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What to do about shortness of breath if inhaler doesn't work?

I have been having shortness of breath for 3 months.I was diagnosed with mild asthma in 2006.I took an EKG,Blood work,Stress Test,all of which came back normal.But my symptoms are still the same.You know how after you're working out,you feel out of breath,and then you catch your breath,and gradually your breathing goes back to how it was feeling before you started working out?I feel like I am somewhere in between when you start to catch your breath,and when you start to feel the way you were feeling before you began working out.Thats the way I feel all the time.And it doesn't take much exertion for me to feel short of breath again,and also for it to feel like my heart is beating faster than normal.I took a pro air inhaler three times,and it hasn't helped.Does anybody know what could be wrong with me?
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242587 tn?1355424110
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
With a "history" of asthma it would be reasonable to conclude that asthma is the cause of your shortness of breath and that may prove to be the case.  Shortness of breath secondary to asthma can be sustained (as your has for 3 months) and need not be accompanied by  wheezing obvious to you or, in some instances recognizable on examination.  The latter is most common when air  movement is severely limitedLaboring to breathe can also lead to an increased heart rate.

And, yes, there are many other causes of asthma.  I strongly recommend that you arrange to be seen by your doctor as soon as possible, on an urgent basis.  If the problem is asthma, he/she may hear wheezing but it may be necessary to do a breathing test (simple spirometry) to confirm the diagnosis.  If not a chest X-ray would be the next step.  The normal stress test makes it unlikely that a heart problem is the cause of shortness of breath.

If it is determined that asthma is not the current problem,  it would be appropriate for your doctor to look further for other causes such as blood clots to the lung or a form of chronic pneumonia.  If for whatever reason your doctor is not able to determine the cause, you should request a second opinion and continue to insist that the cause must be found.  Do not take NO for an answer.

Good luck
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
Thanks a lot for your answer.I took a pulmonary function test. I recently spoke with someone from the hospital and they told me that I had "Normal lung capacity with evidence of air trapping.I am currently trying to set up an appointment with a pulmonologist to go over the results of my pulmonary function test.I had a chest x-ray about a month ago and it was normal.Do you have any idea what "air trapping" is?
Helpful - 0

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