I have a resp. consultant. he isn't convinced what's going on for me is asthma - he's putting things down to reflux, i improved after starting on tablets for it although haven't had much luck after that. i'm still symptomatic, tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, ect. I respond to inhalers and things, and I've had countless hospital admissions. I've had a negative mannitol test done, and my lung function tests are normal, but i've read singing and sports can give normal readings in asthmatics, ive been singing since i could talk and dancing since i was 3. I respond well to asthma treatments, though - i've been on a lot of burst courses of pred and i seem to improve a lot within a couple of days and my peak flows seem to stay stable. is it possible to be asthmatic without the airway sensitivity? im frustrated with the whole situation.
diagnosis?: I have a resp. consultant... - Asthma Community ...
diagnosis?
Hi,
Think my situation's not that dissimilar though luckily I have not had hospital admissions. It did however take me 2 years to get diagnosed, and that was partly due to 'normal' lung function tests. I've been singing since I was 6 and playing the oboe (well, not done it recently but did for years) since I was 7, and my peak flows are REALLY high (as in according to the chart I should be about 6 ft 3 and male not 5 ft 8 and female) - this makes life difficult as you've probably found as you get, 'well, that's very good' and can never communicate that it isn't good for you.
However, like you the medication - well, some of it, not the steroids - does work which sort of indicates I do have asthma; my GP said montelukast is very specific and you don't respond to it if you haven't got what it's meant to treat.
I had a very helpful conversation with one of the asthma nurses on here who said I definitely wasn't the only one she'd heard from in a similar situation and that peak flow only tells you what's going on in your large airways - the small ones could still be having problems. Can't remember off-hand whether any of the battery of lung function tests would show this - my reversibility test 'showed no evidence of asthma' but all the readings were all over the place which didn't happen the first time I took them (cons said 'variable but that's not significant'.)
Anyway I hope this is of some use! Feel free to PM me even if just to sound off to another 'weird' asthmatic (and there are plenty more on here too, that's why I like this forum). I'm still trying to get my referral sorted so I don't have to see the same useless cons as last time.
its frustrating. i got 'diagnosed' around 14 years ago, its kind of annoyed me that its only now when they're thinking it may not even be asthma. I don't know what the plan is now, I've been put on a few things for reflux and my consultants said if i respond well to them then i'll be getting discharged back to my gp. i doubt -just- reflux can cause at least 8 admissions in 7 months? grr, sorry for ranting.
Hi confused,
I am just like you, diagnosed in my 20's and 30's by consultants but periods of poor control. Have had the worst period of control over the last 21 months and chose a difficult asthma clinic as have never had classic asthma. Was diagnosed with atypical asthma last august but now the consultant has changed his mind again and not sure if it is asthma... soo frustrating!! My peak flow doesn't vary and consultant I saw in my 30's thought it was my small airways involved.
Interestingly, I am responding well to meds for acid reflux.
Apart from a separate abnormal lung function result, my lung function tests come out 30% better than the average. I put this down to my love of walking (before this flare up) but that result isn't very helpful when you are being limited in every day things.
I am finally seeing some consistent control since November appt because I am using neb 3 times a day as my maintenance meds but am worried about how much medication it is taking to get this control and will it ever calm down so that I can reduce it?!
Please don't feel alone! There are more of us out there... Just not many lol
Jac xx
Hi Confused.
Great name and that is me after respiratory appts recently.
Your post is similar to my experience is some ways. I was always told by GPs & asthma nurses classic asthma with peak flow dips & generally allergic i.e. atopic. I got referred last year after struggling since cold/flu Christmas/New Year 2011 & sinusitis led to medication increases up the the max GP could do and still not great. Hence referral as ? diagnosis too and lack of control.
