Hi, I have had asthma all my life and never really had many problems until this year.
I have had 8 attacks in 3 months which so out of character.
The problem i have is being taken seriously at doctors and A&E. On every attack my chest is clear, sats are normal and i dont wheeze (i never wheeze with my asthma) this though seems to be the deciding factor for doctors though that i am well so i am discharged on pred and increased inhalers but low and behold i am back within a day or two unable to breathe and talk!
Help does anyone else have this problem or am i going mad?.
I knew it wasn't just me! Since last Autumn I have had more time off work with my asthma than I have in the past 5 years. Currently having to work at home after a particularly nasty virus that caused a chest infection and my first lot of steroids for about 6 years.
I don't wheeze either, generally I get a tight feeling and notice that I yawn (or try to) lots more and do this little thing my other half calls a roar as I gasp for breath.
Seems every time I think I'm getting better I end up off again and clutching my Ventolin for dear life.
My doctor just keeps telling me that she has seen an increase in her asthma patients recently as there have been a lot of nasty viruses around and also early pollen. I just need to rest and listen to my body and hope that my work understands. So I'm taking each day as it comes.
Do you have an asthma nurse you can chat to? Perhaps you could ring one of the one here at Asthma.org?
Hope you feel better soon.
Kat
x
Welcome to the club! I've not yet had to go to A&E but I am very worried about ever needing to because I know I would be the same! You're definitely not alone, but some drs haven't caught up with the fact that whatever textbooks say, not all asthmatics wheeze (my GP says about a third don't though I don't know where this figure comes from). The other stuff of course doesn't help. I haven't had the 'sats dropping' (or not) issue yet as not been that serious but have come across the same thing with PF not really being a very good guide but drs saying I must be ok as PFs are good.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for the replies its good to know i am not alone. I have a fantastic asthma nurse and GP set up at uni but the local A&E is appalling but at home it is the opposite great A&E but not so good GP set up. Finally getting a referral to consultant with an appointment for 3 weeks time at uni so fingers crossed i get a few answers and maybe a plan of action.
Kat, I have the same thing i feel like there is pressure pushing my chest in (tight) but also pushing out at the same time (extreme pressure) that makes me make weird groan/moan noises (hiliarious for family listening to me, suppose you have to laugh).
I also had an expeience with an out of hours doctor at home where i was told i was having a panic attack and was not athmatic at all because i was not wheezing and should be tested for asthma the next day!! Even though i have had asthma my whole life, this was my 4th attack in 2 months and was already on pred and antibiotics etc and he had no access to my notes! what gives doctors like this the right to play russian roulette with my life?. I wish there was a set of 'rules' that all medics had to follow!.
Hope you are all well,
Sadie x
Funny to hear that I am not the only asthmatic that makes a noise that amuses everyone but me
Shame that unless you happen to chance upon a good surgery that understands asthma you do run the risk of being told you ""don't have asthma - you don't wheeze"" or people thinking that one puff of your inhaler and you should be all good again right away...
Good luck with the appointment Sadie. Let us know what they find out for you
Kat
x
Yep hope your appt goes well Sadie and the consultant is a good one! I had a similar experience with an OOH dr - I actually wasn't even there for asthma luckily but he was terrible - didn't bother to look at my notes even though he had access, took about 2 mins to tell me I was 'fine' in a way that suggested I'd been wasting his time (even though I'd rung for advice first and the dr on the phone had told me even if I turned out to be ok they should see me to make sure). Then this charming dr noticed I was SOB (because I often am!) and decided that must mean I was anxious and hyperventilating so told me to go away and breathe into a paper bag, without asking about history or if I might have asthma. Apparently this is no longer recommended for hyperventilation and definitely isn't safe if you do have asthma - lucky I wasn't actually having an attack, must have been v scary for you!
I also make weird noises on occasion lol especially in the evening. Have almost wondered if some might actually BE wheezing, like the one that sounds like wind coming through a window. But of course no chance of it happening if I were struggling and at the drs.
