Sudden episodes of inability to breathe?
Does anyone have the above or know someone who has? It`s fairly common but also unknown to most doctors and usually mis-diagnosed as either: asthma, anaphylaxis or hysteria. It can be called VCD (vocal cord dysfunction) or PVCM (paradoxical vocal cord motion). It is very frightening when it happens, usually suddenly. What actually happens is the throat closes inside the larynx, the vocal cords go into a `closing-up` spasm. There are many causes for VCD: allergy to foods, noxious fumes including bleach, sinusitis, post-nasal drip, dust mites, latex etc. Sometimes there will be some wheezing with it and stridor, and many people are mistakenly given asthma medicines for it. I`ve had 3 episodes of it and I recently found a brilliant site done by an american nursing sister which was life-saving. Just Google VCD nurse and it`ll turn up. Also eMedicine PVCM is a good site. Just thought I`d write this in case someone else was in need to know what they`d got.