Hi... I was diagnosed 2 yrs ago following a 3 mth viral chest infection... prescribed DuoResp to use as a preventer and reliever if required.. Im very active -walk 5km with my dogs, use the gym 4x week and active job.... ( never had an asthma attack) I've religiously taken my preventer as prescribed and the odd occasion needed it as a reliever with good results. 1 Mth ago I had what I can only describe as my first asthma attack whilst at work (i work for the ambulance service as an EMT and so treat asthmatics on a regular basis) my colleague treated me with a neb. 4 hrs later I had a second followed very quickly be a third... another colleague took me to A/E where I spent two hrs on nebs and was discharged with antibiotics and pred... I felt unwell and was still very short of breath (resp rate >30, HR 120...... ) Saw GP few days later who was concerned and advised admission to hospital but agreed to try to treat me at my request at home with further pred, ipratropiuum ... 5 days later saw same GP who again was still concerned but agreed to give me a further couple days ( I'm not a good patient and don't like to make a fuss or feel i'm bed blocking ) I thought I could work through the exacerbation... i finally gave in when I had a BIG asthma attack and ended up calling my manager who came out and called colleagues to admit me... I spent 4 hrs in reûs on back to back nebs and a further 9 days on the ward with phosphate infusion, oral steroids and IV antibiotics and regular nebs, CT scan, echo and examination of the vocal cords... all came back negative. I don't present as a 'proper' asthmatic, I don't de-saturate or wheeze ... I have a dry cough ..... but this time my peak flow dropped from 600- 250.... Since being home i've been using my ventolin approx 6x a day which I know is still within the limits of 10puffs .. my Duoresp has been tripled in dose and Ipratropium 3x day..... BuT i'm still experiencing chest tightness when talking and my voice goes....... I'm exhausted and have had a number of headaches including two migraines..... My peak flow is steadily increasing to 350-400. DO any fellow peeps have experience of this... I'm struggling to hold a conversation because of the strain I feel in my chest.. like a belt getting tighter around the chest and the lose of the voice.... Although I treat asthmatics regularly Its very different on the other side.... On the plus I know at least have the support of a good asthma nurse who saw me regularly in hospital and I see again next week in outpatients ....
Any help or advice would be appreciated.... Thank yo
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Hi. You really are having a bad time. The denial that you need to be in hospital is just like me. I've been in twice now (over a period of years)and hated going in both times. But it is what we need to improve. I'm coming to my 2nd 5 days of prednisalone on this exacerbation. My chest is still tight. On nebuliser. I find saline neb solution to work well for me. It moistens the airway and helps no end in lossening any mucus. I'm struggling to get to 280 pf at the moment. I'm an active 65 year old still working full time and I hate not being able to garden - dance rock n roll etc at the moment. This time is different to others as I can't seem to shift the tightness and lack of available breath. I will follow you with great interest so please keep posting. Good luck and feel well soon
Thank you Rosalind..I'm sorry to hear your struggling too ... Had the weather affected you ? I think the humidity is what set me of and the thunderstorms which I now know is a trigger... . It's a lonely place at times ...! I too struggled with the mucus .. I likened it to a "fur" ball cats have ...! Hospital gave me saline nebs regularly as well as the others and they were great ... I don't realize how much I need a neb until I have one !!! I put my respiratory physio in place when it happens as I'm conscious my breathing pattern can get change ... Think the headaches are getting me down ... And the fact I can't hold a conversation or get back to work !!!! I'm going to try to get to see my GP today .. But I do feel I'll be wasting their time !!!
Thank you for reading my post and replying .. Makes me feel not so lonely !!
Don't ever think you're wasting their time. I've just got another asthma nurse apt this morning now. im not good at this sitting around thing, need to get back in the swing of things.
Yes the weather has definately affected me. The air is awfully at the moment. I'm just out of a nice steamy bath, had neb, done inhaler, had anti biotic ...... had enough of this. I'm a doer not a sitter.
