Hi, new to this, new diagnosis?

Hi im 29 and recently felt unwell started feeling faint and then developed progressive breathlessness. A couple of weeks back someone was cleaning in front of me and I started coughing and felt all wheezy.

Went to the GP and they gave me a blue inhaler and told me to do peak flows for 2 weeks and that it was likely asthma. Iv been doing my peak flows and then are looking pretty zigzaggy, low in morning and high in the evening. when I use my inhaler my peak flow comes up aswell. Iv done it for a week but im still really struggling with the breathlessness and feeling like I cant get enough air in. today felt awful and iv used the blue inhaler so many times. im considering going to out of hours, but im currently staying with my parents and I know my mum just thinks im exaggerating and being stupid and annoying people.

iv got other illnesses and it just seems like its one thing after another. I don't know how I can just suddenly get asthma. I know my granddad had it badly, and my brother had very 'mild' asthma as a kid but nothing else.

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Hi Amy!

Welcome to the forum! Dont worry about causing a fuss! I had asthma since a child and now almost 20 but i get bad patches as well as good patches! Zigzaggy usually means thats its out of controll. My asthma (very brittle at the moment) can get from 450 to 110 in minutes without any reason or it can happen progressively in a few hours usually less than 6 h so just rush to hospital with anything lower than 200 as thats less than 50% for me .

I take lots more than you but still doesnt always help!

I take seretide 500 2x 2 puffs

Spiriva 18 mcg once a day

Prednisolone 40 mg a day

Uniphyllin 600 mg a day in 2 doses

Montelukast 10 mg

Painkillers for chest pain as needed

And an awful lot of salbutamol

But its still not enough to controll my asthma and its been just confirmed by consultant its only asthma ! Today my peakflow went from 320 to 190 in like 2 hours! Terrible ! Refused hospital and used half a can of salbutamol to get it back even though not suppose to do that! Thats why docs shout at me saying should go to hospital if i get like that but been 2x this month already! But dont be afraid go to the docs and try to sort it out!

Hope this answers your questions! But if you got any questions dont be afraid to ask!

Also hope you will start to feel better soon?

If you dont mind asking what are your peak flows?

Mine are usually between 200-350 in mornings and 350-450 in evening time after usual medicines but sometimes falls upto 110 in mornings

Get well soon ! Probably if your peak flows are zigzaggy its asthma and the docs might give you another inhaler usually brown to start with but dont forget i am just a very brittle asthmatic not a doctor ! ?????? get better soon and wish you the best ???

Yas

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hey thanks for your reply! yea I think it probably is asthma although its odd, but my friend developed asthma in her mid twenties and had similar symptoms to me when it started its weird. I feel like either the weather or flower pollen is making it worse, I also get hayfever although at the moment its mainly just insanely itchy eyes now and then!!

That's interesting about your peak flows. mine tend to me about 240 in the morning and 340 in the evening, I haven't got below 200 (well not as a best value), lowest is probably 210 as a best. I know my best is about 400 as I used to practice teaching people how to do peak flows a year or so ago, but I haven't got that since this episode.

Yea it suddenly dipped yesterday and I had to use a lot of salbutamol, but it eventually came back up, although I felt awful.

I'd made a docs apt for tomorrow which isn't 2 full weeks of peak flows but I can't carry on like it especially since im back at work soon, but my gp has been really unsupportive about my other illnesses and I don't really want to go back there. Im moving house to a different area soon and have to go and collect the keys tomorrow so I might actually try a gp down there as a temporary patient before signing up, lol.

your on a lot of drugs for it im on a lot of drugs for other stuff so really don't need loads more. also hate steroids. hopefully I can stick with inhalers, maybe.

I don't like going into hosp either,

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Hi Amy

It's not unusual to have asthma diagnosed in adulthood. The fact that you have hayfever yourself and asthma amongst relatives means you're at a higher risk of having asthma yourself. Pollen and weather are both know to trigger asthma. I think getting a gp apt sooner was the right thing to do, it wouldn't be right to carry on struggling without help. I would hope they'll at least give you a preventer inhaler to trial. One thing that has helped my asthma recently was getting my hayfever better controlled, so this might be something else you could ask about in the appointment.