Hi another newbie here but so glad i found this forum, ive had asthma since i was 12 and not 50 but in the last 12 months its got worse not even slowly, my peak flow is fine i had a spirometry to test for copd, this was ok, and ive now been referred for a chest xray later today, ive been seeing a great asthma nurse since jan. but to no avail im still struggling to breath, like others have mentioned i dont have a wheeze but a constant dry cough and get really breathless doing the most mundane chores.shopping going upstairs,and have a feeling that my lungs are gonna pop out of my back. ive been signed off esa as they said im fit for work, long story but what a joke, as i suffer depression and chronic back pain also. not sure what next step is after the xrays but cos the spiro test was clear and my pf was fine i feel like a fraud even tho i know i cant breath ;-(
Good Luck I also have no wheze which is why I avoid my a and e as they say no whezzeing not asthma maybe you have a lot on (code for anoiux but in denial) ignoring the asthma diagnosis I have had since I was 5 years old and the fact I said I was not anixous
I know this is an old post, but i've been trawling the forums to find confirmation that im not the only one who never wheezes.
A greenie-meenie the other night didnt even say hi when she walked in my house, but proceeded to say, well you're definately not having an asthma attack because your not wheezing.
(I had minimal air entry and was coughing out but unable to breath in, and inhalers had not much effect because i couldnt co-ordinate breathing it in enough)
only when my spo2 dropped to 80s out came the salbutamol/ipratropium and in the ambulance i went.
Im presuming its not that common to cough only with no wheeze? but im glad its not just me, and im not making it up/hyperventilating (like i seem to always get told)
Hi, I have just joined. Thank you for posting about your asthma, it's reassuring to know that I am not going mad.
I developed asthma as an adult and have had it for a few years. It was fairly well controlled until recently when it got so bad, that It's affecting life, work, studies etc.
The last three weeks have been the worst ever and the symptoms, as well as the comments from GPs, are very similar to what you have described.
I don't wheeze but experience extreme tightness in my chest. I also start going all tingly in my extremities which must be the lack of oxygen. My peakflow is mostly ok, so I feel like a fraud. A 5-day course of Prednisolone and an increase from Seretide 125 to Seretide 250, plus Montelukast 10 don't appear to be making much difference. Where does one go from here?
Got an appointment with the GP today...
Hi Frischluft and Laura 1988.
Well i am still struggling with gp's and others but now i am back from university its easier to get consistent care. I am so glad you have all posted and Frischluft you have basically described me above- exactly the same! I finally had my hospital chest clinic appointment last thursday and i finially feel i am getting somewhere. Currently having every test known to man and just awaiting the results but unfortunatly my symptoms have got much worse since saturday feel like a fraud as sats are fine, no wheeze, they only say minimal restriction on airway intake when they listen to my chest and peak flow is ok...so why cant I breathe. Looks like I may be visiting my A&E in the near future!!
Hope you are all feeling ok!
It so reassuring to know your not the only one with symptoms like this, and that its understandable to feel like a fraud.
@Sade86 - i really hope you get something sorted soon... I know too well what its like just sitting around suffering, ""resting"", but feel like im not getting anywhere. Good Luck!
I find my a&e department are very variable - and as im a critical care paediatric nurse, i can sometimes bump into staff ive worked with, but equally those who have never met me before and just tell me to calm down as im hyperventilating. (so infuriating!)so sometimes i get good care - and others, like this weekend, they sat me in the general walk ins waiting room! (until they realised I wasnt well at all!)
Is your GP on your side? as in understands that your asthma is the way it is, and that your struggling, and could they prescribe anything to help you through it? eg steroids? or ive been down a couple of times and they've given me a nebuliser, which really helped.
@Frischluft - Welcome! Its nice to have other people about who dont ever wheeze. Despite knowing this, it doesnt stop me from thinking at the time of a problem, is it really asthma, am i really having an asthma attack or am i just making it up! We gotta stay positive. Since the above incident, i've made a ""letter"" for the paramedics that basically describes that i never have a wheeze, i do have asthma, and this is what my norm is so please! treat me like every other asthmatic that is having an asthma attack, despite you not having a wheeze.
I found ive only ever really got tingling in the extremities when i come out the other side of the attack and am on oxygen.. so unfortunatly cant comment there.