Getting back into the breathing exercises again. I'll kick this somehow!!!
Got my GP appointment for tomorrow ... No nebs at home just inhalers .... I too am a doer and frustrated I can't DO at the mo.... My heart sinks when I watch the weather forecast .... Sad isn't it !
Had apt. Now prescribed more pred for 5 days again +Clarithromycin + atrovent inhailer. The inhailer really seems to be having an effect already. I really have everything crossed for a better night and more lung power tomorrow. Now at 290 pf x
Hi ... Gp tonight ... steroids and antibiotics (although he said this was to cover incase I have an infection!) not wheezy -but i never am - but he can hear a wheeze when I cough ... peak flow drooped of as well the last couple days ... but hopefully these steroids which is also a tapering of dose will help ..... last year I had a course of steroids which were stopped sooner and I ended up back on them again 10 days later ... I did tell the hospital this but they said I didn't need them !!! At least now I know and will try to shout (if breath allows) louder !!!!
Hope your feeling better today and yours have kicked in ... xx
Sorry you have been so off. It will take time to improve you have insulted your lungs and as you were will over. Few weeks before this it wil take time to get back. Years ago I heard a consultant tell
a patient that recovery was approximately 2 days per day of illness!
The weather is not helping lots of us.
Have you spoken to the Asthma UK staff on the helpline. They are great and it's different being treated rather than treating patients. Taken me years to get my head round that but getting there!
I'm a long term asthmatic who had been on every inhaler and long term steroids. I think you need assessing by the respiratory consultant and they tried me on ipratropium and it made my asthma worse.
I'm on symbicort 400/12 and Ventolin and take that every day about 5 times and due to my chest tightness they changed ipratropium to seebri which is a bronchodilator without the side effects, well as many as ipratropium which I found dreadful.
I was on long term steroids and they did blood tests for Aspergillus which came back positive so that's why I'm saying respiratory consultant. I'm speaking as a patient and a nurse myself. I tapered off the steroids after two years and they started me on Omalizumab injections but again its down to respiratory consultant and if they've done bloods for Ige levels.
I think you should not try and manage it yourself at this stage but be referred. I was seen by asthma nurses for quite a while just switched inhalers but after seeing resp consultant had blood tests etc.
however I did pay privately for second opinion James Cook in Middlesbrough and saw Dr Mustafa and wish he was by consultant as they did every test possible so it was worth the money.
Thank you for reading and replying ... Everything is so new to me from this side ... I'm seeing my GP tomorrow and want to discuss the inhalers as well as get a check up .... It's a long road isn't it ! I had so many blood tests during my admission ... Probably not the ones I really need though ! I'm awaiting the results of the second lot of allergy bloods .. I had the same ones 2 yrs ago which all came back negative ... Be interesting if anything has changed ... That's the problem I have ... Everything I've had including CT etc is negative ( positive for me but frustrating as they don't know what's causing it )! So discharged with the usual viral diagnosis ...! I def don't feel like I got a viral or bacterial infection just uncontrolled asthma which I can't get under good control ! Ah well let's see what the GP says tomorrow !
It's a referral to respiratory consultant but GPs are reluctant to do this due to cost! I would try and push as you said you've maybe had blood tests that are the normal type but specific ones like Ige levels and Aspergillus blood tests are usually done by respiratory consultant.
I think the inhalers maybe not suiting you. Symbicort is a combination of preventer and reliever as is seretide. Symbicort is the most expensive and there are cheaper versions of seretide coming into the market.
Yes it's a long road of trial and error unfortunately. I'm 54 had it all my life but worked for 30 years as a nurse in the NHS however lost time from sickness with regular chest infections.
I knew myself my triggers like certain foods like soya, eggs, tomatoes, kiwi and animal fur and dander as well as dust mites and any fungal mould which produces spores. Aspergillus is in the atmosphere my consultant told me!
