Age: 65.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: FLU3, FLU3
Symptoms: Dysphagia, Dyspnoea, Muscle spasms, Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging normal, Vocal cord disorder
Clinical narrative: I did have low grade fever & flu like symptoms beginning next day. 4 days later I found myself struggling to get a breath to talk. This evolved into choking when eating & extreme breathing difficulty. I could not lie down to sleep. My symptoms: difficulty breathing; difficulty speaking (my speaking is forced and I have to talk on the exhale vs inhale; choking on foods and drinks, worse at some times than others; due to breathing issues difficulty with any sore of physical activity (walking, making the bed, cleaning, doing dishes, very difficult to breathe in the shower, so much so I dread taking a shower where before I used to enjoy a long hot shower). Doctors are still trying to determine what to do to fix it (or else I have not found the right doctors). Various diagnoses, as I have searched for help: Spasmodic Dysphonia. Pharyngeal erythema. Pharyngeal oedema. Laryngeal dystonia. Dysphagia. Dyspnea (had this symptom to a lesser degree due to interstitial lung disease). Asthenia (difficulty completing physical tasks). Asthenia (difficulty completing physical tasks). Globus pharyngeus (I have GERD and have had it for a number of years. The videoscopes show a large amount of reflux around, in various parts, of the vocal cords). Esophageal dysphagia. Oropharyngeal dysphagia. Esophageal dysphagia (this is mild). September 14, 2011 Flu shot. I had seen a different doctor for my first flu shot (same group, different doctor). I had first seen this other doctor in September 2010. For some reason it stuck in my mind that I had received a flu shot in September 2010. After I recently received my records from office I see that I actually received a flu shot in January 2011. Dr. should have seen that, I should have known. Anyway, on that day Dr. was seeing children as well. When his assistant came in to give me my shot I asked if she had the flu vaccine for people over 65. she said "I think we are out of it." She left the room and when she came back she had four needles in her hand with the packaging of all four opened. I don't know for sure if she even knew which shot she gave me. She could have given me a vaccine for children for all I know. Anyway, about 5 days later I began to have difficulty getting in air when talking. (I did have a slight fever, runny nose and sneezing for a few days as well. Thought nothing of it...I had just started a new position and was trying desperately to do a good job.) Within a few days I began choking on food and drink and could not breathe to lie down to sleep. For weeks I slept sitting up in a chair. (Even now I cannot belly flop and lie on my stomach to sleep nor lie flat...rather I sleep propped up on pillows much like a wedge, two higher pillows with one in front. I usually sleep on my side. I cannot lie flat to have an MRI, which I need, because I cannot breathe when I lie flat). I still experience some choking, sometimes just on my own saliva or gastric reflux...eating requires no talking and having drink at hand just in case. November 2011..I ignored my issues, hoping they would go away on their own. I did have a gastric reflux test, called a PF test I think, to see how much if any gastric reflux was getting to my vocal cords. When I went to see my Uro Gynecologist for a surgical follow up he was alarmed at my breathing. I had not had this issue when he performed surgery in July 2011. He listened to my chest and prescribed antibiotics, Z-PAK. In November I also saw my primary care Dr. She did not know what to do for me either but did order a CT scan of the head. I had difficulty breathing so went to the emergency room at hospital where they took some more x-rays and scans, gave me a breathing treatment and then sent me home. Dr. recommended an appointment with another Dr. December 2011...Saw ENT and Speech pathologist in December, just before Christmas. They did their videoscopes. They said I needed speech therapy and Dr. kept saying it was in my head, classic, she had written about it before. After weeks of speech therapy which basically accomplished nothing she then let me see ENT again. January 2012: Dr. said he would give me a botox in the vocal cords. I arrived in his office in January 2012 and he told me to lie down on the couch. I told him I could not lie flat as I could not breathe. He became angry but then said he would inject botox in the hospital. February 17 2012: in Medical Center he injected botox into my right vocal cord, only. Nothing really changed except I choked on everything much worse, especially liquids. On February 24 2012: I saw Dr. in his office and he muttered something like "I must not have given large enough dose" then changed his tune, told me it was all in my head and told me to go see a psychiatrist...basically kicking me out of his office, to never be seen by him again. March 2012...I went to another Clinic. The diagnosis they found was different than the one from first Dr. Dr. had several speech doctors review my speech and my videoscope and they found I did not have dysphonia per se. It was not a speech problem. Dr. called the dept of neurology and they agreed to see me the next day. They could find no problems, on a cursory level at least. They tested me for Huntingtons and that test was negative. They wanted an MRI but since I cannot lie flat I still have not had an MRI. I have been experiencing difficulty with my vision/eyes as well so I would really like to have an MRI...wish I knew how I could accomplish this goal. December 2012: Saw another Dr., a neurologist who is a movement specialist. Because I thrashed a lot when Dr. was doing my videoscope (in December 2011) he concluded that I must have Tardive Dyskinesia. From all I can read and learn, I do not have the symptoms of this disease. He wanted me to take XENAZINE...this medication has major side effects that do not go away with stopping the medication. My cardiologist plus others I talked with advised me not to take this medication. It is affecting the brain but no MRI has been completed to rule that there is indeed something wrong that needs "fixing". March 2012 thru present: A search for help. In March 2013 I was advised to see another Dr., which I did. His staff did a new videoscope and he is in the process of trying to figure out exactly what is going on. I would give anything to be able to go back 1 1/2 years and to refuse that flu shot, which I had done many times before. I cannot get a job as whenever anyone hears my ragged breathing they automatically think I have COPD or some other lung illness and would not be at work as I should be. I cannot talk or breathe correctly so I cannot even do something as simple as a customer service job at a grocery store. Financially I need to work. I have an accounting degree, including a masters. I am 67 years old but I am confident I could find something if I could only have a voice. I have had many interview but no offers. I would welcome the opportunity to provide any medical records you would like to review for your research.