I haven't had hospital admissions either yet though. I also have had good spirometry/lung function/nitric oxide/methacholine challenge and high peak flow. Cons basically said straight away I don't what to do with you, it's either not asthma or unusual so off to a difficult asthma clinic for you. Didn't really listen to what I said. Some rather odd statements though in regards to reflux (given med. which helped lungs esp in morning from ENT after odd sore throat & increasing feeling food sticking post sinus surgery but not typical heartburn) being non-organic i.e. psychological in younger females. Also apparently it's not possible to get better than 100% of erm predicted! I may hyperventilate or have loss of breathing control but oddly few if any symptoms and physio 'breathe from the diaphragm' didn't have much to suggest. Urgh, am also meant to reduce/stop all meds inc Atrovent which has helped the most? Hmm, think not esp as have managed so far to avoid asthma affecting work too much.
As JF and Philomena say, there is a few of us challenging (as asthma nurse call me) ones on here. I am waiting for respir. cons to refer me to difficult asthma clinic. Don't know where you are in the country but there is a few around. JF, my cons didn't know about your clinic i.e. any closer to me and was certain on referral to Brompton. Not surprised you're fed up with recent admissions and just refer back to GP is mad?!
Just to add to my post below, I had normal results for nitric oxide test, normal results for mannitol challenge test, had a hyperventilation provocation test that was normal, normal airways result from bronchoscopy, normal chest CT scan, normal gas perfusion test.
If everything is so normal in us, then why do we have these symptoms?!! Very, very frustrating!
The one thing that has helped me feel less isolated and stressed is knowing there are others like me on here, after coping for 20 years on my own.
Jac xx
Hello
I'm another one! all my results were normal including spirometery, reversibility tests, methacoline challenge, my consultant told me that due my history and symptoms that I do have asthma just that it wasn't very active at the time of the tests.
However every time I see him he always mentions these test results and tells me my symptoms can't be as bad as I say they are due to my results and other consultants tell me I have reflux and dysfunctional breathing it's so frustrating cause no one can make up their minds, these tests are going to haunt me forever!
But the way see it is If i don't have asthma, why do I get asthma symptoms and why does asthma medication help me?
lejaya
My first thoughts when my consultant said that everything'd come back normal was ""well, wouldn't nurses and doctors not know it's not asthma, and why, when I'm in A&E, am I struggling to breathe with sats of 85-95%"", its stupid, the amount of times I've been admitted for 'severe attacks'. I don't understand why its got worse after I got admitted in 2010 due to breathing issues, which weren't 'asthma' related. with my admissions, I usually have raised carbon dioxide in my bloods. its confusing, and frustrating to say the least. could I possible PM one of you guys at some point?
PM me any time! Don't know if I'll be able to help but happy to at least try.
I'm slightly worried about methacholine challenge now - GP said it was one of the few things I hadn't had and should give a definitive answer about asthma/not asthma (on the other hand, he's always said he prefers to go on symptoms and response to medication). But betting big money it comes out normal and I get another round of head-scratching and 'are you sure it's asthma?'
Confused, have you seen a physio? I got sent to one with 'dysfunctional breathing'. Turns out I was borderline (IMO, not nearly enough then to cause the symptoms I was having, esp as some of the questions on the questionnaire could actually be asthma symptoms eg 'how often are you short of breath/tight in the chest?') After the 3rd appt she said I didn't need to see her again as my breathing pattern was fine. I now have that up my sleeve in case it gets mentioned again - much harder to argue with a physio's report.
Thank you. Its nice to know someone else knows where I'm coming from with it.
The mannitol challenge was one of my worst experiences with my breathing, even coming above attack which left me in a bad way for weeks afterwards - we're talking 4 admissions, and when I wasn't inpatient, I was in A&E with yet more attacks in the space of around 2 weeks, maybe 3 weeks at the max.
I haven't seen a physio - they tend to cover hyperventilation and things like that don't they?
My consultant hasn't mentioned hyperventilating at all - but I've mentioned that I DO hyperventilate when I've been coughing for a while, or coughing badly as an attempt to catch my breath again.
I don't get the wheezing, although I do get coughing, tightness, shortness of breath, and decreased airflow. I've been asked if I've got brittle asthma a few times due to the severity of the attacks and how fast come on, ect in A&E. I wish someone could make up their mind as to what it is that's going on.
