Question for AFers with asthma, peak flow readings.

[Buffafly]

I drop into the British Lung Foundation forum if I see an interesting post and a few days ago there was link to a chart showing what your peak flow should be based on height and age. I discovered that my Max is at the very lowest acceptable level. I was interested to know whether others with AF also have a low PF? I know I am much more likely to go into AF if my lungs are congested or squashed eg if I work at above head height.

[Jakisu]

My peak flow never really peaks! It's always low but i don't think that's a big issue so much as fluctuation, so when I'm breathless I'm often wondering which is playing up. my asthma nurse reckoned with symptoms that if your peak flow drops from its normal level then it's most likely the asthma, and if its steady at whatever your normal pf is, then it's probably heart. Hope that helps.

[Buffafly in reply to Jakisu]

Thanks! Before I was diagnosed with AF my GP and asthma nurse put all my breathlessness down to asthma and kept increasing my treatment. I also have a pretty even PF but just a little drop seems to be noticeable. Bit chicken and egg I guess!

[Enjoy]

On Monday my peak flow was 170. I was due for my pre admission tests for an ablation in 2 weeks. I am on anti biotics plus oral steroids and peak flow is now 200 but still coughing 50 below my very low normal. Funnily enough no Af and not as breathless as usual. Two years ago I went to a talk by a Consultant and he said heart and lung breathlessness can be confused.

[Buffafly in reply to Enjoy]

I had a spell of waking up every morning with a little damp wheezy cough. When my meds were decreased so my ankles didn't swell the cough went as well.

I'm sorry about your ablation. It is really scary waiting for a procedure that requires you to be well at this time of year. I had an operation at the beginning of February once and I wouldn't let my husband play bridge for weeks in case he brought some bugs home! I hope you are back on track very soon.

[Hardjuice]

Breathe through your nose

Look it up

[Buffafly in reply to Hardjuice]

If you can 😀

[Enjoy]

I must say I am a mouth breather. Seems more air comes into my lungs that way. I try to do nose breathing when I remember!! Thank you for your support.

How I hate it when those "brave" people turn up at Clubs etc. and say "Don't get too near me. I am getting over a cough". To them it is just a cough - to us with Asthma or COPD it is another attack on our lungs.

At least my ablation cancellation will give somebody else an earlier appointment.

[Mike11]

I have exactly the same problem if working above head height. Having a Heart and Lung Function Exercise Study next week to find out why

[Buffafly in reply to Mike11]

I would be interested to hear the results of that. I have had a couple of lung function tests to see if I was fit enough for operations but the tester would not tell me a thing and the only 'result' I had was that I was OK for the op. I mentioned to my GP that working above head height (pruning a rambling rose last time) often sent me in to AF but she just beamed and said 'Really?' So not much interest there!

[Mike11]

I'll see what the consultant says when I see him (hopefully before Xmas) and let you know

[ILowe]

My FEV1 is off the scale -- dangerously low. However, I have records going back decades, right back to my early 20s, which shows that I have always had such low figures. All other clinical signs are normal/above average. This underlies the importance of:

1. Insisting on copies of all test results. Keep your own file. Information is power. You know your own file better than the doctor who flicks through 100 pages in a few minutes.

2. Change is interesting, not the absolute value. Interesting, because with age the change might not necessarily be bad.

3. Doctors need to remember a basic dictum, that any individual figure should be considered in the light of the whole picture.