Pneumonias symptoms and conditions

Hello everyone. My name is Michael, and my experiences with Advair were so horrific, I thought I would post here as a both a cautionary to those who would use this product, and to validate those who thought "they were crazy" while using it.

I was diagnosed with "World Trade cough" as a result of my four month exposure from that disaster. It finally culminated in frequent walking pneumonias and a sinus-drip initiated cough, which is really part of a complicated process from GERD, also World Trade related. Finally, the pulmonologist diagnosed the obvious "RADS", Reactive Airway Disease.

I was prescribed Aidvair Diskus inhaler 500/250 twice a day, along with Nasonex and Nexium. The first two months seemed uneventful. As my cough cleared, I saw no reason to take the medication anymore and slowly titrated its discontinuation.

Then everything went awfully wrong and my nightmare started. First, panic and anxiety attacks, which I hadn't suffered since World Trade overtook me at different times of the day. Only the Toprol for my high blood pressure kept me under control and out of the E/R with uncontrollable tachycardia. Next, the Depression which also was overwhelming, and the compounded fears from physical symptoms. Then the "TRUSH" came in my mouth and a concomitant fungal infection in my groin. Swollen glands in my neck. Fever, fatigue, listlessness joined the symptoms.

Though a committed heterosexual, a bachelor party a month ago raised spectre's too awful to contemplate and I insisted on the most ultra-sensitive diagnostic blood tests to rule out dreaded disease ( I did responsibly use a condom ). The 24 hours from yesterday to today were like sitting on death row, awaiting an answer. ALL NEGATIVE, including Diabetes.

Then I saw this site and had to enroll to tell this story. All of it was here from the THRUSH, which scared me the most, to the Depression and anxiety attacks, which made my fears really get out of control. The Advair had nearly destroyed my immune system.

I am taking "CLORIMAZOLE" for the fungus, which is no bargain...liver toxicity and nausea. Still, far preferable to the feared diseases.

I learned that so-called "modern medicine" is little advanced from the witch doctor. If you read the Pharmacology inserts, half the time they don't even know why something works, and they can't isolate the good effect from the bad. Then, they assault your body with another extreme ( anti-fungal ) to combat what they caused from the first medicine.

My new girlfriend is Chinese. Next time I am sick, I am trying alternative medicine. In the meantime, for anyone prescribed or handed a sample by their doctor, AVOID THIS MEDICATION IF YOU CAN!

I have my first steroid injection as a 10 year old to try and put weight on my sickly skinny body.
In my 20's I had 5 lung collapses from toxic chemicals( I work in a oil refinery and laboratory) and Bullous Lung disease. Blisters of air and fluid on the outside of the lungs. Break a bleb and have a spontanious pnumothorax (lung collapse. I had a thorocotomy (opened the chest and spread the ribs) in 1976 when I was 29. They sewed up a hole in my lung and tacked the lung up by taking gauze and rubbing the lung and the pleura (membrane sack in which the lungs are protected) so they would grow together and my left lung could no longer collapse.

I massed scar tissue and it pressed the lung in half and blocked my pulmonary artery. Results: Primary Pulmonary Hypertention a cor pulmonae (right ventricle can't push enough blood through the mentioned artery.

Prednisone treatments began to control swelling and treat pericarditis (inflammation of the heart) I traded certain death with certain death later on)

I had injections but don't remember the dose. I took 20 to 100 mg daily for 5 years which was how long a Primary Pulmonary Hypertension patient survives.

On the short term Prednisone caused depression. I had bouts of pneumonia and pleurisy (severe) for the next seven years.

Prednisone clearly saved my life. However it impairs the immune system leading to the pneumonias.
I went from 6'1' and 135 lbs to 265lbs and had a classic moon face. Some 30 years later I am a trim 170 with no fat.

I developed osteoporosis (bone thinning) and broke numerous bones including two ribs (one in two places) which happened when my wife clutched my chest during a love making session.. I no longer have osteoporosis, it took seven years to wash the steroids out of my body. You can get better.

Long term effects also includes avascular necrosis (blood vessels dieing in all my joint caps which has led to one hip replacement ( I would rather not have another)
And I have abnormal hemoglobin (beta 2 immunoglobulin) which are precancerous cells leading to Multiple Myeloma which has no cure.

It was discovered in my 30's that you could take large doses of Prednisone every other day and prevent the adrenals from shutting down. I have forgotten doses and have gone into adrenal shock. It takes a very long tapering off of the odd day dose but improved my life greatly. I took Prednisone for 10 years.

It has all kinds of nasty side effect but frankly it saved my life. It is killing me now at sixty; yet, I have had a bonus of 33 years of life and have seen my kids go to college and have a grand daughter 10 years old.

I have been throughly poisoned with steroids as I have with chemicals.

Prednisone has saved my life but it is too dangerous to take without strict medical follow ups. (this is a little hard to find these days)
The topical steroids which you put on the skin, inhale or any non-systemic use are pretty safe.

I don't regret taking them but regret more the fact that I needed them in the first place.

Patrick

I can't believe all that I am reading. Thank you for your posting! I thought it was all in my head! The doctor prescribed me Advair 500 because I complained of a cough and have had pneumonias in the past. Doctor said it would help prevent the cough getting worst. I took for a few days and experience fast heart beat, chest pain and cramps in my lungs and hands. I also felt mad for no evident reason.Thought I was having a heart attack. I was scared to touch this stuff again and now that I read this, I am throwing it in the garbage!!! My cough as gotten worst since I stopped taking it but I trust there is better medication out there.