I'll see what my GP says ... Because I've just been discharged and it's all new I suspect they will say we will monitor ! I think the combination of inhalers are possibly causing the headaches ... I've noticed wine reacts now but I have totally gone of all alcohol anyway ( I must be ill)! Not found anything else other than the weather and it's hard to escape that ! I'll def talk to GP tomorrow about further changes and maybe a referral ....! Watch this space !
Me, too, sort of. I recently ended up I hospital for four days due to an attack, the first in my life! I am still somewhat in shock. Looking back, though, there is no doubt that I self neglected, not deliberately, but like you I don't like to be a nuisance, and surely 'it isn't that bad, really, because I don't do that bad'. That was my internal conversation at the time. But it was bad. My major change is to accept I need more help to sort this out. And so do you. I need to be more aware of the significance, and potential risks, of my own symptoms (I am slowly learning). Like you I don't want to waste time etc, but not getting the right help in a timely fashion wastes everyone else's time in the long run. Do I sound a bit harsh? Well, in part I am lecturing myself!! So, do get the help you need! If they say hospital, then go. No one wants to admit anyone to hospital for no reason these days! And, by the way, I was told lungs need 60 days to recover (or as above, two days for each day ill.) I now have a cold again, a smallish one, but my lungs are holding out so much better than last time, because I am adequately medicated. As I said, I am learning. I hope you will get better soon.
Thank you wheezycat .. My internal conversations were similar .. Mine included .... I don't want my colleagues to see me like this, I'm not 'life threatening ' and don't need to call for help (how wrong was I ! ) and I'm not that serious .I see patients all the time who do not warrant an emergency ambulance and kept thinking that's me ! But the consultant did tell me when I was admitted I was actually quite poorly .. Brought it home to me ... I did feel pretty rough I must admit and I was glad I finally gave in and my colleague admitted me pretty rapidly ! I'm learning my abnormal asthma symptoms and have support of the asthma nurse and am suitably medicated but struggling 2 weeks on from discharge .. I know it's early days and I'm improving .... I have got a GP appointment for tomorrow as my cough is increasing again ....!
Hope you get better soon too and fingers crossed you get through this cold !
I am on my way to getting better! It is nothing like last time, and I wasn't as bad as you even then, but I might have been an hour later! And I was kept in for four days.
It is typical of people in the helping profession to not look after ourselves so well! I should know! It becomes embarrassing, doesn't it!
I thought I would like to pass on some info gained over the 50 plus years I have had Asthma. Hope you don't mind, I will put it in point form
1.Take your peak flow readings everyday, and if you notice a downward trend get advice from your Asthma Nurse.
2. Every time you use your Duo-resprimat, rinse your mouth out thoroughly, as the steroid part can cause thrush in the back of your mouth and throat.
3. Use your ventolin\salbutamol with a spacer, as it doubles the amount which gets down to your lungs.
4. If exercise makes you breathless, take inhaler 10 minutes beforehand.
5. In humid weather, when I can't breathe, I use a portable gentle fan, which helps greatly.
6. When you catch a cold, you need to monitor yourself closely as these can turn into secondary lung infections. if your sputum turns any shade of green, and your peak flow is on a downward trend, speak to Asthma Nurse or see GP. Chest infections are really dangerous when you have Asthma, as I am sure you know. Being brave and not going into hospital is not a good idea as I have learnt. I have ended up with scarring on my lungs which means I now have COPD as well as Asthma, so please take care.
GPs are not good at requesting sputum tests, but if you have a chest infection, it is a good idea to check you are on the right antibiotics, sooner rather than later as it takes a week to get the results back. Sleep propped up helps as well, with a gentle fan going if humid.
Hi I'm mark , my symptoms are similar to yours I have lots if little attacks where the chest goes tight and gulping for air, talking yes I get out of breathe and for me its embarrassing because like you I am fit for my age I'm 42 , I must say the last 2-3 mths have been the worst I can remember its strange I think the changes in weather does it as well , do you cough on a morning like clearing your chest then your OK ?
