I'm writing a character based on someone I knew. This particular person used to wheeze a lot, yet they never sought treatment or even a proper diagnosis of whatever they had. What sort of conditions could this have been and how would they be treated? I want the character based on this person to receive treatment.
COPD asthma Treatment depends on problem, but probably a bronchial dilator which can be pills or one of those inhalers. tracheal obstruction infection Surgery would correct the obstruction and the infection is probably not what you are looking for.
A, there is medical treatment for anxiety, and B, the mechanism would still be a bronchospasm for which even if idiopathic (meaning self induced) bronchodilators still work. Wheezing occurs when the airway is obstructed or constricted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstructive_lung_disease I am reminded of a number of airway obstructions: Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis and tracheal stenosis can be corrected with surgery.
How old are they? Asthma would be a good bet. It can be induced by exercise (okay at rest but wheeze on exursion), or stress, or completely random. Treatment would be quick acting inhalers (Salbutamol/Ventolin) with added longer acting bronchial dilators (Salmeterol) and possibly steroids. If you search for asthma step treatment you can find all the details. If they are older then COPD/COAD are candidates as well (combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis). These are often associated with smoking and are not generally found in younger people.
Ginger I have suffered from shortness of breath due to anxiety for years - it tends to be the result of hyperventilation, and although short term drugs can be used, believe me it does nothing to relieve the shortness of breath, and is not a long term solution. The drugs used for anxiety have so many side effects that many complications ensue as a result. In the end the only long term solution is psychological.
I'm sorry for your troubles and there are always tradeoffs. For you the tradeoff for treatment wasn't apparently worth the cost. But more often than not, anxiety can be treated as can wheezing, even wheezing caused by an anxiety attack. And hyperventilating is not wheezing, though most anyone can make themselves wheeze by breathing forcefully. We should not get into a medical argument here. You have your personal experience and I have an education, experience and a license to diagnose the conditions and prescribe the medications I speak of.
Isn't asthma at least sometimes, and maybe often, psychsomatic? Meaning it was a physical manifestation of some psychological restraint/stress in the person's environment/lifestyle that then develops into something more long-term (I think?) Certainly my husband attributes his development of asthma to his sense of a lack of control from a very young age.
Asthma triggers are divided into intrinsic and extrinsic causes. An allergen would be considered an extrinsic cause while exercise induced asthma would be considered intrinsic even though there is a specific cause, it originates within the body. http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&cont=5 You get similar symptoms but the immune system adds a layer to extrinsic asthma you don't have with intrinsic causes.
These days it's usually dry air, pollen, change of seasons, most definitely dust that cause problems for my husband. Cold feet and/or an uncovered torso also makes his breathing worse, so he always has socks on lol. Salty, breezy air helps him breathe. He's had it all his life so he knows when the first signs of things getting worse comes and doesn't worry much about it really. There have been times when he even left his inhaler at home or has run out of his meds and hadn't bothered to see the doctor for a refill yet - I usually tell him off for that. It's great he doesn't worry about it (worry could induce an attack, as far as I'm aware), but seriously, this isn't something you want to be caught with when you are without your medication.
As a young child I suffered severe asthma and was hospitalized on numerous occasions with it. From my early teens it just vanished. I've never had any problems with it since.
That's fortunate. I think my husband's family was hoping for the same but it never went away for him. It's under control though and I've knwon him... how many years now? 7 years now and he's never once had an actual attack. He takes medication everyday for it though.
About three years ago I got a recurring chest infection over the summer which happened to be really damp, and an attack of hay fever on top. I wheezed for about three months straight. Another person in the office got diagnosed with whooping cough, but my doctor refused to entertain the idea. They eventually relented because I sounded like the wheezy penguin from Toy Story, and prescribed me something- I think it was penicillin. The office itself was an old world war 2 thing that was also extremely damp and moldy. It felt like I was trapped in a Dickens novel. I guess combination of factors, environment and me generally being run down.