I'm currently on 80mg omeprazole, some anti-sickness tablets, Cetirizine, seretide and salbutamol. I've previously used - salbutamol, Qvar, salmeterol, singulair and Fostair. My GP currently has me on seretide 250 twice on a morning and twice on a night which seems to be helping the most out of everything I've been on.
sorry for such a long reply, and sorry for the rant.
you are more then welcome to pm me any time you like, i think it is a bit strange that if the methacoline challenge is the gold standard asthma test, then if they are not sure whether or not someone has asthma, why don't they just do that test, why do they bother doing all the others?
Good point lejaya! And why would someone who doesn't have asthma respond to medication that doesn't really do anything else?
Confused, you're welcome, and don't worry about ranting - I rather feel like doing that atm and probably have been. i wish I didn't know how you felt - and I do feel for you with the hospital admissions, at least I haven't had that!
Physios do deal with hyperventilation yes (and other things like getting mucus up). That's why I was sent to one - well, three - cons both said just hyperventilation. I'm surprised they haven't suggested that to you, it seems to be quite common when they start saying it's not asthma! Might be helpful though if you do have hyperventilation issues as lots of asthmatics do, to help when you had an attack?
The other thing I wondered about was if they'd tested for VCD (vocal cord dysfunction)? Apparently this not that uncommon amongst asthmatics and cam mimic asthma attacks/make them worse. It sounds like asthma's not out but if you had VCD as well it could be making things a lot worse with the attacks and of course it wouldn't respond to asthma medication. So worth asking about if it hasn't been covered (my cons suggested this but I don't have it).
Hmm, Philomena, never had a questionnaire from physio who I only saw once, think I know the one you mean and didn't get much of a score on it.
Confused, physio was mentioned for me as consultant thought hyperventilation or some loss breathing control. Not sure she was particularly great either but did listen to chest unlike cons. and some lack of air entry in lower lungs due to occasional lapse into shallower breathing. I don't hyperventilate and said low respiration rate or no symptoms apart from what was always told classic asthma by GPs. She seemed reluctant to disagree with cons and all she could suggest was checking diaphragm breathing exercises which I demonstrated I did well already.
*Edit to add
Philomena, methacholine challenge was ok for me but did show good response to Ventolin, another part the cons didn't pay any attention to. Think they said allow a few hours as it is basically repeated nebulisers starting with lower and increasing concentration over set times and then spiro to see response, positive for asthma at certain levels of methacholine and decrease in spirometry. Seems mixed in literature whether completely diagnostic for asthma if well at the time but cons did seem adamant it was 100% accurate.
forgot to add Confused pm me too anytime, are you on facebook either?
Wherebouts in the country are you too as there may others on here as I've found that know the same cons/hospitals
Hmm TJ, I don't trust your cons after hearing that he said you couldn't have better than 100% predicted PF which shows a total lack of understanding of statistics! But thanks for info - doesn't sound pleasant. If I have it will have to tell them not to use Ventolin - Atrovent would be much better as an indicator for me.
I've seen 3 physios now! Had questionnaire with all, not sure what I scored with first two but don't think it was very high. This time it was messed up by asthma symptoms but also by this odd dizziness I have - that scores highly because it is a symptom of hyperventilation, but my GP doesn't think it's from that.
The physio here seems to want to observe the 6-inch or possibly 1-foot rule; she didn't come near me at any point and checked resp rate (which she did say was very good) using a stopwatch after telling me she was doing it, which I thought you weren't meant to do as people can change their breathing if they know someone's watching it.
Second one I saw back in London was much better, she was concerned about my cough and did a lot of stuff like checking expansion on breathing in and listening to chest (without making me do weird breathing as sometimes happens. I swear anyone would sound like they don't breathe well if made to breathe in through mouth and out through nose, or randomly told to take a deep breath when you're in the middle of one). Then she wrote a letter which the cons failed to read.
My consultant hasn't mentioned anything about physio, usually get a questionnaire thing before seeing anyone in clinic and that asks if you hyperventilate at all, if you overbreathe, ect..
