Questions

[mommabear7]

Do you think an adult with breathing problems for about 6 months, but doesn't have a cough could have CF? Whooping cough as a baby, some breathing problems for a few months after that. But a fairly healthy childhood?
Would a doctor order a test for CF 20 years ago for a baby with suspected whooping cough?

 

[beleache]

Anything is possible. I was a late diagnosis @ 44 y/o , I am also not one to cough so much. I dont think a dr. would order a test for cf w/ a whooping cough diagnosis, but who knows ??

 

[LittleLab4CF]

CF has a spotty history. If you are not in a large city and your family doctor has treated your entire family including your parents, as an example, if respiratory afflictions, chronic sinusitis, GI problems of the sort then the doctor might have suspected CF. For quite some time, newborns have genetic screening for the most common CF mutations. If you are Irish, your husband has English, or Scandanavian ancestry, chances are higher than other backgrounds. Keep in mind that CF is fairly typical in Mexican through central and South American ancestry so if you are looking at inter-racial mating to eliminate CF, check the prominence.

The short answer is Whooping cough, as bad as it can be,like rhuematic fever, damage is done that can haunt your your entire life. Would a Doctor be moved to test for CF 20 years ago? No. Twenty years ago the test was very expensive, probably not covered by insurance and not worth the money as the probability of a false negative is very high.

Should you be tested? Starting with the cavaet that you first must be conditioned to feely sweat, a sweat test is low cost and depending on what you want after the test, and what the doctor is willing to take it to, a full blown amplified CF genetic test will just cost you money. You may like the results, you may not.

I would suggest you bone up on what long term damage your bout of Whooping cough can do. If you think more is going on after comparing potential damage from WC with your symptoms, prime to be a good sweat-er, have the sweat test and decide where to go from there. I see no real waste of time or money doing this for what I am hearing is a plea for a diagnosis, followed by appropriate treatment. Good Luck, keep us informed.

 

[mommabear7]

The reason I asked these questions is because of my daughter. She has had some breathing problems since January, when she got bronchitis. A few other people in our household at the time, were also sick with it. The only thing is, my daughter's didn't seem to go away completely. It is a lot better of course, and no more coughing, but she still stays shirt of breath. She then got bronchitis a second time, or maybe she didn't get over the first bout, I don't know. She has had x-rays, and a pulmonary test. I have to wonder if she was still sick when she had the tests done. She just goes to a low-income healthcare clinic, and not a specialist, because she has no health insurance.
One doctor said she has bordeline copd. But she is only 21 years old, and now they want her to be tested for Cystic Fibrosis, to rule it out.
When she was a baby, they delayed giving her immunizations, because she had a runny nose at the time. So she was not vaccinated. A visitor to our house was sick with a horrible cough, and I believe that person gave her whooping cough. Which she was diagnosed with after many visits to the doctor trying to find out why she had such a gagging cough until she threw up. For several months aftewards, she was on a liquid albuterol for wheezing. The doctor had also instructed me to lightly beat on her back from time to time. After time she got better, and did not take the albuterol anymore. I think she had pneumonia one time when she was about 7, and when she was around 14, she had mono. But other than that, she did not have a lot of respiratory infections or anything.
A couple of years ago, she had some problems being short of breath, but she had a sick dog at the time, that was often urinating on the carpet in her room, and we thought it could be the fumes from that. But that got better, and the only real problems she has had, have been since January. She doesn't have a cough, just shortness of breath. They gave her daily inhalers, and rescue inhalers.
Is it possible for someone to have cystic fibrosis, and not have had much history of illness as a child? She is really worried about it, and is depressed. I think she feels she may have it, because she made the remark that if she does, she won't live to be 40. It doesn't help that she has had a phobia of illnesses and death for quite awhile now as well. I think she feels as if her worst nightmare is coming true.
Also, would there be any family history of others in our family with this disease, if she had it? I just don't want it to be a possibility that she has this. But I don't know why she is having these breathing problems. I wish I could somehow get her a pulmonary specialist, but it is impossible. If I had the money to pay for one, I would. It's just very scary right now, wondering what is wront with her.