Breathing exercises + allergies

Hello,

My asthma has been pretty good since I came off the steriods a few years ago (I was on them for 11 months, blew up like a fish, gained 3 stone!!), aside from the little blips here and there. But recently I have noticed a decline in my asthma. It started a few weeks ago with a chest infection, and so I was put just on antibiotics. It seemed to clear it. But weirdly enough this weekend (a week after the final antibiotic), it started coming back. That familiar pain in your chest when you know a chest infection is coming! One asthma attack and lots of wheezing later and I went back to the doctor who gave me more antibiotics and steriods this time around.

I find it weird that this all starts up again (as this is how I ended up staying on the steriods before.. repeated chest infections) when I start a new job in central london. Is the commuting to blame?

Does anyone have any breathing exercises I could do to strengthen my lungs? I know swimming is good, and I do yoga once a week too. Also, is anyone suffering with any hayfever problems now the sun is suddenly out? Just wondering if it's an allergy also.

Sorry for all the questions! Thanks, Nat

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Hi Nat,

Sorry to hear you're having problems. I wonder if the pollution is at all related? Not sure but justa thought.

I don't know any exercises but singing is supposed to be great for asthma and has certainly helped me, so worth looking into? Also playing a wind instrument but that is more of an investment of time and money.

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breathing exercises

you can buy special breathing exercise eqp to inscease your lung strengh they are good for anyone who wants to increase lung capacity and sporting people i dont have one myself but i have thought of buying one should be able to get one on e/bay,it may be worth trying because they claim it helps lung conditions and only cost a few pounds.

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Hi Nat

Sounds that you are just a little unfortunate at the moment, I know this is little comfort but in recent months have noticed a lot of my friends and other AUKers are experiencing a lot of problems with controlling their Asthma. It might have been that simply you just didn't have enough of the first course of Antibiotics first time around, I had a chest infection back in August/September and it took four courses to get rid of mine own infection. In respect of improving your lung capacity, sounds like you are already doing a lot. Having had a recent attack and still not being well, you need to give yourself time to recover, so don't expect too much of yourself too soon.

Also a change of employment and environment may well have some bearing on your health, you have additional air pollution to contend with plus maybe the stress of adapting to a new routine. So over all I suspect their are a number of factors playing a role in your current Asthma control, and perhaps you need to take a step back and do things in a paced style until you are well and readjusted to your new routine.