I'm not sure when I'm going to be seeing my consultant again - to be honest, he's a bit crappy. I saw the resp nurse - she said it doesn't sound like asthma, sent me to have mannitol challenge done and repeats of lung function tests once I'd come off pred. I saw the consultant, he give me the thing that a couple of women sitting in the appointment were mental health people, said from my test results, asthma looks unlikely, prescribed anti-sickness and increased my omeprazole and said if they help then he'd discharge me back to my gp, at this point I could have cried through frustration.
I do have facebook, although I'm rarely on it. I can pm links if you'd like.
Hmm now I'm confused! Can't see what the point is of asking people point blank if they hyperventilate/overbreathe - lots of people don't realise they do it so a negative answer doesn't really mean anything! The one I was given tries to find out from symptoms whether you might be hyperventilating.
Your cons does sound a bit rubbish. I am really confused as to why he thinks you need the mental health people simply because you had symptoms mimicking asthma - especially if he thinks it's down to reflux; what's that got to do with mental health?! Even if what you had was all down to hyperventilating (and you respond to meds so it seems unlikely) that's not necessarily a mental health issue either; it's easier than people think to get into a bad pattern and it doesn't need to be stress-related (I looked all this up when they told me it was my problem). (NB if you do end up exploring the VCD route don't let them tell you that's all psychiatrically/psychologically caused either - seems it can be in some people but often isn't, especially with someone who has asthma.)
Also wondering why the anti-sickness meds - because he thinks stomach-related? I was on some for dizziness for a bit, to control symptoms; GP has no idea what's going on there but suspects related somehow to asthma; too much of a coincidence otherwise.
If you do get discharged back to GP you can always be re-referred. This is what happened with me as my GP is very good but ran out of ideas once he'd demonstrated i had asthma but it wasn't properly controlled. They tried to send me back to the same cons but I said 'no, absolutely not, this is my third referral now and I want someone who knows more about weird asthma and won't just dismiss what I say.' So GP is looking into it.
Good luck with all of it - like I said PM any time.
I've read your reply but my laptop has broken and replying is a bit fiddly on my phone, ill reply asap.
He is rubbish, apparently he was the only person who didn't have a really long waiting list. I wonder why?! he hasn't mentioned anything about VCD either, he hasn't mentioned a whole lot about anything though. the antisickness meds will help with acid production, and in turn help with the 'reflux' supposedly - i don't believe reflux has anything to do with it, on the rare occasion when its noticeable, it doesn't do anything apart from annoy me because of the burning. my gp didn't refer me onto the consultant, they've flat out said unless I was on what I'm on at the minute and my peak flow was around what it was before I started on the 'heavy' meds then they'd refer me then but because its reasonable, they wouldn't?
I'm utterly frustrated - I'm struggling quite a bit tonight and inhalers aren't doing too much, although i'm not wanting to get help, and I'm not wanting to say its asthma if it isn't.
Hmm, this is a tricky one! What they've said makes no sense to me and doesn't seem like a sensible way to proceed (but I know their decisions do sometimes make no sense at all).
I understand your reluctance to say it's asthma if they're saying no. I've been there, was told I definitely didn't have asthma because of the reversibility test results. I've since found out there are tests you can do if reversibility shows no asthma but symptoms persist, so it can't be that definitive, but my consultant didn't seem interested in pursuing anything else even though I was still having symptoms.
I did however have this feeling all along that it had to be asthma because of my history - my mum's side of the family is riddled with it and I had it mildly when younger. For asthma symptoms to come back after a respiratory infection with a history like that and it not to be asthma seemed so unlikely! And I was right in the end...well, except have horrible feeling that next lot of consultants will decide I don't have it after all and I'll be back to square 1. (What helped me persist is realising how much I had in common symptom and trigger-wise with others on this forum who had confirmed asthma).
Anyway sorry for diversion there but was trying to say it is worth keeping at it. Can see you're in an awkward situation though! What I did when I wasn't happy at seeing same cons again is ring up AUK adviceline who were extremely helpful, told me what to do and told me to ring again if I didn't get anywhere. So worth trying on Monday.
yeah, it makes no sense to me either. I've had both the resp. nurse and my consultant both say that if mannitol came back negative, that was the answer. negative = not asthmatic. I have hay-fever and 'asthma', my sister has eczema too. also have a few cousins who are asthmatic. my consultant said I'm allergic to a lot, although mostly mild allergies. I'm so confused its stupid- consultant doesn't really listen to anything I say.
