Restricted breathing -- options?

[kimd]

My dad's been having restricted breathing the past week or so. Not bad -- just "different and more restricted" according to him. My mom and I thought maybe slightly from panic/stress as my mom's brother passed away last weekend and dad went to funeral home for 10 mins or so. Was difficult/emotional for all of us.

My question to my new "family" -- what can be done for any breathing problems. Mom and dad are headed to drs office today for new scans due to breathing issues. Dr is out today, but they are going to try to talk to nurse. What can be done to help him down the road? His cancer is in right lung and left area lymph nodes and left shoulder. We fear that the cancer will obstruct breathing and don't know how this is prevented/handled. Any knowledge would be helpful. Bless all of you!

[kimblanchard]

Hi KIMD

I had a feeling of restricted breathing for months before my SCLC was diagnosed last Oct.. I went to my MD in May and was tested with X-ray and ultrasound cardiology with no results. He sent me to a gastroenterologists because I had stomach reflux or GERD. In Oct. I went to the ER because of an irregular pulse and had cardiac tests and an X-ray. I explained to the young MD that I had been inhaling gastric fluid and feared my GERD was causing BOOP, a form of pneumonia, and he said , “No way” and ordered a CT scan. A tumor was found. A couple of days later they jabbed a needle in my back and sucked out about a quart of pink fluid. I had been suffering from a plural effusion, probably since May. It did not stop leaking fluid into the space between the ribs and the lung and I got very short of breath, even with oxygen supplement, until another 1800 ml of fluid was extracted, (thoracentesis). Months later I feel I cannot take a really deep breath and I think the fluid is again building up. I do not look forward to attempts at curative surgery. They put a hole in the side and pump out for a day and then blow in talcum powder or some other irritant to cause the membranes to scare and fuse together, with much pleurisy type pain. Fluid leakage into the plural space can definitely cause a feeling of restricted breathing and lead to shortness of breath. If you tell them to look for it, they might find it, but my experience is, don’t expect too much from the medicos, they are too busy. American medical schools have graduated the same number of doctors for the last twenty years, and it is 30% too few to even fill the hospital positions.

Good luck