Asthma and Hayfever

Hi everyone I havent posted on here for a while as I've been pretty well with my asthma but for the last couple of weeks things have gone slightly down hill.

I've never had hayfever before but for the last few weeks have had really itchy eyes and nose so went into chemist and apparently pollen must be really high this year as loads of people have been goig in with same symptoms and have never had hayfever either. Anyway the question i wanted to ask is Ive had a tight chest for the past week and ventolin isn't easing it and occasionally Ill get an extremely tight chest as though I'm having an attack then it will go off again. I thought this was really strange so saw asthma nurse and all she said was it was just an allergen getting in my system and my body dealing with it quickly so just take a few puffs of ventolin and you'll be fine!!! yeah right!. Is this something to do with hayfever or something else? My peak flows are pretty much normal though I don't monitor them oftem but feel stupid bothering the nurses and doctors all the time coz I don't find them that helpful.

Sorry to go on

Smithy

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Hi smithy

I don't have hayfever either but for the last few weeks or so I have been getting hayfever symptoms e.g. sneezing, runny nose, itcy eyes but I can't take antihistammins cause they make me really drowsy! my chest also gets tight sometimes and I also get an itchy feeling it's really wierd, do you have a spacer to use with your inhalers? if you do try using your ventolin with a spacer. when my asthma is playing up my doc told me to use 10 puffs of ventolin in my spacer and it often really helps.

Lejaya

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by the way I haven't done my peakflow in ages cause I don't find it helpful atall, I can be feeling really awful with my asthma and still have a normal peak flow!

[Moose1]

hi smithy,

I know exactly how you feel. Although I have had hayfever for many years, it never affected my asthma. Suddenly a couple of years ago, I started having an almost perminate tight feeling and no matter how reliever I took, made no difference. I kept going back to dr's and eventually they changed my preventer from a single preventer to a combined (Singulair 200/6) and I can tell you it made all the difference in the world. Sorted out the tight feeling really quickly.

Perhaps you should go back and see if they can twewk with your currently inhalers and / or doseage?

Btw, my peak flow wasn't changed by it either.

Christine

Lejaya - have u tried the newer hayfever tablets? I have NeoClarytin (sp) and it doesn't cause drowisness, just a thought :o)

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I saw the asthma nurse 3 days ago and she said I was fine. I'm on seretide 250 twicw daily and I have that through a spacer along with ventolin when needed but ventolin doesn't ease the tightness. I've had an antihistimine tablet for the last 2 days now and it has made a slight difference so maybe it is something to do with hayfever. I think I'll leave it a few more days then if no better then will book in with doc but find it so frustrationg caz you don't seem to get anywhere with them especially when your peak flow is pretty much normal.

Smithy

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Just wanted to say i know exactly what you mean about the peak flow being of little use. I've had really bad problems with my asthma over the past 5 weeks and yet every time i go to the hospital they say 'Well your peak flow is barely changed'. And yet here i stand before you gasping for air genius.