I have finally found a doctor at my gp surgery who listens to what I say, I may ask her if she'll be able to refer me onto someone else if I got discharged from consultant.
I'm in a bit of a situation at the moment with my breathing - I started struggling quite a bit last night but its got worse overnight up until now. I'm really tight in my chest, my breathing's loud, feeling really faint and it feels like I can't get enough air in. my inhalers are lasting around half an hour or so, then wearing off and the tightness feels to be coming back worse than it was. I know with how it is and how much I'm going through - I should [probably] get help sooner rather than later, instead of leaving it. hmm.
Please ring OOH or an ambulance asap, it really does sound like you need to get some help as you say sooner rather than later - don't leave it!
For when you come back...
Hmm weird, sounds like the perfect set-up for asthma as with me! I'd be surprised if you don't have it; you seem to be in the same place though with tests and symptoms not matching up. I do hope your new GP comes up with the goods, mine has been absolutely amazing and I would not have got anywhere without him.
Is it possible they could have done it wrong ie not told you properly about stopping medication? I looked up the mannitol and methacholine tests as I didn't know much about them and both said that although negative usually means not asthma, you can get a false negative if you weren't told to stop your medication long enough in advance (and it's different for different ones so it's no good saying stop it all 8 hours before, some needs 4 days = though you may well know this anyway).
Also, I thought the mannitol challenge was mainly for exercise-induced asthma? Correct me if I'm wrong/have forgotten but it sounded like you have more of a problem with allergies than with EIA?
I went to the out of hours doctor's who had me on nebs there, who still weren't impressed by me afterwards as my airflow was still rubbish. I got sent to A&E and ended up on nebs and oxygen there for a few hours, who wanted to admit me for observation but didn't due to me saying I'd go back if things got any worse. not feeling great at the moment, coughing a lot and fairly lightheaded due to that, also aching all over. I have another infection. 
I did forget about the test and took my usual things a day after I should have done - I told the guy who was doing it and he said it shouldn't have had much effect on it. I don't know why I had it done, the resp nurse wanted it doing due to my symptoms/lack of wheeze and normal lung function tests. I didn't think I had any allergies till I had bloods done - I do react to nsaids.
the new gp is great - I saw her with a virus and she upped my seretide, which took the edge off of things. I saw her about a week after that because the virus had turned bacterial [in her words], and she said if I wasn't already on pred she'd put me on a course due to having a really wheezy cough despite being on high doses of inhaled steroids, and because I was already half way through 2 courses of antibiotics. a lot of GP's don't go by wheezy cough, they're usually like, 'no wheeze-no pred'. the pred has taken the wheeziness off of the cough, although still chesty.
Glad you went and got some help though sorry you're feeling rubbish. i have to say I really really don't understand how reflux could give you rubbish airflow - though admittedly I'm not a doctor! Glad your new GP is good, she sounds like she would actually listen and that is a big help - especially if you need re-referring. Have you told her about what the cons said, or does she know anyway? I would think after yesterday she's going to be a bit sceptical that you don't have asthma...
Re the test: just wondering if mannitol challenge is less use if you don't have EIA (just like, apparently, methacholine challenge can be not so much use if you have EIA and no problem with allergies - or did you have both tests?)
The things I read - and admittedly this was on the internet but it was a paper in something pretty respectable looking, so not a forum or anything but actually written by professionals - said that taking meds too close to the test really can mess it up but some people who administer it aren't careful enough about this. It also said if you've had a negative test but still have symptoms and you didn't stop meds in time it is worth asking for another one. They had very detailed tables of what to give up when so it does seem that it's quite important. Could you ask your GP about it and get a more expert opinion? I think it's not unreasonable to want a repeat given that it's standing in the way of you getting a proper diagnosis and there is a valid reason that the results might have been skewed.
