Lung dysfunction

[ariel & eric]

DS13 went in to have a pulmunary function test a few weeks ago because we thought he had cough varient asthma. The test showed he doesn't have asthma but some lung dysfunction. I have to set up an appt. with a pulmunologist on Monday.

So, does anyone here know what could be a lung dysfunction? DS has had this his whole life on and off so I'm not too worried, but I hate going in blind and I have not been able to find much on in internet with the limited info I have. DS has never had surgery, been in an accident and is healthy accept for this darn cough that comes and goes without warning. He plays in sports and is active. Activity/sports does not contribute to the cough, but it is worse in the fall usually, but has also been extremely bad this winter.

Any thoughts?

 

[luvmy3]

What test did the doctor do to prove that is wasn't asthma? A PFT shows lung function, I'm not sure how the doc ruled out asthma when checking the results?
My ds has asthma and your ds's symptoms sound alot like his. Sometimes my ds has only wheezing, sometimes only coughing, and his is worse in spring/fall allergy season.
My dh has cold induced asthma, has had it since he was a child. He needs to use an inhaler after being out in the cold weather for a long time.
to you and your ds

 

[Cool-Beans]

Coughs can signal the common cold or lung cancer...and a myraid of things in-between. There are just so many things it could be that it makes no sense to guess. That's why your doctors are running tests. The tests lead them in the right direction, so that they can figure out what it is.

Believe me, if the doctors don't know, neither will anyone on the DIS.

And there is no reason to drive yourself batty learning about a thousand different lung problems and worrying about them for no good reason. Don't borrow ahead on trouble, you know?

I hope you get answers soon and that they're all easy to deal with!

 

[minkydog]

Lung dysfunction is not a diagnosis, it's a description of what's wrong. "Dys" means "not correct", and "function" means "work"--in others words, lung dysfunctions means "lungs not working correctly." It could be a lot of things. I highly doubt it's cancer; its just not a likely diagnosis in a teenager. Don't scare yourself to death looking up lungs on the web, either. No telling what it is--that's why your doctor is sending you to a pulmonologist. They can test him properly and will come up with the right treatment. That's why they make the big bucks.

 

[solferino]

BTDT. It could be any number of things and without more testing and information, you're going to drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out. If the Drs you're seeing don't know, they'll refer you to someone that will. Unfortunately the answers don't always come overnight.