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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Breathing Difficulty While Suffering From Pulmonary Fibrosis?

I have pulmonary fibrosis.The last few weeks I have been having trouble breathing.Always after slight exertion,I seem to be either gasping for breath or hyperventilating.I went to my primary and he said to use the nebulizer x4 a day.I am due for a lung function test,but not until February.My question is ,is the nebulizer helping me.?
Wed, 2 Nov 2016
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Addiction Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
It is a very bad disease for which people often need a lung transplant. It is scar tissue forming on the lungs and it does not get better.
The scar tissue does many bad things:
There is less lung to breathe with.
The lung that is left has a barrier for air to get through it and into the blood.
The lung may not be able to move well due to the scar
There can also be a build up of blood pressure in the lung from the scar blocking blood moving through it and putting stress on the heart.

The nebulizer might not be able to do anything. A nebulizer with STEROIDS would often be used since inflammation makes more scar form.

But there just might not be anything that can be done short of new lungs.
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What Causes Breathing Difficulty While Suffering From Pulmonary Fibrosis?

It is a very bad disease for which people often need a lung transplant. It is scar tissue forming on the lungs and it does not get better. The scar tissue does many bad things: There is less lung to breathe with. The lung that is left has a barrier for air to get through it and into the blood. The lung may not be able to move well due to the scar There can also be a build up of blood pressure in the lung from the scar blocking blood moving through it and putting stress on the heart. The nebulizer might not be able to do anything. A nebulizer with STEROIDS would often be used since inflammation makes more scar form. But there just might not be anything that can be done short of new lungs.