r/Pulmonology

Hi yall hopefully i dont offend anyone here, look im not financially able to have asthma

I had chronic phlegm for a while nowadays and had it checked up by our family doctor(a pulmonologist) now he had assumed that i may have asthma due to his own diagnosis, no spirometry no pft's just his trusty stethoscope

After his bombarded query he had medicated me with a lot, inhalers, medications etc. At first i was not skeptical but thenn.

A day later i palpitated like crazy, my chest tightened, and my mind easily get whoozy. Like i just squated over to reach something and i felt it, i cant contact my dr. That day

Now a week later i feel a bit fine, still continuing the medications prescribed. But still skeptical with his skills, like WHY DID HE MADE MY CONDITION WORSE

Now im scared that he might actually diagnose me with asthma due to my chest tightening(THAT WAS DUE TO HIS PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS)

Hello, I'm a 19y.o. international student in Germany. Back in December 2025, around Christmas, I started coughing. It's your usual cough with phlegm stuck in your throat, nothing extra. For winter break I traveled back to my home country where my symptoms became worse. My cough turned into a high fever, around 40°C which wouldn't drop any lower than 38 for 1-2 weeks. I drank a lot of antipyretics and antibiotics and anything else, nothing was doing anything. I had to get an IV drop to fix the situation, after which my temperature normalised. After my fever(my cough is still there) I noticed that whenever I breathe too deeply my back whistles and shakes around. I went to the doctor and had to use a medical nebuliser for 2 weeks, which helped a bit.

After the winter break I went back to Germany, where my whistling breath came back. It would worsen in cold weather and go away when I'm in a warm room. After a few doctors I settled with using an inhaler, beclometasone for long-term solution, and a Salbutamol inhaler to take immediately when I feel the whistling. After a month of inhaling the whistling is finally gone, tho the weather also warmed up quite a bit so I'm not sure which one helped here.

After all that I'M STILL COUGHING. A few other doctors told me it's probably allergic considering how long it's been troubling me. I went to ENT where they checked my nose and throat. They said there's some colorless mucus but it's probably old mucus that keeps dripping down my throat. I was given a Budesonid nose spray and some pills for a week. They helped just a bit but didn't solve the issue.

Fast forward to summer break I come back to my home country. I go to another ENT which sees that my sinuses are full of mucus and reddish in colour. I give a blood test for allergy: C-reactive protein, Total Immunoglobulin E and HbA1c-glycohemoglobin. All 3 are withing the normal range, meaning it's probably not allergic.

I'm currently taking lyophilized bacterial lysates 7mg pills for 10 days and a Mometasone Furoate Monohydrate nose spray twice a day. My pills finished yesterday, I'm still taking the nose spray. Today I have been coughing like a lung-cancer patient who has been smoking a pack of cigars everyday for the last decade.

I have never smoked myself but both countries are known for heavy smokers, often when I go outside I'd smell at least some smoke or weed. I've never had any allergies before, mostly just skin conditions like eczema or seborean dermatitis. I have mild scoliosis. I have done a lung X-Ray twice which showed nothing both times. I am exhausted of going from doctor to doctor just for them to tell me the same thing and for that thing to not help at all, please help me.

Hi everyone,

I (F24) have had asthma for about 5 years. It has always been very well controlled. I completed 3 years of allergen immunotherapy (hyposensitization), but this April—about 2 years after finishing treatment—I started experiencing allergy symptoms again. I managed them with a Relvar Ellipta inhaler and allergy tablets (I’m based in Europe in case some of you aren’t familiar with these medications).

For exactly one week now, I’ve been experiencing a strange pressure/tightness just below my chest. It starts right under my breastbone and radiates into my back. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone is squeezing me tightly.
The day it started, I was eating flavored chips and accidentally inhaled/choked on some of the seasoning powder. I think it irritated my airways because everything felt a bit swollen afterward, and that’s when this pressure sensation began. I immediately went to the ER, where they performed an ECG, blood tests, and listened to my lungs and heart, but they said everything looked normal and sent me home.

Other than that, I have no cold- or flu-like symptoms and generally feel fine.

My pulmonologist performed lung function tests and blood work, and everything came back normal. She advised me to stop Relvar and switch to Symbicort twice daily (morning and evening). So far, I haven’t noticed any significant improvement—the discomfort hasn’t gotten better or worse.

