Pulmonary function test symptoms and conditions

Thank God for each and every one of you'll who posted!! I am a 31 year old female who has consumed this poison since March 08. My PCP had started me on the Lisinopril 40mg and eventually increased it to 80mg per day.
OCTOBER 2008-
I begin having "flu like" symptoms which I started taking over the counter medicine for.

NOVEMBER 2008-
I was becoming worst so I went to my doctor (the one who prescribed this mess) and was told it sounds like bronchitis so she prescribed a "z-pack" (which is a 5 day course), "cough syrup", and stated to "quit smoking".

FIVE DAYS LATER-
I went back to my doctor with the same complaint chronic cough and now shortness of breath. I was told that since the "z-pac" didn't work it may be "asthma"!! SO of course I was prescribed more drugs one being one called "Augmentin" (which is a 10 day course), and an inhaler now for asthma!! I was ordered to have a "chest x-ray", and another script for more cough syrup with codeine!!!!

SEVEN DAYS LATER I WAS IN THE ER-
I felt as if I was dying! I was so scared and did not know what to do. I couldn't even go to work all I could do was cough, gag (sometimes vomit), and gasp for air!! I knew something was terribly wrong. The chest x-ray was clear other then a small amount of inflammation. I was prescribed yet more pills this time a 5 day course of "steroids" for the inflammation, more cough syrup, and was told I didn't need the inhaler!!!

1 WEEK LATER IM STILL COUGHING-
I was beginning to think that this condition was smoke related and begin to feel depressed as if my life was over. I decided to quit smoking as of 12/19/08, however the gagging cough and shortness of breath is still present.

I GOT A 3RD OPINION
I went to an internal medicine doctor (just 6 days ago) who stated that it appeared to be the Lisinopril the whole time and to stop taking it immediately. I was prescribed a medication called "Diltiazem" generic for " Tiazac" but the insert mentions cough as a possible side effect for this medicine as well. I am to weak, broke, and cautious to take another one so quickly. I'm still coughing as I type this!! I think I will just stick to my fluid pill and a better way of living before I continue to put this stuff in my body. To sum up this whole coughy blog, please, please think twice before taking this or any other medicine, trust me it will save you a lot of health problems and medical bills. And finally if your doctor wont listen, don't hesitate to get a 2ND OR EVEN 3RD OPINION IF NEEDED!!!!!

I promised to write on this board & get the message out in the event that they figured out what was wrong with me after

approximately 4 months of progressive shortness of breath. In April/May 2008, I felt a very slight pain in my chest/lung

area. At first I thought I may have stretched a muscle during basketball, working out or painting a house. I went to my

primary care physician who ordered an X-Ray & a CT Scan. The CT scan showed some consolidation. At this time I had no

shortness of breath and played basketball for hours a day. I merely had a very slight feeling of pain in my chest area when

breathing deep. My primary care physician based on the xray/ct scan results and my concerns, sent me to a lung specialist.

The lung specialist gave me a pulmonary function test, one with and without a bronchiodilater. The specialist indicated that

I have Asthma. I refuted & said that I have never been diagnosed with Asthma and how would that be possible? I ran the 2 mile

in JR High school, played basketball all the time & am extremely athletic. At the age of 32 I've been working out on the

bench with 225 lbs and been playing basketball in leagues forever. In any case, the doctor said that I had exercise induced

asthma and stated that I likely had asthma but never caught it. ----- I did not believe it or agree. I was put on Proventil.

For whatever reason, I got very sick the next day after visiting with the lung specialist for several days & recovered about

10 days after my visit. I believed it was from taking the bronchiodilater or being on their machine or around all the sick

people - who knows to this day.

I failed to mention that my specialist did not view my CT Scan or XRay while diagnosing my problem, he relied solely on my

Pulmonary test. He said he'd get the CT Scan/XRays, review & give me a follow up call. He never called. I started calling a

couple weeks after my visit to see if he had seen my reports, but no response and my condition was not getting better. I

tried taking proventil twice a day, then just 20 minutes prior to my basketball game and even during my basketball game. I

tried everything, but nothing improved.

