Getting Angry - Need Advice!
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 7:37 pm
Greetings all,
I'm 26.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2007, and have had a couple relapses, primarily with difficulty moving (walking around, moving limbs, etc) and chronic pain. I've been taking Copaxone for two and a half years.
On or around November 14th of last year (2010), I started having difficulty breathing. I have had shortness of breath, to the point where it's been nearly impossible to inhale, just exhale, and when breathing in, the sound is similar to a shreaking noise. It lasts for a minute or so, as I struggle to catch my breath and calm myself down. It then goes away. It was happening multiple times a day, with little or no physical exertion, and was doing so for a few weeks. I was off of work for two weeks trying to determine the cause.
I went to several doctor appointments and had a chest x-ray, ECG, bloodwork, etc, all ordered, all came back normal. I visited a hospital in the United States, as well as doctors in Canada, and in both places, the above tests were performed, without any findings. I was referred to a lung specialist, where my PFT test was normal (showing that I do NOT have any kind of asthma), and was then sent for a bronchoscooy (which also came back normal), and then had a CT scan, which showed that I had an enlarged thyroid.
My doctor prescribed me Tegretol in the weeks leading up to the CT, which is an anti-seizure drug. In the last couple weeks, the "attacks" have been few and far between, but still occurring.
I was referred to an ENT specialist, after the CT scan, to discuss the enlarged thyroid. He looked in my throat and said the thyroid/vocal cords/trachea were all normal, contrary to what the CT test had shown. He said there was no way the thyroid was enlarged enough to disturb anything else in that region, and blamed this all on my MS. He said the Tegretol helps with the nerves/neurons that interact with the brain, and that's why it has provided some relief, but not much.
I'm back at square one... and not sure what to do at this point. The ENT did not agree much with the findings of the doctors who did the CT, and I'm not convinced this is MS. Has anyone heard of breathing problems as being a side-effect?
I'm just not sure what to do at this point. Do I go and see another ENT? Do I make an appointment with my MS doctor to see if I'm having another relapse? Is there something else I should do?
My doctors are spinning me around in circles, and I'm not sure who to believe anymore.
Please help.
Thanks!
I'm 26.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2007, and have had a couple relapses, primarily with difficulty moving (walking around, moving limbs, etc) and chronic pain. I've been taking Copaxone for two and a half years.
On or around November 14th of last year (2010), I started having difficulty breathing. I have had shortness of breath, to the point where it's been nearly impossible to inhale, just exhale, and when breathing in, the sound is similar to a shreaking noise. It lasts for a minute or so, as I struggle to catch my breath and calm myself down. It then goes away. It was happening multiple times a day, with little or no physical exertion, and was doing so for a few weeks. I was off of work for two weeks trying to determine the cause.
I went to several doctor appointments and had a chest x-ray, ECG, bloodwork, etc, all ordered, all came back normal. I visited a hospital in the United States, as well as doctors in Canada, and in both places, the above tests were performed, without any findings. I was referred to a lung specialist, where my PFT test was normal (showing that I do NOT have any kind of asthma), and was then sent for a bronchoscooy (which also came back normal), and then had a CT scan, which showed that I had an enlarged thyroid.
My doctor prescribed me Tegretol in the weeks leading up to the CT, which is an anti-seizure drug. In the last couple weeks, the "attacks" have been few and far between, but still occurring.
I was referred to an ENT specialist, after the CT scan, to discuss the enlarged thyroid. He looked in my throat and said the thyroid/vocal cords/trachea were all normal, contrary to what the CT test had shown. He said there was no way the thyroid was enlarged enough to disturb anything else in that region, and blamed this all on my MS. He said the Tegretol helps with the nerves/neurons that interact with the brain, and that's why it has provided some relief, but not much.
I'm back at square one... and not sure what to do at this point. The ENT did not agree much with the findings of the doctors who did the CT, and I'm not convinced this is MS. Has anyone heard of breathing problems as being a side-effect?
I'm just not sure what to do at this point. Do I go and see another ENT? Do I make an appointment with my MS doctor to see if I'm having another relapse? Is there something else I should do?
My doctors are spinning me around in circles, and I'm not sure who to believe anymore.
Please help.
Thanks!