Darned virus! Will it be forever

[LynetteG]

Hi, I'm new here. I've always had issues with my chest but not diagnosed with asthma until a couple of years ago when it was decided I got asthma whenever get a cold so only needed a reliever for those occasions. This has worked well til now. In 2014 in order to get a Repeat prescription I had to see the asthma nurse. She asked me to use a peak flow meter which I did and the results weren't brilliant but they weren't that bad either. They wanted me at that time to go on a steroid preventer but I said I didn't want to. They agreed I could monitor and come back if I felt things were getting worse.  Two weeks ago I caught this horrible coughing virus that's going around and the cough and the wheeze got so bad that I went to see my GP. They listened to my chest and said that I had a bad infection was very wheezy and that I needed to start taking  a steroid preventer. I also have a course of antibiotics. I am supposed to go back in one months time for them to check whether the preventer is actually helping.  Has anybody else found that after an infection of this type they have had to continue taking a preventer or once you're clear of the infection do you go back to how you were before? 

Thank you. 

[Hidden]

Hi Lynette sorry about your troubles. Hope you feel better soon. Yes a good preventer is our base it prevents flare ups.

Take care xxx

[IngridW]

Hi Lynette, like you I've always had issues with my chest despite never being a smoker and keeping fit, actually being a runner at one point, now a cyclist.  Whenever I got a bad cold it came with an equally bad cough with all this horrible green gunge on my chest.  My GP always gave me antibiotics as he said it was an infection.  Yet when I finished the antibiotics, the cough came back each time. To cut a very long story short, it turned out that my various coughs revealed I had asthma and although I protested at having to use an inhaler twice a day, I will say one month on from taking this advice, I am far better than I ever imagined I would be.  I'm not a GP but I think the fact that you're told you have an infection sounds a bit like my story.  The green stuff you may cough up is not necessarily an infection, asthma sufferers apparently cough this stuff up when airways are tight or the person is stressed or unwell - no end of different reasons but probably not down to an infection.   I know you don't want to use an inhaler or preventer but it could be that it helps you live your life better without infections and coughs coming your way.  If I'd known twelve months ago what I know now about inhalers and preventers and how I feel today, I'd have been on them and using them properly then.  Might be worth asking your GP if you can see a specialist respiratory nurse - they know all the signs and symptoms and will give you a programme to manage yourself.  It's not all naff news - honest!  

Good luck with everything.

[LynetteG in reply to IngridW]

Thank you for that. I haven't felt I was suffering in between colds which go to my chest! I hate the idea of daily meds, so rath hoping that once this clears I can come off them. Of course if I have the same experience as you and after a month feel much better than I do normally I will probably be swayed into staying on them. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. 

[Beth_19]

For the past ten years I found that I needed a little bit of assistance when I had a chest infection or a cold but would go back to being fine afterwards. However at Christmas I got that horrible virus and haven't been the same since. I am now on preventers, rescue inhalers and steroids, plus antibiotics for infection to the skin (which actually also seems to be helping my chest).

this virus has been a very nasty one so take extra care of yourself

[LynetteG in reply to Beth_19]

This is what I wondered. I must say I've not had such a bad cough for many years and the reliever hardly helped. My ribs and breastbone are bruised from it. I'm worried it will leave lasting damage. I'm cursing the woman who dragged herself into work in full virus mode and gave it to me! I'm normally so careful and live healthily so rarely catch colds etc! 

[Beth_19 in reply to LynetteG]

It is a very nasty one and I think if you already have a deficiency in some way in your chest its going to hit you hard. However just because you need preventers and rescue inhalers now doesn't mean that in the future you can't come back off them.

Unfortunately its going to be a waiting game to see how things pan out