Pulmonary Fibrosis Support Group
Diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), also known as interstitial lung disease, refers to a group of lung diseases, affecting the alveolar epithelium, pulmonary capillary endothelium, basement membrane, perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. The term DPLD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases. Most types of DPLD involve fibrosis, but...
Hi everyone -
I'm new to the group and not sure if I'm posting this to the correcct group.
I've never smoked and my husband quit smoking about 8 years ago and I keep having random low pulse-ox (in the 80's). I've also had shortness of breath and dry couging attacks. My primary care dr ordered a PFT, blood work, and CT chest. Blood work came back fine, but PFT came back as saying "severely decreased DLCO that may be seen in Interstitial Lung Disease or Pulmonary Lung Disease" and the CT chest came back showing some fluid around the heart, plus some lung issues and after a stress test and echocardiogram, my heart is perfect (thank goodness), but I found this out after a trip to the ER with shortness of breath. While in the hospital and after hearing the result that my heart tests were normal, they were going to send me home with no conclusion of the shortness of breath.
Well, I voiced my concern, and the dr on call said to walk the halls with the nurse while having the pulse-ox on my finger and it dropped to the 80's while walking. The dr, who I had never met before, still discharged me and sent me home with oxygen and said to follow-up with my doc in a week and a pulmonologist in two weeks. I was not happy about this at all. Why not have a consult with a pulm while in the hospital? Sorry...had to vent...Anyways, after having two CT's of my chest it states in the report:, "Some ground-glass interstitial opacity throughout the pulmonary bases and paranilar portions of both lobes is present and may represent inflammatory vs inectious disease vs mild pulmonary edema and mild pulmonary vascular congestion is not excluded. These findings may be associated with CHF/Volume overload".
Can someone explain this to me in simple terms and what kind of questions should I ask the pulmonologist when I see him tomorrow?
What should I expect? Should I be worried?
Thanks :)
I'm new to the group and not sure if I'm posting this to the correcct group.
I've never smoked and my husband quit smoking about 8 years ago and I keep having random low pulse-ox (in the 80's). I've also had shortness of breath and dry couging attacks. My primary care dr ordered a PFT, blood work, and CT chest. Blood work came back fine, but PFT came back as saying "severely decreased DLCO that may be seen in Interstitial Lung Disease or Pulmonary Lung Disease" and the CT chest came back showing some fluid around the heart, plus some lung issues and after a stress test and echocardiogram, my heart is perfect (thank goodness), but I found this out after a trip to the ER with shortness of breath. While in the hospital and after hearing the result that my heart tests were normal, they were going to send me home with no conclusion of the shortness of breath.
Well, I voiced my concern, and the dr on call said to walk the halls with the nurse while having the pulse-ox on my finger and it dropped to the 80's while walking. The dr, who I had never met before, still discharged me and sent me home with oxygen and said to follow-up with my doc in a week and a pulmonologist in two weeks. I was not happy about this at all. Why not have a consult with a pulm while in the hospital? Sorry...had to vent...Anyways, after having two CT's of my chest it states in the report:, "Some ground-glass interstitial opacity throughout the pulmonary bases and paranilar portions of both lobes is present and may represent inflammatory vs inectious disease vs mild pulmonary edema and mild pulmonary vascular congestion is not excluded. These findings may be associated with CHF/Volume overload".
Can someone explain this to me in simple terms and what kind of questions should I ask the pulmonologist when I see him tomorrow?
What should I expect? Should I be worried?
Thanks :)
no doubt, he will probably say that he needs more tests. i think this is a way of dancing around the diagnosis since lung diseases are usually not good and most dr's seem to not want to alarm or upset their patients on the first visit. and no matter what he tells you, bear in mind that even if the news is bad, there is hope and there are new treatments becoming available every day....good luck and if possible, take a family member or close friend with you for support or to share good news with, no matter how it turns out.
Whatever it turns out to be, you will want to know if it's progressing. HRCT's and PFT's can establish a pattern over times of 6 months or more.
You should also provide comprehensive social, medical and environmental background. Some of these things might not seem significant, but can be revealing. If you've ever been diagnosed with repetitive respiratory ailments perhaps characterized as seasonal allergy or asthma, it can be indicative of an underlying condition that may not be readily apparent.
I would definitely doc-shop and ask around. If there's a university hospital medical center in your area, it may provide a good starting place. Do research and find someone with a background in treating interstitial lung diseases. This last point is important as ILD's encompass a wide spectrum of disease types.
One thing I seem to hear of repeatedly is misdiagnosis. If you are not at first satisfied, by all means seek a second opinion.
Good luck and God bless