Wheezing (doctor, symptoms, upper back, specialist)

[ellar]

My 12 year old daughter has had asthma since she was five. She generally only has problems during certain times of the year, particularly in the fall or winter when she may get a cold. She also has problems sometimes when we travel.

Sometimes I have trouble telling when she is having true problems or when she may be possibly exaggerating her symptoms. There have been times when she has said she is having trouble breathing, and I can hear wheezing sounds throughout her lungs when I put my ear on her back. Sometimes though I won't hear anything until I put my ear on her upper back somewhat near her spine. There are times she says she feels tight, and this is the only place I hear a sound. At times I have been on fence about giving her albuterol in this scenario, but I usually just give it to her.

Today I took her to the doctor because she has been coughing and not feeling well. The doctor told me she was not wheezing. When he left though, my daughter said the doctor kept taking the stethoscope off her back when she exhaled. She said she was wheezing when she exhaled. I listened and clearly heard the sound again in her upper back. I tried to call him back. He dismissed my concern though. He said sometimes vibration off the vocal cords cause sounds, and you can only hear wheezing with a stethoscope.

I know this doctor's statement is not entirely true. I certainly have been able to hear clear wheezing throughout my daughter's lungs in the past. However, I am now confused about whether I should dismiss my daughter's concerns when I only hear sounds in that upper chest area. I know she is not humming or making any other intentional noises, and it sounds like wheezing to me, but I am not a doctor! I am wondering if asthmatics can weigh in on this issue. Does your wheezing usually feel/sound the same when you are having problems?

[DontLookPhoto]

Get a second opinion, preferably from a lung specialist. I think the doctor you saw may have been born in a duck pond !
I saw a urologist once who in a 20 minute exam never asked me why I was seeing him but I know every detail of his 3 divorces and all the details of his family's mob ties.
You daughter deserves to breath easy. ~♥~ Please take her to a decent doctor.

[lubby]

Yes, take your daughter to a pulmonary/asthma specialist.The doctor you took her to does not sound great at all.