help keep geting chest infections.

Hi everyone

I am new to this forum but not to asthma. I am 28 and have a number of health problems eg pcos, high blood pressure, Insulin resistance, ibs, hayfever, ecxerma, and asthma. I was diagnosed with asthma five years ago and only got it when i exercised.

Then i started to get it when my hayfever was bad. I had a few chest infections then but anitbotics and they went.

Now i am getting so many chest infections and don't know what to do. I am on salbutamol and a purple inhavler called seretide. But now i am taking anitbotics and prednisolone tablets.

I now have my fifth or sixth chest infection in the space of about four months. maybe less. I am geting a bit fed up with them now and really in need for some help.

I am due to see my asthma nurse on wednesday not that it is much help. I normally go in do my peak flow a then go.

please if anyone can help me i would be so gratefull.

thanks sarah

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Hey sunshine sorry to hear your poorly,

Have you provided a sputum sample to the docs so they can send it off to see if you are growing anything that may need specific antibiotics to treat?

Do you get reflux, that can cause chest infections, the acid gets into your lungs and kicks off an infection. Maybe an increase in your meds may help.

Clare

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hi sorry youre unwell,

you're in the right place as a lot of us on here seem to be plagued by chest infections (including me)

I find that when I'm wheezy its an effort to eat sometimes, has anyone queeried if you are aspirating food? That can give you recurrent chest infections. I'm sorry that you have so many other health issues too, for what its worth sometimes I wish I could be 'rubbed out and drawn in again' as I have recurrent bouts of O.C.D. & also Endemetriosis, Asthma & Diabetes and I'm only a bit older than you! But hey try to have a laugh as often as you can; its either that or cry lol

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hi Sunshine

Im the same and constant chest infections and never had them till asthma came along.lol Glynis xxx

ps. think this cold weather has caused probs for most of us.

Try put something under your bed to raise top up,better than pillows as give you stiff neck.

steam helps rubish and I try to take things stop me coughing as lungs get to inflamed aswell so try stop the inflamation.

Only had asthma 16 months and never free from chest infections and get another before getting over last one,so I get lots of tips on AUK to help me.lol Glynis xxx

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lower volume breathing through my nose sorted this problem for me once i learned buteyko

Hi sunshine

I was a lifelong asthmatic and at 32 was long sick and tired of the oh too regular and long lasting infections that always went to my chest.

I learned buteyko breathing by happenstance (my mum spotted an article and i then attended a course) and almost immediately noticed an improvement in my asthma symptoms and over time my immune system regularised itself and i found that winter the first year in decades that i had no lingering infection. This has continued for the last 7 years and counting.,,,. It helps not to be breathing in huge unnecessary volumes of air (mouth breathing results in hidden chronic hyperventilation by default (nostrils are smaller)), your nose filters the air of bugs viruses and triggers like pollutants and pollens, dust mites etc and warms and moistens it. It also traps the moisture from your outbreath. Many people are chronically dehydrated without realising it ...i know i was and regularly am even where i now watch my water intake). Water is a great way to thin the mucus that we have in our lungs.

Buteyko should be learned from a qualified instructor as there is a low success rate with home learning (i think about 10%). The tweaks to the method of the exercises makes all the difference and that comes with experience. Buteyko is a system to change the way you breathe and should be started only after discussion with your doctor on its suitability to you.

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beuteyko""d m

tried the breathing through the nose and does help when out,but do have to take odd breath or rest up.

edited name hard to get it right

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Thanks everyone. Some great ideas which i will look in to. I have seen my gp today as i have been very bad all weekend and haven't had a good nights sleep in ages. Guess what i began to feel better and was ok for a few days but now have another chest infection. My gp gave me antibiotics and som,e steriod tablets as well as my inhaler. My peak flow is way under my best where it has been for a few months.

I am going to look into some of the things you have suggested and take it from there.

thanks for your support.

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Sarah,

Do you still get exercise induced asthma, the nasal breathing will certainly help, but could be worth asking to try singulair, I've used that to control EIB for about 10 months and been brilliant, also worth considering is the nasal rinse (neilmed.com)

Last year I was just the same as you, one chest infection after another, the trouble with using pred and the antibiotics is that they wipe out your immune system and so for the next 6 weeks or so you're vulnerable to more infections, plenty of rest and fluids along with what I've found to be quite useful is a high vitamin C intake, I've not been 100% this winter but a vast improvement on last, I've not had the chest infections just flu from the swine flu jab and just about recovering from that 2 months on. If possible not sure what dose of seretide you're on, but could try adding in some more steroid via Flixotide inhaler, I've been doing this since late December and maintained reasonable control without resorting to the pred and antiB's and while that's not the quick fix method, is one that both myself and my GP agree as the best long term, off course if you're really struggling then pred and antiB's are the only sensible option and unfortunately no real easy answer.

One final thing, you can double seretide dose, but do be careful as that can possibly aggravate GERD which in turn will make your asthma worse as clare has already mentioned.

Chris