Well, I guess all those walk-in clinic doctors I've seen over the years just weren't listening properly. Whenever I was in for something like a flu or a bad virus, and I'd complain of wheezing, they'd tell me they couldn't hear anything.
Well, today I went for my methacholine challenge, and hell, I even reacted to just plain old saline in the nebulizer. The respiratory technician had to leave the room to get an even weaker dose of the methacholine solution than she had brought in...It took only 10 minutes in all to ascertain that I have asthma.
As if to underline the point, after being treated for the effects of inhaling even the weakest solution possible, I completed the test, and the tech was just amazed about how much I swung between extremes: the weak solution caused my lung function to drop by 28%, while the treatment stabilized my lung function and even improved it by more than 30%.
The next step is that a respirologist will confirm the results, my doctor will be informed, and then I'll be set up with a specialist to get me on the right maintenance inhalers and of course, I'll continue with the rescue inhaler as needed.
It's been more than 15 years that I've complained about tightness of the chest and wheezing, but it took one pushy walk-in clinic doctor in Burnaby with a suspicion about all of my drug allergies to finally start to do something about it, and it took finally getting a solid family doctor whom I don't have to wait weeks to see to follow up and finish this process.
I wonder what condition will be uncovered next.
Here's to your health...
...Wish you were here.
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