Question:
Five months ago, what I have assumed to be asthma really started to
get out of control. I began coughing and feeling wiped out. Slowly, I
was unable to do any aerobic activity. And I was coughing. And coughing.
And eventually even coughing my way to the emergency room! I have been diagnosed with severe sinusitis: all sinuses completely
blocked by inflamed tissue, but it doesn't appear to be an infection.
Surgery is recommended to remove/reduce the sinus lining. But I will
first be RE-tested for allergies. Perhaps dust or molds or wood
allergies will show up. Does anyone else suffer from these symptoms:
* spasms or tightening in the lower throat, wheezing in
that area, leading to coughing
* asthma-like tightness in chest
Answer:
Yes--in fact, I am experiencing these symptoms (fortunately mild) at
this very moment I am typing this msg! Like you, I have chronic rhinitis which often leads to recurrent
sinusitis. Symptoms such as those you describe, led my physician to
diagnose me with "asthma," but I'm still wondering. There is
another thing, called "Vocal Cord Dysfunction," that involves spasms
of the throat and larynx rather than the airways further down as is
the case with true asthma. See
http://www.njc.org/MFhtml/VCD_MF.html I believe that sinusitis is known to trigger asthma-like symptoms in
folks. See
http://www.njc.org/MFhtml/SIN_MF.html
http://www.njc.org/MFhtml/TRI_MF.html