Yes, I’ve already seen my GP. Next Tuesday I have an exercise stress test (ergometry) to rule out a cardiac cause, and I’ve also been prescribed medication for reflux. I do experience mild acid reflux occasionally, but I don’t have classic heartburn symptoms. In addition, I’ve scheduled an appointment with another pulmonologist for a second opinion.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Any insights would be greatly appreciated because I’m feeling very stressed and anxious about it.
Thank you.

Hello, I went mountain hiking on Tatra mountains in Poland. Height was around 1900 meters (6233 ft) above sea level. It was my first time hiking and I wasn't that physically prepared but I made through all of 15 kilometers (around 10 miles) in 9 hours. Two days after this hike I started not being able to inhale air into my lungs, like something was squeezing my throat and the entrance of lungs. Did x-ray - found nothing. No fever, no throat pain. Only hard to breathe and dry cough. What could it be?

59F, 5'3, 127lbs, current smoker (up until her er visit a week ago), partakes in edibles, drinks a beer every night, depressed, not active, has lupus, renauds, sjrogrens, COPD, had a stroke 11 years ago. High blood pressure. Depression

\\\*Anytime she would have a coughing fit, she would yell she couldn't breathe and have a full blown panic attack\\\*

I took her took the er for breathing issues last Saturday morning. Oxygen looked good. Diagnosed her with complications from rhinovirus and COPD. Discharged her with steroids, antibiotics, some pearl medication that relaxes your throat and an inhaler with Albuterol.

Got her meds, brought her home. She took her meds. \\\*Drank a THC drink and took a Klonopin\\\* I stayed with her until my brother got home. She said "they should have kept me"

Got a call about 2 am Sunday that my brother called an ambulance for my mom and she asked to be intubated, so ems did that on the way to the hospital. ( She had another panic episode with my brother)

Fastforward to today. She's been sedated and intubated for a week now. I've been told any time they try to ween her off the sedation, she is very very very agitated. The nurse said it's normal for for people to be confused and anxious coming off sedation. But for her they say she's just wild, irritated, agitated and just " not there ". Instead of sedation, they're trying paralysis so maybe her breathing will be more relaxed. They said she's holding onto air and her lungs are stiff. So hopefully the paralysis will work. She did seem to be breathing easier \\\*ventilator\\\* not her breathing I guess. Her face was very red and she had soaked through 3 pillows since the middle of the night. That's new. But started before the paralysis.

They're scheduling her for an MRI today or tomorrow.

I really am just confused and worried and wondering if anyone has any other advice or ideas as to what's going on. I know her lifestyle is terrible and probably contributes to everything , but with all the details I've mentioned, will she be ok?

\\\*\\\*Td;rl My mom has been in ICU, sedated for a week on a ventilator and every time they try to wake her up she freaks out and they have to put her back under COPD related visit

Is there anyone on here whose fluid in their thoracentesis (or other drain) have an exudative type? If so, have you identifed the source? My understanding is that pleural fluid that is from the liver is transudate and exudate is from a different problem. My son's thoracentesis is now every other week and the fluid comes back really fast (within days). Every time they test it, it is exudate and all other fluid tests are "normal".

25F, 135lbs, 5’5”, no smoking (ever), no drugs, very infrequent drinking (<1 drink/month), UTD on all vaccinations, only medication is 300mg Wellbutrin daily and occasionally 5mg melatonin gummies.

Medical history that I don’t think is super relevant (relevant stuff is later), but including anyways: PTSD, depression, anxiety, chronic vitamin D deficiency, slightly high cholesterol, partially torn rotator cuff, torn labrum in hip, mild nerve damage in one finger, poorly healed stress fracture in shin, concussion at 16, BBL in 2024, allergic to mosquito bites. I’m a vet tech and have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Vaccinated against rabies.

**Important: no history of asthma. I have never smoked or vaped even once in my life, or been around smokers**

I will be discussing this further with my primary care doctor, but it’s so weird I wanted to see if anyone else might have some ideas.

