Anyone experienced this?

Not sure this will sound familiar to anyone as I quite possibly don't have asthma at all (have been posting ad nauseam about the whole thing so don't want to go into that too much).

However I do have what feels like a lot of overlap with symptoms so will ask anyway. (btw this is not asking for urgent help).

Have been coughing loads today (been coughing for months and months but it varies). I don't have a chest infection and not coughing anything up, but chest feels...inflamed, mainly down the centre. It reminds me of when I definitely had asthma when I was younger and got too much cold air which was a trigger eg when I'd do something stupid like running for a train in winter. Also breathless though usually am atm anyway. And I think a bit tight.

Does this sound at all familiar to anyone? Am hoping I can tone down the coughing and this feeling before I have a bronchoscopy as it doesn't seem likely to be very helpful.

If I really feel like I need help I'll get it but I'm usually breathless but more or less functional and don't have attacks - went to OOH a couple of weeks ago when it felt a bit worse and they said to wait to see consultant as nothing urgent and nothing they could do.

Sorry, ANOTHER long post!

[yaf_user681_30355]

Hi philomela,

Sorry you're feeling so rubbish. Do you have long to wait for your appts?

Jac xx

Edit: sorry meant to say i didn't have any suggestions either...

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Hi Jac,

Thanks.

Ages till the next resp. consultant appt (August!) but bronchoscopy apparently should be this week or next week and cardiology is 23rd May, so hoping to get some answers - though for some bizarre reason have had another letter inviting me to 'Ambulatory Monitoring Clinic' on 8th June. I can see why they want to do a Holter but why is it not possible to fit one at my main appt?! I have had it before after an echo and it took less than 10 minutes by someone who doesn't regularly fit them - but no, I have to go back again 2 weeks later which is really quite awkward re work. Grr.

Lungs hate me right now but I do know they could hate me a whole lot more and at least I'm not in and out of Costa.

Hope things are okish with you - is anything happening at your end? When's your VQ scan? xx

[yaf_user681_30355]

My V/Q scan is on the 18th May, so not too long either. However, my follow up appt with consultant is meant to be 2/3 months from April and i received an appt for Sept!! Apparently the consultant has taken on a new role for a year and has reduced his clinic days from 2 days a week to 1/2 day. And because, like you i don't have life threatening attacks, i am lower priority!! I spoke to the secretary yesterday and she did say she would try and fit me into a cancelled appt but, i'm not holding my breath!! lol (sorry for the pun...)

I have an appt with my GP on the 17th May for something else so am going to ask for advice. 4 months is too long and i feel totally unsupported even though i think the consultant is very thorough.

I work term times and i am trying my hardest to soldier on until the summer hols but if i am still like this in Sept i'm not sure if i could keep up the effort for the long autumn term too.

Going back to you, could you have heartburn?

Jac xxx

(I'm off to work in 10 mins so if i don't answer your replies tonight you know why)

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Hmm, that fount of all knowledge Wikipedia suggests heartburn unlikely. It feels more like 'cold inflammation' if that makes any sense, and as though it's respiratory. (All of this I realise is horribly unscientific, but then I don't really have the resources for anything better).

Your experience again sounds similar - consultant is thorough and good but feel very unsupported between appts and find it hard with the day-to-day constant breathlessness/coughing. Maybe if they can't come up with anything sooner after bronch etc I will pester my GP (who has probably seen far too much of me) in case she has any advice.

Hope VQ is helpful for you - things may happen more quickly if they have something to go on.

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Not sure if this helps but If cold air gets into my lungs i will cough loads and asthma is triggered very quickly. My consultant said wear face scraves I thought she was losing the plot. However another consultant explained how this occurs. So I got a freind to introduce me to scrafs. Cos even air conditioning sets asthma off and hospitalised me.

However chest infection are very difficult to avoid when people don'tlet on they have cold or viruses and expose you, then you can produce loads of phelgm.

Speak to asthma nurse. Maybe your Gp could help If things get worse.

Gill

[yaf_user681_8101]

I feel a bit similar to you. Have been tight for nearly a week, not coughing up much and its all in the centre of my chest. Saw GP, no wheeze so I'm ok. I wish he'd told my ribs that! With me its pollen and things aren't right with my lungs. I'm a bit confused too. Have an appt with the nurse late this week. Am hoping it'll have sorted itself out by then. With me it could just be a touch of stress though. Who knows!

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TS, hope it sorts itself out! Is wheezing a reliable sign for you?

Gill, what is a face scrave (if that's right?) Is it like a mask or something? Cold air used to be a trigger for me with the 'definite' asthma, remember it feeling a bit like this though more 'acute'. But it's not cold, and I don't have asthma...

I hope it's not a chest infection, though no idea where that could have come from. My immune system isn't too bad usually.

[Annista]

Philomena, my asthma mostly shows up as uncontrollable coughing. Peak flow drops about 25% but i usually don't have much tightness in my chest. I also get a raw feeling down the centre of my chest - imagine a scraped knee when you were little - which doesn't go away even on the rare occasions that I'm not coughing.

Unfortunately I haven't found anything that will stop the coughing so I'm not going to be much help to you I'm afraid. I make up hot honey and lemon drinks and add a slug of Bottlegreen ginger and lemon cordial to try to relax the muscles in my throat and chest, which works as well as anything else I've tried and tastes a lot better than many other remedies. Other than that, I just have to wait it out.

I hope you find something that helps.

xx