Are you taking lots of salbutamol? because in 24 hours i used an entire inhaler (200 puffs) and when that ran out (without me realising) along came the greenie-meenies!
By the way, I presume its the same, my asthma nurse said that I needed to give the singulair atleast 3month trial before i may notice a difference... and im 6 months down the line and not feeling any different - so she said that its not worked for me. (great use of my time!!)
You've gotta let us know how your appointment goes with your GP!
Hi Laura 1988,
Thanks for your post.
I just got back from the GP and promised myself to never ever see this particular individual again!
They said that I probably don't have asthma because my peak flow is fine, I don't wheeze so I must either be having panic attacks or some other allergic reaction. While that was been said the individual had a rather unpleasant grin on their face which tells me that in their eyes I must be making it all up. I was also told that their is no other medication available for me so I just have to get on with it and, wait for it,...
""breathe into a paper bag....!!!!!!
I am taking Salamol (which is hardly working for me), Seretide 250 and Montelukast. Just from reading the posts and scanning medical journals I know that there is other medication out there. I have insisted upon a referral to an asthma consultant which hopefully will arrive in a few weeks time.
I am still fuming especially about the continued grin on the GPs face, even when I mention that I wake most nights because I can't breathe. Whey would one have panic attacks almost every night and most days?
I am certainly willing to consider the possibility that asthma is not the main cause, hence the attempt to have an informed discussion with a GP. Alas, to no avail!
I hope everything worked out for you. Totally agree with everything you said.
wow it seems there are a lot of us! I've so far managed to avoid A&E and the green meanies, which is lucky because even my consultant has said that while I a) have asthma and b) it's not severe I am still a massive puzzle to him, and tbh if he doesn't know what to do with me then it's unlikely anyone else will! And of course I don't wheeze, and my PF tends to be pretty good... So I get where you guys are coming from!
Sades86, I hope you get things sorted out, the chest clinic are helpful and you don't end up in A&E! I've found persistence does pay with chest clinics, GPs etc.
Frischluft - how horrible! That GP needs a lesson in, well, basic manners, never mind bedside manner! There's no reason to make you feel like that. I'm glad you made him/her refer you, though I'd find another GP as well as that can be very helpful; I found mine fantastic and he was/is very supportive 'between' all my referrals/appts etc so it's worth trying someone else in the practice until you get a good one.
Also, breathing into a paper bag is no longer recommended I don't think, even if you really do have hyperventilation! Which btw can be a cause of the tingling feeling in hands I think, but if you have asthma that's acting up then you probably are breathing badly as well - my GP told me that I probably was hyperventilating a little because most asthmatics do at some point but he didn't believe it was the whole picture.
If it does turn out to be asthma, you may find the Salamol starts working better once you have preventers that work - I found my reliever did nothing much until it had a bit of help from the preventer (and then I was put on Atrovent which works better for me anyway). As you say there definitely is other medication - I never got on with Clenil & Serevent which make up Seretide but doing better on Symbicort. Some ppl find montelukast is great, for others it doesn't do anything.
I always seem to say this, but I'd suggest you give the nurses on here a call when you can - they are lovely and very expert, and will be able to advise you without time pressure or fobbing you off.
Good luck - and to everyone else suffering, hope your lungs start behaving! I did get there in the end with being believed.
I have never had a wheeze during asthma attacks as an adult but use to when I was a child. It is terrible what the GP did & how he made you feel!! It is unprofessional I have been very lucky with my GPs, consultant & hospital asthma nurse they never went by the textbook & always went by what is normal for me, because my best PF is alot higher than what the textbook says is normal for me so when I dropped down to that & all the other tests looked normal but couldn't even say a few words without coughing & gasping for air they actually listened to me & tried lots of different things until something finally worked. I did have trouble with the drs when I was an inpaitent because they didn't want to change my meds but I insisted they tried something else because I was always SOB. It is alot easier when you have health care professionals who actually seem to care and are prepared to try everything to get you well again but you will always get those who don't believe you or care that you get no sleep & are finding it hard to brethe.
I really hope you get sorted soon.