Starting in early 2022, I have gotten multiple severe respiratory infections every year, and I’m only getting worse. I’ve had COVID (twice), strep, hMPV, coronavirus, bronchitis, pneumonia, you name it. Each illness lasts a minimum of 2 weeks, with some lasting up to 6 weeks. Even if I know I caught the same bug as someone else, it will be SIGNIFICANTLY more severe and last much longer for me. I’m a professional cosplayer so I go to conventions with a lot of people regularly, and I get sick after almost every single one. I also get sick when I’m just at home too (due to my anxiety I very rarely leave the house, so not a ton of face to face interaction with people), so it’s not completely related to the conventions. I’m currently on my 6th or 7th illness this year. These illnesses are so severe that I basically can’t get off the couch, and I’ve had multiple ER visits because of them. Typically I’ll be prescribed an inhaler (Combivent), a nasal spray (fluticasone propionate), benzonatate, guaifenesin, and maybe cough syrup. For my most severe one this year (started as hMPV and coronavirus and turned into pneumonia), I was also given a nebulizer with medication, cetirizine, and an antibiotic.

After my recent bout of pneumonia, my doctor ordered a pulmonary function test and the results were abnormal (unfortunately I don’t have the exact numbers, or I’d happily share them). This was followed by a chest CT for a lung cancer screening. Here are the results of the CT:

“Unremarkable noncontrast CT chest.
Left lower lobe focal curvilinear
attenuation consistent with scarring unchanged from CT scan images dated September 30, 2024.”

I was never told I had any scarring before this, so I don’t have any more information on the 2024 CT (it was an abdominal CT, due to my IUD trying to exit stage left)

I can only think of 2 possible things in my history that would be relevant:
\- In 2019 while in basic training for the army, I got a severe respiratory infection that lasted from mid September to late January with no breaks. It was so bad I would double over coughing uncontrollably frequently, and at one point I coughed up blood after physical training. I was prescribed sudafed and mucinex, and a chest xray showed no pneumonia. After I got home from basic training in May 2020 (army reserves, not active duty), I was extremely strict with quarantine/masks and didn’t really go out a lot until early 2022, which is when I started getting sick all the time. I think this is probably the most relevant thing, but I’m not qualified to say for sure.
\- The first episode I can remember was early 2020, where I had COVID and strep at the same time. I was VERY sick for a full 2 weeks, and it was miserable. I had all of my COVID vaccines/whatever boosters were available at that time. Starting with this episode, I’ve had a minimum of 3 a year.

Before this, to my knowledge, I was perfectly healthy. I got sick a normal amount as a kid, and would typically recover quickly. But now it’s like my immune system just can’t fight anything. I go to a concert, I get sick. I hang out with friends, I get sick. I stay home and don’t go out at all, I still get freaking sick. Aside from this I’m a reasonably healthy person, and it’s starting to really negatively impact my life. I lost my job because I was sick for so long earlier this year. I have to plan to lie in bed for 2 weeks after every convention just in case. It sucks.

I get my healthcare through the VA so cost is not a concern, and at this point I’m willing to try anything. Are these any tests I could request to rule things out? Things to bring up? What could be going on with me?

Thank you so much for your time, and I apologize for the wall of text 😅

I am in New Zealand. 2016 bilateral saddle P.E filling both lungs completely with lung infarction and right heart failure. Took a couple years to come right but I never did have had less lung function ever since and really prone to chest infections/bronchitis and have now had Pneumonia twice in two months including a three day and three night hospital stay on oxygen, nebulisers, prednisone, atrovent along with my normal Seretide and ventolin because I also have asthma. My lungs are trash. Still healing from the recent bout of pneumonia but I am tired of having pretty awful lung function and having every virus hit my chest. Is it worth while seeing a pulmonologist for this or is it unlikely anything can be done? Can hold my breath only about 30seconds, my peak flow when at my healthiest is about 350. Currently its about 250. Have finished the antibiotics and the prednisone so only got Atrovent left along with my usual inhalors. Have other chronic illnesses as well. But this is the big stuff for my lungs. Edit: Editing to add my HR is normal. My BP is still low and the other night needed ambos for V&D and a BP of 90/65 but back up to 110/70 now. 02 SATs while sitting down is about 96% now but standing or lying down still at 89-91% But anything over 95% is amazing for me anyway since 2016. So 95-96% is completely my normal. Got admitted to hospital at 83% came out of hospital at 89% Managed to walk on the flat very slowly for 10mins yesterday with only minor breathlessness. Spent the rest of the day recovering from it at home. Edit: 42yrs old female.

I was diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia a few years ago and was wondering if anyone else’s disease behaves like mine.