I dropped off the CT Scan cd for the lung specialist to review, since they stated they never received it from the hospital.

--- I had no problem getting it, why would a doctors office have problems getting it & if they couldn't get it, then why

weren't they calling me?????

Finally in late July, I was able to schedule an appointment with the lung specialist again. The lung specialist did another

CT Scan & Pulmonary Test. The verdict after reviewing these tests - the specialist states that I don't have Asthma. I refuted

again & pleaded with the doctor that I had a serious problem & could not play basketball like I use to. I could no longer jog

50 yards before short of breath. He then suggested I try their bike test with EKGs and measurements of my breathing. I got on

the bike & in approximately 4 minutes I was short of breath and my oxygen levels went from 95 to below 90!!!! I could barely

bike anymore.

The verdict after the bike test, my lung specialist indicated that the results looked odd, but more than likely it's

exercise induced asthma yet again. He prescribed me ADVAIR.

I took ADVAIR as prescribed 2x a day. My condition got progressively worse....shortness of breath even worse... it got to a

point that I could not walk 100 feet with my briefcase without being short of breath. I was starting to get very irritable &

stressed as a result. I read all the online side effects about ADVAIR leading me to this website & was disturbed by the

readings like all the others. I scheduled another appointment with the lung specialist to tell him my feelings & that Advair

was not helping after a month.

He indicated that the report received from my CT SCAN A MONTH AGO showed some calcification in one of my lower left arteries

& that I should visit a cardiologist to take a look. He prescribed 2 months more of ADVAIR to see if I'd improve, because it

takes time apparently.

I met with the cardiologist the next day, they did a Stress Test & Echo cardiogram. The stress test showed up normal & the

echo came back ABNORMAL. It indicated that I had pressure on one side of my heart due to the lungs not receiving or

exchanging enough oxygen for some unexplained reason!!

The cardiologist stated that we'd have to do a Cardiac Cath to determine the cause & treatment. This seemed very major & can

be a risky procedure although done frequently I was told.

Another CT Scan was performed. AND FORTUNATELY, now listen up..... A VQ SCAN was ordered up to be performed before the

Cardiac Cath. During a VQ Scan they inject radio iodine and have you breath-in a radio active substance. THE VQ SCAN SHOWED

BLOOD CLOTTING ON BOTH SIDES OF MY LUNGS!!!!

I am literally now in the Hospital being treated CORRECTLY for blood clotting and on blood thinners. The moral of the story

on this message board for ME is THAT ADVAIR WAS NOT HELPING, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT TREATMENT. I was MISDIAGNOSED and

there was not enough follow up from the doctors in my perception, because it took approximately 4 MONTHS to determine.

If I had stayed on ADVAIR, supposedly treating "exercise induced asthma", then I may have DIED due to LUNG FAILURE or HEART

FAILURE!

DISCLAIMER - I am not a doctor & this is only a synopsis of my personal experience. Again, I promised to share this

information, so others could hopefully benefit.

My recommendation - If you never had asthma are athletic over the age of 30 and the doctor prescribes ADVAIR for ASTHMA, then

I would highly recommend you have a VQ(Perfusion) scan performed. I hope this saves someones misery or life.

I'm still in the hospital, they are treating my blood clots and continue to try to determine the cause of my blood clots. If

anyone has any theories as to where my small blood clots may have come from, then please oblige.

Hi All, three weeks after starting Lisinopril 20mg. I started having productive cough at night, after 4 months of this 'only side effect symptom' I went into Doc and got switched to DIOVAN. I used to run 3 miles, but after coughing every night, with wake-ups at 2 hour intervals coughing, I am too bushed to run. Hopefully the new B/P med will work. Never had a cough like this, don't smoke, 49yrs., RN Type-A person. The Lisinopril and HCTZ did work, but not worth the coughing for me.
A little down with sex drive, but mood lighting, candles, and eager partner helped!
(doc also did pulmonary function test, and xray, all normal range)