I have some lung issues that just started recently. My new rheumy sent me for an echocardiogram yesterday and I go next week for a pulmonary function test. I hope that nothing too bad is going on. I don't have asthma, and I never had any breathing problems before this.
I do get bad headaches sometimes. Horrible stabbing pain in my head. One doc said cluster headaches, another said migranes...so, who knows really?
I was diagnosed ten years ago and I am starting to have all sorts of crazy sx's that I never had before. Sucks! I kind of wish I was just going bonkers, then I could just be crazy all the time and not worry about it! :)
Hopefully Beth will see your post soon. I know that she has some lung issues that she deals with.
-Kate

I am somewhat newly diagnosed with MCTD and yes, I have lung issues. I have formed scar tissue on the lower lobes of my lungs and my pulmonary function tests show that my function is about 1/2 of normal. It will never get better only worse. I have begun to workout at Curves to help maintain my muscle strength and flexibility. I can't do any sort of cardio workout because of the extreme shortness of breath. I have never had asthma so I can't compare the symptoms, but it hurts me to take a deep breath and to yawn, oh ow!!
Hope this helps

My lung issue is how I was dx with MCTD. I have pulmonary fibrosis from the rheumatoid part of the mctd. I am on oxygen since last December. My lungs will never get better due to the scarring, but I have not had any deterioration since I went on oxygen.

I have done all my testing for a lung transplant (that's the only cure for this in my case) they are only following me right now, theyntell me I am too healthy at this point to be listed.

My symptoms started with a cough.....only when I got laughing or talking a lot, and I would get really short of breath very easily. I put it down to me being out of the gym for quite a while due to an accident I had had......I dislocated four joints on two fingers of my left hand and had several surgeries and procedures done over four years.....I was just released from that doctor when I was dx with this.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.....either here or message me.

Beth

I too have been having some issues with breathing. Sometimes when I talk I have to take a breath before I can finish my sentence. I was just diagnosed with MCTD. What were some of the first symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis. I see my cardiologist tomorrow and I will mention this to him.

I suffer from shortness of breath. I just recently was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer and shortness of breath. It's a hard feeling to describe. I feels like when you are breathing under the covers or something and you are breathing in air that you exhaled. It's like I am breathing but I don't feel oxygenated. Is that how you feel? I have to get a follow up chest X-Ray this week. My doctor could not tell if I had pneumonia or other pulmonary issues caused by MCTD.

I have been lucky with this... so far... though I have episodic issues that are disturbing. There are definitely times when I am biking or skiing when I will feel short of breath, my heart will pound, and I feel like I'm going to black out. But it seemed to hit a plateau about five or ten years ago, and has not gotten much worse. I am very careful, particularly body boarding or surfing. If you get tired skiing, you can always pull over and stop. If you push too hard in the ocean, you die... the longest I can stay out is about an hour when I'm in top condition. At the beginning of the season, I only go out for 20 minutes to a half hour.

Quitting smoking was huge. I didn't even smoke that much... I was fooling myself. It was taking a big toll on me.

I have lung problems as well. I am on oxygen 7/24.
My Plumb doctor thinks my Polyneurpathy might be causing a lot of my problems. I went to an RA doctor in Feb won't hear the results until this June. I lost my health care purchase some and so is reason I had to wait.
I am not sure if I have MCTD? This RA by what he order is thinking I bet I have Sjogens....but I am still not sure what is wrong with me except I have a lot of things going wrong with my body right now.

I know you found great people here they are very helpful and they have a lot of experience fighting their illness.

I hope whatever happens from now on you have gain lots of information to help you.

God Bless

I have SOB mostly first thing in the morning and of course when climbing stairs. I do not have asthma. I often can not get a deep breath. It has gotten worsen since I have not been able to run. Use to run on a average of 5miles/day, now I can't even walk down the street without being SOB and total body pain. I have always since even in my early teens suffered from headaches, just thought it was PMS, but now I am in menopause and still get really bad headaches. Take migraine pain meds when it gets really bad.
I think if I could get back to some exercise, that might improve my over all health, maybe that is just my wish full thinking!

Kate it is good they are testing you now. Before you have problems that can be life threating...I hope they find you A,ok with the lung doctor doing this: pulmonary function test
it's a lot of breathing and they measure your rates...etc.
I wish you lot of good wishes.

Beachbumb I am no doctor and far from it. I talk with what I go thru to give examples ONLY to try to help people see maybe themsevles in what I went thru...I hope that makes some since I guess.

But for instance I never knew I had SOB as you have until I had a surgery and they put in a stint in my LAD....they without telling me call in a Plumb doctor.....I never understood why? I guess looking back I must of had a problem in surgery and they never told me about????
But after I was relased from the hospital I had to go see this Plumb doctor, while I was still in the hospital he had order med's and these breathing treatments....I don't ever remember having Asma either. But had lots of brockitis (miss spell)
I had the same thing you had about walking up stairs etc.
It's to do with getting sick a lot and my lungs have scare tissue I think?
See I didn't or wasn't smart enough to ask questions....I just went along...so I don't have answers why?
When I went to a different Lung doctor I did start to ask questions.
They don't know why WHEN I NEVER SMOKE have COPD....I guess COPD is a junk word for different lung disorders, or that is my words.
So things such as MTCD can effect your lungs according to my lung doctor when he found out I had this polyneuropathy.....
he really then had a better idea what was happening to my lungs now.....he went so far as to draw a picture on my body to show me how the nerves can effect our lungs.
I for the first time understood more.

rahter other doctors agree that is a differnt subject.

So do take care it does suck not to really breath well and for me I can't breath deep. by the way I have on my left side part of a claps lung.

take care of yourself......
bee

i wonder just listening to yall why my Dr has not sent me to a Pulmonary Dr... I get frusterated because i just have so many weird sx's