What is the matter with some of these doctors? i just don't get their mentality somtimes. I have been like some of you people no wheeze = no asthma. Oh look your sat levels are fine but by this time you are so short of breath and starting to wheeze NOW i cannot stand up!! but still look your sats are brilliant. AUK nurses from this site its all very well having good sats in an attack but that is a danger point as they can drop at any minute, its your body trying to fight so long. I know i am a cough asthmatic always have been, but during an attack last year the trend changed to a wheeze - why? good news is now that i am lowering my preventer inhaler and seeing the gp next week to see whether i can lower it again and possibly try somthing different - watch this space lol!! Never had asthma until 4 years ago until after a series of viruses which led to me having asthma as a consequence. Now work that one out because my consultant was certainly scratching his head and looking more than confused.
Just while we are on this subject anybody got any pros/cons of good compressor nebs any make but looking more towards Omron.
Thanks for your advice
I'm so glad to hear other people don't wheeze, don't have liw sats and PFs aren't affected in attacks! I was diagnosed again in October having suffered as a child but only mildly and apparently grown out of it but then began suffering again about 18 months ago. I was sort of the reverse of most of you, was told by asthma nurse and Drs that I was asthmatic but didn't believe it cos of the no wheeze etc. I've also always played wind instruments so didn't believe I could have bad PFs. However, 3 attacks down the line (none needing costa luckily though the last one should've been a trip to A&E...) I now believe them! Currently on Fostair, Montelukast and Salbutamol, though have been getting acutely worse when I take fostair so am going to try and get an urgent gp appt tomorrow. Had band rehearsal tonight, playing saxophone and I couldn't get through a piece without my salbutamol so definitely not right :/
i'm also in the no wheeze / unaffected PFs category - i just cough LOTS. Luckily never needed costa though i did get close once
I'm also currently in a flare up but i *think* i'm just about comng out of the end of it
Saxassoon, i'm also a wind player, mostly flute but i can play saxophone enough to teach it to about G3-4
Strangely, I can normally play my flute even in the midst of a flare up but i would definitely struggle to play clarinet / saxophone, i find they take more effort against the natural resistance of the reed.
I play the oboe and sing. I haven't played my oboe for aaaggees though (needs fixing, as I don't play regularly/professionally time + money to do this is not prioritised!). I really would like to get it fixed though so I can start playing, and when I do will be interesting to see what happens (apart from my lip having gone completely!)
Think reed instruments are meant to be harder lung-wise, more so with double reeds. When I said at RBH I played a wind instrument, I was asked which one so sort of assuming it might be significant!
Bizarrely, one time recently I was trying to show my friend how to make a blade of grass squeal, after we'd climbed a hill (horrible noise, though no worse than a beginner oboist ;)). And I absolutely couldn't do it - thought it was the wrong kind of grass! She did it and got a noise, so I thought nope, not the grass. I asked her what she was doing in case I was doing something stupid (though as she hadn't done it before and is not a wind player or anything thought it can't be that hard!) and she said she was just blowing with the grass the way I showed her! But I could hardly get a sound out of it - then I took some Ventolin, waited a bit and lo and behold, loud squeal! Somehow I never expected this to be an issue, even though I'd climbed a hill and hadn't had any for 4 hours or so.
Perhaps they should use this as a test instead of PF?
Philomela - i have a contact which may be able to fix your oboe, she made a brilliant job of my clarinet last year.
Sade86 its good to see you are getting some great answers, i have a saying just because you don't wheeze dosen't mean to say that you don't have asthma and its certainly true for me so good luck
ooh thanks Lola - where? I'm in Oxfordshire.
• in reply to
ooh thanks Lola - where? I'm in Oxfordshire.