Hi Mark .. I am also 42 and lead a very active life which the asthma as never interfered with since diagnosis ... My cough is very dry almost choking at its worse .. I can't shift anything but I'm beginning to notice I produce a put more mucus when I'm getting breathless .. But i can't shift it even with the breathing exercises !!! Very frustrating this time!! This has def been the worst I have been even worse than the original viral infection which caused the asthma !!! As the day progresses I get more tired and breathless ...!
I'm the same its irritating I know sometimes its like you cough to shift something and nothings there I generally find if I go in a warmer room I van shift it but its mainly the mornings
Sorry to bother you but does tour asthma get worse if you lie in a certain side I take anti anxiety pills for a sepetate condition not every day but I promise the days I take the anti anxiety pills my asthma is non existent so I think when the asthmas bad it causes panic attacks which then makes the asthma a lot worse I took one pill this morning asthma totally gone strange .
i don't have any issues with any particular side ... asthma and stress and anxiety are related and i did raise it with the consultant when in hospital but they said this exacerbation is not stress related... I use breathing exercises regularly and attend a regular pilates class which helps with regulating my breathing ...
Gosh, what a lot of advice and it goes to show that although we have lots in common, everyone is different. I agree with Wheezycat that you just have to give in to it. Stop fighting. Fighting does not help; you just exhaust yourself even more. Let the medics do what they do, keep a daily record of events, (medication, how you feel) if you want to, then just let it go and wait. It will get better in the end, and it might be a long wait and test your patience, but there it is - the lot of the asthmatic. I had very serious asthma as a child and I still have it, although it has been generally well under control for years, and I learned how to deal with my version of it. In time, you will learn the best way to deal with yours, and you'll be fine. Meanwhile, keep humming that song from 'Frozen'...
I agree with you ,... when I eventually gave in the asthma attack took hold probably because I wasn't fighting it... but it responded to treatment quicker !!!! Im learning every day and trying to ensure my 'glass remains half full'!!!! Ive not had a good year... major road traffic collision last year leaving me of work for a year.. returned to work 8 weeks ago and now of again with this..... at least the consultant said it wasn't related to stress.... made me feel reassured .....
Just before I was diagnosed as mild asthmatic I had a problem with horse voice , persistent cough and high-temperature . I was found to have chronic sinusitis . This was treated and I had speech therapy to improve my voice health care . I progressively got worse over a very short period not sure why and in desperation my consultant said I'll just do a CT .... it will be normal . I had a small pneumothorax
I work as a healthcare professional and exercise frequently like you I don't like being hospital but I had to succumb to total rest for a month . IV antibiotics + prednisolone . Sometimes you just have to take time out .
If you use ventolin very frequently this can cause persistent tachycardia , fast heart ❤️ rate .
Thank you ... I loose my voice following the coughing when I have an exacerbation .... I have speech therapy starting next week but because I've been resting my voice and my chest my voice has returned ! The effort it takes to hold a conversation amazes me ! All CT are clear but i used to suffer with sinusitis ( I have mentioned this to consultant ).. I'm def taking time out this episode as its knocked the stuffing out of me and because of that my ventolin use is greatly reduced this time ..😊 I've def listened to my body this time ! Can't return to work even when fit as the patients houses I go into appear to be triggers ... Oh the joy of frontline work .... So it's a waiting game for diagnosis and hopefully treatment ! Everyone on here is so supportive and I thank you all .... It's a lonely place at times when you are battling Drs who work with %'s and when you are just slightly of the 'norm'!
Hi, really sorry to hear you're having a tough time. You sound similar to me in your determination to avoid hospital! Last Easter my asthma deteriorated badly and I ended up taking 20+ puffs of ventolin per day with my peak flow dropping to 80 from 400. Yet I did not go to hospital- result! I see the asthma nurse and consultant in hospital every three months and have done for years and I am on a very high dose of preventer. My advice is discuss changing your preventer. Mine was changed as I was having chest infections every month and constantly on prednisolone. It really did help me. Sorry I can't be of more help, good luck.
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