Normal

[Lyngal]

Coughing all night and when I wake up very short of breath wheezing, feel like I'm in a bear hug sometimes. Just been for a spirometry test and it's normal . Has this happened to anyone else as I known coughing,wheezing and being breathless is not in the mind .

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Like peak flow, your best spirometry result may not be what's predicted - so what looks normal for your height, age etc is actually reduced for you.

Problem is it's hard to do it often enough to get a personal best, unlike peak flow. Was this just a test you happened to have booked already? Was it at the hospital or GP? Also what was 'normal' - did they tell you all the values? And do you already know you have asthma or is this part of a diagnosis?

If this is leading to you not getting help I'd ask for a reversibility test - the reaction to that can often be more useful even if the initial value looks normal.

Hope that helps - sorry for all the questions, just thinking about context. I think you definitely need to do something based on the symptoms but some drs are very fixated on numbers.

[ChrissieMons]

Of course coughing and wheezing isn't normal! You can help it a bit by having lots of pillows so you are kind of sitting up in bed if the coughing wakes you up in the night, but I think you will have to keep pestering your doctor. Maybe if you kept a record of your symptoms - how often you cough, how the day progresses, and film yourself on your phone so the dr. can see how you are in the mornings, it might help.

Good luck!

[nickpeters]

Lying flat in bed at night is not a good idea as fluids build up in your lungs when in a prone position, at least prop yourself up on more pillows which will help. The tightness you speak of is typical asthma caused by the mucus build-up and your body fighting for breath. Wheezing could suggest you have chest infection, so visit your GP and get checked out.

I can only tell you what works for me. Last thing at night I try and clear my lungs as much as possible using the ‘Huff’ technique. It’s very simple and can help remove the thick sticky phlegm from the lower part of your lungs. The ‘huffing’ technique is so called as ‘huff’ is similar to the noise you make while doing it. Take a deep breath extending your stomach, then exhale in short sharp ‘huffs’, this pushes up the mucus to the top of your lungs which can then be expelled with a couple of light coughs. You may need to do it several times depending on how much mucus has built-up during the day. Once you have mastered the technique it is surprisingly effective. I used to cough so hard I’d often rupture one or more small blood vessels which resulted in coughing up blood, not to be recommended!

If I wake up during the night badly congested, I pop into the bathroom and go through the ‘huff’ procedure. I use the bathroom as not to wake my wife (it can be noisy) plus sitting on the loo offers the right angle to help clear the mucus.

Also try and make sure your bedroom is as free from ‘triggers’ as possible. Animal dander, household dust, mites, even feather pillows can trigger an attack, plus if there is a smoker in your home make your bedroom a no go area as cigarette smoke can trigger an attack so easily. Regretfully I don’t follow my own advice as well as I should, especially as I have two other serious lung conditions in addition to chronic asthma! (yep, a prize idiot eh)!

[Yatzy]

Yes, lying flat isn’t for asthmatics. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep again without three pillows....two set in an overlapped V shape and a third one straight across the top. During exacerbations, I add an actual V pillow, to try to keep me in a sitting position. Usually stops things getting much worse and gradually, gradually, things improve. Keeps coughing down to a minimum, but also use strepsils....coughing is so wearing, headache inducing, and brings on other body function problems!

[Lyngal]

Thanks everyone for the replies I sleep with 4 pillows