Before I was diagnosed and treated, my coughing fits were severe and could last for hours. They’d leave me completely wiped out afterwards with extreme exhaustion, weakness, muscle pain, feeling faint, and a sore throat. I’d also cough out all this mucus that seemed to give me relief. I was eventually treated with 100 mg prednisone after being hospitalised for a coughing fit that eventually closed my airway. The prednisone made a huge difference.
Over time, my doctors noticed that my flare-ups seemed to be linked to my menstrual cycle. They started me on a progesterone-only contraceptive, and it completely stopped the major flares, which made them suspect thoracic endometriosis. However, I later had an MRI that didn’t support that diagnosis, so I’m left without a clear explanation.

Now, instead of the massive flares I used to get, I seem to have these smaller inflammatory episodes. I get:
profound fatigue and weakness
feeling faint/lightheaded
heavy, tired eyes
sore or irritated throat
chest tightness
a general feeling that my body is “inflamed”

Sometimes I develop a cough, sometimes I don’t. But even when I do get a cough, I still experience these symptoms both before and after it, and the fatigue can be the most debilitating part.
Has anyone else with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia experienced anything similar? Do you get these weird inflammatory episodes without obvious lung symptoms, or have hormonal triggers that seem to influence your disease?
I’m not looking for medical advice or a diagnosis—I’m just curious whether anyone with CEP has had a similar pattern, because I haven’t come across many stories that sound like mine.

I am a 37 year old male. I smoked cigarettes for 23 years and quit June 23, 2026 and began vaping. I have been a daily, heavy, cannabis user since I was 17. The past year, I have been using vape pens and dabs more than smoking. I have always experience intense coughing from both cannabis vapes and smoking, never from tobacco. I have always weighed between 210 and 230 the past 5 to 10 years, did not workout, and had a not great diet, but felt healthy. Last december, my gallbladder had to be removed due to a stone stuck in the duct. I began using Zepbound this past January and have lost close to 70 pounds since then. 9 days ago, I woke up with chest pain, did not go away, so went to ER that afternoon. Left lung collapsed 30%. Kept me on o2 overnight and it collapsed further to 50%. Got the chest tube and it re-inflated almost instantly. Had tube in 2 days and was released 24 hours after removal of the tube.

Cannabis has been a part of my daily routine for years. I have never imagined my life without it. Edibles are great, but nothing beats that quick couple hits off the bowl after a stressful work meeting to get you through the rest of the day. Everything I am reading says it is the way it is smoked more than the smoke itself that increases risk of reoccurance. Today I pulled a few gravs and just dropped the bottle so the smoke went into the room and I just sat in the room and breathed normally. I dont think I will do it again before I get cleared in a few weeks at my follow up. I see this Stundenglass gravity infuser that basically does what I did above, eliminating the pressure changes traditional smoking creates. I have also thought about the Volcano desktop vaporizer. Anyhow, I would love to hear from anyone who faced this same thing and what you did to adjust? Did you get used to edibles only? Did you find an alternative that was similar to smoking or vaping? How did your life change by cutting back so much on usage? Were you able to find other outlets for your time and get to a point of a new normal?

Beyond the Cannabis discussion: my first follow up xray is 8/31 and I have a pulmonary function test that same day. I see the Pulmonologist on 9/8. What are the questions I should be asking? Is there a way for them to tell me if there are more air pockets on my lungs I need to worry about? Can I be scanned annually?

Anyone with a similar background that hasn't had anymore issues after their 1st collapse?

Just trying to navigate this whole thing and have just been feeling down, sleeping a lot, and wanting to get back to my normal energetic self.

TIA for your thoughts!

Hey all,

Few days ago, I awoke from my sleep because I was short of breath. I looked at my apple watch it read sp02 of 85%. I started coughing instinctively to return air flow. Didnt quite know what was going on just know that I couldn’t breath. Went to the ER the next day because I continued having sudden drops in my sp02. They didnt do much of anything because the drops didnt happen in their presence of course. That night, on the car ride home my sp02 suddenly drop 74%. When these drops happen I feel generally unwell, sometimes there is chest pain, and there usually is a cough with it. It is sudden when it happens but from what I can see, it climbs back to normal levels immediately after the drops in 02 happens. It occurs mostly while sitting, but also lying flat, rarely when I am in motion. No known triggers.

I have been having these episodes for the past 3 years now. When it happens, a cough always comes with . Only relevant history to speak on is back when this all started around 2024, my Pulmonologist found high levels C02 range in my blood. Those levels returned back to normal weeks later. But could not find source of sob. At this time, no sp02 drops were ever observed on my apple watch at that time as I was not looking at that time.