Hope this is helpful and you feel better soon! xx
haha, yeah. that's what I thought when consultant said it's all down to reflux. its like, 95% of the time, I end up with no airflow towards the bottoms of my lungs, but with lack of wheeze? I think the reports from clinic have been sent to her and when I see her whether its asthma related or not, she does ask how I'm going with it. it seems like she thinks its asthma more than consultant does.
with the mannitol challenge, I coughed until I threw up then landed in A&E unable to breathe properly 2 days in a row due to it. apparently both times I had a wheeze when I very very very rarely wheeze. I'm completely confused - I have a lot of allergies apparently, yet they're not bad enough to have any effect on my breathing? although when my hay-fever's playing up and I'm taking tablets for that, it seems to be better on the whole? grr.
what do you mean by-
""Re the test: just wondering if mannitol challenge is less use if you don't have EIA (just like, apparently, methacholine challenge can be not so much use if you have EIA and no problem with allergies - or did you have both tests?)"" it lost me a bit?
sorry for ranting on again. I had a rough patch over the summer and whenever I have a flare, I get on edge in case it goes the same way the summer went. I had a lot of admissions and trips to A&E within a short time-span - during the school summer holidays, I spent more time in and out of hospital than I did at home.
sorry about the long replies, too.
lol no problem re long replies, I'm just as bad!
So mannitol challenge was normal despite that reaction??!! Well confused, can't believe they didn't take note of that. Sorry for being confusing re mannitol/EIA - what I meant is that I read (and don't know if this is true) is that the mannitol challenge is mostly used for diagnosing exercise-induced asthma, where the methacholine challenge may not always be helpful. I just wondered if your problem was more with allergies if the mannitol test might not show that much - but since you had such a strong reaction then perhaps not! Was also asking if you'd had methacholine as well as couldn't remember.
Hope this makes more sense! Sometimes it does in my head but nowhere else lol.
Sorry to hear about the rough patch (no worries about ranting, this forum is great for that). It really does sound like the hayfever and allergies are linked to the asthma, and I can't believe cons hasn't thought of that. Like with me, I think it's stretching belief more to say you don't have it! But does sound like GP is excellent so you have someone in your corner.
yeah, my first thought when my consultant said it'd come back negative was ""you're talking out of your a**e?!"" - how the .. can the nurse have to throw me the bin the throw up in yet it come back negative?
I've had lung function tests, peak flow and the mannitol thing done. I've never heard of the methacholine thing?
I've read myself that the mannitol challenge thing is usually used in people with exercised induced asthma, to get a diagnosis.
I thought that with my first set of lung function tests! Have only just remembered this - thought they were easy compared to the second and third ones but they really weren't, was sure it was going to show something but no, 'above normal'! Of course this didn't actually mean much as they didn't know what normal for me was (and I'd expect it to be above predicted).
Methacholine I think is like mannitol - they make you inhale something that causes bronchoconstriction and see if spirometry drops by at least 20%. Never heard of the mannitol one till this thread - I looked it up hence the stuff I read about it. Wonder if they will give it to me? I don't want it but given what my GP has said they probably should do it as my asthma is very strongly exercise-induced, I don't really have allergies.
ah, that makes sense. I need to see my gp about something unrelated tomorrow, I'll ask her if she has any idea what the next step'll be, or if she has any suggestions on what to ask my consultant what it is/what it could be/further testing/ect.. I'll probably ask her about my breathing too, see if she can fiddle anything around, herself. although - I was supposedly on the highest doses of everything which a gp could prescribe, hmm. worth a shot?
Definitely worth a shot! Mine has been great at fiddling around with medication - it's always possible to try adding something perhaps, see if that makes a difference. The other GP I was seeing who is not bad but not quite as great as the current one tried me on pred when I was desperate for something to work. Cons disapproved but it wasn't like she was doing anything useful or attempting to solve the problem!
Mine has also been great with wanting to be updated on what's happening and what to try in between. Perhaps she would know how to ask, tactfully, what exactly he thinks he's doing and perhaps about re-testing if she feels it would be helpful.
I've been on a brown inhaler, a pink one, a green, blue and I'm not on purple [which seems to help with the constant tightness] and I've been on montelukast, there's not a whole lot more she could do is there?