My husband bought my clarinet of a company called Clarinets Direct, i broke a key last year and i phoned them up and a lady in Plymouth fixes them. She will accept postal repairs as well but i strongly advise you to insure your instrument if not already, also courier might be better than post if you are still interested i will send you her details post through this site and i will give you her address etc
thanks
Lola
oh yes Philomela, for a while i was asked to teach the oboe so i went away, got a proper oboe-player friend to show me the basics then taught myself the fingering etc. I can definitely say out of all the instruments i've played the oboe was definitely the hardest. Apparently i was puffing a bit after trying it in my friend's house and she was asking was i ok asthma-wise - and at that time my lungs were behaving themselves!!!! I'm not sure if i've ever tried to play it while already struggling :-s
Pleasingly (for me) the oboe pupil didn't last very long and there hasn't been any more particular interest since. We'll see what september brings!
Hey!!
Thats so rubbish that it continues to happen to so many people!!
I also don't wheeze, but thankfully, my local hospital have realised that with me if I have crap air entry also, it is to late and the wheeze would be non existent any way and send me straight to HDU or ITU.
Cold you get a medical professional that you are under to write a letter about how you present so you dont have to go through the same problems each time, as im guessing stressing our about not wheezing whilst having an attack probably isn't the best thing!!
Im really hoping things settle down for you, massive hugs!!
xxx
Hi everyone, I have been trawling the site trying to find answers and your posts came closest. Sorry to hear about your experiences, it really is debilitating at times.
The short version of my illness is that i was diagnosed asthmatic 12 years ago after a viral infection. I have had no problems in all this time until now and i have been unwell for about 5 weeks now, I wake in the small hours choking and finding it difficult to breathe, even though I sleep propped up. I also cough after eating and my voice is affected. I was hospitalised last weekend but referred to an ENT consultant who told me there was nothing wrong with my vocal chords - end of! I then saw a chest specialist , and because there was no wheeze, she discharged me after 2 days with little concern with symbicort and pred.
My GP feels I that I have had a viral infection, I have had 2 courses of antibiotics, 2 courses of pred, diazepam (to relax my throat??) and am now on mucodyne. I dont feel that i am getting any better and went back to my GP today and was basically told that it is anxiety causing these problems!! It is so annoying that she made me feel like a fraud - yet I have been off work for 4 weeks (i love my job) can barely hold a conversation without coughing, and as for eating a meal and talking at the same time - forget it! As you all appear to say, if there is no wheeze we do not seem to be taken seriously, yet why do I feel so unwell?
Think I will take the advice above and phone an asthma nurse tomorrow, thanks for listening, it helps to get this all down in print. Good luck to you all.
Cheers!
Only just seen these replies, I don't get emails through for whatever reason so never know if i have replies unless I remember to check!
I play Saxophone and Bassoon (hence 'Saxassoon'), and actually find bassoon generally ok as it's such a wide reed and there's syuch little resistance. I've recently started struggling with the sax, though I'm now waiting for a chest physio referral as it turns out my severe asthma that doesn't want to be controlled no matter what steroids and ventolin gets chucked at it is actually Vocal Chord Dysfunction which is set off by my narrow asthmatic airways causing Hyperventilation Syndrome. Yay. So I'm waiting to be taught how to breathe properly which will hopefully improve my music as my stamina's never ben good and as a 3rd year BA Music Student come October I have to start working on a 20 minute recital.... Wouldn't happen in my current condition lol.
I know it's been 4 years but I would love to know how this all worked out?
Hi Guys,
All of these replys are fantastic and really reassuring.
Update: so I have been back in A&E and had a really good doctor who i have seen twice now and she really understands me and my asthma so was rushed in no waiting straight on oxygen, nebs and intravenous steroids :/ Also had my chest clinic appointment and the consultant is brilliant. Had allergy tests, breathing tests and waiting to go to respiritory lab for more in depth breathing tests. He feels he may start me on these new injections that cut off part of the immune system as he believes i have 'allergic asthma' this is not good news for me since im allergic to hay and grass and my career is working outdoors and sometimes with farm animals, just need to jump through the hoops now so the PCT let me have the injections!
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feel like a fraud as sats are fine, no wheeze, they only say minimal restriction on airway intake when they listen to my chest and peak flow is ok...so why cant I breathe. Looks like I may be visiting my A&E in the near future!! 
I know I need predniscolone but they won't give me it cos I don't wheeze
Biologicals vs wheeze
Hospital admission bad asthma with no wheeze
Asthma but no wheeze
