Asthma and Hayfever

Is anybody else suffering? Ive suffered with hayfever since a small child with the usual symptoms of runny nose, itchy throat, itchy and stinhing eyes etc.. but this year its very different. Ive noticed that the itchy eyes have gone, itchy throat etc.. but my chest is terrible, It seems to sit straight on my chest now and the antihistamines just dont do anything for it since being diagnosed. (my first hayfever season with asthma). Does anybody here have this problen at all? My peak flow is a bit errratic with it too..

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hi sam,

watch your medication, check they are working i had similar symptoms to you and ignored them thinking ah severe hayfever when in fact it actually chronic asthma and chronic sinusitis.

have you seen your doc? they can switch your anti histamines too.

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I'm getting the same problem.

have always sneezed a lot from pollen and got hayfever headaches.

Now the antihistamines seem to be tackling those but whenever i go out and its polleny my chest tightens up. My peak flow went down 6o points having been in the garden for ten minutes and come back in wheezing. I much better when i stay indoors but I'm missing going outside Apparently its a really bad pollen season because its concentrated due to the cold weather earlier on?

Hoping the pollen clears up and we can all breathe easier.

J x

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You are not alone! There is a lot of hayfever related suffering going on.

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bumped for Ade

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I've had none of my usual hayfever symptoms recently. No itchy eyes or scratchy throat.

What I have though is the feeling that my throat is closing and I can't breathe. Strikes around 3 a.m. but usually over after two puffs of ventolin. Last night took the two puffs ventolin thirty seconds apart, then four of the minute apart ones then sat up with a boring book for an hour to make certain all was ok.

Putting it down to the builders over the back and whatever they were doing there yesterday has presumably caused some sort of brick dust.

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GrannyMo - you take the ventolin and then shortly after you feel that your throat is closing?

Have to say that this sounds like silent hyperventilation.

You take the ventolin that opens up your airways and then you go to sleep. In your sleep you silent hyperventilate because your airways are now 'too open' and as a result your throat 'closes' trying to stop the loss of CO2 from your body which is upsetting the delicately balanced Oxygen/CO2 levels in the blood. Your body does this to try and stop you dying because the body needs CO2 in order to live.

So the body does what is natural to try and stay alive, the throat tights and you immediately wake-up feeling panicky or just simply aware of what has happened - partly because your CO2/Oxygen levels are already unbalanced and partly because of the physical sensation of feeling your throat close which, as I have had this myself on many occasions, is a frightening feeling.

So, what have we learnt here - well, the possibility that the ventolin is opening up your airways too much causing a loss of CO2 to which your body responds trying to protect itself by narrowing your airways.

I know I keep going on about this but the borderline between asthmatic symptoms and silent hyperventilation is very blurred and all asthmatics need to be aware of them. I, myself, often find myself in a situation where I am thinking ""Am I having an asthma attack, in which case I need my inhaler, or am I hyperventilating and by taking my inhaler will make things worse?"". Several times I have taken my inhaler only to make my hyperventilating worse.

Of course, I do not know you personally. I am not a Doctor and I cannot diagnose but, perhaps, the above is something to take into consideration?

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GrannyMo - you take the ventolin and then shortly after you feel that your throat is closing?

Have to say that this sounds like silent hyperventilation.

You take the ventolin that opens up your airways and then you go to sleep. In your sleep you silent hyperventilate because your airways are now 'too open' and as a result your throat 'closes' trying to stop the loss of CO2 from your body which is upsetting the delicately balanced Oxygen/CO2 levels in the blood. Your body does this to try and stop you dying because the body needs CO2 in order to live.

So the body does what is natural to try and stay alive, the throat tights and you immediately wake-up feeling panicky or just simply aware of what has happened - partly because your CO2/Oxygen levels are already unbalanced and partly because of the physical sensation of feeling your throat close which, as I have had this myself on many occasions, is a frightening feeling.

So, what have we learnt here - well, the possibility that the ventolin is opening up your airways too much causing a loss of CO2 to which your body responds trying to protect itself by narrowing your airways.

I know I keep going on about this but the borderline between asthmatic symptoms and silent hyperventilation is very blurred and all asthmatics need to be aware of them. I, myself, often find myself in a situation where I am thinking ""Am I having an asthma attack, in which case I need my inhaler, or am I hyperventilating and by taking my inhaler will make things worse?"". Several times I have taken my inhaler only to make my hyperventilating worse.

Of course, I do not know you personally. I am not a Doctor and I cannot diagnose but, perhaps, the above is something to take into consideration?

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Wish my mother would read that...she keeps reminding me, the weather report only says its low or its supposed to be better this year due to late snow. hmmm.

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Help!

I've had terrible hayfever recently - have suffered since I was a teenager (also allergic rhinitis) but this is my first summer since being diagnosed with asthma too... Antihistamines just don't seem to be touching it.

Am generally very unimpressed with finding out I'm asthmatic. Have been in denial, I'm afraid, and stopped taking the Symbicort when my initial symptoms receded about a month ago.

I've been really breathless for the last three days and this morning had a peak flow of 250 - which is low for me. I feel cold, exhausted, achy and weak. I phoned the asthma nurse this morning and she said take Symbicort every couple of hours, with Ventalin whenever I felt I needed it.

I just feel like it's out of control - I've never had to cope with this kind of health condition before and feel all at sea. I desperately just want it to go away as I've got a one-year old and need to have the energy to have fun with her.

Anyone got any tips or advice? I want to be able to manage this but don't know where to start...

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from what I've heard the pollen counts this year are some of the highest for many years. Not sure why but appears to be global as the americans have had record numbers of admissions due to pollen related illness.

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links between asthma and hayfever and your breathing

people who learn the buteyko method and can implement it find that by breathing through their nose the can control the minute volume of their breathing and find a massive improvement in their hayfever symptoms. THere is a method for unblocking your nose so you can maintain nasal breathing.

Your nose is designed to fight the inhalation of triggers straight into our lungs in this case pollen.

It responds by a build up of mucus which we respond by reverting to mouth breathing which perpetuates the cycle.....

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I've suffered badly in previous years with hayfever and asthma with it having a really limiting effect on what I could do. However, this year I've been on Xolair and the difference has been amazing - I don't know if it's due to the Xolair or just coincidence, but I have hardly any symptoms - a little sneezing and slightly runny eyes, but nothing that has a major effect on me. I managed to have a picnic in the park recently which I wouldn't have been able to do in previous years.