with asthma and cystic fibrosis. They also work extensively with other departments for allergy testing and other services as needed. If she's had no testing other than a lung capacity test - you really need more extensive testing. I know she's 21, but I would start with the children's hospital, as it will be easier to find a pulmonary specialist who concentrates on asthma and other breathing issues as opposed to lung cancer. If they won't take her, they may at least refer you to the right person.
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Post by emelle64 on Feb 5, 2016 16:36:18 GMT
Thank you all so much. I agree with all of you that the GP she's seeing on campus is not helping and she needs to be seen by a specialist. I think advocating for yourself in a medical situation is a skill that comes with maturity. She's still only a kid really, so as parents we continue to encourage her to not get discouraged, and to continue to advocate for herself. I think at this point we're most worried because she doesn't seem to respond to the inhalers, that it really isn't asthma and something more serious is being overlooked. (she has been using the inhalers exactly as instructed but she has seen virtually no difference. ) She almost never runs track but is running a 3000 m race at an indoor track meet on Sunday so it'll be "interesting" to see if that's better or worse than her experiences outside this fall. (I say "interesting" but it actually terrifies me that she might have another experience as she did in October.)
Thanks again. There is such a wealth of experience on this board.
Emelle
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Post by tamaraann on Feb 5, 2016 18:16:11 GMT
I was going to mention Vocal Cord Disfunction also. A girl on my dds cheer team has this as well as asthma, and her mom was telling me how its really hard for her daughter to determine if she's having an asthma flair up, or VCD issues because they feel so similar.
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Post by emelle64 on Feb 5, 2016 18:48:41 GMT
I've read about vocal cord disfunction and we've talked about it with DD because it does sound a lot like what's going on with her.
Emelle
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
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Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Feb 5, 2016 19:00:36 GMT
I was an allergic child (hay fever, eczema, hives, allergies and intolerances) and I had this through my school days 30 years ago. But in those days all anyone knew about was asthma - nobody had heard of problems breathing IN rather than OUT, so I wasn't really taken seriously. Cold weather was always worse. I was given a salbutamol inhaler and a steroid inhaler, what they called a spin-haler, because it wasn't atomised liquid, it was powder. Didn't help much.
The only things that helped me was moving out of the house where my father smoked, and later by changing my diet completely. I cut out wheat and dairy - and other things, but those were the chief problems. Dairy (milk and cheese) is well known for causing mucus to be produced throughout the body, and for thickening the mucus that is already there. Singers don't drink tea or coffee with milk in before a performance for exactly that reason. But somehow this knowledge doesn't get used in other contexts - strange, isn't it?
I don't know what the medical protocols are in your country, but until she is in a position to see an appropriate specialist - and I absolutely think she should do that - see if you can get her to cut out dairy for 24 hours before running, and see whether it makes a difference. It can't hurt and might help a lot. Good luck!
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flute4peace
Drama Llama
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Jul 3, 2014 14:38:35 GMT
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Post by flute4peace on Feb 5, 2016 19:44:45 GMT
Please also consider GI issues, even if she's not having symptoms other than the breathing difficulty. My husband, all his life, has dealt with asthma, both allergy-induced and exercise-induced, but would never respond to the preventive asthma meds - the inhaler was the only thing that helped so he took it as a preventive i.e. several times a day.
A few years ago he was having chest pain/pressure, which led us to the ER, which led to an EMS trip up to the big hospital in the city. After they ruled out heart, they scoped him and found years of damage from chronic reflux. He was shocked, said he'd never had symptoms of reflux. The doctor said "well, that's your asthma!". The reflux was making him feel short of breath, he'd take the inhaler, airways (and everything else) would relax, reflux would go down & he'd be able to breathe easier. He eliminated quite a few foods from his diet that he knew made him uncomfortable, and started a reflux med, and his inhaler use is down by about 80%. He doesn't snore anymore, either.
I really hope she'll be able to find someone who can help her. That sounds really frightening. |
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. Hockey rinks don't bother him unless the building is super old (so there is mold).
