Hello guys,
I’m writing this post today to understand more about my potential diagnosis of COPD. I am an asthmatic that is otherwise healthy. I have a good body weight and am active.
In December i had first started noticing shortness of breath. This came after a bout of costochondritis. From there i started coughing up pink/green phlegm. In February i got a spirometry test done alongside a bronchoscopy.
My spirometry showed a fvc of 112% of expected prebronchodiolator and 116% post. My FEV1 was 92 and 95% in that order. My FEV1/FVC was 65% then 69% respectively.
The results of my bronchoscopy showed inflammation that wasn’t extreme. The lab results showed high neutrophils (66%), no eosinophils, and a staph infection. After three courses of strong antibiotics, no change occurred.
It’s been 5 and a half months since my symptoms started. I feel short of breath frequently throughout the day with multiple instances of increased dyspnea. I have a cough that is controlled in the sense that it’s not a reflex. It’s similar to clearing your throat. Sometimes i get a little pink to light brown sputum but it’s very subtle.
One of my pulmonologists thinks it’s damage from vaping (vaped for 5 years) and smoking (marijuana for three years). He thinks it’s reversible EVALI but he admitted i should be better by now. My other pulmonologist diagnosed me with severe hard to treat persistent asthma. When asked about copd, they both say you’re extremely young for it. But based on my test results and symptoms, the parallel is quite eerie. I can’t help but thinking i have COPD.
Note: CT of chest was normal
One more note: i am not alpha 1 deficient
Has anyone had any similar experience? What would you recommend me doing? Thanks