Q: Iam 26 years old. My problem is that over two months back I had a small swelling on my neck and constant vomiting sensation. Doctors suggested a dose of vitamins etc. The swelling disappeared but the vomiting sensation persisted. Five weeks back one day i developed a severe head ache followed by vomiting a couple of times. Later in the evening i got high temperature of 104 degrees C. Temperature remained over 103 for 2 to 3 days despite the dosage of medicines after which i was fine. But the vomiting sensation persisted after which i developed congestion in the chest, cough and very often a feeling of breathlessness. My doctor said it was due to wheezing and i was on a heavy dose of pills and also used ascoril as suggested by the doc. I tried changing docs the last of whom said it was not wheezing but a respiratory tract infection. Another doc said perhaps it was a thyroid problem or a case of TB. Now Iam taking solvin. But the problem still persists. Iam completely confused as to which diagnosis to go by.

A:Symptoms of wheezing, cough producing sputum, and breathlessness in the absence of fever suggest asthma or bronchitis as the most likely causes. If the symptoms are not controlled by bronchodilator drugs (with or without corticcosteroids), then further diagnostic studies may be needed such as chest x-ray and pulmonary function tests. Such tests would help determine if other possible causes--such as tuberculosis--need to be considered. Nausea is a very complex issue, since it could result from stomach or oesophageal disease, from dietary irritants, or as a side effect of medications. Frequent coughing could induce nausea, while constant anxiety could also contribute. The initial approach to this symptom would be to go on a simple fluid diet with no solids and no medications for 2 days to see if this helps reduce the nausea.