Asthma and the relentless cough

[Emilyeagleowl]

Hi everyone! I'm really glad I found this forum and I am hoping you can help me. I got diagnosed (finally) with asthma at 16 and was prescribed with blue ventolin reliever inhalers and with pink foster ( Beclometasone dipropionate) inhalers. I am now 21 and they have always done the trick, and prevented me feeling the worst of my asthma, only the occasional wheezing, coughing, tight feeling asthma attack at rare intervals. Recently over the last 3-5 months, these inhalers have been getting less effective and since I came home from uni they have been really not helping. For the last week maybe two weeks (I'm not sure but its been getting worse) I have had a tightish chest, wheezy breathes, and the feeling of having a face mask over my nose and breathing through a snorkel. I think I should probably go back to the dr, and tell them before anything goes wrong. I have never had a asthma attack where I have been forced to go to hospital although I know it could happen. Has anyone else had a change in symptoms like this? Its the relentless non-productive, sounds like I have smoked 50 a day for 50 years and have tuberculosis coughing I cannot stand!

Thanks,

Emilyeagleowl

[Beth_19]

Hi and welcome to the forums.

Yes you need to go back to your doctor and tell them what is going on. You don't want to risk your health and a change of inhaler might be all you need, but its definitely something to discuss with your doctor.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Beth_19]

Hi Beth.

Thank you very much for your reply. I was worried but I was also worried to go back to the doctors as I was worried it might be considered as wasting as their time. I will make an appointment as soon as possible. It will be nice to not sound as if I'm about to cough a lung.

Emilyeagleowl

[thewheezyone in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Always best to get a check. It could be an infection brewing. Fingers crossed it's not! X

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to thewheezyone]

Thank you I will go and get it checked out.

[ElizabethC in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

You are never wasting a doctor's time where asthma is concerned.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to ElizabethC]

Cheers for that :). I will go and not feel guilty now!

[Hidden in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Hi a doctor told me once its much better to go even if you aren't sure than not go when you need to. Don't take any chances with your lungs and always seek help if you are having problems.

You have a respiratory disease and you need to be vigilant with it.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply! I feel a bit better about going now and less of a hypochondriac

[andy121]

Hi and welcome.

I was the same back in January with annoying cough and tightness that got worse over time, even kept me awake at night. After 2 weeks I saw the doctor he put me on a short course of steriods and changed inhaler. 3 month's later im feeling pretty good.

Hopefully it will be something simple as a inhaler increase or change of inhaler for you. Never feel your wasting a doctors time when it comes to asthma.

Take care.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to andy121]

Thank you for your reply! I'm feeling so much better about going thanks to everyone who said your not wasting the Drs time! I hope you are feeling better too!

[andy121 in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Much better now thank you the new inhaler doing the trick. How are you feeling? Did you get to see a doctor?

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to andy121]

Thats excellent news! I have an appointment tuesday which is good because my peak flow meter reading has dropped from 350-400 on good days to 200-250 sometimes 300 which not so good!

[andy121 in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Thats not good. Keep taking your blue inhaler I found that helped improve peak flow slightly and abit with the coughing. Good luck for tuesday.

[ElizabethC]

Yes, asthma can change and become a bit less predictable. I've had my preventer inhalers changed over the years since I was diagnosed in 2005, most recently in January as my asthma due to a viral infection was wildly out of control (and landed me in A&E via ambulance). I'm now on Symbicort 200/6 and that at last seems to be getting it back under control. I've had 4 months of very twitchy lungs and respiratory system and have had to have 4 courses of Prednisilone as well as 3 of antibiotics due to the infection.

Get yourself checked out, make it clear how tight you are feeling and when its worse, identify anything that may have triggered it (sometimes you can't. Its just twitchy lungs!). If you are waking coughing in the night make sure its mentioned firmly as night coughing is a sign that the asthma is more out of control.

Good luck.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to ElizabethC]

Hi and thank you for your reply! It's terrible at night a few nights ago I pulled a few muscles in my chest from coughing! I hope your feeling better now. It's very vexing isn't it? I have booked an appointment, better get it checked out.

[Chip_y2kuk]

Have you got hayfever?... the "the face mask over my mose" breathing through a snorkel

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Chip_y2kuk]

Hi, thanks for your reply! I used to have hayever when I was little but I don't have it now (apart from the odd sneeze which could be anything). It's kind of hard to describe the feeling hence the snorkel description. A steel boned corset feeling is another description I have come up with. Those things are tight.

[Minushabens]

If the deterioration in your symptoms has coincided with a return from uni, then it's worth considering whether or not there's a trigger in your environment that is new, maybe at home or work if you've started a new job? Are you under any greater levels of stress either?

If your cough is productive you might also want to ask the GP to do a sputum sample as you might just need an extra hit of antibiotics to help shift the problem.

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Minushabens]

Hi, thanks for your reply! I may have to suggest that actually as sometimes its productive (although not much and sometimes only after coughing non-stop for five minutes). I am slightly stressed at the moment as my dissertation is due soon but I'm nearly finished! I think it could be something to do with pollen or the upped pollen count. My chest started feeling really tight more often December at the time I just figured air pollution or cold air but it just keeps getting worse. I have no idea whats going on anymore.

[Hay1234]

Hi do u have tightness in throat have you ever been tested for vcd

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Hay1234]

Hi thank you for your reply. I don't especially have tightness in my throat although my throat feels really horrible from coughing. The tightnesses is more right at the bottom of my ribs moving to the middle. Its very frustrating.

[Hay1234 in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Hi hope you get it sorted coughings terrible hurts all over once you start

[Emilyeagleowl in reply to Hay1234]

Thanks, its definitely painful and you can keep pulling muscles, which just makes it all the better!

[Hay1234 in reply to Emilyeagleowl]

Hope you improve soon xx