Hi all

[Grahamw66]

So annoying been diagnosed with asthma and said I might be borderline Copd also get chesty dizzy when I cough tired quick and a horrible clicking in my throat when I swallow. Had every antibiotic out there steroids galore had brown inhaler White and red. Purple blue one aswell nothing seems to really help was wondering if anyone had a nasal drip as been told could be that not helping 

[Malva22]

Hi Graham

I have also been recently diagnosed as asthmatic/ or having COPD . My GP is not sure. Currently I have been struggling with never-ending bacterial pneumonia which was missed by my GP. Having terrible chest tightness and shortness of breath but no wheezing, strenuous and unproductive cough chills and sweats, overall lethargy and headache I had trouble obtaining an urgent appointment  with them. When I finally got one only after demanding seeing a Practice Manager my GP performed lousy exam and told me that she didn't see anything clinically wrong with me because she couldn't hear any wheezing! My oxygen saturation was 96, I had a temperature which she didn't make o note of and couldn't utter one sentence without gasping for air several times. All I heard was :" Maybe you have anxiety?" Two days later I attended A&E where x-rays confirmed pneumonia. My point is that if one does not hear wheezing in your chest they assume that you are fine!!! My chest gets very tight and I may still not have any audible wheezing! I am lost for words when I hear from a doctor who has a duty of care and duty to investigate say I cannot see anything   wrong with you when you hardly holding on.

Maybe your GP has a better more caring professional conduct, hopefully she/he does not ignore your symptoms ,listens to you and will refer you to a chest clinic to have all the necessary investigations for you to have proper treatment from the beginning .

[Triggerina in reply to Malva22]

I despair yet again...... Is there a doctor out there who can tell. Me WHY non wheezing asthmatics are still often told that they are fine as no wheeze? 

I have been asthmatic for my whole life( now 60) I sometimes wheeze but not generally. I can be really struggling with a peak flow only 1/3 of normal yet still not wheeze. I cough instead. I have been ignored at A&E and by. gP's over the years when I have clearly been unwell with poor oxygen levels and blue lips  ... Told to go home and relax as I am fine because of no wheeze!!! 

Plenty of us do not wheeze yet may still need help. 

Grrrrrrrr! 

Waiting for a medic to explain to me......and you Malva and others. 

[Malva22 in reply to Triggerina]

I have been through the same scenario. It is appalling that we non 'wheezers' have been constantly ignored and sent away with often no treatment at all! I'm currently awaiting an appointment at chest clinic... if I have been referred by my GP upon my request...I will definitely raise this issue with a pulmunologist when I see one. My levels of chest tightness and shortness of breath are very debilitating whether there is a wheeze or not and I have had enough of humiliating feeling that I'm not being believed in seriousness of my symptoms. If needs be I'll travel abroad for proper diagnosis and treatment.

[ChrissieMons]

I'm beginning to wonder if COPD is the diagnosis of choice this year. Last year everyone had acid reflux.  I don't think "might be borderline COPD" is a very professional  opinion. If your GP doesn't know what is wrong with you, s/he should refer you to someone who has more knowledge than s/he has.

[Staceyj1959 in reply to ChrissieMons]

I'm beginning to think it is as well! I saw my asthma nurse the other day and had a spirometer test and she said it wasn't clear and that I 'probably' had COPD but couldn't be sure. So I asked her what that meant and she said she couldn't tell me and that I needed to speak to the doctor.  I have a follow up appt with him, but funnily enough since I did all the research myself and have told them what medications I wanted to try for my asthma I've been controlling it well - so if it is COPD how come my asthma is well controlled on asthma medication?  It all seems very trial and error to me...🤔 X

[Malva22 in reply to Staceyj1959]

I agree, oftentimes they don't know what to do with you. Now days doctors struggle with diagnosing people as they rely mainly on scan results etc. 

[Malva22 in reply to ChrissieMons]

The problem is that they don't want to refer you anywhere as referals cost NHS too much. No one cares anymore!