I have an appointment at 4:30 to see her. I really do hope she can help, I was still awake at 2am coughing. :[
Hmm probably not in that case! Usually at this point they refer you..except that you have been referred and cons is useless! Can see your problem there.
No idea what most of those colours are - well, brown is Clenil, green is Serevent (?), purple is Seretide, not sure about pink? If Seretide is helping guess the 'non-steroid' route I went down with Intal may not be much use.
I hope your GP appt went well and GP was helpful. Also hope you get some more sleep tonight!
my appointment went OK. she said I was a bit wheezy [the worlds gonna end ;)] and from what I've said it sounds like I've got ongoing irritation in my airways from coughing as much as I have been. I've had the montelukast added back in and been told to keep an eye on my breathing and if it gets any worse to go back and see her.
I slept last night although woke up around 5 coughing. I can't wait till I see my consultant again, I want/need something sorting out. :[
the pink inhaler is fostair.
whats a mannitol test ?
the mannitol thing is supposed to cause irritation to your airways, to provoke an asthmatic type of reaction [as my resp nurse explained it] - usually if your lung function drops by 20% its considered positive.
I'm completely fed up. I was at the doctors yesterday, I've been at out of hours tonight who wasnt overly concerned at the time and I have a feeling I'm gonna be in A&E before the nights out. breathing isnt great, tight, uncomfortable, I have a horribly painful wheezy pain in the a**e of a cough, and talking is kind of difficult, although not to the point of needing help for it - yet. I'm so fed up of being lightheaded, coughing until I'm lightheaded. I have a banging headache, coughing is making it worse. inhaler's are helping, just not lasting long again. I could cry through frustration - its 11 days into the new year and I've already been in A&E due to my breathing? its annoying when my blue inhaler's taking around 12 puffs a shot and lasting 2 hours at the very most. I seriously do want to know what I've done for it to be this mess - I was FINE until december 2010, until I had a chest infection which had me in hospital. I was on brown inhaler, blue one and tablets for hayfever. I was going through about 4 inhalers a YEAR. at this point, i'm going through that a month. i'm sorry for the rant, I'm sat on near enough on the verge of tears. :[
awww that sucks. Can't do much useful except virtual hugs. I really hope you do get sorted out soon and ditch the useless consultant!
I see you are not yet in A&E so hope you can stay out.
Sorry for ranting. I'm not sleeping, I've been constantly symptomatic, at the rate this years gone so far, I think it may be worse than last year for 'asthma'. I've been on pred which took the edge off of it.
I ended up in A&E around 3am as things went downhill a lot, and really fast, I got home around 715. I'm tired and I'm fed up and I want to go to bed but I can't cause I've got a doctors appointment soon.
I can't deal with this. :[
That does sound like you' re having a proper rough time.
What did they do in A&E and any follow up treatment? Good luck with GP, tell them everything, write it down first if helpful and I hope they can sort things out for you.
It is a struggle with constant symptoms. My cons didn't seem to think I had reflux or asthma even but that's a long story
it really is rubbish. I ended up on back to back nebs and IV hydrocortisone, usual thing - been given pred and told to try get in contact with my cons/resp nurse. A&E seemed to think it was asthma, as does my GP, which is why I'm confused by my cons being unsure whether its asthma.
I had a 'virus', which I brought up with GP cause I was tight, short of breath at rest, ect.. she doubled my seretide, which seemed to work for a few days, after a few days I started coughing up bloody yellow nasty stuff - went to the local walk in centre, got given a course of antibiotics and pred. I ended up in A&E a few days after that due to the pain of it, tightness, ect and had another course of antibiotics added in. I finished my antibiotic and I'm still coughing stuff up. although not as yellow as it was, its still yellow. [sorry]. I saw gp about it again and she put it down to irritation of my airways, with no need of antibiotics or anything else.. said to go back if my breathing got any worse.
I feel like I'm getting bounced from one person, to another, to another without anything getting done about it.
Getting a diagnosis
4 emergency hospital trips since February 
asthma worsened by naproxen
Food intolerance