I know I am having oxygenation issues in general due to my blue lips from time to time.

Is anyone out there having similar issues?

Thanks for reading this.

I had a suspected pe in my lung when pregnant. The scan was unclear they said. I had all the symptoms and had blood thinners for 6 weeks. My shortness of breath didn't go away. I feel like I breathe through a straw. Every breath I have to force through the nose. My nose feels like it's blocked and the lungs feel like they don't expand. Had two CT scans and two Vq scans. All clear. Pulmonary doctors suggested asthma and trying inhalers. I also have elevated heart rate and lightheaded. Primary doctor says I have pots because my pressure drops when I stand. I feel extreme fatigue and can't do anything. Have a little baby at home and can't breathe. Being outside is impossible as heat and humidity makes it worse. I can't breathe even in the shower. Pulmonary testing showed lower dlco

Still waiting for a sleep test. I am exhausted. Echo of the heart was ok and the cardiologist doesn't seem to see a problem. My quality of life is horrible. The pulmonologist said that it's anxiety. Which I don't believe because it happens all the time. At night I have to sleep on many pillows. It never goes away. Dysautonomia? Post pe syndrome?

I used to be very active and walked miles in heat and now I can even seat outside without feeling like I suffocate. Any ideas what to test or who to see? Please can someone relate.

Hi everyone. I’m looking for people who have had a similar experience and would really appreciate hearing about your recovery.

I had pulmonary TB about a year ago. According to my doctor, after the TB healed, it left a cavity/hole in my left lung. Recently, my doctors found that this cavity has developed a fungal infection inside it. From what I understand, the fungus has grown/colonized in the old TB cavity.

My doctor has prescribed itraconazole 200 mg for the fungal infection. I was initially told to take it for about 14 days, and depending on how I respond, the treatment may be continued for several months (possibly up to around 6 months).

I’ve also had investigations including bronchoscopy/BAL and fungal culture, and I’m being followed with imaging and other tests. I’m currently worried about the cavity and whether it can eventually heal or shrink with treatment.

I’d really like to hear from anyone who has been through something similar:

Did you also develop a fungal infection in an old TB cavity?

What fungus were you diagnosed with (e.g. Aspergillus)?

How long did you take itraconazole or another antifungal?

Did the cavity become smaller or eventually disappear?

Did you have symptoms such as coughing, blood in sputum, chest pain, or breathlessness?

Did you need another bronchoscopy or any surgery?

How are you doing now, and did the infection come back after treatment?

I’m not looking for medical advice or a diagnosis—I mainly want to hear real experiences from people who have gone through something similar. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their story.

I was eating chicken with rice i was starving and was eating a bit fast and as I chew I noticed tiny bones and I tried to be carefully remove them when I felt them in my mouth and when I finished eating i experience chest tightest in center also I been coughing and I tried to coughing louder and sneezing but still I feel discomfort now I feel all nervous and scared not sure what to do I drank water and try coughing but still feels strange in the middle of my chest. Am I over reacting what should I do ?

Just curious how they look like on an X-ray.

About two weeks ago, I developed constant chest pressure and shortness of breath, specifically the feeling that I cannot get a full or satisfying breath. I initially thought it was my asthma, so I went to my pulmonologist and was prescribed Symbicort and Spiolto Respimat, but neither helped.

Because the symptoms continued, I went to the ER. My vital signs and examination were normal, with no wheezing. I had an ECG, troponin, bloodwork, and CT angiography with contrast, which were reassuring. I was given an anti-inflammatory injection and discharged.

I then had further cardiac testing, including an echocardiogram and Holter monitor, which were normal. I returned to pulmonology and was switched to Relvar Ellipta 200, which helped somewhat initially but did not resolve the symptoms. My FeNO was normal, and I am scheduled for spirometry with pre- and post-bronchodilator testing, which has not been performed yet.

I was also started on prednisone 50 mg daily and have taken two doses so far without significant improvement in my breathing or chest pressure.

I still have constant chest pressure and difficulty getting a full breath. I tend to feel better lying down and worse sitting, standing, or walking around. I have occasionally noticed a slight noise when breathing in, and recently I have become unusually aware of food traveling down when I swallow.

At this point, after approximately two weeks of persistent symptoms despite reassuring cardiac testing and several asthma treatments, I am trying to understand what else could be causing this and what specialist or testing I should pursue next.

I’m losing mind guys 🥹🥲